croissants and baguettes | where to eat in Paris

Tell people you went to Paris and the first thing they ask you about it the food. We didn't do too much fine dining, but we enjoyed plenty of bakery type meals. Give me a chocolate croissant for breakfast and a sliced baguette with brie and veggies for lunch and I'm a happy girl.

Here are some of our favorite bakeries...
Paul, 77 rue de Seine - expect a line out the door, but for good reason. Delicious brioche sucre, croissants, palmiers, and macarons.
bread & roses, 7 rue Fleurus - organic breads made with whole grains, nuts, and seeds
Banette, 2 rue de ces Commines - a chain, but I had the most perfect little chocolate and raspberry tart here
Arnaud Delmontel, 39 rue des Martyrs - beautiful styling, and our breakfast treats were still warm!
Le Grenier de Félix, 64 avenue Félix Faure - our neighborhood bakery, perfect for a quick snack any time of day

For lunch or a light dinner...
Pink Flamingo, 105 rue du Vieille du Temple -  a funky pizza parlor serving up unique topping combinations like fresh fig, honey, and goat cheese called the Brangelina (and it was fantastic!)
Le Pain Quotidien, 2 rue des Petits Carreaux - I had such a delicious artichoke heart and white bean salad here
L'Ebouillanté, 6 rue de Barres - cute patio seating outside an old church on a cobblestone path; we had crêpes, quiche, and fresh juice.
La Ferme, 55-57 rue Saint Roch - order your meal at the counter, choose a drink from the cooler, and sit where you like. We liked the laid back atmosphere, and everything is made in house!

For sweets...
Ladurée, 75 avenue des Champs Elysées - macarons, of course. 
La Maison du Chocolat, 8 boulevard de la Madeleine - we bought a teeny box of chocolates, but they'll offer you a sample! Seriously, it's worth checking out for the sample alone.
And get a palmier at every boulangerie you walk by. I did.

hello weekend

Two years ago on Saint Patrick's Day I shared my grandmother's recipe for Irish soda bread, and last year I just posted a cute picture of Ezra wearing a cheesy shamrock onesie. This year we're getting back to our roots, back to the Irish soda bread that is the foundation of my idea of Saint Patrick's Day. I recently acquired two of my very own cast iron pans that were my grandmother's (not my maternal grandmother's, of the Irish soda bread fame, but my paternal grandmother's, who was French Canadian - go figure) so I didn't have to borrow one from my mom this time. Sadly, the smaller pan was in major need of rust removal but it's cleaned up now and I ate breakfast out of it this morning. (Check back next week for the trick to removing rust from cast iron.) My breakfast was, of course, Irish soda bread! Here's the recipe again with one major adaptation - I substituted butter for shortening because no one wants to eat partially hydrogenated oil anymore... or at least I don't. 


For those of you who are wondering - no worries - scroll down for the Friday link list! Lots of fun stuff around the web this week. First things first, though. I know you want to get baking.

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients

3 C flour

2/3 C sugar

1 T baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 3/4 C raisins
1 T caraway seeds

2 eggs, beaten

1 3/4 buttermilk

2 T melted butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° and grease a cast iron pan or loaf pan.  Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl.  Stir in raisins and caraway seeds.  Combine eggs, buttermilk, and shortening in a small bowl.  Add liquid mixture to dry mixture and combine until flour is just moistened.  Turn into greased pan and bake for about 40 minutes.  Remove from pan immediately.  Allow to cool through before serving. I like to eat my slices with a good smear of butter, sometimes toasted and sometimes at room temp.

I'll be bringing one pan of Irish soda bread over to our friends' condo for a little Saint Patrick's Day shindig tomorrow night. How are you celebrating? Remember: everyone is Irish on Saint Patrick's Day!

Now for the link love.

- some great tips on how to prep for a photo shoot
- make yourself a cute bow headband
- love these beautiful images of a mother and daughter
- I'm always up for trying new ways to make brownies even better
- taking photos in a renovated mill for a maternity shoot works out quite nicely
- these little paper boxes by Alli are so cute
- can't wait to try these peanut butter cookie dough balls
- this mini guide to making fresh pasta has me inspired to make some of my own
- thinking about jumping on the antlers as home decor bandwagon
- how to make your own polka dot pants, via { collected }

I said it Monday but I'll say it again: Erin Go Bragh! Happy Saint Patrick's Day and happy weekend, too.

a morning in the city // breakfast at tazza

Breakfast is one of the easiest meals to make for yourself at home, but there's just something about eating out in the morning that makes paying $8 for fried eggs feel worth it. Plus then you absolutely must get dressed and brush your teeth before nine. In the spirit of approaching the day with a "go get 'em" attitude, that's just what Ezra and I did one day last week. We got dressed, brushed our teeth, and met Laura and Hillary in Providence for breakfast at tazza last Thursday.

The breakfast menu is pretty limited with only a few egg type dishes, oatmeal, and maybe one or two other items, but that was more than enough for me to choose from. I ordered a sandwich with two fried eggs, cheddar cheese, and pesto on a bolo. Now I know you're wondering what a bolo is and I confess I was, too, until Hillary asked the waitress. A bolo is a Portuguese sweet bread roll. I don't know about you but I call that a Portuguese sweet bread roll. I've never heard it called a bolo before and we have our fair share of Portuguese bakeries around these parts. Wait just one second - okay, a quick google search tells me that bolo is the Portuguese word for cake. Can anyone confirm this?

Okay, enough semantics. The bolo egg sandwich was wicked good, and Laura and Hillary enjoyed their meals, too. Hill got eggs with a bolo on the side (and bacon - yum!) and Laura got the same sandwich I did except her bread of choice was a bagel. 

Aren't they so cute? They don't even have any food in their teeth even though I insisted on taking this picture mid-chew.

This one was looking very cute, too, but he was in a huff because I wouldn't share my hot chocolate with him. I did let him play with the little spoon that came with it though. The spoon was so cute I was tempted to take it home with me. Not really, but it was a really cute spoon. Really. 

I still want to have brunch at tazza. I mean, would you look at this menu?! Shrimp and grits? Buttermilk beignets? Malted Belgian waffle with Chantilly cream and BACON ALMOND BRITTLE?! Sorry for yelling but I just think that sounds amazing. Let's go on Saturday.

classic banana bread

 Baking banana bread is probably one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen for at least three reasons - it makes the whole house smell delicious, it's incredibly easy, and it gives new life to old bananas. This recipe is an adaptation of the one my mom always used when I was growing up, so it was the first one I ever made. While I've tried lots of variations over the years, I always come back to this old stand-by because it's so simple. Try it and let me know what you think.

Banana Bread
Ingredients
4 very ripe mashed bananas
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
Mix all ingredients together. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 325° for 50 - 60 minutes. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Slice and serve.

Really the only change from the original recipe is substituting applesauce for shortening or oil. And this time I added a cup of 60% Ghirardelli chocolate chips because I just can't resist them. Okay, I confess - I add chocolate chips pretty much every time I bake banana bread. I'm bringing this loaf to our moms' group this morning as a not-quite-breakfast snack. What baked goods do you try to pass off as breakfast?

{the not-so-secret ingredient}

brunch in honor of Hillary

Last month I hosted a bridal shower for my friend Hillary who got married on February 5th.  It was an intimate affair that took place in my parents' living room which we converted into a little cafe.  We used nearly every dining room chair in their house and borrowed a couple of tables to make it work.

My mom sewed napkins to match the decor of the room and we used my grandmother's Irish linens as table coverings.  Flowers were simple arrangements in, what else, mason jars.  

Brunch was served at 11:30 to a crowd of twelve ladies plus Matt who was on the couch in another room with Ezra sleeping on his chest and my brother who woke up as our guests were leaving. 

More mason jars served as drinking glasses for water or orange juice.

Giada's chocolate chip biscotti

My mom's cranberry orange scones

My aunt's baked French toast with apples

Paula Deen's creamy hash brown casserole - definitely worth the calories.

The bride-to-be and matron of honor, one of the few photos of people at the shower!  I have a problem - I always forget to take pictures when the event starts so my photo collections are always big on details and lacking in the attendee department.  Thanks to my mom for snapping this shot.  Hillary & Dave are now married and happily using all their new appliances at their apartment in Massachusetts.