Nothing tastes better than English cheese, grapes and bread when you’re surrounded by bikes and sunshine!
Hip, hip hooray!
Wish you could have been there!
Day: April 30, 2011
Sunday Night Dinner- April 24, 2011: Stephanie- Lemony Potato-y Spring
For our second Easter dinner of the day we kept it more traditional (the first was at a casino buffet in Boonville, MO – nothing like gambling on a religious holiday!)
I’ve been doing some reading on the solstice’s and eating eggs (no shocker) is a very ancient way of celebrating the coming of Spring. On the menu: Mazto Eggs (One of our favorites. They involve damp Matzo crackers, eggs, and butter– really they’re good), Lemony Potatoes, Salad with snap peas and strawberries, Crescent rolls, Water and Diet Coke. No wine tonight, not for religious reasons, but more digestive (note casino comment).
I LOVE these Lemony Potatoes and they are so easy to make. Full of garlic, spicy tomato and lemon tart they are perfect with eggs. Mom, Lynley, and Dad have all had this meal. A long time ago, Dad asked for the recipe for the potatoes and now I can finally pass it on…I’m so slow about that.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Once again dinner was running a little late, so it was sofa city (Dang PBS doesn’t rerun Upstairs Downstairs or put it on our cable In-demand. Quaint and just like the old-fashioned TV of my childhood). John and I mostly discussed whether or not this was the last week of Upstairs Downstairs and the dramatic plot development { SPOILER ALERT } involving knitting. Oh, the British, so subtle, just like Matzo eggs.
Here you go, Dad!
Recipe:
Lemony Potatoes
2 1/2 lbs Russet potatoes (medium to small potatoes work best)
1/3 C olive oil
6 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1/2 C freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 C vegetable broth
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the potatoes, slice in half lengthwise, and slice each half into wedges no more then 3/4″ thick.
In a large, deep baking pan or casserole dish (at least 10 17-inches or bigger), combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, vegetable broth, oregano, salt, and tomato paste. Add the peeled, sliced potatoes. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and toss the potatoes to cover with the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with foil (or use lid of casserole dish), place in the oven, and bake for 30-35 minutes until the potatoes are almost done. Several times during the baking process, remove the pan from the oven, uncover, stir the potatoes, place the cover back, and return the pan to the oven.
Uncover the pan one last time, stir the potatoes again, and bake, uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes, until most of the sauce has evaporated and some of the potatoes have just started to brown on their edges. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and/or more dried oregano before serving.
springfieldians unite! (easter brunch in knoxville)
i have a theory…..if you grew up in springfield, mo no matter where you end up living later on you eventually find other springfieldians to bond with. sort of like being in the peace corps, even though there might only be 6 other peace corps volunteers in estonia they’ll all eventually seek each other out for friendship. a month into living in knoxville fellow springfieldian and childhood friend, erin, tracked me down having just moved down here with her husband. this easter both being unable to travel home for the holidays we tagged teamed easter brunch.
we kicked off the meal in a spectacular way by popping the cork of the champagne bottle, which bounced off of not just one wall of the kitchen but two! the menu included: stuffed french toast, eggs-in-the-oven, vegetarian sausage, deviled eggs and mimosas. our meal conversation consisted of basic springfieldian dialoge……”you remember this?” ” they are so and so’s sister. -oh i know them” and of course “well i think your mom told my mom” to ease our overly stuffed bellies we walked through my neighborhood and fantasy house shopped at open houses. the last house though cute on the outside and newly painted on the inside we concluded “there was more there than meets the eye” aka a money pit.
STUFFED FRENCH TOAST RECIPE
ingredients
1 baguette
1 small container of ricotta cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup chocolate chips
FRENCH TOAST BATTER
3 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tsps cinnamon
1. slice baguette down the middle, but not all the way through, you should be able to open up the bread as if it was hinged.
2. mix together ricotta cheese, powdered sugar, and chocolate chips. spread cheese mixture onto bread, fold top loaf back over, forming a sandwich, slice into 1 1/2 inch slices.
3.mix together eggs, milk and cinnamon to form batter. heat griddle on medium heat.
4. dip each slice of stuffed baguette slice into batter coating all sides of bread. cook on both sides till bread is golden brown and all raw egg is cooked.
5. serve french toast topped with powdered sugar and syrup.
Hearty Eaters 