My sweet little family of four! xoxo

In my opinion, spaghetti is one of the quicker meals to make, that is if you are using a jarred marinara sauce. This one, using the Instant Pot, is even quicker. Think of the convenience of no-boil lasagna noddles and you are on the right track with these spaghetti noodles. The only hands-on part of this recipe is browning the meat, then you are free to go about your business while the Pot does the rest. As you can see from the photos above and below, Max was very helpful in the kitchen.

I decided to make French Baked Eggs or Oeufs Cocottes for Easter simply for the reason that I wanted to use the new lavendar Le Creuset Signature Petite Cocottes that I had found for a steal at Home Goods a couple of months ago. I already own the cocottes in navy blue, green and brown so when I stumbled upon three of the lavendar beauties for 2/3 the price, I snapped them up.

For Easter Brunch this year, I veered off my usual Easter Brunch sort of menu. No honey-glazed ham or potatoes au gratin. No asparagus tart, asparagus terrine, or asparagus salad. No French toast or herb crepes. No, this year, I went with a super simple and super last-minute sort of menu. Why? Because I wasn’t 100% I’d be in town to make Easter Brunch this year.

My daughter, Marissa, is expecting baby boy #2 any day now. Baby boy #1, Max, arrived three weeks early and if #2 followed suit, he would have arrived on March 26th. But he, and Marissa, are hanging in there for the time being. If all goes to plan, I will be flying out to Chicago next week, until then, I’m on watch to leave at a moment’s notice. Easter shopping didn’t happen until late Saturday afternoon. Here is my last-minute super simple menu:

• Easter Harmony Board w/Crackers
• Deviled Ham-Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
• Oeufs Cocotte (French Baked Eggs)
• Watergate Salad
• Costco Carrot Cake Cupcakes

The guest list was pared down too, with only my dad, Dave, Connor, and me. The overall favorite dish of the day was the deviled ham-grilled cheese. I’ll most definitely be making it again and again. I’m so out of the habit of blogging that I didn’t get a close-up photo of the sandwiches, just a table shot with them in the center on a plate. Sorry!

A close-up photo that I did manage to get was of my April Fools “Grilled Cheese Sandwiches” that I made for my girlfriends today. We were at lunch to celebrate Amy, April and Lori’s March birthdays so I brought along a little “sample of the delicious grilled cheese sandwiches I’d served for Easter.” They were tricked and were actually happy with my pound cake/vanilla frosting creation. To fool your friends next year, simply slice a pound cake, butter one side and brown in a skillet. Set aside to cool. Add orange or a mixture of red and yellow food coloring to purchased vanilla frosting and put together your sandwiches.

Peggy made this yummy dip. It includes one of my favorite melting cheeses, Fontina. So Good! Again, sorry for the less than less-than-stellar photo, I’m snagging these from a video since I forgot to get photos of each dish.

Peggy and I finally celebrated Anne’s June birthday on Wednesday night. I made a salmon bowl for the main course (recipe coming soon) and a Caprese-Fig Toast for the appetizer. It was inspired by the black Mission figs from the 5 trees in my own backyard and the green Kadota figs I found at Trader Joe’s. If you hurry, you’ll find both varieties at Trader Joe’s right now.

Fig-Caprese Toasts

• 4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chiffonade, more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic reduction, more for drizzling
• 1 baguette
• 1 package burrata, balls drained and sliced
• Ripe black Mission and green Kodata figs, sliced lengthwise

YOU CAN’T WIN IF YOU DON’T PLAY!

Today is Monday. Our drawing is Wednesday. Time is running out. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, please see the previous post – 14th Blogiversary. In the meantime, a new recipe:

This recipe comes from Instagram influencer, Lauren Garcia aka whatlolalikes. I met Lauren in the summer of 2019, about 8 months after I started Harmony Boards. She was at an Airbnb doing a photoshoot. The owner of the property ordered a board from me for Lauren, her photographer, and stylist to enjoy while they worked. Lauren tagged me in the photo and my Instagram account blew up. She ordered several more boards from me over the years and I can honestly say that my account quickly grew by leaps and bounds, in large part to her and her strong influence.

Lauren makes this salad all the time, so I finally decided to try it, yes she influences me too! It is amazing! It is now my go-to quick, easy, and healthy meal at least 2 times a week. I have no doubt that you’ll love it too.

Here is the final recipe from my April trip to Chicago. It comes, once again, from Half Baked Harvest, and as usual, slightly altered to use what is available.

I was visiting Max and his parents in Chicago at the end of last month and tried a few new recipes for Mom and Dad, aka Marissa & Jeff.

This first one was from the Half Baked Harvest blog. It could not have been quicker or easier. Also, delicious, so I’ll be making it again and adding in diced chicken breast or thighs for added protein.

Oh, and May the 4th be with you!