Monday gets a bad wrap, but man, Tuesdays. That’s where the drag really is. A good brain-dump blog post always perks me up, so I’m sharing some new recipes, what’s on my reading list (including a few cookbooks I’m loving) and all the spring-things on my mind! Read on, friends:
New Recipes. I always want to highlight my new recipes so you don’t miss them, and last week I shared a few easy appetizers for the Oscars that I will definitely be keeping around for spring parties too! My Roasted Chickpea Hummus Cups are about as simple as it gets, and the chickpeas are awesome as a snack on their own. The Asparagus Prosciutto Pastry Bundles were SO tasty and would make a great side dish for a grilled steak dinner.
Reading List. I’m on a slow-and-steady pace for my reading goal this year and just finished a quick, light, chick-lit read: When Life Gives You LuluLemons. It was bubbly and fun, and just what I needed before starting a heartier novel that I’m onto now: The Rules of Civility. So far I really like it, and am excited to dig in more after hearing so many wonderful reviews of the story. On my toddler-reading-list, Jane and I have been loving the book Lola Dutch that we picked up at the library; the illustrations are so charming.
Fresh Cookbooks. I never “count” cookbooks towards my reading goal, but I probably should since I read just about as many of them as I do fiction books! I’ve got a big stack of new-to-me cookbooks that I’ve been flipping through for inspiration this past month. I was intrigued to flip through Gwyneth Paltrow’s The Clean Plate even though I don’t really subscribe to a GOOP-lifestyle, because I genuinely enjoyed her first cookbook (My Father’s Daughter). This one has a lot of kooky-Gwyneth ideas in it, but I did pull out a handful of recipes for inspiration – the soups and breakfast ideas were on point! I’ve also been flipping through the Southern Living Party Cookbook and it’s chock-full of entertaining ideas and party recipes; I love how festive the photography is. And the cookbook I’ve been cooking my way through most recently is SkinnyTaste’s Fast and Slow – she has the BEST ideas for healthy dinners and meal prepping. Everything I’ve made in it has been a recipe I’ll repeat in my weekly meal-plan again!
Spring Things.Even though spring doesn’t realistically start for more than a month in New England, I’ve got the change of the seasons on my mind! I got so excited to order some fresh spring sneakers, and replenish my basic short sleeve t-shirts in preparation for the warmer weather. And I’ve been brainstorming ideas for staring a vegetable garden this spring too! I’ve got notoriously bad luck with keeping plants alive so any and all advice is welcome for this gardening-newbie!
Tidying Up.I’ve been on a mission to put all of my Marie Kondo knowledge to work and tidy up our house. Wintertime always makes me feel a little claustrophobic with all of the time we spend at home, and de-cluttering has been my way to combat those feelings. This past weekend I tackled our coat closet, Jane’s closet, and my office closet that is filled to the brim with blog-post supplies. I used photo-bins to organize a lot of my small props I use for holiday posts and it’s so nice to feel that everything has a place. Plus my trusty old-school embossing label-maker has been getting lots of use (if you’re ever thinking of purchasing a label maker go for one of these vintage ones on eBay – they’re so much more durable than the newer plastic versions!).
