EASTER COOKING & SHOPPING....

Via Inslee.net

Hello! I know I havew not been posting as much on the blog but just know that I have been missing you! Life has been very hectic and as the dust settles I  will be posting more.....

In the meantime, I wanted to share with you a few recipes I used this past Easter Weekend. I had the pleasure of hosting our 1st Easter Dinner in our new apartment and I couldn't have been more pleased with how the day turned out.

For starters, the weather was beautiful here in the city. The tree buds were out, the lilacs in bloom and the sun was shining. We kept our Easter decor neutral (like our home) with white chromatic flowers in glass vases. Our home was filled with the aroma of rosemary, thyme and lemon and sounds of laughter. It was truly a perfect day....

Here are the delicious recipes I made (with love obviously):

Appetizers:

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms (with fresh crab meat)

Raw Shrimp with fresh lemon juice 

Veggie Lasagna

A Black board Cheese Platter with blocks of Parmigiana Romano, Italian Taleggio and Prosciutto from our local Italian Deli

Dinner:

4 hour Lamb - I have to be honest, I was intimidated with this recipe. For starters, we don't eat meat in our home so I have never had any practice. However, it turned out to be a super easy recipe to make and came out unbelievably tender  . & yes I had some :) My family was raving at the table how much they enjoyed it. A MEEMS Tip: I  added one whole chopped onion for extra flavor 

Lemon Fingerling Potatoes (I made 2.5lbs & added the juice of 2.5 lemons)

Roasted Baby Carrots

Dessert:

Hazelnut Coffee and Homemade Peanut Butter & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Braising  my American Boneless Leg of Lamb....

My 4 Hour Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb

Here is the wine I chose for the Lamb to roast in....

The Olive Oil I used to cook with

Now lets rewind.....Friday night I made a run to Home Goods here in the city to pick up a few odds and ends. Is anyone else as obsessed with Home goods as I am? You can pick up some really great cooking essentials and non essentials at a fraction of the cost. Oh! & TJ Maxx? That place blew my mind. Why have I never entered one before? Their home goods section locked me in for  nearly an hour (or 2) of my life!

I made a run to both places hunting for the perfect dutch oven for my lamb dish. I've been on the hunt to find a Le Creuset or Staub Dutch Oven and haven't had any luck. However, I did find a great dutch oven that I used on Easter by a company called Lodge. I paid around $45 dollars for it and it worked like a gem. Sure I would love the other two but the Lodge worked just as well and did not  cost me an arm and a leg. Below is the beauty I came home with!

Also, while shopping I stumbled across one of my favorite products, Chilewhich. Chilewhich is a brand of chic, minimalist woven products that are both really good looking and easy to clean. However, it comes at a price. Fortunately, I found both a floor runner for our front door and placements for a mere (80% off)  fraction of the retail price. SCORE & SCORE!

Here are new Chilewhich purchases:

Runner

4 Chilewhich Placemats for the cost of one!

Well, there you have it. My Easter recipes and fabulous home purchases. I hope you enjoyed your Passover and Easter Celebrations. I'd love to hear what you cooked for your family?

Have a beautiful day!

xo

Meems