Sunday, April 08, 2012

happy easter!


what's better on easter than your very own basket of easter bunnies? we have a bit of a hard time keeping our bunnies IN the basket, but that's another story. it's been a lovely easter weekend - we've had family visitors and loads of good food and time spent outside - where it was sunny, if a bit cold.

8/4.2012 - yummy ingredients
goat cheese, chorizo and asparagus
i've actually been whipping up a whole lot of pinspiration for the past few days while we've had a houseful of guests. oddly, i neglected to photograph any of the finished products. yes, it's true and i'm afraid it's all gone now, every last crumb, and the dishes are all done, so i can't even photograph mournfully empty plates. but i made these bars, this dish (to which i added chorizo for extra zing) and this one too. and i made gnocchi with nettles, again.  it was based on the gnocchi recipe in this pin (tho' i added nettles). and i made the ricotta myself (easy peasy) from this recipe. i can highly recommend all of it.

homemade ricotta and a whole jar of whey for baking!
homemade ricotta - a jar of whey for bread baking
i have this odd feeling when i'm cooking for a crowd...i'm quite stressed out when it first begins and even as i'm planning the menu, but once i settle into the groove, i quite enjoy it.  chopping, combining, sizzling, the aroma of sauteed onions and crispy bacon, the magical alchemy - like when you pour a few tablespoons of vinegar into a pan of hot milk and watch it separate and become cheese. there are few things more satisfying than a good meal coming together, unless it's knowing that your guests enjoy eating it.

here's hoping you have all had a lovely easter. we've still got tomorrow, but we can feel the holiday winding down.

2 comments:

Lisa-Marie said...

Happy Easter Julie!

Oh my, a basketful of bunnies. Rather a nice thing to have.


I kind of love your 'in the process' shots. The speak of food too good to wait for, and eaten with friends. Can't ask for more than that!

rayfamily said...

The ricotta looks fabulous! I'm going to try the recipe! I just did a dish today...ricotta, green olive, pine nuts & a little olive oil. It's a spead to put in endive leaves, but since we can find none of them around here, was great on pita chips!