oliver + s pattern: sunday brunch

I have two 2-year-old nieces, one on each side, so for Christmas they each got a "Sunday Brunch" outfit (in different colors). I should have taken more pictures of the skirt and jacket before I gave them away, but as usual, I was frantically scrambling to finish all my holiday projects. The skirt has pockets and the jacket has a bias-tape lining on the inside that matches the skirt. The fabrics I used were lightweight courduroys, which I think worked well for the pattern. I really enjoyed making these and will definitely try an Oliver + S pattern again, since I seem to have so many little people in my life right now.

peanut butter cookies

Jon requested peanut butter cookies... Coincidentally they are my favorite. I love allrecipes, I've found some good ones, like this. I rolled the cookies in sugar prior to baking, as per the instructions, but I think if I had some turbinado sugar they would have been even prettier.

hearty breakfasts

I love breakfast, especially anything with eggs. Here are some nice ones I've enjoyed recently. From the top, the veggie skillet at Cozy Corner (Thanks Allison for turning me on to the wonders of the skillet!), duck confit hash and eggs at Marigold Kitchen in Madison, and baked eggs with oil preserved tomato, cured tuna roe, and creme fraiche at Blue Duck Tavern in DC. Finally, Jon and I love to eat at Lula here in Chicago, where they always have a delicious farmer's market hash with eggs on the brunch menu. It's always different, using whatever veggies are in season. So, anyway, I decided to make my own with what I had on hand: sweet potatoes, onion, brussel sprouts and delicious Cedar Valley bacon. (And, of course, a poached egg!)

lemon curd

I had so many egg yolks left over from all those marshmallows that I decided to make a big batch of lemon curd. I used the same recipe for the lemon cake filling I made for my mom's birthday. I froze most of it, but some I had on one of the delicious Wolferman's English muffins (they are gigantic!) we got for Christmas. I felt like I was eating a big ol' slab of cake for breakfast.

blue cheese souffle



Tried Ina's recipe for blue cheese souffle last night, although I used Point Reyes Blue instead of Roquefort, because that's what I had on hand. The recipe is for 1 big souffle - she said serves 2, can you imagine? I made four little ones, I think that was about the right size for a single serving. We ate them with an arugula salad - simple and yummy. I think the recipe would be even more delicious with goat cheese...I will have to try that soon. I got a fancy new phone (lost mine on NYE - curse you Estelle's, why are you open 'til 5 am?) so I've included  a video of the exciting moment when they came out of the oven.

Christmas marshmallows

I've been neglecting the blog due to a busy holiday season. Oops! I hope everyone had a good one. Here are the Christmas marshmallows I sent out. I made tins of 3 flavors; vanilla, chocolate, and peppermint. I am very happy with the way they turned out, especially since they got rave reviews from my nephews.