Pinteresting Weekend with Friends...

Lazy weekend with overnight company called for some recipe surfing to find quick and tasty items to serve.  All the recipes and pics are from Pinterest. I take no credit.

Breakfast with pals over the weekend could not have been easier with this delicious ring made with Crescent rolls, scrambled eggs, cheese and bacon. Very tasty and the leftovers heated in a jiffy in the microwave.



After a disappointing dinner out Saturday evening, we came back to the hacienda for dessert and this found recipe on Pinterest did not disappoint at all. Super easy and very tasty. I made a few additions with a layer of Lemon Curd from Trader Joe's to the bottom half and I cut the sugar in the filling in half and used a lemon cake mix.  Yum. 


Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake Copycat
Makes one 10" round cake

• Cake:
• 1 white cake mix,prepared ( I used Lemon Cake Mix)
• Filling:
• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups powered sugar (I used 1 cup)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
• 3 tbsp. lemon juice
• zest of lemon 
• 1/2 jar Lemon Curd
• Crumb Topping:
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup powered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 tbsp. butter

1. Prepare cake as directed in a 10" round cake pan or a 10" round spring form pan.

2. Blend cream cheese, powered sugar, and lemon juice together. In a medium bowl, whip heavy whipping cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold into cream cheese mixture and blend by hand. Chill until ready to add to the cake.

3. Mix flour and powered sugar in small bowl. Crumble butter in and dribble in vanilla extract. The crumbles should be no larger than pea size. If you have trouble crumbling mixture, chill for a few minutes. Chill until needed.

4. After cake is cooled, cut in half. Spread cream cheese mixture, saving 1/2 cup, on bottom half and carefully place top layer back. Spread rest of cream cheese mixture on the sides of cake. Press crumb topping into sides gently. (We only added it to the top)

5. Chill for 3 hours. Cut into 12 slices.

Lately...

We have been off our feed a little bit lately so I haven't been cooking much and we eat a lot of leftovers when I do cook so I certainly don't cook as often.

Brenda had surgery to remove her gall bladder so she has not felt like eating much and some things disagree with her so we are treading carefully.

Still though we are keeping an eye out for recipes and great food, just less of it. The neighbors Jerry and Becki, brought over a light lemon pie after Brenda's surgery and that was a tasty treat. So light and refreshing. I don't eat  a lot of sweets though.

A few weeks ago we were in Vegas for the week as I attended a hospital business meeting. We had a great taste of Vegas and don't feel the need to head back anytime soon honestly. We ate at mostly local (cheap) places and avoided the big FoodTV  star places and the prices. Did a lot of walking till my knees complained bitterly and had to break the fast early as the meeting occurred during Holy Week, something I would consider hard and long before doing again as it dampened the whole experience for us this year.

Lately our life has been consumed with planting, worrying over rabbit infestation of my plantings and planting again. I had a Eureka! moment last night whilst searching for critter control devices. I am looking for the right materials to build the ultimate plant protectors to keep the rabbit at bay and still allow us to enjoy our hosta collection.

We did find a new Indian restaurant Kurry Xpress,  close to the house and went there Friday. The food was good but spicy and we decided this might be a better carry out place rather than sit down. The food was delicious although Brenda did remark she likes my Na'an a little better. Kurry Xpress is directly next to my favorite Indian grocer in town, Patel's so 2 birds with one stone for sure.

On the bright side of life, the Fangman's are coming to Omaha for a visit and I will have someone to cook for. Finally.

Wings and things

You know I love my wings and they are the thing I missed the most from the recent Lenten pilgrimage. Ah....wings. Crispy, flavorful and not fried. Roasted, not fired. I like to think it makes them 'healthy'. Ok so its a fantasy but how I love em.

I have been perfecting the cooking technique so I don't miss the oil drenched version by roasting them at 400 degrees, on non stick foil for about 20-30 minutes, pour off the grease then roll them over for another 10 or so. I dip them in homemade sauce and place back in the hot oven for about 10 minutes till the mahogany crust develops and they get a little char. Ben likes them dry, not juicy but I like them somewhere in between. I always mix the same combination ingredients in the sauce:

A knob of butter
a squirt of ketchup
a dollop of honey
a good swig of hot sauce (Valentina)
a dusting of Chipotle powder
garlic, about 3 cloves mashed
a good dose of Fish Sauce
Salt and adjust at will

Add anything in addition, Siracha? Soy Sauce? there are no rules here but be balanced and control the heat for your audience. You'll notice, I never cut them apart, just remove the tips. That way I get both my favorite part and the drummie.Makes for great eats.

Post Paschal Feasting

After the end of services early Sunday Morning, we stayed for dinner at the church and some turkey and ham. Not exactly the traditional post Greek fest but it was welcomed after the long fast.

On Sunday we had Mackenzie and friends over as well as Ben who came into town. I made marinated Lamb kabobs, lamb burgers, hamburgers, hot dogs, and Greek style chicken as well as a bunch of sides. Funny, I have no photos of food at all but it was delicious and everyone seemed to have their fill.

The decorated Tomb (kouvouklion) that houses the Epithaphio (burial icon of Christ)

 

The service had a new twist this year and Father had several languages printed in the service book but the service quickly lost momentum as we stumbled over the foreign tongues and didn't have that swelling joy that we have experienced in the past. A little anti climatic. 

We had already experienced an unusual Lent being gone almost all of Holy week in Las Vegas and breaking the fast early. It really seemed to make a difference to us and we were sorry it had to be this way this year. Perhaps it was just that felt off this year but this isn't our last Lent.

The whole clan minus Nicholas. We miss him a lot but he is almost done with his schooling and will rejoin the festivities we hope. Mackenzie asked her work buddies to come help us celebrate and they have some really adorable little ones to liven up the party.