Something happened last week and there's no going back. My stand mixer came out, then the food processor, and next all the measuring cups and cutting boards. Somehow I have about 6 2 cup measuring cups, 3 sets of other measuring cups, and at least 5 cutting boards. When Benjamin was at the store getting me more flour, I had him pick up another vegetable peeler so now we have three. I'm pretty sure I ran my dishwasher at least three times each day and I've convinced myself and Benjamin that when the time comes, I want all professional grade appliances- and our boys are only 1, 4, and 6. I'm also on the double oven train which would mean knocking out some cabinets, but I'm okay with that if it means my future self can have dinner in one oven, and dessert in the other.
At the beginning of this year and towards the end of 2017 I realized there wasn't room for certain things in my head or my heart and I wanted and in many ways needed there to be room. I wanted room to write and create and to come back to this space. It's been a consistent tug at my heart for awhile now and so as the lists of ideas keep coming, I'm putting myself out there and just doing- creating- writing- painting- cooking- serving.
This year I was thankful for space to cook and serve my family. I wanted to be able to do that- I didn't want to go into the weekend stressed and tired. Although the week leading up to Easter was busy, I tapped into our grocery pick up subscription, got my shopping done with a quick drive by the local store after church, and woke knowing I had plenty of time to cook. Pro-tip. Your kids will eat eggs even if it's not breakfast time. They'll eat cereal for dinner too! And so, that's what I did Saturday night knowing Easter Sunday I would wake to lots of cooking.
Our Menu
Appetizers
Shrimp, Veggies, Hummus, and this Roasted Onion Dip with Chips
Dinner
Roasted Asparagus + Carrots
Rolls
Dessert
Key Lime Pie
Some notes about what we did here. My Mom doesn't love cooking like I do, so she got the ham and roasted veggies. You really can't go wrong with Ina and we all did really enjoy the ham- especially the boys! She set a beautiful table and everything was all set with the veggie tray and shrimp. The dip was super simple to make, very delicious, and has me wondering if I should make caramelized onions like this all the time in the summer without the sour cream of course to top on burgers? Why not.
My dad likes scalloped potatoes and I like to cook so it was fun to try out a new recipe. The sauce had great flavor the only thing I'd do for next time is peel the potatoes and use my mandoline. Last time I used it I majorly cut myself, which is why I'm eyeing this one with it's nice safety features!
Rolls were store-bought from my Mom and I made the most delicious carrot cake. It could have something to do with the cup and a half of oil, but I'm fine with it. The boys helped me with the frosting, swore they didn't like cream cheese, and then Tucker declared, "This is really good yogurt Mommy- can you make this for breakfast?!" Sure bud. As it sits in my kitchen still, I'm definitely considering it a breakfast item with a nice cup of coffee tomorrow morning.
I ended up making a Key Lime pie, and then never taking it out. We totally forgot about it and were stuffed on cake anyways. A friend brought me this pie made with this Key Lime Juice after Evan was born and I think it's a great easy go-to if you need dessert but are short on time.
That's all she wrote- apart from the mounds of breakfast items I made, but that's for another post.
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