Spring in Our Step

Today we’ve got a special team post from both Mike and I. I’ll let him start with the March Madness update:

Like millions of office workers around the nation, we’ve taken a break from our regular schedule to fill out our brackets this month. We’ve also done some other stuff too, but more on that in a minute. First we’ve got another French Toast matchup to tell you about. This week’s clash paired second-seeded Blueberry Stuffed French Toast against the three seed, Grand Greenlandic French Toast, for the right to meet Bermuda French Toast in next week’s finals.

First out of the gate was the Blueberry Stuffed French Toast, and it brought its “A” game this weekend. Kristy sliced up the bread and made the blueberry syrup and pecans, while Mike whipped up the stuffing and tucked it into the bread pockets. We stuffed them a little fuller than we did the first time we made them, and that proved to be an excellent strategy. Continue reading

March Madness is upon us

While the rest of the nation has been filling out their brackets with their favorite college basketball teams, we’ve been stuffing our brackets (and bellies) with French Toast. About this time last year, we announced our French Toast Challenge, and since then French Toasts from around the globe have been battling it out for French Toast supremacy. We made 13 in all, but only four can be selected for the big dance.

But before we get to the competitors, it wouldn’t be March Madness without some controversial snubs by the selection committee. Miss A and Mr. N did a fantastic job on the selections, but two French Toasts found themselves on the wrong side of the bubble despite having strong performances. Romanian French Toast, a savory style French Toast surprised everyone, but fell just short of making the cut. The most controversial decision, though, was the omission of Bananas Foster French Toast. A top pick in the preseason, they fell short as the committee decided that two banana recipes was too many. Fans of Bananas Foster complained of the committee’s hypocrisy and argued that if they were in the top four, they should have been given a bid. Mr. N and Miss A were having none of it, though.

But enough of the also-rans. Here are the brackets: Continue reading

Difficult Choices – The Appetizer Basket

Choices. We face them every day. Some are small choices like what to wear today (although that’s never a simple choice for Miss A), some are a bit more monumental involving career, love, children, etc. One thing is certain, we make a multitude of choices each day.

A few weeks ago, you all were faced with a choice for the appetizer basket of our Chopped Challenge. Taking 39% of the vote was the Lobster, Chipotle, Fajita and Chocolate basket nominated by Eva at Kitcheninspirations. Appetizer Basket Continue reading

Bring It On – Chopped Challenge 2013

The big day is here! And no, we don’t mean the Super Bowl. Team Domi-Nation
The winning baskets are in and we are ready to go. After a marathon shopping adventure (we finished as the grocery store was turning off its lights at 9 p.m. last evening), both teams are confident of a win today. Team Girls

It’s Chopped Challenge 2013. Thanks to everyone that voted. We had some interesting races with some tight results. So without further delay, we’re going to kick off today with our appetizer basket which comes to us courtesy of Eva at Kitcheninspirations. Thanks Eva! Appetizer Basket Continue reading

Cleaning House

We’re gearing up for next weekend’s Chopped Challenge. The votes are rolling in and last I checked we had some pretty good neck-to-neck races. Don’t worry though, there’s still time to get your votes in before Friday. It’s going to be so much fun. There’s definite anticipation in the house – a mix of nerves and excitement. So don’t forget, vote early and often. 😉

In the meantime, what better way to start of the New Year than by getting rid of the clutter. So we’ve spent the last few weekends cleaning house. Every drawer, closet and nook and cranny in this house has been cleaned and purged. Baby toys are all packed up and the kids’ new toys all have organized new homes. If we’re being realistic, we know that won’t last long, but it sure feels good for a few minutes anyway. Sleepy Sack Continue reading

Y’all Ready for This – Chopped Challenge II

Do I even need to post the link to the song? Or is it already thumping through your brains? Y’all ready for this…That’s right, it’s time for our annual Chopped Challenge live blogging event! (Make sure to vote at the end of the post!) Last year we held our first annual Challenge on New Year’s Day. Some of you may remember the fun we had with our seared scallops: Seared Scallops over polenta muffins Continue reading