Happy Easter!

I hope everyone has had a very happy Easter! We definitely had a very busy day, starting with our very first egg coloring. I have to tell you the second those color tabs hit the vinegar I was immediately taken back to my childhood. Does that happen to anyone else?


The kids did really well, and there were only minor stains, which in toddler world is a huge success!

We waited to do baskets until Mimi and Paw Paw got here. Did you know that the Easter Bunny left baskets for Aaron and Jill at their house too??? Lucky ducks! He never left baskets for me at my grandparents houses. Here are the ones from our house:


I don't know who was more excited about the My Little Pony's, me or Jill. I will admit while the Easter Bunny was putting together their baskets they may or may not have spent a large amount of time brushing said pony's hair to ensure proper fluffiness and shine. May or may not...


Instead of doing a big dinner we had a big breakfast. I made cinnamon rolls, a Dutch baby (apple oven pancake) and Mimi's sausage balls. It was super yummy!

Hope you had a great day and that you remembered that is was about more than chocolate and Easter bunnies.

Pre-Thanksgiving cooking

Today was definitely a busy day in the kitchen! And luckily the kiddos were pretty ok with it (phew!).

I started the day by making an apple pie for tomorrow. I've made this one before and it's really yummy!

Then I went to make my French silk pie for tomorrow and realized I didn't have enough eggs, awesome. So after naps and after Scott got home I made the mad dash to Sweetbay. I really didn't want to go, people are nuts-o the day before Thanksgiving (think hurricane season on crack). When I got home I started making the pie. It's really simple, and looks yummy. I got the recipe from Pillsbury.com:

INGREDIENTS
Crust
1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust (from 15-oz box), softened as directed on box
Filling
3 oz Hershey's® unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened (do not use margarine)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 pasteurized eggs or 1 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product
Topping
1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate curls, if desired
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat; cool. In small bowl with electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate and vanilla until well blended.
3. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on high speed 2 minutes after each addition; beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

Hopefully it's as good as it looks!

While I was doing this Scott and Aaron left to go on a super secret mission and returned right before dinner with this:

It's my favorite everyday fragrance and I have been out for...well....forever really :) Thank you Scott it really made my night!

After the pies were done I got started on making cinnamon rolls for Mimi to serve on Friday morning. I got the recipe from my Williams and Sonoma Baking cookbook. I'd love to put it up but gosh that would take forever! If you want it I can scan it and email it to you.

They look good, I cannot wait to hear how they turn out!

As if I wasn't doing enough cooking I decided to make Cheddar Cheese Soup for dinner. The recipe is from Le Cellier at EPCOT. Scott and I are HUGE fans of this soup and get it every time we eat there. I was pretty nervous about making it since it is such a favorite of ours. But it turned out fantastic! Here's the recipe:

1/2 pound of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
4 cups milk
1 pound grated white cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup warm beer
Chopped scallions or chives, for garnish

Preparations
1. In a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven, cook the bacon, stirring, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
2. Add the red onion, celery, and butter and sauté until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes over medium heat. Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the milk and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Do not boil after you add the milk.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth. Stir in warm beer. If the soup is too thick, thin with some warm milk.
6. Serve the soup hot, garnished with chopped scallions or chives.

I actually made a double batch because I'm crazy. I have plenty of soup for Scott to take to work for the week!

I'm totally pooped now! I think I'm going to cozy up on the couch with Scott, some Pinot Grigio and some Modern Family! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!