EASTER BRUNCH

For Easter this year, Derek had weekend call, so I took it upon myself to make a yummy brunch for us on Sunday afternoon. With his call schedule being sporadic and random, I focused on making dishes that heat and reheat nicely so, if for some reason, Derek could eat it later in the day. Thankfully, he was home in time to enjoy our Easter brunch, watch the second session of General Conference, and take a sunset stroll on the beach. It was a lovely afternoon of food, relaxation, and time spent with just the two of us, which is always a blessing! 

BLUEBERRY COBBLER

Spring decided to grant us a weekend of 90 degree weather and copious amounts of Sunshine pretty early into March. Normally, when the weather gets like this, I refuse to run my oven. I made an exception on Sunday for blueberry cobbler. This summer dessert couldn't be easier due to the fact it is only 5 ingredients and essentially one of those recipes you literally just throw in a dish. Topped with cold vanilla ice cream, this summer time staple will have you thinking of all the other possibilities you could dazzle your guests with. 

LITTLE ITALY FARMER'S MERCATO

San Diego has some fantastic farmers markets on the weekends. We enjoy heading down to Little Italy on Saturday mornings to scope out fresh produce, flowers, and lots of local vendors selling everything from BBQ sauce to bow ties. It was particularly warm on Saturday, so we knew strawberry basil lemonade had to be one of our first purchases. We absolutely adore this market and all it has to offer. Plus, you can't beat the location; smack dab in the center of downtown with views to boot.

SHOWERING DANIE & BABY SAGE

My sweet friend Mandy and I teamed up to throw a lovely baby shower for darling Danie and her baby, Sage. Funny story, we originally had this shower planned in January, but baby girl decided she needed to make an early debut and was born the day before her original shower date! It worked out in our favor, because we were all able to love and snuggle on this sweet & tiny bundle of joy. Mandy, being the amazing baker she is, whipped up home made raspberry tarts & lemon coconut cookies. I decided to stick with my forte of cooking, and dazzled with my fig & goat cheese crostini, yogurt parfaits with coconut almond granola, and lemon zested berries. We were also able to surprise Danie with beautiful newborn photos Mandy took when she arrived at the shower. It was a morning full of great friends, food, laughter, and baby coos. 

FIG & GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Over the weekend, I was able to help host and attend a baby shower for my darling friend, Brittany. She and her husband were recently blessed with a beautiful baby girl via adoption, and all of us are over the moon excited for this new family of three. Ten of us friends all teamed up to throw a beautiful shower for this deserving mama and sweet angel. I helped by bringing these delicious crostini, which were a huge hit at a Hostess with the Mostest activity in September 2013. I decided to try the recipe myself and it was simply divine. If crusty bread slathered in delicious and rich fig butter doesn't tickle your fancy, the caramelized onion and goat cheese crumbles on top will win you over. This is an easy, yummy, and pretty appetizer to bring to any party that will definitely be a major crowd pleaser & make you seem like a seasoned chef (even if you only are in your dreams about being on Foot Network). 

SUN VALLEY VACATION

 We were able to spend 3 days in beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho during ski season this year. Derek lectured at a medical conference, and I figured I would tag along for the fun! We enjoyed a day of skiing on Dollar Mountain (my first time ever!0, eating dinner at quaint restaurants, and enjoying copious amounts of hot chocolate while walking the lighted streets of the tiny town. The cherry on top of our little getaway, was finally meeting our first nephew and spending time with Derek's family for a glorious 24 hours. We snuggled and loved on baby Clark like no tomorrow. He is such an angel baby and we are all mildly obsessed with his tiny self. It is safe to say we will be going back to Sun Valley in the future; we can't forget about all the fun we had in the darling little ski town.