This morning we were having trouble trying to figure out what to have for breakfast.  I remembered we had some fresh strawberries, heavy cream, and chocolate ganache left from some failed cupcakes last night.  So it made perfect sense to make waffles with strawberries, whipped cream drizzled with chocolate sauce.  We have a few different waffle recipes that we use, but the quickest and easiest is the buttermilk pancake recipe just whip the egg whites to make the waffles super fluffy and light.  It was a good morning!

I know it's been a super easy, warm winter without much (any?) snow... but I ran accross this picture on my phone that I took back in November that reminds me how much I wish it was spring...

Brenda found a new recipe for a cake that she wanted to try out.  So this weekend we made this Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Cake with White Chocolate Grand Marnier mousse filling and Orange Cream Cheese Frosting.  It was soooo good, I can't wait to get home and have another slice.  Check out the recipes, it was worth the effort!

It's amazing that I don't weigh 500 pounds when there is always something good cooking in our house.

Remember when you were a kid and the school assignment was to write a report of what you did on vacation?  Well, here goes...

Brenda and I decided that we needed to redo the countertops that had to be trimmed to get the new stove to fit.  So before Christmas we ordered the supplies to laminate new countertops. 

The day after Christmas we headed to the lumber yard to get the particle board to build the countertops, and got started.  Here are some before and after pictures.

After the wine bar was done we moved on to the larger counters...

Then of course there was a bit of a distraction when a guy on a bike went riding past on the lake... a little odd.

Back to work, and on to the hardest part.  installing the under mount sink, and the countertop with the stove cutout.

We finished in time to celebrate the new year!

And we made some home made cavatelli.

Not a bad vacation... I need a rest though ;)  Happy 2012!