Has everyone figured out what they are making for Easter? Here’s a few links to help. Or, possibly make you second guess your decision, like this wonderful looking baked ricotta!
This is what I’m making.
You gotta have hot cross buns!
Dana at Minimalist Baker made these yummy peanut butter eggs.
Hop over to Jordan’s site and get the how to for these cute bunny ear treat bags.
Happy Easter everyone!
I’m sure you’ve heard about the 21st century update of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries Today was the last episode of the web-series and I just have to say, as an Internet fan and especially as a die-hard Janeite, its brilliant!
I must admit I’m feeling a little bereft without my twice weekly (sometimes thrice weekly once Lydia’s vids popped up) dose of Bennet drama.
Well, I guess there’s nothing left to do but go back and watch them all AGAIN!
Who want’s to wear something complicated when there are Easter eggs to be hunted and 10 lbs.of Lamb to be muscled in an out of the oven? Not me. Be comfortable for your Easter gathering.
When I was last in London the Shard was just being built. Next time I’m “in town” this is definitely on the list of where to go!
It’s worth it to plug-in your headphones to get the full immersive experience!
When we decided on New York for our family vacation I asked for a list of things each person wanted to do…
Empire State Building
Lunch at Les Halles
Rockefeller Center & Top of the Rock
See a Yankee Game
Shop at Supreme (Gavin)
Have photo taken with The Wall Street Bull (Kellen)
A day at Coney Island
Natural History Museum
Have an authentic New York Pastrami Sandwich
Picnic in Central Park
Check out Grand Central Terminal
Dinner in Little Italy
Visit 911 Memorial
I must say, this is why I love planning trips so much! Scouring the Internet for places to go and see and things to eat! Very excited!
A clever “recipe comic” for Saveur Magazine from illustrator Lucy Knisley and writer Erin Meister
Now I want a doughnut.
No chance to take a proper photo of my effort last night so here’s a picture of my journal with the recipe scrawled quickly in it.
Steak & Potato Soup
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 lb Stew Beef
1 medium Onion
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
6 cups Beef Broth
2 Carrots
4 Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 cup Fresh Mushrooms
2 tablespoons snipped Fresh Parsley
Heat a large stew pot or dutch oven over medium high heat and add the olive oil.
Cut the stew beef into smaller pieces to make it more spoon friendly.
Season the beef with salt and pepper to taste. Brown the beef, in batches if you need to, then set aside.
Dice the onion and add to the pot and cook until it’s softened. Add the herb de Provence and Worcestershire sauce then stir to combine.
Add back in the beef then add the beef broth. Allow the soup to come to a boil then put the lid on the pot and turn the heat down to a simmer.
Cook for 2 hours stirring occasionally.
After 2 hours of cooking the meat should be tender and the stock reduced a little.
Chop the rest of the vegetables into bite sized chunks and add to the soup. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
Snip a few sprigs of parsley over the top for color and serve.
If you’d like to make your soup thicker add a bit of cornstarch slurry (1 part cornstarch to 2 parts cold water)
The flames of my girl crush on the most excellent Nigella Lawson have been fanned even higher with this beautiful new book. The recipes (so far) are no fail and so easy!
You. Guys! This is the most charming thing I’ve seen in a long time!
The Paperman by Disney Directed by John Kahrs, uses a mix of traditional and CG animation techniques.
Something of an internationally miss-matched name, I know. My guess is that both Italians and Asians would be alarmed, but It turned out really well! It made the hour and some struggle to clean what turned out to be completely unprocessed squid very worth it! I’ll offer the how to at the end of the recipe so as not to put you off your appetite.
Calamari Stir-fry
1 lb. defrosted & cleaned Squid (rings and tentacles)
2 cups shredded Chinese (Napa) Cabbage
1 Carrot (thinly sliced)
1 cup Snow Peas (julienne)
1 can Baby Corn (drained)
Roughly chopped Cilantro to garnish
Heat a large saute pan or a wok over high heat and add a couple of tablespoons of canola oil. Once your oil is just starting to smoke toss in the squid and toss around till it starts to curl up and turn opaque.
Turn the heat down to medium heat.
Add the veggies and toss to combine with the squid. Add about 2 tablespoons of the Sesame Ginger Dressing and toss with the meat and veggies. Cover the pan for two minutes to allow the veggies to cook a little more.
Serve immediately over jasmine rice with another splash of the dressing over the top.
Ginger Sesame Dressing
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/8 cup Toasted Sesame Oil
1/4 Canola Oil
1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons Lime Juice
Dash of Fish Sauce
Combine all ingredients in a tightly sealed jar, then shake well to mix.
Cleaning squid how to:
Imagine my surprise when I defrosted my squid, opened the box to find completely unprocessed squid. Well crap!
As one does in this situation I called up Alton Brown’s Good Eats episode “Squid Pro Quo.”
That helped enormously, however, it didn’t cover how to skin or gut the wee beasties.
Follow AB’s instructions of how the de-head and cut the tentacles off. From there, for the remaining innards squeeze the tube of the body like a toothpaste tube (warning this is pretty gooey and inky)
Next gently detach the “backbone” from the skin inside the tube and pull carefully out. You’ll have to go fishing for it up there if you break it, but mostly they came out in one piece.
To skin them, hold the tubes onto the board and scrape the skin off with the back of your knife moving from the small end to the large. It comes off very easily.
Now cut your tubes into thick rings and give the squid meat a nice long wash in cold water. Pat or run it through a salad spinner to dry and store wrapped in paper towels and sealed tightly in Tupperware, or some such.
Kathleen Rear 