Hooray For Spring.

We've had some beautiful weather here in NJ the last few days.  After the ton and a half of snow and the bitterly cold temperatures, I think we were long overdue it.  I have been soaking up the sunshine, sitting on the deck and hoping that the warmth is finally here to stay.

Look at these ridiculously huge strawberries!  I thought that since they were so huge, they might not have much flavour but they tasted absolutely divine.

Warm weather means lots of fresh veggies, hard-boiled eggs and the occasional helping of waffle fries.

Flip flops and a flopped dog.  I can't believe how big Pearl is getting, it's like she's blooming before my eyes.

I've been a little MIA over the last few weeks, mainly due to the regular humdrum of life that doesn't inspire me to write.  S has been training hard to get some extra certifications at work so that he can hopefully move up in the company and we can hopefully move a little further south in the state!  We've not been especially busy or up to anything overly exciting, but I'm hoping to change that up pretty darn soon.

I hope you've been well and full of the joys of spring.  Fingers crossed it's really, truly, finally here!

Love, K.

A Warm Weekend.

This past weekend was really, really lovely.  The sun was out and, for a brief moment, it was easy to forget that we've had freezing cold temperatures and a ton of snow for what feels like the longest time.  S had Sunday off so we spent our time making the most of the warmth, taking it easy and I even managed to try a new recipe!

S decided that doughnuts sounded really good for breakfast (and I figured if I had one as a 'meal', it wouldn't be an unhealthy snack...right?) There was a crazy amount of powdered sugar on there!

Look at that sky!  It looks like spring might just be in the air - I'm keeping my fingers crossed so tight!

Pearl absolutely loved basking in the sunshine, her little nose working overtime to figure out what all those smells were.

In order to compensate for the doughnut breakfast, I had a super delicious chilli chicken salad with a few croutons and lots of cucumber.  Yum!

My favourite thing about putting the clocks forward an hour?  Being able to take this picture at 7 pm!  Yay daylight!

Mac and cheese has to be one of my favourite things to eat.  It's the best kind of comfort food, warm and hearty and ridiculously cheesy.  I had the notion that making a good cheese sauce would be really difficult so I put off attempting to make my own for ages.  I'm glad to say that I was wrong!

To make an ooey-gooey mac and cheese, you'll need to melt 2 tablespoons of butter and then add 2 tablespoons of flour, stirring together for about a minute until it's smooth.  Then add around 1 and a half cups of milk, some salt and pepper to taste, give it a stir and allow to boil before adding the cheese of your choice.  I threw in some mozzarella, some mexican-style cheese and some sharp cheddar and it was really yummy.  Next time I make it, I'd like to add mustard and some different cheeses, like something smoked or gruyère, to see how the flavour will change.

Did you have a wonderful weekend too?  I'd love to know what you got up to!

Love, K.

40 Days.

I am a -huge- fan of Lent.  While I don't celebrate it in the traditional sense (a religious one) I love the idea of giving up something, of letting go of a little luxury in the run up to the Easter celebrations.  It's something I've done for many years now and, more often than not, I choose to cut out sweet things from my diet - no chocolate, no cakes, no sweets.  Let me tell you, after 40 days of no chocolate, Easter eggs taste oh so heavenly and worth the wait!

In England, my family and I always celebrated Shrove Tuesday as 'Pancake Day', a nod to the days when people would use up their prized ingredients such as eggs and flour before Ash Wednesday, not eating them until Easter came.  Pancakes are a daily staple in America (which is such a treat!) so they're always readily available, but I decided this year that S and I would celebrate the day with homemade pancakes smothered in maple syrup, yum!

I didn't have enough milk for a traditional batter so I decided to eyeball it and make my own!  I used one whole banana, two eggs, half a cup of flour and half a cup of honey nut oatmeal, with an extra big squeeze of honey thrown in.  After frying them for a couple of minutes on either side, we had us some rather delicious pancakes!  Shrove Tuesday just wouldn't be complete without them.

In the spirit of Lent, this year I've decided to give up unhealthy snacking for 40 days.  I am a serial snacker; if I'm sitting at home watching T.V. or browsing the internet, I'll happily munch away at some chocolate or a packet of crisps.  Now that I've got Pearl to keep me occupied during the day, I'm much more active but the snacking hasn't stopped and it's time that I broke the habit!  While I won't be depriving myself of something sweet here and there, I'll be incorporating them into my meals rather than eating at weird times of the day and, if I really can't resist, I'll be stocking up on healthy foods like nuts, dried fruit and veggies to help with the pangs.

Do you celebrate Lent or give anything up?  Here's to a successful 40 days!

Love, K.