slowly but surely

on saturday, i woke up to the sun shining through my new curtains and was suddenly inspired to return to the kitchen...thank goodness. it's been a long time. since morning sickness set in to be exact.

the refrigerator, all refrigerators actually, still smell really bad, but i have learned to get everything from the fridge at once, very quickly shut the door and mouth breathe until the obtrusive smell evaporates.

anyway, these adorable curtains, handmade by my dear Dinha, seemed to make everything a bit more enjoyable. that woman is quite the seamstress.

we started with french toast. on sourdough bread. my mister's favorite. combined with my strawberry obsession.


mid-day found myself whipping up a cake. this cake to be exact. esther was so thrilled, tickled really, to return from her long winter hiatus.


in the end, i realized that i may have jumped into this cake a bit too quickly. i used two pans, when i should have just used one. which led to an over baked cake. and the end result looked nothing like it's creator's did.

it was hard to frost. really hard. and too sweet. even for this honey bee. in fact, it sits unchanged in our refrigerator. i think it would have been stellar with a whipped cream frosting...i think i will try that. because the cake itself with the macerated berries, (which weren't as soft as they should have been) really was divine. oh well. win some, lose some.

chili was next.

and this was a success. thankfully. i may have been broken hearted had i ruined this simple, one pot meal. my man has been eating it every day since and my confidence and desire to return to the kitchen is coming back.

slowly, but surely.