Here’s wishing everyone a wonderful Easter with family, friends, fun and laughter.  Hope the little ones all find a ton of goodies and eggs.

Have a great one Y’All!

Popularity: 2% [?]

A lot of people shy away from making lamb.  It’s fairly expensive in most of America for one thing, but there’s also some strange stigma attached to it.  some don’t like the aroma of cooking lamb, but the reason I hear from most people for avoiding this delectable food is that “it’s too difficult to cook correctly,” or they are afraid they’ll mess it up.

In my book this is a crying shame.  Nothing could be simpler than cooking a delicious leg of lamb. As long as you apply a few simple methods and the proper tools it’s an almost foolproof meal that will not only make for a great family meal, but one that will get you all kinds of cooking cred from those other folks who think that cooking a great lamb dish requires some kind of mystical powers.

So come along with me on a journey that may just make lamb one of your favorite dishes.  The only special tool you’ll need is a good probe thermometer.  no magic wands or other strange arcane devices of the art of cookery will be necessary. Once you’re done being surprised at how simple this is to prepare, perhaps you’ll be willing to dive in and try a few that are a bit more adventurous… But for now, just the basics!

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Popularity: 3% [?]

Ingredients:

• 3 1/4 -3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup Sugar
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened coca powder
• 2 package Rapid rise yeast
• 3/4 tsp Salt
• 2/3 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Water
• 1/4 cup Butter/margarine
• 1 Egg
• 1 tbsp Pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup Milk chocolate or peanut butter morsels
• Decorations (optional) are Jelly beans, icing

Method:

In large bowl, combine 1 cup flour, sugar, cocoa powder, undissolved yeast and salt. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (120-130 degrees). Gradually add to dry ingredients; beat 2 minutes at medium speed of electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally.

Add egg, vanilla and 1/2 cup flour, beat 2 minutes at high speed, scraping bowl occasionally. With spoon, stir in enough additional flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4-6 minutes. Cover, let rest on floured surface 10 minutes.

Divide dough in half. For body, knead chocolate morsels into 1 half, form into ball. Place on bottom end of large greased baking sheet; flatten to make 5-inch round. For head, remove 1/3 of remaining half, form into ball. Place on large baking sheet above body, flatten slightly, pinching to attach. For nose, pinch off 1/2 inch ball from remaining dough; place on center of head. Divide remaining dough into 4 equal portions, roll each to form 6-inch rope. For arms, arrange 2 ropes across body; attach by tucking one end of each under body. Shape remaining ropes into ears; arrange above head. Attach by tucking one end of each under head.

Cover, let rise in warm draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until done, covering aluminum foil after 20 minutes to prevent excess browning. Remove from sheet; cool on wire rack. Decorate as desired.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Deviled eggs have come a long way since my mother used to make them. Top chefs all over the world have revisited this rather classic dish and added new twists along the way, and so have I. In the past, I’ve added tappenade, pepperocini, artichoke and cayenne to mine, all with great results. This experiment was to see if the classic breakfast combo worked as well. it did, in fact it worked better than I expected.

Originally I thought that bacon would be the dominant flavor in these eggs and it was in a way, but not in the way that I expected. The first flavors that you pick up on are the tang from the mustard and lemon juice, then from the salad dressing. Next there is a hint of onion and egg, which is wonderful. Only after all of these things grace your palate does the bacon flavor come into the mix, starting of as a subtle backdrop to the other flavors, and in the end standing on its own. The bacon becomes the crescendo in a wonderful finale of flavors and textures that I will happily serve again and again.

These eggs could easily be made the day before and kept in the fridge for a quick breakfast, or served at any brunch, so feel free to use them as you see fit.

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Popularity: 6% [?]