The Ritz: A Food (and Drink) Diary!

Two weeks ago, my work held a two day conference at our local Ritz-Carlton. I organized the event, and we all had such a blast! The people who work at the Ritz are some of the most competent, professional people I've ever met. The conference went very smoothly, and there was plenty of time to explore the amazing food and drink options offered.

For our first day, late afternoon conference, we served freshly baked cookies, along with a sliced tropical fruit platter.

Enjoying a late afternoon glass of white wine in front of the ocean!

Dinner that night at the downstairs restaurant, Burlock Coast, was fabulous! (Info can be found here.) The rum-based cocktails packed quite a punch, and the fried oysters were divine!

The mini dessert station following lunch at the next day's conference was amazing!

Mini Key Lime Pie:

Mini Lemon Cheesecakes:

Mini Dark Chocolate Charlotte Shooters:

Heavenly!

And later, some delicious strawberry daiquiris (with floaters!) by the hotel pool on the 7th floor.

And finally, a delightful surprise in my room from the thoughtful guest services, a mini fruit basket!

Saturday Picnic!

Last Saturday, I prepared a simple picnic, as I was getting together with one of my girlfriends, her nearly one-year-old daughter, and my nearly two-year-old daughter. We took the kids to a local park with an awesome splash pad, and had a great time!

I LOVE my picnic basket that I got from Amazon.

Mimosas with raspberry ice cubes, served in adorable pink tumblers! What a view!

Mushroom tarts in puff pastry! Recipe link here.

And fruit kebabs for dessert!

Sunday Brunch!

Last Sunday I decided to host a simple, elegant brunch for two of my girlfriends. It had been awhile since the three of us were able to get together, so I wanted to keep the food simple and easy to eat, and the mimosas flowing as we laughed and got caught up on each other's busy lives!

For the mimosas, we kept it classic with champagne and orange juice - but I added my own twist by using ice cubes that had frozen fresh raspberries inside!

I made individual baked French toast servings in creme brulee dishes, instead of ramekins, because I did not want the servings to be too deep. This is an easy recipe, and you can do all the prepwork the day or night before! Then just pop the dishes into the oven 20 minutes before your guests arrive. The added bonus - your house will smell amazing! I sifted some powdered sugar on top, and had freshly sliced strawberries and raspberries alongside some high quality maple syrup.

You can find this recipe here.

I went back to an old staple - baby quiches! I have made these so often, I don't even look at a recipe anymore. I generally make these when I have a ton of leftover shredded cheese (of a variety of flavors) leftover in my fridge. I always keep chopped frozen spinach in my freezer, so I just cooked that down in a hot sauce pan with diced yellow onion and minced garlic, to add to the shredded cheeses (cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, parmesan, and colby jack), 5 beaten eggs, and salt and pepper. Delish!

For the final dish, I made these hash brown egg cups with chopped bacon that I had seen on Buzzfeed's Facebook page a few weeks ago. The hash browns did not crisp up quite as much as I wanted them too, and I think that was because they were not as finely chopped as they should have been. Noted for next time! You can find this recipe here.

Et voila! Brunch is served, alongside some beautiful fresh spring flowers.