Poems From A Spiritual Heart: Peace Upon The Land - A Memorial Day poem to honor ourselves. All of us need to work together to pressure world governments for Peace. It's past due time for the violence to end in modern societies.
* * * Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home. Visit Denny Lyon Gifts @ CafePress.com - see what's new!
Comfort Food From Louisiana: New Orleans Chef Recipe: Jambalaya For A Crowd: From Denny: Need an easy recipe for a crowd during Mardi Gras season? Chef John Besh of New Orleans paired with Zatarain's to create this faster version of jambalaya using Zatarain's Dirty Rice mix. In fact, the famous chef has a lot of great recipes on their site.
What makes jambalaya so tasty is the browning of the chicken and andouille sausage, mixing in the veggies like celery and onion, some liquid (some people like to use chicken stock in place of water) and then the rice to cook in all those tasty seasonings and juices.
It's a fabulous one-pot meal that is easy to make and a real crowd pleaser.
Tell the world how you really feel about coming back to work
* * * Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home. Visit Denny Lyon Gifts @ CafePress.com - see what's new!
Comfort Food From Louisiana: New Orleans Chef Recipe: Jambalaya For A Crowd: From Denny: Need an easy recipe for a crowd during Mardi Gras season? Chef John Besh of New Orleans paired with Zatarain's to create this faster version of jambalaya using Zatarain's Dirty Rice mix. In fact, the famous chef has a lot of great recipes on their site.
What makes jambalaya so tasty is the browning of the chicken and andouille sausage, mixing in the veggies like celery and onion, some liquid (some people like to use chicken stock in place of water) and then the rice to cook in all those tasty seasonings and juices.
It's a fabulous one-pot meal that is easy to make and a real crowd pleaser.
Tell the world how you really feel about coming back to work
* * * Support Warriors Pearl Foundation - contributing to fund efforts to help homeless female military veterans come home. Visit Denny Lyon Gifts @ CafePress.com - see what's new!
I've been blogging for three years now and have found loads of Christmas music of all genres - and still adding. Interesting food to enjoy along with Christmas humor to keep you laughing as well as munching through your busy holidays.
This year I'm adding more Christmas stories and poems, the classics. Every year there are new recipes to try so the holiday food train just keeps on rolling!
From Denny: Chef Mario Batali is rolling out a simple easy to do Easter dinner. He is also rolling out a new TV show in September of this year where he and a few friends discuss food and pop culture. It sounded like the name of this new show is "The Chew." If it's as good as his serial food show he and Mark Bittman and Gwyneth Paltrow did on Spain it should be a joy to watch - and learn.
On the Good Morning America set Chef Batali treated us to an Italian style Easter meal where the Italians love to celebrate the food of the season. If you enjoy potatoes as much as cheesy pasta, then his Pastiera dish is for you. Even vegetarians can enjoy this meal for the side dishes with cheese and eggs.
As usual Chef Mario has everything simplified so you can enjoy your holiday. Take a look at this wonderful grilled lamb dish.
Recipes Featured:
Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Garlic, Rosemary and Mint Agnolotti Alla Primavera Asparagus Milanese Pastiera
Mario Batali's Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Garlic, Rosemary and Mint
From: Mario Batali Servings: 8 Difficulty: Easy Cook Time: 30-60 min
From Mario: The vin santo in the marinade helps the meat develop a tasty char on the outside, like a steak. Cook it medium-rare, or even
medium; unlike a butterflied beef tenderloin. For example, a
butterflied leg of lamb always has some thicker and some thinner
parts, which is actually a good thing—it means that when the meat
is cooked, there will be something for everyone, some
medium-rare, some medium, some a bit more done.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup vin santo
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
18 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed a bit with the side of a
heavy knife
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
One 4 1/2 to 5-pound boneless leg of lamb, butterflied and trimmed
of excess fat (or one 7- to 8 pound bone-in leg, boned,
butterflied, and trimmed)
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
Directions:
Combine the olive oil, vin santo, mint, 6 of the garlic cloves,
the salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
Make 12 small incisions in the fatty side of the lamb and insert
one of the remaining bashed garlic cloves and some of the
rosemary into each slit. Put the lamb in a large baking dish and
pour the marinade over, turning to coat. Let stand at cool room
temperature for 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate for at least 12
hours, or overnight; turn the lamb occasionally as it marinates.
If the lamb has been in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature. Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
Remove the lamb from the marinade, draining it well, and pat dry. Pour the marinade into a small bowl. Place the lamb on the grill and cook, basting several times with the reserved marinade, for 10 to 12 minutes, until well charred on the first side. Turn and cook, basting several more times, for 10 to 12 minutes longer, or until well charred on the second side; the internal temperature should register 130°F for medium-rare. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Carve the lamb into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve immediately
Agnolotti Alla Primavera
A Deliciously Cheesy Dish
From: Mario Batali Servings: 4 Difficulty: Moderate Cook Time: 30-60 min
From Mario: This is a versitile dish. If you do not want to make agnolotti from scratch, you may substitute 1 pound of prepared stuffed pasta from your favorite high-quality purveyor, such as "Eataly."
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium Spanish onion, cut into 1/8-inch dice
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Fontina cheese
9 tablespoons fresh goat cheese
3 tablespoons fresh marjoram leaves
3/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
3/4 cup teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and pepper
1 recipe basic pasta dough, rolled to thinnest setting on pasta machine
6 quarts low-sodium chicken broth, homemade preffered
1 bunch fresh ramps, trimmed and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Directions:
Bring 6 quarts of chicken broth to a boil and add about 2 tablespoons salt.
To form the agnolotti, drop heaping teaspoons of filling down one side of each pasta sheet at 3-inch intervals. Fold the pasta over the filling, pressing the dough flat between the lumps of filling. Using a pastry cutter, cut half-moons using the fold as the flat side of the moon.
Drop the agnolotti into the boiling chicken broth and simmer rapidly until tender.
From: Mario Batali Servings: 4 Difficulty: Easy Cook Time: 1-30 min
When the asparagus crops first come in April this is one of the most popular dishes to celebrate the freshness of Spring. The Italians think of biting into the runny yolk of the egg as a symbolic reminder of Spring's delicious vitality we almost forget over a long and cold winter.
Ingredients:
28 medium asparagus spears
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Directions:
Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. Trim the hard ends of the asparagus spears and drop the spears into the water. Cook 70 seconds. Remove with tongs and refresh in the ice bath. Drain and set aside.
A cheesy warm potato dish Easter tradition in Italy
From: Mario Batali Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy Cook Time: 30-60 min
"Are you looking for a different potato dish for your Easter dinner? Try Mario Batali's Pastiera, it's easy and tasty." - Good Morning America
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons pomace olive oil
4 pounds potatoes, washed and peeled
1/2 cup plus 1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs
2 bunches chopped fresh parsley to yield 1/2 cup
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1 cup grated pecorino
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a 2 to 3 quart earthenware casserole with 2-inch to 3-inch sides, smear 4 tablespoons olive oil to cover.
Slice potatoes 1/4-inch thick and toss in a mixing bowl with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and season well with salt and pepper. Mix remaining breadcrumbs with parsley, oil and pecorino. Put one layer of potatoes and breadcrumbs on bottom and sprinkle with 3 to 4 tablespoons breadcrumb and cheese mixture. Continue layering until dish is full and top with remaining breadcrumb-cheese mixture. Place in oven and cook 1 hour, or until potatoes are very soft and top is golden brown.
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Enjoy some popular and traditional sacred music for the Christmas season, along with some funny holiday flash mob videos.
From Denny: A person could spend a lifetime sifting through all the offerings over at YouTube and be happy. What fun to explore, looking for interesting Christmas music to fit a wide variety of reader interests.
Here are the offerings I've gleaned for this year. The first song, YouTube sudden viral hit, is from a newcomer, Becky Kelley, whose father wrote the song after Becky related a conversation from her nephew while they were standing in line to see Santa at the mall. It's their first published song, a real shock to the music industry who came asking for more of their work. I guess they had better get busy. :)
And now you have plenty here to help you stress down from the holiday rush, make you laugh, and even get you pumped back up feeling inspired.
Music Video: Pie Jesu by Celtic Woman - Learn the meaning and history of this traditional song, Pie Jesu, which hails from ancient Christianity, rearranged by composers throughout the centuries.
*** THANKS for visiting, feel welcome to drop a comment or opinion, enjoy bookmarking this post on your favorite social site, a big shout out to awesome current subscribers – and if you are new to this blog, please subscribe in a reader or by email updates!
*** Come by for a visit and check out my other blogs:
How To Make Chocolate Apples - Now here's something we all should have thought of and didn't: Chocolate covered apples for Halloween or any time! So glad I ran across this wonderful recipe on HubPages.
Will set about converting the English measures to American. For those of you who already know how, enjoy this simple piece of chocolate heaven!
Update: here are the conversions
150 grams of dark chocolate = 5 1/4 oz. (oh, heck! just use 6 scant ounces!)
100 grams milk chocolate = 3 1/2 oz. (4 oz. sounds good to me!)
20 grams butter = 1 1/4 Tablespoons
Now that wasn't so bad now was it? To our British friends, thanks!
Since it's the Christmas season and I absolutely LOVE the holiday season - here's a lovely poem by a friend of mine. He is a trucker who travels America.
While he's driving he composes wonderful poetry in his head, most of it is love poetry to his beautiful wife. What woman would not love to be immortalized in poetry?
After reading my article We Believe In Santa he was inspired to write his answer in poetry form. My fellow poets are such fun!
***
Santa's Love
Santa's like the wise men, He's dad and mother too, He's your friend and neighbor, And someone that's there for you.
He's your pal and buddy, And your confidante you see, He's on every corner, Every home is where he'll be.
He wants to see you happy, ‘Cause he gives the gift of love, He gives it from his heart of gold, And from the Lord above.
Three wise men honored Jesus, The night that was His birth, They honored Him with gifts because The wise men knew His worth.
Santa's truly in our heart, With every gift we give, Santa's love just like the Lord’s, Forever they will live.
C.J.Beige (John) Copyright 26 November 2008 All Rights Reserved
Since it's the Christmas season and I absolutely LOVE the holiday season - here's a lovely poem by a friend of mine. He is a trucker who travels America.
While he's driving he composes wonderful poetry in his head, most of it is love poetry to his beautiful wife. What woman would not love to be immortalized in poetry?
After reading my article We Believe In Santa he was inspired to write his answer in poetry form. My fellow poets are such fun!
***
Santa's Love
Santa's like the wise men, He's dad and mother too, He's your friend and neighbor, And someone that's there for you.
He's your pal and buddy, And your confidante you see, He's on every corner, Every home is where he'll be.
He wants to see you happy, ‘Cause he gives the gift of love, He gives it from his heart of gold, And from the Lord above.
Three wise men honored Jesus, The night that was His birth, They honored Him with gifts because The wise men knew His worth.
Santa's truly in our heart, With every gift we give, Santa's love just like the Lord’s, Forever they will live.
C.J. Beige (John) Copyright 26 November 2008 All Rights Reserved
We Believe In Santa - great fun article with loads and loads of Santa photos from the great photography enthusiasts over at flickr. You can join for free the We Believe In Santa worldwide fan club and spread some goodwill this season!
