I'm experiencing MAJOR problems posting to my blog!! So sorry, we have so much to talk about.

HAPPY 1st DAY OF SPRING

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING

 

 

It may be just a bit early for swinging under the Hydrangea but these days are on the way!

Beautiful FREESIA,  This flower comer in may colors and is so fragrant.  FREESIA (IN THIS COLOR) is one of PANTONE'S colors for 2014.  This would be so fresh and vibrant for a Spring or Summer Wedding.

 

Coincidentally, the first day of Spring fell on the INTERNATIONAL DAY OF HAPPINESS!

I think this is perfect timing. 

After the very long and cold winter we've endured, we are all happy today!

 

I am happy for Spring asparagus!

 

 

On a cookie sheet, fan your asparagus out on the baking sheet. Drizzle the asparagus with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and a little minced garlic (bottled is fine). Give your asparagus a little rub to incorporate all those delicious seasonings into the vegetable. Pop it in the oven and bake them for twelve minutes at 425 degrees. If you like, shave some Parmesan over the top.

OR

Blanche your beautiful asparagus very quickly, (about 2 minutes) in salted boiling water. Drain asparagus and quickly plunge into an ice bath.  Allow 3-5 minutes for asparagus to coll.  It will be a beautiful bright green. Take out of ice bath and dry with paper towels.

Eat as is or drizzle with olive oil, S& P, slice into 1" pieces and add to salad or you can serve as an appetizer with a lemon yogurt dressing or dip

 

LEMON YOGURT DRESSING

1 cup plain yogurt

juice of 1 lemon

pinch of lemon zest

salt & pepper to taste

mix, serve and DIP!

 

OH, and I am thrilled about gardening!  In most areas of the country it is still too early, BUT, we can dream and we can start planning! 

Greens can be planted now, if you can turn the soil in your garden.  If it's still too hard. plant in pots.  Cut the leaves when they are ready, leaving the roots, they  will bless you with MORE!

Try early Spring lettuces, spinach, arugula

 

P. Allen Smith has some Spring gardening tips & planting times for your area.

 

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Enjoy a happy weekend!

So what makes you happy?

 

ST. PATRICK'S DAY IDEAS

I could not resist this crafty bit of LEPRECHAUN MAGIC!!  

It is from a child's craft site,  

A Differentiated Kindergarten but I think it would be a HILARIOUS SURPRISE for any member of your family, first thing in the morning!! or your PARTY GUESTS after a few beers!

Don't want to dress in all green or wear the obvious Shamrock Tee-shirt?  Try a fun and festive nail design!

How about a GREEN French manicure or the Irish flag?

FUN NAIL DESIGNS

MUST HAVE ST. PATRICK'S DAY FOODS

Ingredients:
3 cups of bleached flour ( I used unbleached.)
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/3 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 egg
2 cups of buttermilk
¼ cup of melted butter
I added:
1 cup of raisins or a dried fruit

Directions:
1. Grease the bottom of a loaf pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Dump in all the dry ingredients.

3. Mix them together.

4. Add the egg and melt butter.

5. Stir until all the ingredients are moist.

6. Add raisins and stir just until they are blended into the mixture.

7. Pour into pan.

8. Bake for one hour.
9. Let it cool overnight.

TRADITIONAL CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE

HOMEMADE CORNED BEEF AND VEGETABLES

 Ingredients

t

• 2 quart(s) water
• 1 cup(s) coarse salt
• 1 tablespoon(s) pink curing salt
• 1/2 cup(s) sugar
• 1 teaspoon(s) coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon(s) mustard seeds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon(s) black peppercorns, crushed
• 1 cinnamon stick, crushed
• 4 dried bay leaves, crushed
• 8 whole cloves
• 5 pound(s) flat-cut beef brisket
• 1 medium onion, halved
• 1 medium celery stalk, halved
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, halved
• 1 pound(s) baby turnips, peeled, trimmed
• 1 pound(s) baby carrots, peeled, trimmed
• 1 medium head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges
• 1 pound(s) small red potatoes
• Dijon mustard, for serving

---

Directions

1. Make the brine: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salts, sugar, and spices; remove from heat, and stir until salts and sugar dissolve. Let cool.
2. Make the corned beef: Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover, and refrigerate for 2 weeks.
3. Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
4. Set a steamer in a large saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom, and bring to a boil. Add turnips. Reduce heat, cover, and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with baby carrots, steaming 10 to 12 minutes. Add to turnips.
5. Transfer corned beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard remaining solids from broth, then bring to a boil. Add cabbage and potatoes, and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Add turnips and carrots, and cook until warmed through. Transfer vegetables to a platter; reserve broth.
6. Trim excess fat from beef. Slice thinly against grain, and transfer to platter. Serve with broth and mustard.

Rainbow Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1 white or yellow cake mix plus ingredients
• Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue and Purple Coloring
• White Buttercream Frosting
• Red, Orange, Yellow, Green Blue and Purple Colored Sugar
• Mini muffin tins
• Mini cupcake liners

Directions:

Prepare cake mix or other cake recipe. Divide batter into 6 bowls and add coloring to each bowl.

I added about 1 cup of batter for the Red, and then a little less for each color. Add 1 tablespoon of batter to each cupcake liner.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

To assemble the Rainbow you will need…

• Red – 20 cupcakes
• Orange – 17 cupcakes
• Yellow – 14 cupcakes
• Green – 11 cupcakes
• Blue – 8 cupcakes
• Purple – 6 cupcakes

To decorate…

Fit a decorator bag with a giant round tip, add the frosting to the bag. Pipe on a small amount of frosting and immediately add colored sugar.

End your St. Patrick’s Day toast off with a hearty ‘Sláinte!’ (pronounced ‘slawn-cha’), 

which means Health! and is the equivalent to ‘Cheers!’

Personalized Shamrock Beer Mug

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MARDI GRAS PARTY IDEAS & TRADITIONS

MARDI GRAS MARCH 4, 2014

Mardi Gras History and Traditions.

 Mardi Gras is about music, parades, picnics, floats and excitement. It's one big holiday in New Orleans! Everyone is wearing purple, green, and gold, and adorned with long beads caught from the beautiful floats.

Mardi Gras is French for “Fat Tuesday”.  The name comes from the ancient custom of parading a fat ox through Paris on this day.  The ox was to remind the people that they were not allowed to eat meat during Lent. Lent runs from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday. 
This year MARDI GRAS begins on "FAT TUESDAY" March 4th.  The date depends on when Easter falls ( APRIL 20, 2014)
 Traditionally, it is the last day for Catholics to indulge—and often overindulge—before Ash Wednesday starts the sober weeks of fasting that come with Lent. 

A Krewe is the word for an organization that creates the balls and parades during Mardi Gras. Each Krewe has several members and a captain. Krewes are practically a secret society in New Orleans. Throughout the year, the Krewe builds floats and holds meetings in secret, on the day of their parade they ride as masked riders.  Every Krewe holds their own parade leading up to Mardi Gras, There are now dozens of Krewes. Each Krewe has its own style, such as The Muses- an all female Krewe or Bacchus- a Krewe famous for its “super floats” and celebrity riders. The larger Krewes designate a royal party each year. The royal party has a queen and a king who preside over the parade in their own floats.

The tradition of throwing beads and small trinkets from the parade floats dates back almost as long as the parades themselves.  Throws started in the 1920s when Rex and a few other Krewes started throwing small trinkets. Today, you can catch almost anything from a masked rider- stuffed animals, plastic cups, small toys and even bags to hold all your goodies.

The purple, green and gold seen everywhere during carnival season can be attributed to Rex, the original daytime Mardi Gras krewe. 
 The result was the purple, green and gold, the official colors of Rex and soon Mardi Gras itself. The colors themselves have symbolic meaning. Purple stands for justice, green for faith and gold for power. Today, the Mardi Gras colors are seen on everything from costumes, to beads to throws.

Doubloons predate Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. Doubloons were actually the first type of coins minted in America and go back as far as the early 1700s. The doubloons we think of now- the two sided coins thrown from the parade floats- started in 1960 with Rex. H Alvin Sharpe created the first doubloons. These doubloons had the Krewe’s name, emblem and founding date on one side and the current year and theme of the parade on the other side. Soon every Krewe was tossing their own doubloons and now they’re so popular people are willing to get their hands trampled just to get one.

New Orleans-Style Shrimp

• INGREDIENTS
• Coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large celery stalk, diced small ( 3/4 cup)
• 1 small bunch scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
• 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 large lemon, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
• 1 3/4 pounds shell-on extra-large shrimp, deveined

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   In a medium saucepan, bring 2 1/4 cups salted water to a boil. Add rice, stir, and return to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

2. STEP 2

   Meanwhile, in a large heavy pot, melt butter over medium-high. Add celery, scallion whites, and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add Creole seasoning and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

3. STEP 3

   Add Worcestershire, lemon, and shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are pink and coated with sauce, about 4 minutes. Serve shrimp over rice with scallion greens on top.

SOURCE

Everyday Food, April 2010

Carnival Jambalaya

Ingredients

• 5 cups water
• 1/4 cup oil (optional)
• 2 8-oz. boxes Zatarain's Jambalaya Mix
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1 pound smoked sausage, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions

Preparation 

1. Bring water and oil to boil in large saucepan. Stir in rice mixes, chicken and sausage; return to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 25 minutes or until rice is tender.
2. Remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions.

Serves 

Makes 12 (1-cup) servings

Notes, Tips & Suggestions 

Variation: Two cups cubed cooked ham and/or 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined and halved crosswise, may be added to rice mixture after 10 minutes of cooking time.

SOURCE: Zatarins

ORIGINAL MARDI GRAS COCKTAIL

The drink:  SAZERAC

Designated the official cocktail of New Orleans by a 2008 act of Louisiana legislature, the sazerac is sometimes referred to as the oldest known American cocktail.

In a chilled Old-Fashioned glass, pour 1 ounce of simple syrup. Add three dashes of Peychaud’s bitters, a floral, aromatic bitters from New Orleans.

Pour in 2 ounces rye whiskey. Swirl those ingredients together to blend. In a separate chilled Old-Fashioned glass, pour a bit of absinthe and swirl to coat the inside of the glass. Discard the excess.

Then pour the rye mixture into the absinthe-coated glass. Swipe a lemon twist around the edge of the glass and then use as a garnish.

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8 TIPS TO CHOOSING YOUR WEDDING PARTY

Your engaged!  

Now it's time to build the details of your wedding.  You know your theme, you've chosen your colors and maybe the date and venue, 

 But what about your wedding party?  This can be the most stressful decision you make, because you certainly don;t want to hurt any one's feelings.  If you have siblings, it's a no-brainer (provided you get along!) 

GREAT FUN, GREAT ATTITUDE

1. Wait until you have chosen your date before you ask people to be a part of your wedding party.  If your wedding is a year or more away, you may not have the same feelings for that person or there may be a conflict of dates, where that particular friend may have a major event prevent him or her from participating.

THEMED WEDDING

2.  You don;t have to choose siblings!  Maybe your not that close or your sister cannot fulfill the duties of a maid or matron of honor.  Invite her to be a bridesmaid instead.  Do you have a brother you are very close to?  There is no reason he can't be your MAN OF HONOR.

MAN OF HONOR

3.  Do you have more bridesmaids than groomsmen?  Not a problem.  Bridesmaids can walk down the aisle alone or in pairs,  

BRIDESMAID PROCESSIONAL

4. Yes, you can have 2 Maids of Honor or one Maid of Honor and one Matron of Honor or Man of Honor.  Maybe you want to honor your brother and sister, so the Maid (Matron) of Honor and Man of Honor gives both siblings a special place in your wedding.  ** When I was married, my husband had his 2 sisters stand up for him as his "Best Ladies"

ETSY.COM

5. Do you have to include your future sister-in-law in your bridal party?  No, but it may keep peace in your future family.

6.  You do not have to reciprocate.  If you were in other weddings, as a bridesmaid, it is not expected that you include that person in your wedding.

7. So how do you tell a friend or family member they will not be in your wedding party? 

    * Do not ignore the situation, especially if you feel she is expecting to be included.  Take her out for lunch or drinks.

   *Explain how difficult the decision was for you.  Tell her that you are having a small wedding,your trying to keep expenses within a tight budget or you have to accommodate your new in-laws.

   *Understand that she may be angry or hurt, but feel good that you addressed the mater in an honest and kind manner. 

  * You now can move on with a clear mind..

8.  Remember, the only rules for your wedding are the ones you set for yourself!  

ORCHID, COLOR OF THE YEAR 2014

For more tips read this article .....

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/25/wedding-party-stressfree-_n_3654223.html

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HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

EASY SWEET VALENTINE'S DAY ENDINGS

CARMINE'S LOVER'S PUNCH

 the Carmine’s Lover’s Punch – 

a beautiful drink-for-two in a 23 ounce glass which incorporates Run, Elderflower, Absolute Raspberry, pineapple and cranberry juice – and is topped with Prosecco. 

CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZELS


Ingredients
1 cup pretzel rods
1 cup almonds
3 (4-ounce) bars semisweet chocolate, melted

 (recommended: Valrhona chocolate)8 long-stemmed strawberries
Directions
Chop pretzels and nuts and place in 2 separate bowls.
 
Chop chocolate.

In a double boiler, melt chocolate until smooth and
 
velvety.

Dip strawberries in chocolate and then in pretzels or

 nuts.

Place covered strawberries on a 1/2 sheet tray lined
  
with waxed paper. Allow to set at room temperature and

 serve

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