Friday Things #367
1. I hope that you all had a nice Easter holiday, knowing that it was quite different for all of us this year! Our kids had a ball looking for their baskets in the morning and getting to eat some jelly beans before breakfast ;-) A quiet day at home that ended with blowing bubbles on the deck before bedtime was wonderful.
2. Other highlights of the week… baking blueberry muffins:
3. I finished my puzzle (with the boys cheering me on and counting down the pieces once I had about 20 left… I felt like I was on the last leg of a marathon with my own cheer squad on the side of the road, ha! They were SO proud of me and couldn’t wait to run and tell my husband I finished it)…
4. A new table for the kids in the playroom! They had definitely outgrown the smaller toddler table we’d had since Joseph was two. This is the Carolina large play table from Pottery Barn Kids and definitely gives them much more space to spread out and not have their papers and crayons on top of each other when they’re all sitting down together.
5. Ina Garten is an absolute delight on Instagram (follow her here) and I loved this article >> Ina Garten’s Instagram Will Get You Through Quarantine
6. We’ve been on a steady weekly routine of homemade pizza since quarantine began. Our new favorite formula = my oldest, most favorite pizza dough + Rao’s pizza sauce (got from Whole Foods) + Whole Foods brand pizza blend shredded cheese + pepperoni (and black olives for my husband).
7. Speaking of recipes, I’d love to hear any requests you have for the next couple of Bake-Alongs… some ingredient availability issues kept me from testing the recipes I had originally planned, so I’d love to hear what you might be interested in making!
8. We’re finishing up the last season of Vikings, and the new Bosch season drops today, so I think that’s next on our list!
9. On a TV note, who has watched Tiger King? I feel like we’re the only people who haven’t watched it yet.
10. TGIF! Puppy snuggles!
Your children are so precious and I get such enjoyment from them – especially sitting in front of the oven!
I too have not watched the Tiger King, bad karma for me!
Keep up the good work, so enjoy your posts!
I haven’t seen Tiger King either. I started Vikings but am having a bit of a hard time getting into it.
Have a great weekend!
Vikings gets better the second and third seasons. Hang in there.
I’m not interested in watching Tiger King. There’s plenty of other shows/movies I want to watch. Or books to read.
Tiger King is very violent. Watched the whole series last week- would not recommend
I’m glad you all had a lovely Easter, despite the changes. I would love to see a prune cake done. I know it sounds horrifying but a friends little old grandmother brought it to a wedding shower a few years ago and disappeared before I could ask her the recipe. It was absolutely delicious and I’ve dreamed about it for years.
We started Tiger King the other day and it’s definitely a train load of crazy.
We haven’t watched TK either and will not. We heard it was a train wreck and with all that’s happening in our world right now we are sticking to more up beat and positive programming. We need better influences in our lives. As for baking challenges, maybe not so much of a challenge? A crumble or an icebox cake? They use little flour and no yeast.
Refuse to watch Tiger King. I won’t support what they’re doing to those beautiful wild animals. Agree with Macy.
Tiger “king”…I just knew it was going to be an awful thing without ever watching it. By the posts it just told me what I figured was some kind of abuse to the beautiful animals.
So sad. Hope we stop giving this guy any amount of attention soon and put it to some people that deserve it.
This Sunday April 19th Hoperising.live is a concert message/benefit airing in front of Mount Sinai-where Samaratins Purse set up a Covid emergency hospital to help the New Yorkers who so desperately needed help.
Something lovely to end on…besides doggie snuggles, pics of your precious kids…and love your low oven so they can see in.
Perhaps once ingredients aren’t as hard to find, I’d love to make GOOD, homemade English muffin bread. English Muffins are too much trouble but it would be great to just slice down a loaf and be able to pop a few pieces in the toaster. Your children….could they be any more adorable?!
I’m from OK and I haven’t watched Tiger King…mainly bc we don’t have Netflix!
Michelle, Don’t waste your time with Tiger King. I made thru 3 1/2 episodes. Tigers and rednecks. That’s it. Thank you for the glimpses of your beautiful family and puppies. Of course, we love your recipes and suggestions as well. ❤️ From NEPA.
No, you’re not the only people who haven’t seen Tiger King…we haven’t watched it either! I’ve heard it’s “twisted”, which doesn’t sound to me like anything I’m interested in at this point.
Your puzzle is great! We’ve put together three 1,000-piece puzzles so far and have a fourth on the dinner table. The panoramic Neuschwanstein Castle was really difficult!! I am having some serious neck pain from looking down so intently though, so it might be time to take a break! ;)
Stay safe and well!
Although tempted, I have yet to watch Tiger King either.
I AM, however, tempted to try Christopher Kimball’s (Milk Street) Pour-in-the-Pan-Pizza recipe. It’s kind of like a focaccia base, and then skips the sauce, but adds fresh tomatoes and cheese. My grandmother’s pizza was similar to that when I was growing up…just threw a really airy dough onto a greased cookie sheet, topped with olive oil, black pepper, oregano, parmesan and a tiny bit of mozzarella. Then baked and cut into squares. Sometimes she’d use sauce, for a second version. We would take the squares and use them as a “bun” for roasted sausages with peppers and onions. Sublime!
I’d like to see a savory bake-a-long. The Covid-19 lbs are for reals! Maybe something kid-friendly, since I have an 8 year old helper at home.
I know you shop at Costco…or will again some day in the future.. so be aware that you can get a 2 pack of very large jars os Rao’s for less than $10…a real bargain. I am totally hooked on tis sauce…so yummy with no additives or sugar.
I hope you are all surviving this very unusual time and stay well and safe.
Here are some bake along ideas. Lava cake, Lemon supreme pie (not meringue), Macarons, Eclair/cream puff, bread pudding, or Baklava.
That’s so exciting that Jenna Fischer is a fan!!!
I haven’t watched Tiger King either. Afraid it will just kill brain cells.
Hello! I Look forward to your blog each Week!! I love love love your family stories and your recipes!! I’ve been having a problem each week. I cannot pin any of your recipes! I can pin anything else on my phone so it’s not my phone, it’s just your blog. This makes me so sad. Is this anything on your end? Thank you so much Michelle
Lovely picture to lighten up the situation. God bless them.
Count me among the tiger king watchers. It’s riveting but also made me very sad for the cats.
Did you see that Jenna Fischer (Pam from the Office) was talking about you on Instagram? She almost made your recipe for the no bake oatmeal chocolate peanut butter cookies! So very cool.
I’m a couple of seasons behind on Bosch. I need to get back into that one!! Absolutely no desire to see the Tiger King!!
Hi Michelle! I haven’t watched Tiger King either and don’t plan to. Have done a lot of research and they abuse those beautiful cats. I can’t believe so many people are watching that show. Glad you had a nice Easter!!
Nope, you’re not the only one. I haven’t watched one single episode of Tiger King & have NO desire to ever watch it. Thank you so much for keeping up on blogging!!! Not only do I love seeing your beautiful kids, it gives me some normalcy :)
A macaron Bake-Along would be great. I tried to make macaroons once and failed, and would love to try again with some Bake-Along guidance!
How excited were you to see Jenna Fischer looking at your blog on Instagram? I voted for your recipe and now want to make the Preacher Cookies. I wanted to suggest a baguette bake along but with shortages of yeast and flour, it might be tough. I did score some yeast yesterday!
Hi Michelle, LOVE the beautiful Easter baskets you made up for your kids! Big, traditional and filled with some great items. I hope you and your family continue to be safe and well. Thank you for keeping on keeping on with your blog..it is a bright spot in every week. Very Best, Linda Dubois
You’re not the only one. I haven’t watched not ONE single episode of TIGER KING. I don’t even know what its about. Enjoyed your pics of your sweet babies. Stay safe my dear. Much love from New York ❤️
I reluctantly made it through 2.5 episodes of the Tiger King and that was it for me. Too many disturbing animal scenes and then kept falling asleep anyway, so turned off and won’t revisit that show.