Easter Bagel Buffet

452. This past Easter we decided to have a brunch "out of the box" instead of the ham and sides to compliment and went with a bagel bar instead.

My daughter made homemade bagels and we paired them with cream cheese, scallion/cheddar cream cheese, bacon, lox, capers, red onion slices and deviled eggs on the side.  Let me just say, it was epic and we were all moaning with each delicious bite!!!

We were very happy to edit our meals and decided it is a good idea from now on.

Hope your Easter was pleasant!

"In the Christian story God descends to re-ascend."

~ C.S. Lewis, "The Grand Miracle"

"We live and die.  Christ died and lives!"

~ John Stott

Easter Dinner

415.  Sharing a few photos from our Easter Dinner Celebration.  Enjoy!

Roasted top pork loin roll with herbs and mustard marinade.

Handmade Pierogi filled with potato, cheese and onion.  Homemade Dinner Rolls.

Appetizer of Crudités

Desserts included Plum Pie, Chocolate Cream Pie, Peanut Butter Cream Pie,

and Apricot Coconut Squares.

We sat and enjoyed each other's company and ate till we were bursting. 

"The dinner hour is a sacred, happy time when everyone should be together and relaxed.

~ Julia Child

Roast Leg of Lamb

360. This past Sunday we celebrated Easter with family and beautiful friends.  Our menu was so tasty and crossed several ethnic lines. But, each item complemented the other.

I started the meal with fresh vegetable Crudités where I made a Lemon Garlic Aioli, Herb Sour Cream Dip, Dijon Mustard and Chive Cheese Log.  We then enjoyed Asparagus, Roasted Potatoes and homemade Dill Dinner Rolls.  But the crowning item of the meal was the Roasted Leg of Lamb.  It was divine!!  I scoured my cookbooks and wanted to find something that was unique and a detour from our usual fare.  I found a recipe for this wonderful dish in the "A Return to Sunday Dinner" book by Russell Cronkhite (order here) It was in the menu "Agape: A Love Feast"

To save recipe just select, drag and drop onto desktop or select and print from smart phone.

Here was my process...My butcher made the butterfly process more like a book than fanning it out...but it was ok.  Next time I will butterfly it myself.

 
 I had fresh basil and mint in my herb garden as well as rosemary.  Fresh makes all the difference
although, next time I would chopped the basil and mint.  I found that when you sliced it the leaves would pull out in whole pieces.

 
 
The original recipe has you remove the roast after an hour and add potatoes.  I found that the potatoes didn't roast as crispy as they should have.  Note to self...roast the potatoes separately.

 This was such a lovely meal...the lamb was perfectly tender and everyone loved it.

"Christ comes to dinner not as just the unseen guest, but in the hearts of those we love."  

~ Russell Cronkhite

Hot Cross Buns

 271.  Warm, soft, sweet, freshly made rolls just bring a smile to my face.  Each year for Easter, I like to bake fresh bread in some shape or form.  This year, it was Hot Cross Buns.  I am amazed, when you begin to search, how many recipes there are available for bread.  But, how do you know if the recipe you select is the one that will taste the best.  What I usually look for first is the ingredients.  If they are fresh and not prepackaged ingredients, you can be sure the recipe will have great flavor.

Hot Cross Buns

Bread Machine Method
In a glass measuring cup place:
1/2 cup milk
3 Tablespoons butter
Microwave on high or heat in a small saucepan till butter has melted.

Pour into bread machine bowl/basket.  Add in the following order:
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 Tablespoons yeast

Set the bread machine to the "dough" setting and "start".

After an hour, add to the dough:
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins

When dough is finished, remove from machine and place on lightly floured surface.
Cut dough in half and cut each half into 6 pieces yielding 12 rolls.  Shape into round rolls and
place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Cover with plastic wrap and let them rise at room temperature until they have doubled 45 minutes to an hour. Brush before baking with an egg wash:
1 egg
1 teaspoon warm water
 Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack.

Prepare icing in a small bowl:
1/2 cup confectioner sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons milk

Mix and place in a small piping bag or zip lock bag with edge trimmed.  Pipe a cross symbol across the top of each roll.

.

"Hot cross buns! 
Hot cross buns! 
One a penny, two a penny, 
Hot cross buns!

Hot cross buns! 
Hot cross buns!
 If you haven’t any daughters, 
Give them to your sons!
 One a penny, two a penny, 
Hot cross buns!

Hot cross buns!
 Hot cross buns!
 If you haven’t got a penny
 A ha’penny will do.
 If you haven’t got a ha’penny,
 Well God bless you"

~Nursery Rhyme 

Lamb Chops

270. Easter Dinner this year was inspired by Rachael Ray. On her 30 Minute Meals show she made Lamb Chops with Greens and Crispy Orecchiette Pasta with Walnut Rosemary Pesto. It looked so delicious and easy to prepare.

The most difficult part was locating lamb chops. You will like this recipe if you enjoy bold flavors. Lamb has a unique flavor along with the rosemary pesto.

LAMB CHOPS WITH GREENS AND CRISPY ORECCHIETTE PASTA WITH WALNUT-ROSEMARY PESTO

by Rachael Ray | on 05/26/08

INGREDIENTS

• Salt
• 1 pound orecchiette pasta
• 1 1/2 cups walnuts
• 7-8 stems rosemary, 1/4-1/3 cup leaves, loosely packed
• 2 cloves garlic, cracked from skin
• Black pepper
• 3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), divided
• 1/2-3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 4 shoulder lamb chops, bone-in, 8-10 ounces each
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Grated nutmeg, to taste
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large heads kale, dinosaur kale or chard, chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 2-3 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar

Serves 4

PREPARATION

Bring water to a boil for pasta, salt water and cook to al dente.

Toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden and fragrant, a few minutes then cool. Add the nuts to a food processor with rosemary, 1 clove garlic, salt and pepper and turn processor on. Stream 1/3 cup EVOO into food processor to form pesto then scrape into a bowl and stir in about 3/4 cup grated cheese.

Rub chops with cut clove of garlic then season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chops and cook 4 minutes each side for medium rare doneness.

While lamb cooks, drain pasta and return pot to heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and butter in pasta pot and melt over medium heat. Place the pasta back in the pot and crisp 4-5 minutes, toasting the pasta. Season the pasta with salt and pepper and a little nutmeg.

Remove lamb from skillet and cover with foil to let meat settle. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO over medium-high to high heat. Add onions and greens and sear them. Season the greens with salt and pepper and wilt down, 3-4 minutes. Add chicken stock and vinegar and turn greens to coat in vinegar.

Serve a chop alongside greens. Top greens with toasted pasta and drizzle some pesto over everything.

I did not want to cover the chops with the greens and pasta, so we plated them side by side.

I also made buttered carrots for color on the plate.

We also enjoyed a coconut cream pie for dessert.

Happy Easter!

Our table was decorated with Polish sugar animals.

"The story of Easter is the story of God's wonderful window of divine surprise."

~Carl Knudsen

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

152. Ahhhh...peanut butter!!! If you live anywhere near the Amish, you know their specialties are wonderful baked goods including Peanut Butter Cream Pie. I haven't been in Amish Country in a while and I was craving this pie. So for Easter, Peanut Butter Cream Pie was part of our dessert menu.

Cream pies are very simple to construct...just a matter of a pie crust, pudding filling and whipped cream. You just need a variety of variations such as bananas, coconut, chocolate, peppermint, or lemon, to name a few.

My daughter made her fabulous pie crust, recipe here, and because I used just one crust it was necessary to weigh down the crust. I use beans which work perfectly. Although pouring them out of the bag was easier than putting them back in the bag. Let's just say, it was necessary for me to use a vacuum to pick up half of the beans. Yes, while pouring them back into the bag...it slipped and poured all over the floor...the dog got scared and ran for his life. Baking is always an adventure!

Peanut Butter Cream Pie

1 pie crust, prepare and bake in a deep pie dish, set aside and cool

1 recipe vanilla pudding, cooked box mix or homemade

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 cup powder sugar, extra if needed

4 cups whipped cream sweetened with powder sugar and vanilla extract, or cool whip

Bake pie crust in a deep pie dish and set aside to cool.

In a mixer place peanut butter and powder sugar. Using the whisk attachment, blend together to create a crumbly mixture. If the mixture is not crumbly, add more powder sugar till it is crumbly.

Sprinkle half of the crumbly mixture on the bottom and mound up the sides of the pie crust.

Prepare the pudding mix or make a homemade pudding. As soon as the pudding begins to boil, remove from the heat and pour gently over the peanut butter crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 5 hours or over night.

Whip your heavy cream or open the cool whip containers. Spread the whipped cream over the chilled pudding layer,

mounding the cream higher in the center.

With the remaining peanut butter crumbs, sprinkle them over the top of the pie for garnish.

Then, make a pot of coffee or espresso, slice the pie and enjoy the decadent wonderfulness of peanut butter, sweet cream and the salty crust of the pie...you just have to taste this! You'll understand after your first bite.

"Man can not live by bread alone;

he must have peanut butter."

~ James A. Garfield

Babka, Polish Easter Bread

151. Easter baking is a family tradition and one I most enjoy! This year I decided to make "Babka" which is a European bread enjoyed by many. A Babka recipe is as various as there are bakers. And every family has "The Best" Babka recipe. I found this recipe on Poland: Memories of a Polish Easter

It was wonderful reading and learning about Polish customs kept by other families.

I used my bread machine to mix the dough and it turned out beautifully. The key with using a bread machine is that you add all the liquid to the bottom of the bread pan and the salt. Then you add all the flour and other dry ingredients ending with the yeast. The dough is extravagantly wonderful to work with. And the flavor was outstanding.

Easter Babka

Cake
1-1/4 cups lukewarm milk
2 packages active dry yeast
6 tablespoons sugar
6 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 egg yolks (I substituted 5 eggs)
3/4 lb plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white seedless raisins
2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel

(I added Rum extract)

White Icing
2 cups confecioner's sugar
1/4 cup cold water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Pour the lukewarm milk into a small bowl and sprinkle it with the yeast and add 1/2 teaspoon of the sugar. Let the mixture stand for 2 or 3 minutes, then stir to dissolve the yeast completely. Set the bowl in a warm draft free place for about 10-15 minutes, or until the mixture doubles in size.

Place the 6 cups of flour and the remaining sugar and the salt in a deep mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour the yeast mixture into the center and the egg yolks, and with a large spoon, gradually stir in the flour into the liquid ingredients. Continue to stir until well mixed, and then beat in 3/4 lbs of butter a few tablespoonfuls at a time. The dough should be firm enough to to be gathered into a medium soft ball. If you have to, stir in about 1/2 cups more of flour, but add it by the tablespoons.

Transfer the dough to a electric mixer equipped with a kneading hook and knead for about 20 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth, or knead the dough by hand for about 40 minutes.

Shape the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly buttered bowl and dust the top with flour. Drape a towel over the bowl and set it aside in a draft free place for about 1 hour, or until the dough doubles in size. With a pastry brush, spread the 2 tablespoons of softened butter over the bottom and the sides of a 12 inch tube pan or a turban mold. Sprinkle the butter with the remianing 1/4 cup of flour and tip the pan form side to side to spead it evenly. Remove the excess flour from the pan.

Punch the dough down and then knead the raisins, orange peel and lemon peel. Pat the dough evenly over the bottom of the buttered and floured mold, drape with a towel, and set aside for another hour, or until the dough has doubled in size. Almost to the top of the mold.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake the cake in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Turn the cake out onto a cake rack and let it cool.

In a small bowl, combine the confectioners sugar, water and lemon juice, and beat with a spoon until it is smooth. Pour the icing slowly over the top of the warm cake. Allow it to run down the sides.

Let the Babka cool at room temperature before serving.

"Business underlies everything in our national life, including our spiritual life. Witness the fact that in the Lord's Prayer, the first petition is for daily bread. No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach."

~ Woodrow Wilson