Posted on 03/28/2018 4:07:48 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
I have fond memories of dying Easter eggs when I was a kid; today, the smell of vinegar will always take me back to the dining-room table of my childhood, and the PAAS egg-dying kits. Last week, I discovered a somewhat messier alternative technique that nevertheless results in a beautiful dyed egg: Shaving Cream Easter eggs (remember to only use shaving CREAM for this, not the gel):
https://www.bhg.com/holidays/easter/eggs/shaving-cream-easter-eggs/
In 1937, a General Connor wrote from West Point to Colonel Simon Bolivar Buckner of Kentucky - who was then at Fort Meade - a request for the latter’s famous Mint Julep recipe. S. B. Buckner responded with a beautifully lyrical letter describing the preparation of this
‘ quintessence of gentlemanly beverages...A mint julep is not the product of a FORMULA. It is a CEREMONY and must be performed by a gentleman possessing a true sense of the artistic, a deep reverence for the ingredients and a proper appreciation of the occasion. It is a rite that must not be entrusted to a novice, a statistician, nor a Yankee. It is a heritage of the old South, an emblem of hospitality and a vehicle in which noble minds can travel together upon the flower-strewn paths of happy and congenial thought….’
Here is a link to the letter on the Buckner family home page, including the recipe for this ‘beverage eminently appropriate for honorable men and beautiful women’:
http://www.thebucknerhome.com/julep/recipe.html
And to go with your drinks: Angels on Horseback – Oysters wrapped in bacon and broiled or grilled. If you’ve never tried – or think you don’t like – oysters, as this post on the site What’s Cooking America suggests these ‘Angels’ might be a great way to introduce yourself to them:
https://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/AngelsOnHorseback.htm
-JT
That looks very good.
As hard as I try to be as faithful to ‘low carb’ as hubby is, I just can’t get away from BREAD.
Just about anything sitting on top of good, warm, buttered BREAD makes me happy ;-)
Glad it worked. Apologies for my spelling and punctuation - I was real tired this morning ;-)
Me, too. Here is comfort food, par excellence.
Bechamel sauce, Gruyere cheese, jambon de Paris---this is the ultimate grilled cheese ala Francais.
Daniel Boulud's Croque Monsieur
Béchamel (can do day ahead): 3 tbl sweet butter, 1/4 c flour, 3 c whole milk, pinch nutmeg, s/wp.
(NOTE Use white sauce method.)
ASSEMBLY Spread to edges with Béchamel 8 slices high-quality Pullman loaf, sliced 1/3-1/2" thick;
add 12 oz thickly sliced Jambon de Paris (high-quality wet-cured ham), trim to fit within 1/4" inch of edges.
Top w/ coarse-grated Gruyere; leave 1/4" Béchamel at edges.
FINAL Bake golden/melted 10-15 min, cheese side up, on buttered parchment on sheet pan.
SERVE immediately.
VARIATION Croque Madame: top w/ fried egg.
Beautiful Easter eggs!
Sounds beautiful! I love Easter decorations like that, the forced forsythia branches. I remember blowing the eggs out of the shells so we could decorate them, too. My husbands’s mom and aunt left their Polish egg collection for the kids to split up after they passed. They are very old, very fragile, and very beautiful. We treasure them. I forgot what they are called.
I just looked them up, how lovely, Pysanki.
Easter was my favorite holiday.
I’m going to try your chicken tonight, can’t wait!
Hope you enjoy it. It’s so simple and just 3 ingredients. Love the sauce.
It was really good! I was going to skip the sauce, but threw some sour cream in the pan as an after thought. I’m glad I did - it made the dish! What a deep, rich flavor it had. And the chicken looked fancy, good enough for guests
I never thought to add dill to my rye bread. I think I will next time. Maybe skip the caraway then
Dill seeds and I’d dump the caraway too. Let us know how it turns out!
Have not perfected bread yet. But this is a good one to use with lox and cream cheese! And of coarse chives, red onion and capers. Better than bagels by far!
Irish Brown Bread
https://www.browneyedbaker.com/brown-bread-irish-soda-bread-recipe/
Discovered Irish Brown Bread at an Irish pub right before St. Patty’s Day. The best part about the bar was the pub crawlers with their bagpipe players! It was a hoot!!
“Batik!”
Had to explain to a millennial on Friday what batik was. Deer in headlights! But she liked the concept. History repeats?
I have yet to have an Irish soda bread turn out right for me. I don’t know why, he would think those would be easier than dealing with the little used to use.
Speaking of which, I made an awesome olive bread that I found on YouTube. It turned out fantastic, very moist inside, crusty outside, with tons of olives. You have to love olives or this won’t be for you!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?t=1s&v=ww09LTeGuoQ
HAPPY EASTER-—HE IS RISEN
The NEWS that unfolded from an empty tomb just as the sun was coming up on the First Easter Morning 2000 years ago.
“Easter is the commemoration of the single event that transformed the world forever—the resurrection of Jesus after his crucifixion and death on the cross. That God would send his Son to die as a sacrifice for the sin of all who would believe in Him is an unbelievable gift—beyond most people’s comprehension. That a resurrection and a joyous eternal life await believers is beyond anything anyone could imagine. That is the promise and essence of Easter.”
(HAT TIP Scott Powell, senior fellow at Discover Institute in Seattle)
Same to you, Liz. About to sit down to traditional lamb!
And it will be a most sanctified....and delicious....Easter repast.
THE RAINBOW ROOM'S CARROT PEANUT SALAD
Nigella says: I like this straight out of the Pyrex pudding basin I mix it in, held high under my chin, for ease of eating-action--the only way I stop eating is by someone prise the bowl out of my hands. This is not the place for in-depth social history, unless you take my view- that all food is social history, but here's a bit of provenance. Once upon a time there was Biba, an ill-lit but fabulous boutique, shoplifters' paradise, at the top of Kensington High St. It moved, triumphantly, down the road to the old Derry and Tom's building, 4-5 huge floors and on the fourth, or fifth, was its restaurant, the Rainbow Room, where my mother took me for treats, while she kitted herself out in suede boots, maxi-coats and mini-dresses. This salad, or some approximation of it, was on its menu; my mother loved it and made her own version at home regularly. Ing may sound odd, but this combo not only works but becomes addictive. Don't be alarmed at the amt of vinegar: the astringency of the dressing, against the fulsome oiliness of the nuts and, in turn, carrots' nutty sweetness, is the whole point. Adding a bit of grated fresh ginger is good too. One blogger uses cup grated cheddar, small-dice celery for texture and freshness, and a good handful of chp parsley; add a couple crushed gar/cloves to oil and vinegar - if you can leave it alone long enough, peanuts soaks up the yummy garlic oil. ---especially nice at BBQ's--goes well with smokey crispy meat and fish off the fire w/ creamy potato salad alongside. It's always a treat and I am often asked for the recipe.
METHOD Grate 4 med carrots very coarsely, or push through proc/french-fry cutter, or cut into skinny batons;
combine with 75g (3/4 cup) salted peanuts; add 2 tb ea red wine vinegar, groundnut oil, 6 drops sesame oil.
Whoa! This sounds delicious and I suspect it lurks somewhere in one of her cookbooks on my shelf. It would be perfect for my husband because I can no longer eat nuts of any kind. It’s a blue world without a salted peanut, let me tell you!
I know the name BIBA and it certainly rings that Carnaby Street bell. Nigella’s mother was not only a brilliant cook but an amazingly beautiful woman - dark and sleek unlike the dark but well-rounded Nigella. She died quite young, sadly. Ginger and carrots are a match made in heaven.
This story reminds me of Laurie Colwin’s story of eating in the restaurant of Heal’s Department Store. After reading it, I made a trip to Kensington High Street to take a look around. It is an upscale home furnishings store. I still have a ladle from there with British measurements etched on the side. The restaurant was long gone.
A great way to get carrots into hubby’s diet.
Too bad these fabled restaurants disappear.
We decided to do a leg of lamb this year, too. We found a small one, and did it in the pressure cooker. I was really surprised at how tender it was, and how much I liked it - much better than a hunk of beef.
We made the Greek lemon potatoes to go with; they turned out pretty well, but I need to work on getting them more crispy:
http://www.thegreekglutton.com/greek-lemon-potatoes/
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