Sunday, April 28, 2013

Potatoes and Eggs


I like holidays and food, so really any time I get to make food for a holiday it's pretty exciting. As ever I totally failed at making anything Welch for St. Davids day (I've seriously been trying to do that for like....years.) so felt guilty and went gangbusters for St. Patrick.

There was colcannon, as you can see. I thought for sure I'd posted a recipe for that but I can't seem to find it so just in case you've never eaten it please do the following:

Make mashed potatoes.

While the potatoes are cooking wash half a bunch of kale and put it in a smaller pot of boiling water.

When they're tender drain as best you can and coarsely chop. Add to the mashed potatoes with anything else you fancy such as sauteed onion, cheese, more butter...it's very sturdy and comforting food. Miss Dick taught me how to make it one rainy afternoon while we watched Bedknobs and Broomsticks.


And no St. Patrick celebration is complete without Margaret Bell's Soda Bread and reubens.


I even found marbled rye this year!! To top it off Miss H and I made up a devious concoction in a blender of Baileys, B&J Chocolate Fudge Brownie, and Haaged Daz French Vanilla ice cream. It's decadent and delicious, but you should make it anyways. It is a celebration after all...


And after you've finished off your last reuben it's time for Easter! Which means eggs and ham.


MINI HAM!! Finally a legit ham that I can buy to feed just me!! It's entirely possible that I clapped my hands and squeaked a bit when I spotted it in the meat isle of my grocery store. Entirely possible.


I stuck it in bistro salad with poached eggs...


...in pasta alla carbonara. It was so nice to eat ham for Easter! Maybe I'll do a fidget pie next year as the last time I made it I had to use lunch meat ham instead of real ham ham which was rather disappointing. Tragic, really. I don't think I even put a crust on top. So it really wasn't fidget pie at all just roasted veggies with bits of meat. Clearly I need to fix that.


Some day I'll get around to making hot cross buns just like Miss Linda, but I'm not rushing it.  One food tradition at a time!


Because really the most important one is the chocolate bunny.

Duh.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Count Your Blessings


Well folks, I made it through the woods.

I'm still a little dazed, blinking bemusedly at my surroundings and wondering how the heck I did it, but it's done! I now officially have only two jobs and will be getting back that thing referred to as  "a weekend". I managed the situation gracefully up to mid March where it went to pieces and I arrived in April looking rather worse for wear. But it didn't kill me, just made me more resilient. Or something.

Anyways, I would like to share the only weekend I didn't work in March! Also known as 'Lizbeth and Jack Save My Sanity with Fun Adventures in Chicago'.


Because if good friends, baby coos, and jellyfish don't make you feel good you're a goner.


I hadn't been to the Shedd Aquarium since I was here on a family vacation before I went to college, Lizbeth and I figured it would be a good activity for everyone including the four month old who likes to stare at lights.



This was his face pretty much the whole time. Except when he was sleeping. Or the few times he needed to express his opinion about things.


*point*  Fiiiiiiishieeeeeees!!!


The 'Jellies' were everyone's favorite.


And I got be a good Fairy Godmother and spoil him with a toy for him to hold onto and drool on. (!!!!!!!)


The rest of the visit was quiet and comfortable. And we ate this dinner while watching this delightful film and later munching on florentine cookies my sweetie of a Mom sent in a care package. I miss her baking!! We kept saying "oh, just one more..." and ate half the tin. WHAT.


I was sad to see them drive off, but I was happier that they had been here! Definitely a blessing I've been counting.

Now I have to go do my taxes (aha.) and make these muffins. I'll tell you all about it next time!