Diane & Diana Do Easter Brunch

Easter Brunch

This is the third time I've posted food from Rose's. I swear I've been to plenty of other wonderful restaurants! Diana had yet to experience brunch there and all else seemed closed Easter morning, so we sat down for a late brunch. We even saw a cute little bunny fussing around in the grass outside our window!

For Lent, Diana decided to go vegan. A life without butter, cheese, ice cream, steak and bacon would be an absolute nightmare for me. I know there are great vegan recipes out there, although I could never adapt to it as a lifestyle. I applaud Diana's perseverance, but I was excited to accompany her for her first tasty, meat and dairy filled meal: 

They can't serve alcohol before noon on Sundays here. The last couple of times I visited I was disappointed I couldn't enjoy a mimosa with breakfast. Thankfully sloth paid off this afternoon when we dragged ourselves out for brunch at 1p.m.

To omnivores! 

I'm not sure how she isn't drooling after 40 days of torture. 

My "grilled cheese" was pretty tasty. Pancetta, mixed greens, sharp white cheddar &tomatoes were stuffed inside and served with root chips and pasta salad. I wasn't crazy about the bread, but pancetta can do no wrong.

Things I Love

Went Back to Rose's for Round II with the Creme Brulee French Toast

The last couple of weeks of undergrad have had me holed up in my room into the early hours of the morning working on final projects. Even with meticulously planned to-do lists and working ahead of schedule, I've still been on the grind. Suffice to say sleep deprivation and  rising anxiety are requisite for any college student, but I'm eager for commencement and more eager for the steak that I will enjoy afterward. 

Here are some things I've been loving the past couple of weeks:

♥ Anna's visit to Grand Rapids. It was an incredibly indulgent weekend [see photos] ♥ Inheriting summer threads from my roommate ♥ Eating pizza in the dark and watching thunderstorms ♥ Completing a portfolio website ♥ The Red Wings sweeping the Coyotes this week ♥ Successfully making sugar wax at home (so cheap!) ♥ Hemp lotion and free scrubs, butters at The Body Shop ♥ Tasty, addictive mango lip balm ♥ Opportunities for improving my copywriting/design portfolio ♥ Celebratory drinks and nachos on the last day of classes ♥ Rewatching Veronica Mars

It was 82F by 10a.m. when we went to breakfast.

We shared a lot of great food that weekend.

Read on for more photos!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins...Again

I can say with certainty that there is no other food I enjoy watching grow brown, black and mushy more than a bunch of bananas. With these in mind, I usually buy a few bunches as a typical batch will take 5 or 6 bananas. I've tried plenty of banana muffins...chocolate-chocolate banana, banana Nutella, cinnamon banana, and I've finally found those I like best are from a banana bread recipe that I modified. They are unbelievably soft, packed with bananas and just the right amount of chocolate. Read on for the recipe!

These muffins are very dense!

Closer...

5 minutes before these were done baking I take them out to brush a brown sugar/water paste on top for a sweet crunch.

When it comes to muffins, there aren't many that I don't like [except for anything low-fat...] I want to branch out from these suckers, but these are just too good not to make as often as possible.

Springing Forward

I'm falling in love with winter things again - drinking tea, being swallowed in blankets, tights and comfort food...namely butternut squash soup. This might be because my 100 year old house is a veritable 20 degrees colder than it is outdoors, or because embracing spring would mean I've accepted that I am graduating from university in 23 days. [Didn't I just finish high school?]

In addition to coincidentally coordinating my fingernails to my mug of tea, here are some small things that made the past week pretty amazing:

♥ Finally seeing The King's Speech. Amazed by Colin Firth once again. ♥ Thunderstorms before bed, or listening to Rainymood. ♥ Finishing my Whitestrips ♥ Browsing cheeky swimsuits ♥ Yale offering therapy dogs to students. Why hasn't this idea gone viral? ♥ Not drinking soda in ages. ♥ Finding $15 in my Babar cookie jar. ♥ Helping an adorable client and her mother find the perfect graduation dress. ♥ Finding my own graduation dress - with school colors &bold pattern to boot. Need: pockets for snacks during commencement. ♥ Realizing I'm not the only senior experiencing anxiety attacks while looking for jobs

♥ French toast brunch at Marie Catrib's. Long wait &my eggs were a bit dry, but the french toast was pretty fluffy. Challah!!

♥ Did I mention french toast? This creme brulee french toast from Rose's with Michigan maple syrup and strawberries is the best of them all. Talk about incentive to wake up before noon. 

♥ This song, which takes me back to aperitivo with the Ed Banger crew in Roma.




♥ 90s music like this, which remind me of dancing around in piles of costume jewelry with Bridget in our Catholic school uniforms.