A Virtual Egg Hunt And Bunny Sighting

Come join me as I take a walk through town for an egg hunt and bunny sighting. The crocus' have popped up as they reach to drink in the sunshine.

Birds are sunbathing as well.......


Eggs are hiding everywhere. I'll give you a hint.......
This bunny found a happy spot.

The whole family is joining the hunt.
I walk by a camouflage door,
and by the painting studio, where I can add another egg to my basket.
The bunny has even been hiding eggs at the harbor,
and at the old fort where revolutionaries hid during the war.
Finding my way to a friend's
to stop for coffee
before arriving back home, with 10 eggs in my basket...how many did you find? Happy Easter!
Remember, not all good things are hidden and the best things in life are still sweet and gooey!

Written and photographed by Diane.

A Birthday Wish And Banana Pudding

I wished my mother a Happy Birthday a few days ago on a Skype web cam call. She lives in Ohio and I live in Massachusetts, so thanks to my sister and her laptop, we were able to sit and chat face to face. Before my call, she had a web cam conversation with my daughter in South Korea. It certainly makes the world a smaller place. After our conversation, I ran down to my local market for a few things and saw vanilla wafers on sale beside nice ripe bananas. Serendipitous, I thought. My mom used to make Banana Pudding with vanilla wafers often, but I haven't had it in quite some time. I felt a tugging......growing up in a large family, our desserts were never fancy individual ones. We had desserts to feed a crowd that were made in sheet pans or pie plates. Today I wanted Banana Pudding, and there isn't a crowd to feed anymore. I put the vanilla wafers in my shopping basket along with some bananas and whipping cream. I went home and made individual Banana Puddings, topped with whipped cream instead of the traditional meringue. Having Pam's Chocolate Chip Strawberry Shortcakes in my mind, I added mini chocolate chips into the layers. Bananas and chocolate are a marriage that works! I couldn't wait to dig my spoon into the pudding. I'm surprised it made it to the picture phase! One bite took me back in time, as a certain song will bring back a moment from the past. I think I'll make it more often.

Banana Pudding With Chocolate Chips

3 cups Vanilla Custard Pudding
about 50-60 vanilla wafers (depending on size and shape of bowl)
4 bananas
1 cup mini chocolate chips
about 2 cups freshly whipped and sweetened cream as a topping
chocolate shavings to garnish
Vanilla Custard Pudding

2 cups whole milk
1/3 cup sugar
3 egg yokes
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Stir the egg yokes with a whisk to break them up. Whisk the egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the milk and strain through a fine-mesh strainer to get any bits of egg white. Mix this strained egg mixture into the remaining milk in a saucepan. Add the sugar and cornstarch. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat until it comes to a simmer and thickens just enough to coat a wooden spoon. Whisk in the butter and vanilla just until the butter is completely incorporated. Reduce heat to simmer and cook a few minutes more, until thickened.

Makes about 3 cups.

Line a one cup bowl with a layer of vanilla wafers around the edge and bottom, with curved surface facing towards bowl.

Add a spoonful of pudding, sliced bananas and a sprinkling of mini chocolate chips.

Add 1/3 cup pudding, then another layer of vanilla wafers,bananas and another sprinkling of chocolate chips. Line the edge of the bowl with the vanilla wafers as you add the layers. If you try and line the whole bowl beforehand, the vanilla wafers can slip and fall down into the bowl. Finish with the remaining 1/3 cup pudding. Top with freshly whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a banana slice as a garnish.Makes 4-1 cup bowls

Written and photographed by Diane.

Download Banana Chocolate Chip Pudding (pdf)

Cupcakes For Dinner? April Fools!!

Would you like a yummy Cupcake with Pink Frosting for dinner? April Fools! This is one way to get your kids to eat the meatloaf and mashed potatoes or to get your husband to eat a cupcake. It's also better than short sheeting their bed, like my kids have done to me on past April Fools Day. Or serving wooden olives, or waking them up saying there is a freak snowstorm....well, one year we actually did have a freak snow storm on April 1st. It's nice to have a day that a practical joke is accepted and hopefully met with a smile. Enjoy your cupcakes or whatever surprise comes your way! Meatloaf Cupcakes with Mashed Potato Frosting 1 pound 95% lean ground beef 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 large clove garlic, chopped fine 2/3 cup chopped mixed red and green peppers 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 teaspoon Herb de Provence or mixed Italian herbs 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, toasted 1 tablespoon soy sauce 2 tablespoons ketchup 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 egg, slightly beaten Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 6 cup muffin tin with foil cups, if desired. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute peppers, onions and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in herbs and let cool to room temperature. Put the ground beef in a large bowl and add the onion and pepper mixture, breadcrumbs, soy sauce, ketchup, salt, pepper and egg. Thoroughly mix together with clean hands. Divide mixture into 6 equal parts and put into the muffin tins, mounding slightly at the top to resemble a baked cupcake. Put in the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes, until done. Drain off extra grease and if the liners became greasy from overflowing, replace with fresh foil liners. Top with tinted mashed potato "frosting" and serve with delight and mischief! Pink Mashed Potatoes 3 large white potatoes 3 tablespoons butter about 1/4 cup half and half salt to taste beet juice from small can of canned beets or few drops red food coloring Peel and dice potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Cover well with cold water and bring to boil. Boil for about 20-25 minutes or until done. Drain and put into a medium bowl. Add butter and beat with an electric beater until smooth. Add half and half until the potatoes have a creamy consistency. Add beet juice or coloring until they reach desired color. The potatoes are now ready to spread or pipe onto meatloaf "cupcakes".Serves 6. A few notes and observations: Cupcake liners are optional for the initial baking, but make for easier cleanup. Replacing liners is a must for a tidy appearance and to disguise what is really inside. The meatloaf can be made in advance and heated in the microwave (without the foil liners!) and frosted just before serving. I made and frosted them in advance and heated in the microwave just before serving. You just have to put them into the foil liners very carefully. They can be a little fussy, but are so much fun to trick unsuspecting diners! Have fun, and put a little ketchup on your cupcake! Written and photographed by Diane. 

Download Meatloaf and Mashed Potato recipe (pdf)

Chocolate Filled Eggs, Now That's My Kind Of Chicken

In Paris at Easter time, you can find real eggs filled with chocolate in the specialty stores. Now that is my kind of chicken, especially since boiled eggs are a throwaway for me. It is always fun to put an element of surprise in food. Also, they can be custom filled with milk, dark or flavored chocolate to suit your fancy. I chose my favorite dark chocolate in the smallest egg I could get. It seems egg sizes have gone the way of clothing sizes and Starbucks....large is the new small. So I "blew" the eggs out by poking a hole in them at both ends with a pushpin. I gently enlarged the hole to make it easier to get the egg out and to rinse thoroughly. Then I colored them, let them dry for a few days and finally piped in the glossy dark chocolate. If you like, you can disguise the holes with stickers, royal icing or anything of your choice. Then sit back and delight in the surprised faces as they crack open the prize from the chicken that laid the chocolate egg!
Chocolate Filled Eggs

Per egg:
1 large white egg
2 ounces chocolate of choice
egg dye
rubber gloves
pushpin
pastry bag fitted with a #5 tip
masking tapeMake a hole with a pushpin at both ends of a large white egg. Gently enlarge it by rotating the pin to make a hole 3/16-1/4 inch round. From the smaller top end, blow the egg contents out through the larger end into a bowl. Rinse the inside out well by running water into it at one end, giving a gentle shake, and letting it run out the other end.

Mix desired egg coloring, and color the eggs your choice of colors. I tried coloring the eggs before blowing them out and found most of the coloring washed off, so coloring them afterward is best. Since the eggs are hollow, you'll need to hold them under the colored water until the desired color is reached, or keep rotating them to color evenly. Using rubber gloves keeps your fingers from getting colored. Shake out excess colored water and use a cotton swab to absorb any remaining liquid inside the egg. Let dry fully, inside and out; this can take a day or so.After eggs are completely dry, place a small piece of masking tape securely over the bottom hole of egg before filling with melted chocolate. Melt 2 ounces chocolate per egg. Put broken chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a saucepan, boil water and turn off heat. Set bowl of chocolate over hot water, making sure water doesn't touch the bowl. Allow chocolate to melt without having the water boil or simmer, as any moisture that gets into the chocolate will cause it to seize or harden. After melting, cool slightly.Place a pastry bag fitted with a #5 tip into a glass with the bag folded over the edge and the tip bent upwards. This will prevent any leaking and allow you to fill the bag easier. Put tip into the top hole of egg and carefully pipe melted chocolate into the egg until filled. Gently shake a little to get rid of any air holes. Setting the eggs upright, let harden at room temperature for a day. If desired, disguise the holes. They are now ready to serve to any unsuspecting chocoholic!
Written and photographed by Diane.

Download recipe Chocolate Filled Egg (pdf)

Danish Ebelskiver Filled Pancakes

Recently I had lunch with my friend Debbie and made a side trip to Williams-Sonoma. That's a dangerous trip for a foodie. It's kind of like being a drunk in a liquor store! Especially since while I was there I got a call from my tax preparer and was feeling flush. I was intrigued by an odd looking pan with circular wells. The label showed filled pancakes that had been made in it. The light and round filled pancakes are Danish Ebelskivers. Wow, the possibilities it presented. I hemmed and hawed and rationalized and finally turned over my plastic to take this home. It had a recipe on the packaging that looked really good. The next morning I thought I'd give it a try even though I didn't have a lot of time. I looked at my watch and then at the recipe and thought, "WWSLD?".......What Would Sandra Lee Do? So I pulled Aunt Jemima out of the cupboard and added buttermilk instead of water, thinking it would give it some lightness. Well, they were good, but not light. Actually they were a little heavy, but some maple syrup cured all ills. The next time I decided to try the recipe on the pan's package. It definitely was better and the lighter way to go. I dropped a giant blackberry into the middle of each one, and served with some powdered sugar and berries. A drizzle of real maple syrup sweetened the deal. They make breakfast or brunch fun as you add whatever fillings suit your taste. They are easier to make than it looks. I envisioned them sticking to the pan or not getting done inside and a few other scenarios. Don't throw in the towel......none of that happened.....give it a try. This recipe makes about 40. That may seem like a lot, but I had no trouble polishing off seven.

Ebelskiver Filled Pancakes
(Adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 cups milk (I used buttermilk)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and at room temperature
unsalted butter for buttering the pan

Fillings, such as jam, peanut butter, chocolate ganache, chocolate chips or fruit

Syrup or whipped cream for serving

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and the 4 tablespoons of melted butter (cooled to room temperature). Whisk the yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.

In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff but not dry peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir the whites into the batter in two additions.

Put 1/4 teaspoon butter in each well of the Filled Pancake Pan. Set over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 tablespoon of batter into each well. Put 1 teaspoon of the filling of choice in the center of each pancake and top with 1 more tablespoon batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy; 3 to 5 minutes. Using 2 wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and filling. Serve immediately with syrup or whipped cream.Makes about 40.

Written and photographed by Diane.

Download Ebelskiver Filled Pancake recipe (pdf)