Asparagus & Mushroom Bread Pudding:

Asparagus, the tender April vegetable, whose appearance at the grocery marks the triumphant return of Spring, and the perfect precursor to delicious treats to come. I realize that for many American's, a nearly lifeless bunch of asparagus, roped together with a thick rubber band is an everyday occurrence. But, take a closer look this time of year and you will begin to see some life returning to those stalks (that is, of course, if the vegetable didn't have to travel too far to reach you). I stumbled upon some beautiful bunches just the other day, with tight, bright green tips and crisp, white, exposed ends. I took more than my fare share, along with a selection of mushrooms (shitake, oyster and cermini to be exact). Knowing that I had a stale loaf of bread and a block of smoked swiss cheese at home, I had just the recipe in mind: a savory asparagus and mushroom bread pudding!

The Kitchen Garden:

When my fiance and I traveled to New Zealand last year, we were fortunate enough to spend some time on a few organic farms. I will admit that I was instantly bit with the farming bug, taking to it like a fish in water. I found myself happily hopping out of bed at dawn to go out and milk the cows (which if you know me, you know that there are few things that will pull me from a warm bed, especially at dawn). I didn't mind going out at dusk to make sure the chickens have returned to their coop, or spending hours weeding, bent over in the hot mid-day sun, wrist deep in soil. Best of all, I learned that there is nothing quite like the feeling one gets when cooking up a dinner, most of which you pulled from the earth just a few hours prior.

Garden Picnic:

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Photo via Country Living
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Photo via Elle Decor
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Photo Unknown

Spring is here! I can look out my window and see green, birds have returned to the sky and best of all, families are making use of the park across the street for all sorts of warm weather fun: late afternoon swings, mid-morning runs with the dog and my personal favorite, afternoon picnics! The photos above include lovely lunch or dinner settings, I adore how they turn a casual picnic into a full blown warm weather fete! One of my favorite blogs, The Kitchn, recently asked: "Have you eaten lunch outdoors yet this season?" To which I can whole-heartedly reply: Yes! And there are many more picnic lunch dates to come!

A Rainy Sunday's Peach Buttermilk Pancakes:

My fiance has this habit of eating everything within eyesight, arms-reach, or our apartment. It's a habit of his that I've learned to deal with and for the most part, I find it quite useful, especially when the week-old leftovers suddenly go missing and I can rest assured that they didn't go to waste! On this dreary Sunday morning, however, his little habit got the best of me. I'm home alone, the rain is falling, and all I want to do is start my day with a hot cup of coffee and a tall stack of blueberry pancakes. But alas, my (apparently not-so-secret) stash of frozen, wild Maine blueberries turned up missing! Well, being the creature of substitution that I am, I scoured the kitchen until I stumbled upon a mostly full jar of peach preserves from Italy, which I used a few weeks back in my Pi Day Peach and Yogurt Museli Pie and I have to admit, I think I created the best pancake recipe, yet! Crispy on the edges, light and fluffy in the middle and just a hint of sweetness, ah perfection.