COLORFUL EATING

I am enjoying the tastes of spring so much... more than any other year. Last year we joined a CSA for the first time, and got a taste of some new and delicious veggies, like sunchokes, parsnips, turnips, celeriac, savoy, lemongrass, radicchio, ramps, and more (but most of the veggies they deliver are beloved favorites, I assure you). It was an exciting adventure for my tastebuds! But I have noticed that all of that variety last year has expanded my tolerance and enjoyment of vegetables in general. For instance, I used to despise radishes. Last year we received them with the weekly CSA delivery for a month or so. I tolerated them at first, having never been a fan (they are too spicy!). By the end of the month, however, I was actually enjoying them a teensy bit. And when I bit into a radish for the first time this spring, at the height of its seasonal peak, I was tasting a little morsel of heaven. I am probably obsessed with radishes now, which is quite a thought in and of itself. Here is a delicious salad I had this week, with field greens, avocado, sliced radishes, chopped chives, and a tangy balsalmic dressing. It was sooooo good.

I hope you are enjoying the tastes of spring as well! It is so rewarding and DELICIOUS to eat in season!!

NINA IS THREE!!

We celebrated Nina's third birthday with an Easter dinner. I am amazed at how a year flies quickly by, and am grateful for these markers in the ground to stop and celebrate life. Here is the birthday girl about to blow out her candles all by herself!

When I initially asked Nina what she wanted me to serve at her birthday dinner, she said "Mac and cheese!" Although my family members have adaptable and discerning palates, I knew I wanted to kick it up a notch from the commonplace Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. So I made a gourmet mac and cheese. I like to call it "grown up mac and cheese"... so yummy. We also had chicken parmesan, and roasted asparagus.

I am glad that Nina's cake looks decent, because I immensely botched up the frosting and had to have Tom run out to save my tail. Finding food items on Easter can be a challenge since the grocery stores are closed, so Tom performed a miraculous feat indeed.

I loved watching Nina with her new porcelain tea set afterwards, pouring and sipping so daintily.

This is the photo birthday banner I made, but the pictures of it didn't turn out very well. I was inspired by the birthday party HERE

EASTER

I love Easter! Partly because I love spring, and family, and... Reese's peanut butter eggs! :) Here is a family photo after church. The kids look so timid and stoic.... don't let it fool you. They were displaying bouts of laughter whilst teasing their victimized sibling moments before AND after this photo was taken.

Here are some pics of the kids tearing into their Easter baskets. My sisters were staying the weekend too, so I assembled a basket for them too. After all... you NEVER outgrow a love for the Easter basket! Or candy at least.

Spring has sprung!

Well technically, the weather has a bit of warming up still to do. But I am making preparations nonetheless! There is a little glimpse of spring in the Poch household. I love having a vegetable garden, and I hope to be learning a little bit more each year so that I can become a better gardener. I just transferred my baby seedlings to larger pots, and started my second batch of seedlings. Some needed 4 weeks and some 8 weeks, so this year I decided to stagger my planting. Some people say it is safe to plant outdoors right around Mother's Day, but I prefer to be a little more cautious and wait a couple more weeks. These are my little babies, after all!

DUTCH BABY

Now I could blog forever about food. What an engrossing, riveting subject! I am continually trying new recipes, and could bore you forever with them all. But this time I couldn't resist. I just loved the appearance of this particular attempt. It is a Dutch Baby! I had one once in a restaurant, and it is daunting to behold because of its sheer size. I served mine with lemon juice and powdered sugar. It was a lovely breakfast item, and I am always game for a new breakfast suggestion!

SWEET FRUIT

Now life is sweet enough as it is... but what always makes it sweeter is fruit. Somehow my mood is just slightly more somber if there is not a piece of fruit to be found. When it is in near proximity, I am a happy lady.

NEWEST MEMBER OF THE FAMILY

So Tom and I finally gave in and bought a minivan. We decided it would be an invaluable asset in our family's future. A friend of Tom's parents is retired and shops auto auctions for fun. He has been eyeing minivans for the past few weeks for us, and when this one came along, we pounced on it! Nothing amazingly impressive, but it meets our needs and the price was right. We are proud that it is our first ever vehicle that was paid for 100% in cash!! 103,000 miles, which I like because that is as few as it gets in our price range. Now we just need to name it... any suggestions???