I am a big egg-for-breakfast girl. It started a few years ago when I had kids and realized I had to eat a solid chunk of protein each morning in order to get me going and sustain me until lunch. The only catch is that our morning routine is very hectic, so over time I’ve devised a few easy ways to cook up simple, tasty egg dishes on the fly.

I’m taking a little break for school vacation week. We all need to step out of our winter routine. Between snow days and viruses we’ve been a little too housebound lately! While I’m out of the office I want to share a few of the favorite things I’ve been enjoying this winter. It’s been too long since I’ve done so!

I’ve read a whole bunch of books this winter and am loving it! Here are a few I recommend:

• My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinham
• Brooklyn by Colm Toibin
• Adventures on the Wine Route by Kermit Lynch (a gift from a friend to encourage my wine education)
• A Girl in the Spider’s Web by David Lagercrantz (I loved the first three in the series and David does a nice job picking up where Steig left off.)
• When Breathe Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

I wrote about Revol 1768 last week and am still really enjoy their pieces. Highly recommend.

Wine pearls have become my favorite hostess gift this year. I have a set and firmly believe everyone else needs one too!

I’m starting to think spring and am eyeing these shirts. Stripes are my favorite.

Last week I made the hugest pot of this soup and we ate it all before I could even freeze any. So delish!

Courtney’s instagram has me craving a family camping trip in New Zealand.

Mabo has the most delicious clothes for kids.

Season Two of Odd Mom Out starts on June 8th. Yay!

Black & White Cookie Ice Cream. Enough said.

Beautycounter continues to become my favorite new beauty brand. The face oils are life changing.

I need to visit Medoc one day and take one of Mimi’s food workshops.

See you next week!

It’s been a while since I tried a new piece of bakeware. The dishes I was given over a decade ago for my wedding are still going strong. But recently I had the opportunity to try some beautiful pieces from Revol and decided to give them a go. I didn’t need a new tart pan or chicken roaster, but their pretty designs intrigued me and I wanted to see how they’d fit into my everyday cooking and kitchen aesthetic.

The unique thing about these dishes is that they are very thoughtfully designed with just the right balance of fun and useful. A chicken roaster shaped like a chicken has, admittedly, never been on my wish list. But once I used it I was instantly taken with the adorable shape that can go straight from oven to table and is the perfect size for baking a 5 pound chicken.

Even better, it can be used as a baking dish for a casserole (hot chicken salad, anyone?), a serving bowl for salad, or even for making a giant ice cream sundae. And, when it the food is all cleaned out, it can go straight into the dishwasher and be displayed on a shelf for all to see. Needless to say, all of these features make it more desirable than my regular roasting pan which I typically scrub by hand and keep in the basement between uses.

I’ve been working hard at learning a lot of about wine over the past six months. It is an area I’d like to write about more extensively. Today I am proud to share the first installment of my new Wine Love column. It features wine and all things wine related that I love. I hope in the future this includes reviews of my trips to wine destinations! First up is my review of Natura wines. Last year I was sent a few of their wines to try and today I am excited to share my thoughts on them.

About the wines: Natura wines are organic wines grown in the vineyards of Chile. The term organic in winemaking means that no pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, or chemical fertilizers are used in the vineyard. Instead, in the Chilean vineyards where grapes varietals for Natura wines are grown, flowers and native plants are used as natural pest control. The wines feature more complex flavors, especially stronger earthy notes from the terroir since no chemicals are used that would normally get absorbed through the roots of the vine and into the grape, ultimately dulling the flavor and character of the wine.

Crispy chocolate pearls from France. (Food52, $24)

Spicy Maple Syrup for a spicy breakfast in bed. (Terrain, $20)

Gorgeous Meyer lemons for making marmalade and cheesecake. (White Flower Farm, $35)

A cool bottle stopper and delicious bottle of Rudi Schultz Syrah for drinking. (Crate & Barrel, $4.95; Wine shop, about $30)

Flourless Chocolate Pecan sandwich cookies which are pretty much to die for. (The Good Batch, $38)

The world’s most decadent hot chocolate for sipping in front of the fire. (Mariebelle, $23)

Pretty gold dipped seashell pinch bowls for serving decadent ice cream sundaes. (Food52, $55)

A gorgeous camembert for baking with herbs to make a delicious treat to enjoy with wine. (Murray’s, $45)

Cherry bitters for making fun cocktails once the kids are in bed. (Cecil & Merl, $26)

Heavenly cheesecake for two. Obviously. (Mah Ze Dahr, $10)