Irises and orange, white and pink tulips from my brother (via me).
Part of my present to my mom is to cook dinner tonight. Recipes came from a new cookbook I gave her, Real Simple‘s Dinner Tonight: Done!.
1. Pasta with brie, mushrooms and arugula (source) 2. Spiced beef empanadas (source)
On the menu for tonight:
1. Pasta with Brie, mushrooms and arugula
And for dessert:
3. Lemon panna cotta with lemon marmalade (source)
3. Lemon panna cotta with lemon marmalade from this month’s Italy issue of Bon Appetit.
I went ahead and made the dessert yesterday because it just chills in the fridge. Verdict is still out on the taste, but it was really easy to make overall. I love cooking with lemons – they smell so great and fresh and remind me of summertime. And I used a real vanilla bean for the first time ever (they’re costly but so, so fragrant).
My mom was the first person to show me the beauty of homemade meals and the love that goes into cooking for others; I’ve so enjoyed planning and preparing today’s meal and showing her even a smidgen of my appreciation.
How did you show your moms extra lovin’ today?
*Verdict is no longer out on the panna cotta after eating: D-E-licious! The lemon and vanilla are so perfect together. Now I want to try my hand at making other kinds of marmalade: orange… and… ok, maybe just orange for now:)
The Curated Life 