Check out the guest of honor, Benson, who was not-so-secretly hoping for the ham to take a nasty spill.

Easter Brunch Complete!

What a whirlwind of weekend cooking! Stay tuned for pics coming very soon. Here's a hint of one of the highlights -- a handwritten recipe for cheese grits I found in my grandma's recipe box. A further teaser--it contains a pound of cheese and a stick and a half of butter. Paula Deen, take that!!

Easter Brunch Planning...

So I spent yesterday trying to contain my excitement while I planned a menu for next weekend's Easter brunch. I'm cooking for a few friends, and, as usual, I can't wait to go all out (my husband: "you're doing too much;" me: "it's Easter!!") My good friend and downstairs neighbor Meredeth gave me this awesome brunch cookbook, Bubby's Brunch Cookbook, and although I've never visited the restaurant from which the book is derived, I think I would be a fan based on the recipes inside. Here's a sneak peek of what I'm planning for Sunday (and, of course, photos and videos of the ensuing insanity will be uploaded soon after):

1. Rhubarb Coffee Cake


2. Biscuits Deviled Eggs (my grandma's--and, oh yes, they will be dyed beautiful Easter egg colors courtesy of PAAS)


3. Cheese grits (also a recipe I stumbled upon in my grandma's recipe box)


4. Silver dollar Chocolate Chip Pancakes


5. Glazed Ham


6. Asparagus Leek Frittata

And definitely all the mimosas and bloody marys one can drink. Sooo stoked!

Back in the saddle...er, kitchen...

So I'm back. I know it's been awhile, but my New Year's resolution (I know it's March) was to begin blogging again. The truth is I spent all day yesterday cooking, which made me long to tell you lovely people how it all went. I tried out this Turkey Pozole soup recipe from the Today Show. I highly recommend it--it's relatively healthy (for those of us who are trying to be slaves to our Weight Watchers points), and very tasty. And we all know I have a soft spot (my belly, ha!) for anything related to Mexican fare. The recipe calls for turkey meat, so I took it upon myself to purchase a frozen turkey breast, which actually worked just fine (although it did clock in at 3 lbs, a little more than the 2 lbs. the recipe calls for). Just make sure your turkey meat is fully thawed (unlike mine)--it was definitely tough to get the browning going. More soon...hope you missed me and my musings on all things food!