Simple Weeknight Dinner & a Thoughtful Gift

Seriously, this has to be the easiest recipe. And, it's extremely tasty. Click here for the recipe. I skipped the basil because it didn't look very great at the grocery store.

Trust me... even though it looks simple and fairly boring, it's worth it.

This weekend, I was held up at home sick with a sinus infection - yuck - but we managed to venture out on Friday night for dinner here with family friends. We were surprised by this homemade gift for the future Baby Evans. Our friend, Sousuke, wrote us a Japanese message. Any guesses what it means?

Breakfast Biscotti

Usually I drink my coffee (decaf, of course) black. But in the case of today's breakfast, I added some Hazelnut Creamer we had leftover from last weekend. And, with a batch of this biscotti I made yesterday afternoon ... it was even more delicious! It's a fantastic recipe if you're looking.

Happy Sunday! Mr. Evans and I are enjoying a lazy Sunday. The snow is keeping us indoors and we have some fantastic leftovers from dinner last night with friends. Can we say Balsamic Roasted Filet of Beef, Tuscan White Beans, Rosemary Cashews and Shaum Torte with Raspberries and Fresh Cream (aka Eton Mess according to Ina). We were so busy enjoying our food I forgot to take photos. All recipes can be found in Ina's How Easy Is That? cookbook.

Valentine's Day

It's a tradition to make a heart shaped cake on Valentine's Day in my house. You see, my mother-in-law's birthday is February 13 and my husband's big day is February 14. The cake pan used to make the yummy breakfast cake below was an engagement gift from my mother-in-law. It was very special of her to give me the cake pan that her mother used to bake her cakes as a child. Now, I can pass that tradition on to my husband and our children. Last year, I made red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. This year, since we gathered for a Sunday Brunch, I made Cherry Chocolate Cinnamon Cake (whew, talk about alliteration). I adapted a recipe from "The Cake Doctor" cookbook. The recipe was intended for a bundt pan, but as you know, I wanted to use my heart shaped pans. The cake turned out a bit crumbly, but the flavor was pretty good. I look forward to trying new recipes for years to come.

Penzey's Spices from Wisconsin are the best! I have a whole drawer full of savory spices. I have three varieties of cinnamon and decided to use the Cassia cinnamon for the recipe above.

Above is our Valentine's Day Monday night birthday meal. Shrimp Scampi and roasted asparagus make for a nice combo. For dessert, our favorite go to something sweet. Ice cream and chocolate wafers. Yum!

Happy Valentine's 25th Birthday, Mr. Evans!

Lately in my world...

So, I was just about to write this elaborate post capturing what I've been up to the past few weeks. I plugged in my camera to upload some fun photos and nothing. The memory card is empty. Remember I mentioned I had a new camera... well, I must have reformatted the card (by accident or so I'll say) and that automatically deletes all photos. Bummer. Lesson learned.

You'll have to live with a textual recap. :)

The last week of January, I travelled to Spokane, WA as part of a residency requirement for my master's program through Gonzaga University. The class I took was called Leadership and Imagination. I just love the program and this class in particular reminded me why I love learning. The lesson that keeps coming back to me, even weeks after class, is the importance to see and then see again. Our perspective, vision and capacity to imagine what could be can provide limitless opportunities to grow (both personally and professionally). Two other notes that were jotted in the margins of my legal pad were, "Vision without technique is blind" and "You must put yourself in a place with the most potential." I like that.

Sidenote... if you're ever in Spokane check out Clinkerdagger (for dinner) or The Pita Pit (for lunch - it must be a chain, but it was sure yummy). I also picked up a little "Go Zags" onesie for the future Baby Evans.

The next weekend, I had the joy of hosting seven of my best girlfriends from college at my home. These girls are the best. We ate, they drank lots of wine and Skinny Girl margaritas, we laughed and laughed some more. My stomach seriously felt like I did an ab workout. Words can't describe the power of having friends you can trust and who you truly love to be around. We are all at such different places in life and we are all are so different, yet we somehow manage to be the best of friends. Love you girls! See below for a photo I hacked from Sarah (missing from the photo) off Facebook. Also, I made a cute banner to commemorate our weekend!

The weekend after that we celebrated the Packers winning the Superbowl. Go Wisconsin!

Then, a week or so later, it was Valentine's Day! Happy Birthday, Mr. Evans! I love that you were born on such a great day, since you're my cupid.

What a great guy - check out this gift. Cooking lessons at Coquette Cafe!?! A post will soon follow since the lesson is next week!

My first bout of feeling pregnant...

There is no doubt in my mind that I am pregnant. Check out this meal of macaroni and cheese, pickles and clementine oranges. Mr. Evans fashioned up a very posh looking plate! :) I just had to snap a photo on my iPhone.

I have the best husband.