EAB Designs

homemade croutons & my favorite salt

 

Yesterday morning I picked up some artisan rolls to go with a quick dinner I was preparing. This morning as I was preparing breakfast, I realized I forgot to serve them and they were no longer crunchy but soft and chewy. When I have leftover day old bread, or in this case forgotten bread, I love to make homemade croutons. Just break apart the bread, add some extra virgin olive oil, fresh ground pepper and toss in some minced fresh herbs (today it was rosemary).  Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, stir then bake for an additional 6-8 minutes until golden brown and crispy. While still warm, I sprinkle them with my favorite salt. They'll be perfect atop a spring pea soup I'm making for tonight - that is if there are any left at the end of the day as they also make an irresistible snack.

 

 

This is my favorite finishing salt, Fleur de Sel de Camargue. It's not inexpensive, so sprinkle it on your dishes just before serving.  You'll love the flavor it brings to your dishes. It also makes a most welcome hostess gift, in lieu of a bottle of wine.

Easter Weekend

I hope you enjoyed a lovely Easter weekend. In keeping with tradition, we dyed our eggs on Saturday evening. The pink shades were my favorite of course, but the colors were all vibrant and the eggs turned out beautiful. (Kudos to L, A & E!)

 

 

 

For brunch, I tried a new strata recipe which received rave reviews from the family. You can find the recipe here.

 

We kept our Easter table very simple, with a few fresh flowers, a pedestal with our dyed eggs, and a favorite bunny who makes his appearance each year.

 

 

And, of course, the girls' Easter baskets made their appearance as well. We quite often have rain for Easter, but this year it was sunny and perfect for our easter egg hunt.

 

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I need your votes!

Good news! One of my decoupaged Easter eggs has been selected as a finalist in the Martha Stewart Good Egg contest under the category "Best Embellished Egg". If you like my egg, I would appreciate your voting for me. Below you'll find the link to my egg on their website.  Once you're on the Martha Stewart site, click the arrows to the right of the picture, until you reach the last picture in the category, and you'll find the link underneath to vote. Thanks so much and please spread the word! http://www.marthastewart.com/1065658/marthas-good-eggs-best-embellished-egg/@center/276968/easter#1065315

Easter Chick Pattern Download

Our linen bunny pattern continues to be very popular this time of year, so I thought I would create a little friend for him. Introducing our sweet little Easter chick. She has her own vintage religious medal and a pair of tea-stained ivory velvet leaves for feathers.

 

 

For those new to the blog, here is a picture of our linen bunny.

 

For both patterns, simply print out the file on cardstock, cut out the template and trace two pieces onto your choice of fabric.  Bright colorful prints would be adorable too.  Sew along the traced line and leave a 1.5" opening to add the filling (either polyfill or dried lavender). Trim edges to 1/8" and turn right side out.  Press, add filling, and stitch opening closed. Thanks for sharing pictures of all of the bunnies you've made the last couple of years. Be sure to send photos of your chicks!

You can download the free chick template here.

The bunny pattern can be found here.

Patterns for personal use only please.

 

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Easter Cookies

Sugar cookies, fresh out of the oven, and waiting to be decorated.  These have been an Easter tradition in our house since the girls were little. Too adorable, once decorated. (I'll share photos later.) The bunny hatching from the egg, and the chicken were sold as copper cookie cutters from the Martha Stewart catalog many years ago. I never owned the cutters, but rather simply drew the images onto thin cardboard and cut them out like a paper doll.  We lay the cardboard images over the rolled dough and just cut around it with the tip of a sharp knife. A simple method for whatever custom cookie shape you may need. Back to baking! Have a wonderful evening.

Rosemary, Potato & Goat Cheese Pizza

 

Last evening, while this pizza was baking, the aroma coming from the kitchen was so inviting I thought I was in a fabulous bistro. Super easy to make and beyond delicious - I hope you'll give it a try. The potato portion of the pizza came from a recipe in my California Pizza cookbook. (You can find the recipe online here.)  I just made the potato part of the recipe, then simply brushed the pizza dough with olive oil, crumbled on some goat cheese, added some thinly sliced red onion and layered on the potatoes. Ten minutes in the oven and it was ready to be enjoyed. (For recipe sources for my pizza dough, visit my earlier post here.)

In between posts, you can find me on instagram.

New Glasses

 

Who knew it could be so exciting to go grocery shopping today and be able to read expiration dates on the salad containers as well as have everything around me crystal clear - the joy of progressive lenses! Should have done this a long time ago, but am so happy I finally did. Cheers to seeing more clearly.

Weekend Travel

So excited to be headed for an extended weekend trip to NYC. As you know, I always pack light.

 

 

A favorite white blouse (love the ruffles), a single necklace, two sweaters and an extra pair of pants will take me through the weekend.

 

A crossbody handbag (this one is my favorite) is a must for long days of shopping and exploring the city late into the evening. Bringing along my Ray-Bans to ensure sunny days and to ward off any chance of rain.

Looking forward to visiting new restaurants, selecting fabric for a new line to the EAB Designs collection, and shopping with sweet girl. I'll try and post some pictures to instagram and facebook. Have a wonderful weekend!