easter bunny

happy friday, everyone! 

i am so excited for this easter weekend - we have a nice mix of fun and low-key plans, which include happy hour and dinner with friends in the city tonight; gym, housecleaning, and errands tomorrow; and easter on sunday!

i love easter. my earliest childhood memories of the holiday are gathering with my dad's extended french-canadian family at my grandparents' house (salient points: almost no one spoke english; there was a lamb-shaped cake that was covered in coconut and therefore looked furry.)  

as we got older, we had easter at our house. my dad would hide about 50 plastic eggs filled with candy or loose change in the yard after we got back from church. my brothers and i each got a basket, and we would run around like crazy trying to find the most eggs. this might sound like a lovely family event, but in reality it was more like the hunger games: i usually ended up bleeding, my youngest brother would be crying, and my middle brother would smugly count the lion's share of the spoils in the corner. i would share a picture, but i think it might be too traumatic for all of us.

this year, the boyfriend and i will be skipping egg hunts in favor of a delicious dinner at home. here's a peek at our menu!

to start:

grandnana's deviled eggs 

(my great-grandmother's recipe: she knew curry was great stuff way before it was trendy!)

ingredients:

a dozen hard boiled eggs

mayonaise

dijon mustard

curry powder

salt

pepper

paprika

1. cut the eggs in half. gently remove the yolks and put in a mixing bowl. 

2. add a little mayonaise, dijon mustard, and curry powder to the yolks and mix with a fork. adjust amounts to your taste - the end result should be a creamy and smooth mixture. season with salt and pepper.

3. spoon the yolk mixture into a large plastic bag. snip one corner so there is a small hole and pipe the yolk mixture into the egg white "bowls."

4. sprinkle some paprika over each egg to garnish

the main event:

boneless stuffed leg of lamb

pan-seared smashed new potatoes

roasted asparagus

we are planning on stuffing the leg with pancetta, lemon, and rosemary and then grilling it.

the potato recipe is simple:

1. cut new potatoes in half (i plan on 4 whole potatoes per person - they're small.)
2. parboil the potatoes until they are fork-tender.
3. heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat.
4. place potatoes in saute pan and smash the tops of them with the bottom of a glass.
5. cook over the heat until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy.
6. season with lemon zest, salt, pepper, and parsley.

i will roast the asparagus in the oven at 425 degrees for about 12 minutes. to prep, cut/snap the ends, place stalks in an oven-safe dish. drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and shaved parmesan if you like. the cooked asparagus should be tender but not mushy.

the finale:

coconut-carrot layer cake with cream cheese frosting

i am improvising with this one: i couldn't decide between coconut cake and carrot cake, so i am making both! 

i plan to use recipes from the hummingbird bakery cookbook and/or the sono baking company cookbook, and my thought is that i will sandwich a layer of carrot cake between two layers of coconut cake, with cream cheese frosting between each layer and covering the outside. then, in homage to the furry lamb cake of my childhood, i can cover the entire outside of the cake with coconut. we shall see how this turns out!

i promise photos next week :)


best wishes for a happy passover, easter, and weekend! 

[image via]

date night

so it's thursday and the boyfriend and i are having a little date night! when we go out, it's usually friday or saturday so this is a special treat :)

where are we going? a little place called osianna in fairfield, ct that features mediterranean flavors and a lot of seafood. 

so cute, right? you will find me at the raw bar with a cocktail! 

i was excited to wear something bright and fun that transitions easily from day to night, bearing in mind that my commute home is close to 2 hours and we will be going right to the restaurant from the train station.

kate spade bag (old) / j.crew cardigan (old) / ann taylor dress (out of stock online) / ann taylor belt
essie in tangerine / earrings / family heirloom rings (my grandmother had the best taste!)

i am loving the cobalt blue as an alternative to black, and this dress is the most comfortable thing on earth: it's ponte knit, so it doesn't wrinkle and it's thick enough that no unflattering lumps can be seen! 

the dress is currently out of stock online, but check your local ann taylor store - they are currently having a 30% off sale, too!

good enough to eat

regular visitors to c&d know how much i enjoy cooking (and eating!)

my mother has a voracious appetite for a good cookbook - she literally reads through them like most people read novels - and i estimate that her collection now numbers in the hundreds. i am finding that, as i get older, i also love the perfect marriage of well-edited recipes with gorgeous food photography.

unfortunately, cookbooks can be pricey (my cherished thomas keller tomes run about $50 each!) so for day-to-day foodspiration (yup, that happened) i have discovered several great food blogs that never steer me wrong!

smitten kitchen

written by deb from her tiny new york kitchen. she eschews fussy foods and pretentious ingredients in favor of stepped-up comfort foods.  

recipe to try: kale chips

i first made these last fall with a friend of mine because we both love salty snacks, chips in particular, but were trying to eat healthier. the debut batch was eyed dubiously by the boyfriend and my friend's beau while the two of us ladies raved about how delicious it was. almost reluctantly, the boys tried a chip... and then devoured the entire sheet pan before it was even cool. 

it's a crowd pleaser, people.

next on my list: soft eggs with buttery herb-gruyere toasts

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spoon fork bacon

jenny is a food stylist and teri is a photographer; together, you get a dynamic duo who presents innovative recipes with stunning photographs! as you might guess, bacon is a frequent ingredient :)

recipe to try: bacon, gruyere, and green onion scones

i made these for a couple of brunches in the fall and they are so fluffy and delicious - people couldn't stop at one! very easy to make, too!

next on my list: lamb kebabs with a mint yogurt sauce

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yummy supper

erin d. scott started yummy supper in 2009, and all of her recipes are gluten-free! 

recipe to try: arugula salad with marcona almonds, avocado + fennel slivers

i made this salad on sunday as part of our dinner, and then made it again for lunch on monday and tuesday. the flavors are bright and clean - very springy!

i subbed sherry vinegar for the balsamic in my dressing, and used toasted pinenuts instead of almonds because that's what i had in the kitchen.

next on my list: braised halibut with pistachios and preserved lemons

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the bitten word

zach and clay are based in washington, d.c. and cook recipes from monthly food magazines! now married, they started this blog in 2008 as part of a new year's resolution.

recipe to try:  burgers with blue cheese mayo and sherry vidalia onions

these burgers get an extra kick from the onions, which are so tender after cooking down with the sherry, and i am a huge fan of blue cheese in general so these were a big hit!

next on my list: pancetta-wrapped peaches with basil and aged balsamic

monochrome carryalls

i recently scored an amazing deal on a bag at tj maxx:

there she is, in all her glory!
(please pardon the very ugly chair in my office!)  

it is beyond perfect for work: its shoulder strap is long enough to go cross-body, but there is also a top handle, and it is exactly big enough to hold my essentials without being too gigantic. 

that said, j.crew HAD to send an email yesterday with the spotlight on this chic little number:

j.crew edie attaché bag - $288
ugh, it's adorable. retro office lady glam at its best! 

later, while perusing my blogroll i saw this sleek ombre tote from zara:

zara graded shopper - $169
i can see this working for the office, but also for running weekend errands.

i certainly do not need another bag at the moment, but it's nice to see what's out there! 

i also love the two-tone appeal of both of these options: the white/cream is great for the warmer months, but the black anchors the design into seasonless functionality.