The Great Bunny Masacre of 2009

Easter was so much fun! The food was amazing...as usual, AND I won $10 in the egg hunt!!! Thanks Papa!!

The Egg Hunt is quite intense. When I was much younger and there were only a handful of us grand kids we'd go out and find as many eggs as we could, and I was pretty skilled in finding colorful plastic eggs :) However, now that there are 25 of us grand kids...ranging from 30 to 3...there have been many more rules set in place.

• you can only find 1 egg
• each egg has a piece of paper with a number on it (along with candy)
• you bring your number to papa (my grandfather) who has a master list
• each number corresponds to a dollar amount!
  
• You then get your cash :)

The paper number system was set in place after we smartened up and started opening the eggs outside and seeing how much money was in them haha...there was always the "big money" egg, and everyone wanted it!

I don't have pics of all the eats...but a few choice items :)

Some apps:CHEESE!!! Mmmm some of my FAVS!

• 2 Aged Cheddars: a 1 yr and 2yr
• Aged Gouda! This stuff is incredible. My mom brought some back from Holland years ago and ever since the whole family has been obsessed! I believe its either 3 or 5 yrs old.
• Fromager d'Affinois - OH.MY.GOD. If your ever going to by a soft brie-like cheese, GET THIS!!! Its so creamy...spread it on a slice of baguette and it's heaven.

Here's what wikipedia has to say about it:

Fromager d'Affinois (pr. fro-mah-ZHAY dah-fee-NWAH) is a French double-cream soft cheese made from cow's milk. It is produced by the Fromagerie Guilloteau company.

Fromager d'Affinois is similar to Brie in production, appearance and flavour. Unlike in Brie production however, before cheese making the cow's milk undergoes a process called ultrafiltration. Ultrafiltration removes water from the pasteurised milk, concentrating all other components. ^[1] One effect of this process is that it allows the acceleration of the cheese making process. Whereas classic Brie takes eight weeks to make, Fromager d'Affinois can be made in two weeks. Ultrafiltration also results in a milk that retains more nutrients and proteins, and the cheese has a relatively high fat content of 60%.

The cheese is made in 4.4 pound wheels, and has a soft oozing texture inside with an edible white rind on the outside.

Seriously...try it. I also had some organic fig spread on hand...insanely good with all of these cheeses!

Served with crackers and sliced baguette!Olives

There was also delicious veggies and dips! There were many more dips as well, but not pictured.
The main course was Turkey Dinner! Along with ham :) All the sides...including my second favorite: Squash Souffle!I can't even begin to describe how good this is...I'd almost eat it for dessert!! Actually it would make an awesome dessert. I still can't have anything move my beloved stuffing out of first place, but this was SO close :)

The "famous" Easter Dessert in my family is...Bunny Cake, made by one of my aunts.It's a simple chocolate cake, shaped into a bunny and covered in fluffy boiled icing (it's similar in consistency to Fluff!)...and decorated as so.

I wouldn't say it has any WOW factors...its really simple, but just one of the traditions that makes it SO good :)

People might go crazy for Bunny Cake...Ok who cut the eye out!?!?! I've heard rumors it was one of my cousins, but the mystery goes unsolved. I did however take a piece of the ear home with me.

I also contributed a dessert. I have been making similar versions of this the past two years, but usually in a "trifle" form. This year I simplified it as just a cake.
I also used a Cooking Light recipe for the cake and Lemon Curd!! I LOVE lemony things...so tart and tasty :) This curd recipe is much lighter...usually curds call for many more egg YOLKS and much more butter! My only alteration was using 2/3cup sugar instead of 1/2. I read the reviews and someone suggested this sugar increase as it was VERY tart. I might of liked it with just 1/2cup, but when serving to a crowd I don't want to cut TOO much sugar.

I also used regular flour instead of Matzo meal.

I also added some freshly whipped cream to my dessert, as well as used strawberries instead of raspberries...I am not seeing Raspberries ANYWHERE?!

There was also Pavlova!!! YUMM!!!! If you've never had pavlova...go make some! It's light and amazing!

It's basically a giant Meringue...topped with fresh whipped cream and berries!This meringue was so thick it almost tasted like angel food cake on the bottom :)

Amazing Easter!

Don't forget...last day for my Giveaway!!

Happy Easter!!

Hope the Easter Bunny was good to you today!

I heart the Easter Bunny :)

My Easter Basket: (the same basket I’ve had since I can remember)

Those Teenee Beanee jelly beans are THE BEST EVER!! We always buy that kind, and this year I actually had to order some online for my mom because none of the stores had them!! They are similar in size and texture to Jelly Belly, but without the RANDOM flavors…just the classics and perfect.

Surprisingly I haven’t dove into my candy yet…I have however had a few “samples” of stuffing…you know just to make sure it’s seasoned enough ;)

I also did the 30min SHRED this morning because my hopes of a run were squashed when the thermometer read 32* this morning!!!! WTF!!! It was like 60 two days ago :(

For a little breakfast snack I had 1/2 of the heel of Arnold Double Protein bread with Raw Almond butter (TJ’s) and a sliced strawberry…mmm.

Easter Egg Oats

So I have been waiting FOREVER to post this. I made them a while ago…like when Cadbury Eggs first made their appearance (probably right around Valentines Day).

Sometimes I’ll add 2 or 3 choc. chips to my oats…let them melt in and make for a few decadent bites within my bowl of oats. So I could only imagine what a Cadbury Mini Egg could do!!

So I made a standard bowl of oats one morning…topped with:

• Zoe’s Honey Almond Granola
• Unsweetened shredded coconut
• spoon of White Choc. Wonderful PB
• 1 Beautiful Cadbury Egg nested in the middle
  
  

I could tell it was getting melty as the yellow candy coating was looking shiny and melting off into my oats haha

…so I know a little artificial coloring is probably not the best oat topping but it was worth the end result.

I had already brought it back to my desk to eat, and 1 min later I HAD to take my bowl and camera (very discreetly) back into the kitchen for a picture of THIS:

LOOK AT THAT MELTED CHOCOLATE EGG!!!! It was fun “cracking” the egg open into the oats!!

This would make for a Perfect Easter Breakfast in my opinion :)

Well the WHOLE Family is coming over here (to my moms house) this afternoon…along with Brian and his mom and step dad for the FIRST TIME his mom and step dad will meet my WHOLE FAMILY!!! I almost feel nervous for them…my family is big and loud hahah…nothing is held back, but they are also super fun so its okay. Plus better now than at the wedding :)

Hope I win some big money in the egg hunt!! (hey you laugh but 1 egg is even worth $50)…

HAPPY BUNNY DAY!!!!!!!!!!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder?

I hope so!!

I am such a guilty blogger...I feel so bad about my very sporadic and lack-there-of posts lately. I hate to say it but it's going to be that way for a couple more weeks :( I don't know if you remember but that exam I had to take for work back in October...well I have to take it again :( NOT FUN! So its on the 24th and until then my life is a crazy stress ball between studying, continuing to house hunt...etc, etc.

To try to make it up to you I have some things to Giveaway!!!

First some foooooooooooood

I like my Yogurt from a Cow
I tried Soy yogurt once...hated it...like it made me gag. So I left well enough alone and stuck to my beloved Greek and maybe even a little regular once in a while.

So now I see this Coconut Milk Yogurt all over the place...hmmm, sounds delicious. Coconut? Love it. Yogurt? Love it. So why not?!Well I think I figured it out...the consistency!!!This was WAY too similar to the soy yogurt...too thin and runny. I just can NOT get past the lack of creaminess! Plus the "vanilla" flavor was way too fake to me. I'm bummed because I have another container of the chocolate flavor at home. I think these may find themselves into a baked good REAL soon. Oh well...can't say I never tried!

Back to my originally scheduled breakfast:

• TJ's Cinnamon Raisin Whole Wheat British Muffin
• 1/2 with light butter
• 1/2 with PB
• 1 sliced banana
• little Raspberry fruit spread on the side to dip the muffin in!
  

There's been a whole lot of Whole Foods action lately with these studying/class nights...I made this lovely beast of a mixture Tuesday night and saved half for lunch todayI just love how I can take bites of things I normally wouldn't eat...like pasta salad...or other "heavier" items. I just take 1 or 2 bites worth and that's all I need.

Giveaway(s)

Well 1 new Giveaway and 2 sort of giveaway "leftovers".

First the new Giveaway...So a little while back the wonderful people at Zoe's sent me a box of their bars to try!! I had never seen their bars at the stores so I was psyched!

Welllll...at first I wasn't crazy about them, which is why it's taken me a while to post about it. I didn't know what to say!

There were 3 flavors I received:

• Peanut Butter Paradise
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss
• Chocolate Delight
  

I usually LOVE anything with PB...but those two flavors were not my fav. I don't know what it is either!? I love the texture...dense with a little crisp mixed in. But the PB flavor was almost too savory? or roasted/smoky?

LOVE the Chocolate Delight flavor though...mmm! Chocolaty, not too sweet...perfect!

I've tried the Choc. PB one again recently and it's growing on me :) I want to love these! So I will keep trying!

But I though I'd share 1 of each flavor with a lucky reader :)I'll send 1 reader 3 bars: "Peanut Butter Paradise", "Chocolate Peanut Butter Bliss" and my fav "Chocolate Delight"

Giveaway Leftovers:

Remember when I gave away the Yo-Plait prize pack and the Fiber One Chocolate prize pack!?

Well 1 of the 3 winners in each case never got back to me...SO that means I'll do another contest for new winners!!

Contest Rules:

1.) Leave a comment about...hmmm...maybe, any of the following:

• suggestion on how to use my coconut milk yogurt (aside from eating it of course)
• studying help!
• your thoughts on the Zoe's bars if you've ever had them

2.) Link back if you have a blog

3.) Maybe add me to your blog roll because that would be totally awesome ;)

I'll pick 3 random winners, and in whichever order they come out will be the order that the person can choose which prize they want!

edit:
woops totally forgot to set an end date to this...I'll end this contest Tuesday, April 14 at 10:00pm E.S.T.


Happy Thursday People...weekend is so close!!

2009 Wedding #2; Part 2 - WEDDING DAY

Yesterday was SO MUCH FUN!! And right now I am SO SO TIRED haha!

It all started at the salon where we all got our hair did...

Before: (I am on the far right...the process of straightening naturally curly hair is never pretty, and the joke of it is I then had her put some wavy curl back into it!!)

And After!! Yay for glamour hair...for a while I liked to pretend I had Blake Lively hair...you know, but a lot dark...and yeah, well a girl can dream ;)

Later back at the bride's Dad's house, we finished getting ready with some make-up action and got into our dresses and shoes! The flowers arrived! Nothing says spring better than TULIPS

Clearly we had to wear Brown shoes...can you guess which are mine??Anyone?? If you guessed the second from the right with the big rose on the top...you're right!

Our "latte" colored dresses, which looked REALLY good on everyone!!Obligatory duties: helping bride into shoesThe beautiful bride to be and I!College Roomies!!!More bridesmaids...Now lets get her to the Church on time! (yes that damn David Bowie song was in my head all day!)Look who I found when we got to the Church...He was on photographing duties for the ceremony.

Unknown to us bridesmaids...there was an inpromtu receiving line after the ceremony...outside...in our little dresses. OMG...Freezing!! It was only like 50 degrees and started to drizzle...so if you can see the bridesmaid with the hot pink wrap OVER her head...its me! Hey, rain + my straightened hair = BAD NEWS!!

The reception was at a beautiful country club
Cupcake cake!!mmmm those cupcakes are making me drool even now...they were insanely good!

Salad courseFor my dinner I opted for the fish (can't remember what kind...maybe Haddock?) with a seafood stuffing and Lobster Newburg Sauce!
Candy Buffet!Trying to pretend I am artisticOh and then the cupcakes
OH.MY.GOD. BEST.EVER.!!! The vanilla cupcakes had a lemon filling, the chocolate had a raspberry filling and everything about them were INCREDIBLE!!! I wished I wasn't so full last night I would of had more!!! (maybe that was a blessing in disguise).

It was SUCH a fun night!!This is turning out to be an awesome wedding season so far!!!

2009 Wedding #2; Part 1 - Rehearsal!

My good friend Jen is getting married today!!! She was one of my college roomies Junior and Senior year! This is the wedding that we planned the lovely brunch Shower for a few weeks ago :)

I guess we can start this from Wednesday night when Brian and I went to shop for a wedding present! After a trip to Macy's and Crate & Barrel, we were hungry! Luckily the mall we were at has some great food options (I still can't believe how often I used to eat at the Food Court in high school!).

We opted for Legal Sea Foods! This is one of my FAVORITE restaurants of all time. It's a local company with many locations in Massachusetts...its very delicious fish and seafood and I've been eating here with my family since I was little!

Usually my favorite thing to order is grilled Rainbow Trout, but I wasn't super hungry and was cold so I really wanted Chowder! (this is the chowder they serve at the presidential inaugurations!)

But first...the Rolls. So simple, but so insanely good!They are crisp on the outside, soft inside, and warm...mmm, perfect with a little salted butter!

Then I had a cup of chowder and a small salad :)
I love puting the oyster crackers in my chowder :)

A simple salad, but little extra touches like wide carrot "ribbons", and sesame seeds!! I LOVED the sesame seeds in it...I'll have to remember that!

Last night was the rehearsal...practice makes perfect:

The boys could NOT stand still!! I hope they realize they are going to have to be still a lot longer today :)

We practiced the recession a lot...me and my partner (Jen's little brother!)
The bride-to-be after it was done(that's me in the green coat).

I didn't get any pics from the dinner...it was back at her dad's with food from a GREAT Italian restaurant. I think we were all too starving and I didn't even THINK to take a pic haha!

Well I gotta run...hair appointment is soon :)

I realized this is my FIRST time being a bridesmaid...I am SO excited!!

I'll be back tomorrow with pics!

Have a great weekend :)