little nuggets

It’s no secret that I am a huge fan of the little things in life. Seriously it is the little things that make it or break it for me, and today was a day filled with little things. Firstly, it was my first day off in a good long while that I didn’t have to be somewhere or do something right when I got up. I was able to slide into my morning, and I cannot even tell you what I difference that makes! Secondly I fell asleep with my computer next to my bed, which meant that I didn’t even have to get out from beneath the covers to check my e-mail. Fantastic. Thirdly, in my in-box was an e-mail from the Boston Redsox with a picture of Fenway Park at 5AM. Happy Opening Day.

Of course today was also Easter, which meant lots of quality food and lots of quality family time. Whenever we have traditional family gatherings there is always a bit of a power struggle between me wanting to try some new slightly exotic recipe, and my brother’s slightly boring food preferences… Ok, maybe they aren’t boring, they are just very traditional, and he is often not quite as willing as I am to think outside the box when it comes to meals. So there was my mother, stuck between the tendencies of my foodie palate, and his traditional taste buds. We ended up compromising somewhere between savory French toast, and salmon with deviled eggs, and ended up with a delicious brunch of Huevos Rancheros. I was able to satiate my culinary creativity by making a tomatillo salsa and also by introducing my family to Bloody Mary’s ala Tayler. (because I have been perfecting the art of Bloody Marys since my grad school applications went into the mail). The huevos were delightful, the tomatillo salsa was a huge hit (even with my dad who claims that tomatillos are his least favorite ingredient in Mexican cooking) and by the end of the meal we were all feeling fat and sassy with our cocktails. Overall a huge brunch success. To top it all off my mom made her coconut cheesecake, and there are really not enough good things that I can say about it, so I won’t even try. 

The other highlight of the day was my non-traditional Easter basket… yes ok, I know I’m twenty-four, and maybe slightly old for an Easter basket, but like I said, I enjoy the little things! Of course Claudia (my mother) knows this about me, and is incredibly good at coming up with fun little surprises. I got a brightly colored floral watering can stuffed with marshmallow eggs, good eyeliner, a red belt, and a little bag filled with kumquats! I know, I’m a huge nerd… but I think the kumquats are my favorite part. Don’t get me wrong, the other stuff is great too, and I’ve already mentally planned out about five outfits I can wear the belt with, and am envisioning a summer filled with container gardening and lots of watering… but damn it, what is better than an unexpected little parcel filled with kumquats? 

To top it all off, I spent most of the afternoon playing with a puppy, the Red Sox beat the Yankees, Neil Diamond sang Sweet Caroline Live at the game, and I was able to successfully balance my checkbook... all is right with the world.