Monday, March 24, 2014

So Far So Good! Egg Etching and Weekend Yummies with Sis...

 
This past weekend was all about getting office work completed as well as working on eggs at home for some relaxation. 
 
My post two days ago talked about cleaning and completing some etched eggs (including creating a new design or two).
 
I am happy to announce that I completed 8 eggs over the weekend, created three new designs (one will be revealed today), cooked a fabulous meal with my sister, AND was a part of the creation of one of THE BEST good for you cheesecakes I have ever tasted!
 
Today I will share one recipe from Carol's and my success and one photo of my new egg creation.
 
First Thing's first:
Olive Oil and Bacon Brussel Spouts:
 

 
Carol and I found this lovely recipe:
 

Ingredients:
1/2 pound lean bacon, finely diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter

Directions

In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels.
Saute the onion and garlic in the bacon fat over low heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts and stir them around so that they are coated with the bacon fat. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the broth and cook, covered, over low heat until the sprouts are easily pierced with a fork, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the butter and transfer the sprouts to a serving dish. Garnish with bacon bits and serve.


DID YOU GET THAT?

Here are a few photos of our finished product:



Carol was very excited about the steaks and brussel sprouts!  Do not worry, I will give you the scoop on the steaks in time.

A few pointers about the brussel sprouts.  We quartered or halved the sprouts depending on size.  I personally wanted to quarter them but Carol left a bunch halved.  This turned out o be a great idea.  The halved sprouts were just a little firmer than the quartered sprouts.  This added a great texture.  They were not crunchy, but they had more substance to them.

Also, we added more bacon to the recipe (Duh!).  This made the need for salt much less.  I would recommend mincing some extra garlic to enhance the flavor.

In the end, this side is a must have for many many weekend and weekday dishes!
Okay... one more cooking photo:

Albbie and I enjoy the finer things in life... like red meat, roses, and a couch.  More on the red meat another day.

NOW FOR AN EGG UPDATE:

As most of you know, this blog is primarily an egg blog.  I etch eggs in my spare time and have a lot of fun doing it.  Since I have been etching eggs for well over 13 years now, I have created countless designs.  It is now a challenge to create different works of art.  Last night I banged out a few eggs, all of which were new!

Here is one of the newest designs:


 
This egg is more traditional Lithuanian.  As much as I love bringing this ancient art into the 21st century, a few traditional folk designs here and there are refreshing in their own right.
 
 
I will be working on a few dress eggs this week in the hopes of creating yet another Lithuanian girl egg that will be a new favorite at the upcoming spring craft shows.
 
 
Here is a look at my egg dying station before signing off fr the day:
 
The purple, pumpkin, and light blue eggs are coming along.  Next I will be dying pink, raspberry, mushroom, and hopefully Granny Smith. 
 
 
How are your Spring plans coming along?  Are you trying anything new?  Gearing up for Spring Cleaning perhaps?
 
 
I think that the first day of Spring is a much better day to make your New Year's resolution.  Now that the days are longer and warmer, I feel we are all more likely to attempt and stick to a resolution to better our lives! 
 
Any thoughts?
 
Thanks for reading! Have a creative and yummy day!

 

1 comment:

  1. Wow! What a fantastic meal and presentation! Great job! Oh, the egg looks beautiful too!

    ReplyDelete