Spring and summer entertaining season is on the horizon and that means one thing: showers. As in, baby showers, bridal showers, and engagement showers. So many showers! I personally love showers of all kinds and have thrown quite a few myself. In doing so I’ve learned a few things along the way as well. First: have a standby menu. It is best to have a few standards you can riff on: chicken salad, quiche, punches, bon bons, and a solid dessert nibble. For a baby shower you might do a big cake too, but I find having a bite size dessert on hand is always an good idea. Which is where my Lemon Raspberry Jam bars come in.
I love these roast potatoes because they are perfect for entertaining. As in, you can make a nice big batch and serve them in a bowl to lots and lots of people and everyone loves them. Potato dishes are usually good for entertaining in general, but this one is totally foolproof. The come out perfect every time and the paprika and crispy skins make them so delish. They also don’t need any heavy adornments which I don’t find as appealing in the warmer months. There is no cream, cheese, or onions, just salt, pepper, oil, and paprika. In the oven, then done and done.
Our kitchen renovation is still in the works. All winter we’ve been checking out design books and kitchens we like around town. I also found this great article about 15 small and clever kitchen designs and I want all of them to be included in ours! One thing I’d never paid much attention to before was the sink. Every kitchen has one, but I never gave much thought to how they fit into the overall design scheme. Equally as important: functionality. What do I use my sink for and what kind do I need?
I’ve lived with both single and double sinks and think we should go with a double sink. I love the option of one space to wash and one space to drip dry. The hardware above is not my style, but that is a different design decision altogether. This undermount double sink catches my eye in particular because it is paired with my favorite wooden countertop. (But is an undermount easy to keep clean around the top edges?)
Then I see these gorgeous deep apron sinks and think how pretty they are. They give a room a nice polished feel and the gleaming white always looks clean and modern. Maybe I’ll have to add a utility room to our wish list just so I can have a sink like this.
I like this sink with the apron and the window above it. I definitely want to position our new sink so I can look out on the yard and the kids while I wash dishes.
I am gaga for Grace and Julia’s recent kitchen renovation. Bright space, wooden countertops, antique wooden floors, sink with a window view, giant island, open shelving, pantry to the side… So many of my favorite elements! I have pinned every image from their renovation to my idea board.
One thing that is a surefire hit with breakfast entertaining is coffee cake. There is no way to go wrong with it which is why it is important to have a couple good coffee cake recipes up your sleeve at all times. I made this last Friday when my parents came to town for Easter weekend. It is your basic sour cream coffee cake made in a tube pan. I added cappuccino chips and a little espresso to the crumb to make it extra decadent and ideal for my coffee-loving parents.
Just a couple of weeks ago there was still so much snow in our yard I honestly didn’t think I’d ever see the grass again; let alone a blooming rose or single lilac. But! We are slowly but surely turning the corner weather-wise. The snow has melted and I am excited to say that we are finally making big plans for our garden this year. Last year we focused on returning the grass to health, chasing out vermin and trapping a large groundhog that resided under the porch, and experimenting with vegetables in our new raised bed. I carefully studied the sun and shade patterns on our property and worked hard at digging out old vines and stubborn weeds once and for all.
It was a steep learning curve but the knowledge I am starting with this season is incredibly helpful. I’ve started mapping out a plan for flowers and shrubs that will work well in our climate based on the light and heat we get from May through October. This week I even started flipping through my favorite gardening books for inspiration and have added a new one to the mix: Bunny Williams: On Garden Style.
This tome is reissue of an earlier version of the book from 1998 and is a treasure for any gardener. It is part aspirational, part practical, and all eye candy. While I don’t have nearly the kind of estate like the ones in this book there are still many ideas I can apply to our yard.
Lavender does really well in our area because it can endure the heat and minimal rainfall in the summer. It also attracts bumble bees and butterflies, both hallmarks of a healthy garden. So far our lavender has been doing well and I even dried some for Christmas gifts. I love Bunny’s idea of using it to line paths in big, voluptuous bunches.
It can be fun to play jokes with food if you are super clever. But I am not one of those people so I just give something a little twist and call it my own personal April Fools joke. For example, are these blondies or are they brownies? Or are they both? I called them marbled blondies because that is the easiest thing to say.
This salad is a mash up of the many grain and asparagus salads I’ve seen floating around the web lately. With asparagus season truly getting underway, and a big bag of barley in our pantry, I knew this just had to be made. The general idea is that delicious fresh cooked asparagus is tossed with hot barley, a sharp lemony vinaigrette, and topped with shavings of salty Parmesan. The concept is simple, and so is the recipe, and the result is nothing short of delicious.
