March 30, 2013

Preparation














 The traditional Slavonic Easter basket:

Pascha- The Easter Bread, a sweet yeast bread rich in eggs and butter, is symbolic of Christ Himself who is the True Bread. Usually a round loaf baked with a golden crust.

Horseradish, mixed with grated red beets- A bitter-sweet red coloured mixture, symbolic of the Passion still in our minds but sweetened with some sugar because of the Resurrection.

Cheese- Creamed cheese, placed in a dish and decorated with symbols out of cloves or pepper balls, indicative of the moderation that Christians should have in all things.

Pisanki- Hard-boiled eggs decorated with symbols and markings, traditionally dyed using wax to draw the designs. (I cheated. Not having a dye kit, I got some little plastic sleeves that shrink to fit the egg when placed in boiling water.) Symbolic of new life and the Resurrection.

Butter- The butter is molded into a figure of a lamb or small cross. A reminder of the goodness of Christ that we should have toward all things.

Kielbasa- A spiced pork sausage, often smoked, indicative of God's favour and generosity.

Bacon- Uncooked and cured with spices, symbolic of the overabundance of God's mercy toward us.

Salt- A reminder of our duty toward others.

The articles are placed in a wicker basket with a ribbon or bow tied to the handle. A linen cover is placed over the food when brought to the church, and a decorated candle is placed in the basket to be lit during the blessing.

March 26, 2013

In which Spring is further delayed


I don't have any photographs to back up my title statement. This being Florida, there is no outward sign of frigidity to be seen, so you will have to take my word for it. Granted, I do have a slightly skewed idea of cold from living here through most of my life, where people get out their parkas when the thermometer gets below 60. It is 57 today, and cloudy.

However, I do not want to give the wrong impression. I am enjoying this return to sweaters, scarves, and my ever-beloved trench coat. It will be hot soon enough.

In the meantime a recipe for muffins, comfortingly delicious when eaten warm. (They are like monkey bread, only in muffin form, thus the name.)

Monkey Bread Muffins

2 cups (about 9 oz) flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons (1.5 oz) butter
1 cup (8 oz) milk
Cinnamon and sugar, mixed
Melted butter, about 1 tablespoon (1/2 oz)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together and cut in butter, rubbing the butter into the mix with fingers. Make a shallow hole in the center, and add milk slowly. The dough should be soft and pliable, but not sticky. Knead lightly.
Pinch off a small section of dough and roll into a small ball. Dip in butter and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture, then place into muffin tin. Repeat for entire mixture, using about five little balls for each muffin.
Makes one dozen.


March 21, 2013

The washing with the green


I hope you all believe in better late than never, because my title, corny as it may be, is terribly late for St Patrick's day. Which is a holiday that I enjoy very much, despite its being sadly over-commercialized here. Someday I shall meet another American who is aware that there are other Irish foods besides corned beef and cabbage, and I shall faint from joyful surprise. What probably bothers me most is the abundance of people who call it "St Patty's Day". This is something I genuinely don't understand. I've never heard anyone call St Francis "St Frank".

Anyway, as you can see in the photograph above, I have just acquired the most expensive bottle of shower gel I've ever purchased. It was $16.50, probably frivolous, but it smells gorgeous. Or, more specifically, like a lime margarita.

March 15, 2013

Blue








There seems to be a lot of blue around here lately. The sky, despite the unusually cold temperatures, has been bright blue, I've been finding blue pencils and blue buttons and pens with blue ink, and then these lovely blue flowers popped up all over the front yard. So obviously I went on a spree and started photographing blue things.

Then I made these mushrooms and photographed them. Afterwards, when I was reviewing them, I realised that I had used a blue dish. Either this was actually funny or I'm becoming unbalanced. Here is a link to the original recipe, but I did some modifying and whatnot.


Mushrooms with Bacon

Mushrooms (with concave cap)
Bacon
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Rinse the mushrooms and gently remove the stems. Cut the strips of bacon in half. Fold each half accordion-style and place into mushroom cap. Season with the salt, pepper, and paprika.
Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees, until the bacon is crisp. Be sure to use a baking pan with some depth, because the bacon will leak grease.



March 5, 2013

Honey Mousse


Honestly, the name says it all. It's mousse. It's made with honey. Also, it is not as difficult as it sounds, unless you happen not to have an electric mixer. In that case you will whisk your arm off.

It was the small number of steps that first attracted me to the recipe, because I am not yet what one would call a Good Cook. I have always wanted to be a Good Cook, and am still working at it, but I'm not quite there yet. (This probably explains why I initially felt a bit intimidated by the word "mousse".) So every once in a while I enjoy something that, once completed, appears more complicated than it actually is.

I found this recipe in a relatively old cookbook I found called Encyclopedia of European Cooking, under Russia. It has a very, very strong honey flavour.


Honey Mousse

8 oz honey
4 eggs

Separate the yolks from the eggs and blend with the honey. Simmer on a very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Then remove from the stove and leave to cool. Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold into the honey mixture. Chill, in serving dish or single glass dishes.

March 3, 2013

Sunday

It has been suddenly chilly here for the past few days. It was 63 degrees today, not counting the wind chill. In Florida. In March. You may not realise how odd that is, but usually we are well on our way back to summer by now. And here, the 60s are winter temperatures.

Also, I discovered what carrot flowers look like. They're quite lovely, actually, and very light green. I find them reminiscent of queen anne's lace.


This one refuses to cooperate. It has rotated itself 90 degrees to the right.

The sheet music, if anyone would like to know, is from the third movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata.
I planted some lettuce; romaine seedlings and red lettuce seeds. And green beans. They seem to be happy, and the reds are starting to pop up. They are in pots now, and that is where I shall keep them, on the porch or atop trash bags to protect them from nematodes.

I bought some new yarn. I went looking for a nice grey, and ended up with a lovely rose pink as well. I'm not sure what to do with the pink yet, but the grey is going to become a hat. There is a nice pattern in that Needlework magazine that I'm going to use.

It's the lighting that makes it look blue around the edges.