Spring

Adventuring and Getting Creative in the Kitchen

Pittsburgh has been getting some warmer weather and sunshine lately! So much so that we mowed our lawn twice this week and it was warm enough for Mavis and I to take a little adventure to a creek near our house.

Cocker spaniel puppy by water

This was her first experience with a body of water and she was definitely curious, but not super into it. Lola enjoys water, so I wish she had been with us to show Mavis how fun it is, but I’m not confident taking two dogs by the water with an almost 20 week baby bump, lol.

The warmer weather has me dreaming of gardening, too. Jimmy and I were back and forth on starting a garden this year since our baby is due in September and we have done like zero things to prepare for his or her arrival, but we figured we’ll just make the garden smaller this year and if it gets neglected, then oh well. We love gardening too much to give it up 🙂

I’ve been having fun in the kitchen lately! I think my favorite way to cook and bake is to see what we have on hand and then improvise and create meals or treats out of those items.

Tabbouleh ingredients cucumber, tomato, green onions, bulgur and quinoa mix, and lemonTabbouleh

I realized we had some of the classic tabbouleh ingredients on had yesterday, so I improvised off of this recipe and our little side dish turned out wonderfully!

I had also bought a container of cocoa powder and was in the mood for cookies, so I made these chocolate drop cookies and highly recommend the recipe. It’s simple and they definitely hit the spot.

King Arthur Flour Chocolate Drop Cookies on cooling rack

Other ways I’ve been creative in the kitchen lately include whipping up my favorite homemade baked beans and adding some extra spices, making a strawberries and cream oatmeal creation, and cooking cereal bars with marshmallow fluff, vanilla Chex, and Mr. Goodbars.

Alright, I better get going. I’m having my mother-in-law, mom, and sister over this evening and need to clean up our house a bit! I got the kitchen all cleaned from the aforementioned cooking and baking, but the rest has been a bit neglected 😉

Do you like to get creative with cooking and baking?

Five Recent Obsessions

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post! I’m glad those who watched the video enjoyed it, too. It seemed like everyone loved my mom’s reaction 🙂

Today I’m popping in to share five things I’ve been obsessed with lately!

1. Frothed Milk. I don’t know why, but I have been obsessed with having warm, frothed milk lately. At first, I thought it would be perfect with coffee, but I am still having a small (occasional–yay!) aversion to coffee since becoming pregnant. Soo, I’ve been drinking mugs of warm, frothy milk. How do I froth my milk? With this bad boy. It’s amazing.

2. Cake baking and celebrating. I made a strawberry cake with strawberry mousse and vanilla buttercream for my mom’s birthday. We (my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and cousins) went out to dinner to celebrate my mom and it was such a lovely evening! I truly adore spending time with family.

Family dinner at Bella Luna in Pittsburgh

We went to Bella Luna Trattoria, if any Pittsburghers are wondering!

Strawberry birthday cake with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles

3. Pet Sitting. It is kind of starting to warm up and feel more spring-like in Pittsburgh, which has made pet sitting so enjoyable (as if it’s not enjoyable enough when I have the adorable faces below staring back at me)! Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 50s and rainy, and I have six dogs to care for. It’s much easier to walk six dogs in rain than in snow, in my opinion! I’ll let you know if I change my mind on that after tomorrow, though 😉

Cocker spaniel puppy and chocolate lab on couch together

4. Preparing for Resurrection Sunday. It feels like Resurrection Sunday, or Easter as many call it, came up quickly! I plan on reading the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection this week, and have been writing cards to all my clients. Jimmy and I are also hosting my sister, brother-in-law, father-in-law, and his fiancé for dinner on Saturday and we are super excited!

Hallmark Easter card

5. Whipped cream flowers. I had a bunch of mousse leftover from my mom’s cake, and it’s basically whipped cream with a few extra ingredients. I didn’t want it to go to waste, so I did some research and learned that homemade whipped cream can be frozen! I pipped the whipped cream/mousse into rosettes and flowers and froze them on a baking sheet, then popped them into a freezer bag. I’m thinking they’ll be good on a mug of hot coffee or to decorate a cake or cupcakes!

Whipped cream piped into flowers and frozen

What have you been obsessed with lately?