Easter 2021

I've only had my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to date, so, for now, we continue to take precautions.  This means another Easter at home, just the two of us.

But Spring brings promises of better days ahead, so I put my energy in preparing a nice dinner for my husband and myself.

But first, the table.  I pulled out old favorites that really never get old for me:  The willow chargers, Wedgwood Nantucket Basket dinner plates, Blue Calico salad plates, and willow napkin rings to match the chargers.

We still needed some Easter candy around, even though the boys aren't here anymore, so candy-coated chocolate egg truffles were scattered on the table. 

 

The sugar-coated gummy bunnies were placed in a little bowl to contain the sugar dust.  My husband is a little boy when it comes to candy, he devours it if it's left lying around, so I had to hide it until this morning.

We had a Honey Baked® Ham, which just needed to be heated, and it was delicious!  My motto is to keep holidays as easy as possible so we can enjoy the day.

Of course, my own rule went out the window when I made this Asparagus Cheese Tart.  I have come to the conclusion that, although I've done a little baking in the past, this is the part of cooking that I like the least.  Dough is still a mystery to me.  I bought commercial puff pastry, and cut it down so that it fit in my porcelain platter.  Then, I made the filling and baked it in the same oven-proof platter. I used Martha Stewart's Asparagus Gruyère recipe.  It was good, but way more labor intensive than I expected, and my husband didn't really care for the cheesy texture, so I don't think I'll be making this one again.  It looked pretty, though. 

I had never made Garlic Maple Roasted Carrots, but they were so delicious that I know it's something that will show up on our dinner table again and again going forward.  I liked leaving the bit of stalk on top, they looked cute.

Simple dinner rolls from our favorite bakery . . .

And a sweet butter lamb rounded out the dinner.

The lamb-shaped butter from Danish Maid has become a fixture at all our Easter meals.  They are so sweet-looking, and the butter is delicious!

The dessert was a cheesecake from Costco, which was truly delicious:  Creamy, smooth, and not overly sweet.  To make it even more wonderful, I paired it with some homemade strawberry coulis, and fresh blueberries.  It was divine!  I don't think I'll ever make a cheesecake again as long as I live near a Costco.

And, when dinner was done, we were left with the crowning glory of Spring, this wonderful daffodil bouquet.  Happy Easter to all!

A Gingerbread Kind of Day

My husband's pancakes are legendary within our family.  Everyone loves them, and, when the kids are home one of the first things they ask for is Dad's pancakes.  When I walked by this bottle of maple syrup at Williams-Sonoma, it just fell into my basket!  Can you believe it?  Mr. Gingerbread Man must have heard about my husband's pancakes, too!

I had planned a cute breakfast for Christmas morning, and, although my son, John, was not able to come, I decided to proceed with it all.  I'm telling myself that this is a dry run, and I'll do it all over again next year.

Well, if we are going to bring Mr. Gingerbread to the table, he's going to need some gingerbread company, so these little Mug Toppers were "needed" to make Mr. Gingerbread feel welcome!  To tell you the truth, they proved a challenge.  They refused to stay straight in the mug!  So I called on my house engineer/tech/geek expert, my husband, Lee, who promptly straightened it with little wads of Scotch tape.  Ah!  The technical mind boggles!  Some friends have suggested chocolate next time.  I'll have to try that next year.  See?  Dry run.

With a few added gingerbread people, the breakfast table was set.  I used last night's red tablecloth.  Isn't it a fabulous red?

This was my husband's Gingerbread Man.  The guy that never notices details asked me why his man had four eyes.  I explained that two dots were for the eyes, and the other two for dimples.  He remains unconvinced.

Miss Peppermint had ruffles on her arms and legs.

The Gingerbread Salt and Pepper shakers insisted on being invited.  The lady held the pepper.  She's also a little "caliente," like me.

The Wedgwood Nantucket Basket Coffee Pot is no longer being produced.  I had been looking for one for a while, and put in a request at Replacements.com to notify me if one was ever found — and it was, and it's now mine!  Bwahaha!  Happiness!

I placed these absolutely delicious gingersnaps on the table to nibble on, as I got the rest of the breakfast ready.  The Villeroy & Boch Winter Bakery Delight Bowl depicts . . . you guessed it, gingerbread!  This Christmas porcelain collection is truly a delight, and I plan to add a few more pieces for next year.  Sigh!  A dish collector is never done!

I really felt very efficient this year, reusing the tablecloth, the rattan chargers and the salad plates from last night.  It was such fun to play with all these favorite pieces!  Breakfast table is set, now let's talk about the food.

I prepared a breakfast strata.  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pkg. frozen hash brown potatoes, defrosted

8 eggs, beaten

1 pound bulk sausage, crumbled and cooked

¼ onion, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

½ green bell pepper, chopped

2 cups of any cheddar, or combination of cheddar cheeses, divided

1 can evaporated milk

Salt and pepper to taste

• Butter the casserole dish.  Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, but only 1 cup of the cheese.
• Pour into the casserole dish.  Scatter the remaining cheese on top.
• Bake at 350º F for 55 minutes or until edges are slightly brown.

It was delicious!  We cut the leftovers in individual servings, and saved them for upcoming breakfasts.

That was accompanied by a stack of hubby's pancakes, and some fresh berries — and real maple syrup drizzled on top.  The taste of real maple syrup is incomparable.  Aunt Jemima doesn't stand a chance in our house.

We had a sunny day, which had me moving things around on the table so I could get good pictures.  Actually, it was a nice problem to have at this time of year.

When the table was cleared we witnessed a gingerbread spat!  These lovers quarreled and it was a duel at twenty paces between Mr. Salt and Ms. Pepper.  Nothing would dissuade them!  Each of them brought their seconds as witnesses.  Doctors stood by in case of casualties, and a bunch of gossips waited nearby to hear the outcome.  Limbs were lost, death ensued, and crumbs were scattered everywhere.  The lovers survived, as did the doctors.  The rest have all gone to their reward.

When breakfast was over, we lit a fire in the fireplace, and didn't budge from our chairs for the rest of the day.  I'm already planning for next year's breakfast.

A Very Berry Breakfast

Some days are just special.  It's nice to indulge in a totally unexpected, middle-of-the-week breakfast as a treat for someone you love.

The food doesn't have to be fancy.  In my humble opinion, an ordinary breakfast, or any meal, actually, can be elevated with the proper setting and mood.  Mornings start early at our house, so I did most of the prep work the night before.

For a change of pace, I am using a pair of delightful Berries Kitchen Towels that we received recently as a gift.  That was the starting point for the rest of the table.  

Pairing bees with berries seemed like a no-brainer, so the La Rochère Bee glasses came out to play.

The cream tot was filled the night before, then covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated so it would be ready to go right away.  Mr. & Mrs. Red volunteered to help out.  They usually come out for patriotic tables, and occasionally for other holidays.  It's fun having them around.

The Blue Calico sugar bowl withdrew in a snit when it realized that neither my husband or I adds sugar to our tea.  Very temperamental, that Blue Calico.

We like berries and eat a lot of them at our house.  They are high in polyphenols, those magic antioxidants that do so many great things for the human body, and it's wonderful that something that is good for us, is also so darn delicious!

Won't you have a croissant . . . or a scone . . . ? 

The jam came along with the dish towels, and I couldn't wait to try it.  Oh, my!  If you have a chance, please don't pass the opportunity to buy a jar.  It is so delicious.  Most of the berries remain whole.  I wish I had taken a picture, but I was too busy licking my fingers!

And, since we were serving Blueberry Jam, the Blueberry spoon came out.  This was part of the gift package.  I'm going to remember to do this for someone else.  Everything was a delight from beginning to end!

Don't you love the Mason Woven table runner from Pottery Barn?  It adds so much to the textural mix on this table!

Even a few simple daisies can brighten your day.  The miniature vases are part of a set of three that my son, David, gave me for Christmas a few years ago.

I've gotten into the habit of always taking a rim shot, to see how my plate stack looks to any tiny bug that might wonder to the top of the table.

The Napoleon Bee flatware did not want to be left out.  I say, the more the merrier!

Breakfast in heaven includes a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.  Did you know that?

The mini vase on this side has a different shape.  There's a lot of texture and color on this table, but the white Wedgwood Nantucket Basket dishes calm everything down.

Hard-boiled eggs, with extra ones to snack on later in the morning, or tomorrow.

Another low-carb offering:  Prosciutto wrapped in Mozzarella, and Emmentaler cheese slices.  I prefer Gouda, but he likes Emmentaler, and it's a special day, so he gets his Emmentaler with a pretty tomato rose to fancy up the plate.  Everything had to be pretty today.  You see, today my husband and I celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary.  

“Come grow old with me.  The best is yet to be.” 

—William Wordsworth

A Stars and Plaid Independence Day

Hurray for the Red, White and Blue!  I love Independence Day!  A day to celebrate our freedom and the many blessings we enjoy, even in these trying times!

The plaid patchwork quilt came straight off the bed of one of our guest rooms.  It used to belong to my son, John.  Well, just for today, it's gonna do double duty as our tablecloth!

Let's start things off with some watermelon stars and blueberries.  They were surprisingly easy and fast to do, and they look so festive!

See what happens?  Give me an inch and I'll take the whole arm!  The watermelon stars turned out so well, that I decided to make apple stars for the sangria.  Ugh!  What did I get myself into?  The process was painfully time consuming.  The apple wedges were barely big enough to get one star out of each wedge.  For the thrifty souls among you, don't worry, we turned the discarded apple pieces into delicious juice.

We soaked the apple stars in lots of lemon juice to keep them from turning brown, then incorporated them into the sangria.  It was delicious!

I have to confess that we wimped out and added a 20-oz. bottle of Sprite to the sangria.  It was too hot for alcohol, and we're not big drinkers anyway.

Red Cambria Stoneware dishes, American Star Flag napkins and Bistro Flatware all came from Pottery Barn.  The chargers came from Pier 1, they were originally hot pink, and were spray painted in this soft ivory.

Our guests could snack on some treats while the rest of the lunch was prepared.  In addition to the watermelon and blueberry, we had pretzels, popcorn and dark chocolate-covered almonds.  A little juicy, a little salt, a little sweet, a little chocolate.  All the bases were covered.

Red, white and blue . . . and berries, too!  I am forever on the lookout for cute cocktail napkins.  

Have you ever seen Gerbera daisies in such a brilliant red?  I didn't have to work very hard at putting together a centerpiece for this table.  With these beauties, anything else seemed redundant.

Voilà!  The table is set.  Given the pandemic, I was thankful to be able to pull all these pretty things out of storage without having to shop.

We grilled the most amazing shrimp.  Here's the recipe:  2 pounds of extra large shrimp, peel and deveined.  Make the marinade with ½ cup honey, 6 tablespoons low-sodium tamari sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (be lavish with the garlic!), and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes.  Add the marinade to the shrimp and refrigerate for 4 hours in a plastic bag, turning occasionally.  Skewer the shrimp and cook on the hot grill for 3 minutes on each side.  You've got to try this!

We served it with Spanish rice, corn on-the-cob, and cornbread.  

These are, hands down, our favorite corn holders - and we've owned a lot of them.  Our kids loved corn-on-the-cob, and we made it frequently.  Consequently, we went through a lot of corn holders.  They are generally rather flimsy, and the tines break off after a few uses.  The clear acrylic with brilliant colors, and the fact that they interlock with each other for storage are nice features, too!  I bought them at Whole Foods, but they are available at other supermarkets as well.

Among my favorite memories of our trips to Italy are the wonderful cakes that hotels serve for breakfast.  When we travel abroad we prefer eating a hearty breakfast at the hotel before heading out for a day of sightseeing.  These cakes tend to be a bit on the dry side and not overly sweet.  They are meant to accompany a great cappuccino.

A Cherry Almond Cake was just the ticket.  My husband was very helpful in photographing a few shots for this post, while I was busy getting lunch ready.

Aha!  So this is why he was being so helpful . . .

Easy, Tiger!  We've got to keep this G-Rated!

Anyway, the cake turned out delicious.  I used a yellow box cake mix, added almond extract and fresh cherries.  Then, I covered the batter with sliced almonds.  When the cake cooled, it was covered with powder sugar.

These days, I don't wear makeup for just anybody.  We got up early to watch the neighborhood's Independence Day car parade.  We wanted to support our association, that has worked so hard to keep the neighbors engaged, and safe during this pandemic.

One more picture with my hubby because he's a cutie pie, and has made the day tremendously fun for me.

And one more picture of the Gerbera daisies because, flowers.  I hope your holiday was fantastic!