In the Test Kitchen -- and Welcome Back Merrill

It was a happy day in the Test Kitchen yesterday as the FOOD52 team welcomed Merrill back into our Tuesday routines of chopping, stirring, and mixing. As you can see above, she's thrilled too! But like a true professional, she quickly got down to business as she and Amanda tackled the Your Best Celery finalists.

For our associate editor (and intrepid Instagrammer) Kristy, it was a day for spring cleaning. She found this pair of adorable pastel pots while going through Amanda's kitchen, and later in the day she rolled up her sleeves and bravely faced the oldest jars and condiments in Amanda's fridge. It wasn't pretty, but she emerged victorious.

Meanwhile, Kristen mixes up another Genius recipe. (Check back on Friday to learn which one!) Our photographer James Ransom works magic with the pale light of spring as he shoots away, and we thought this tidy, tiny bowl of cracked egg shells was too cute not to photograph ourselves.

It was a day full of funny and delicious moments -- like when Addie stopped by the kitchen to show off her manicure or when some squares of chopped chocolate suddenly...disappeared...from the cutting board.

Welcome back Merrill! And til next Tuesday, when we'll yet again turn our camera phones' eyes to the fun that goes on in our Test Kitchen.