Cookbook Book Club -- April

After a long hiatus

From meeting on the first Tuesday (in March)

back to the last Thursday (in April)

we met Angela's challenge

Her choice for April:

Middle Eastern but not Greek

We all were familiar with Greek food --

gosh, I've even fixed Moussaka lots, made a walnut lemon cake lots, and took a turn or two at Baklava

But other Middle Eastern countries . . . 

I've not even eaten much from them!

The hostess not only selects the theme (chef or cookbook) 

but also prepares the entree

Angela's entree:

A lemon olive oil chicken . . . 

With couscous

(She has fixed this dish before . . . but she had never cut up a chicken --

so she considered that the learning part of her dish!)

(It did lead to a spirited discussion on chicken cutting!)

Our side dishes:

Rita's Lebanese rice and tomato salad

(Yes, it says rice and Rita didn't substitute pasta -- that was part of the recipe)

It was refreshing with a hint of ginger --

we all agreed it was quite good!

Michelle's Lebanese Roasted Stuff Onions

With a whole bag of Vidalia onions, Michelle chose this dish.

Like a stuffed paper only it was an onion instead of a pepper

and it had those Middle Eastern spices . . . 

Several of us took more than one serving!

Donna's Middle Eastern Rice and Lentils

Definitely the flavor of the Middle East in this dish that had lentils, rice, carrots and peas . . 

and all of those Middle Eastern spices

Sara's Lebanese Thyme Bread

It was good -- not quite as crisp as some Middle Eastern bread but not "puffy" either like a pita.

Those of us who took a half, ended up taking the other half!

It was the perfect bread to go with the meal!

My Armenian Nutmeg Cake

We all liked it -- more like a coffee cake and perfect with the French press coffee that Angela's daughter brewed for us.

It had a crispy crust and more sugar than a similar American cake.

Several said that they would make it and I would make it again.

It was just a plain good dessert!

Our plate of Middle Eastern Food

Not as many countries as could have visited

(Lebanon seems to be the choice of most of us)

But it certainly was a different meal and a meal that definitely stretched our comfort zone.

Thank you Angela for a great choice!

Next month it's Michelle's turn . . . she's making up her mind

It will be either

a - pies (or tarts) sweet and savory

(Where you bring either a sweet pie or a savory pie)

or

b - cooking from the 50s

I'm happy either way and if it's a) I'm hoping to get savory for I

know one that I want to make!

A Fundraising Lunch

I often donate a luncheon to non-profits

for fundraising

It's what I can do to help worthwhile causes

Today, I had guests . . . 

they were the high bidder on my lunch

It's Spring . . . 

A Waterford biscuit barrel holds iris from the garden

My Quaker Lace cloth, the Spode Blue Room, Jim's grandmother's cutlery and a white damask napkin in a silver ring . . . 

And, of course, the menu!

We started with a salad.   Greens with a vinaigrette

Simple but classic

Lunch was Stephenson's chicken in butter and cream

and their green rice casserole

Since we had men for lunch as well as women,

I made a pie

Men like pie!

A meringue pie

Chocolate meringue

My Aunt Oceana's recipe

It was a fun afternoon

I love to share Linderhof 

There's A New Look Outside

Linderhof was built in 1920

And in the 20's, all  (or almost) houses had front porches

Because in the summer, that's where you spent the evening

And Linderhof has a front porch

But the owners that we bought the house from

Had screened it in . . . 

So you could never see the front door from the street

(So why did I bother with a Christmas wreath?)

It seemed like it wasn't "friendly" with the screens hiding the porch

A screen door in the front

And sections of screen which broke up the view

So you didn't have a wide expanse of view

And screens were dirty

More than once a year, I had to clean them

And I really should have done it almost monthly!

I yearned for the house to look as it was when it was built . . . 

Linderhof 1924

But Husband Jim liked the screens.    It kept him hidden from view when he sat on the porch

The doors, too, kept the dogs in check.    They could go outside but couldn't get off the porch

(and that is why the previous owners screened in the porch . . . they had dogs!)

And then we saw an episode of Home Town and a similar looking house had similar looking screens

and when they removed them (one of the first things they did), Jim said it really did look better!

I jumped on the comment and made arrangements

Soon we had a pile of screen and wood in the drive!

And a front porch that looks like this!

Open and inviting!

Our Christmas wreath on the door can be seen from the road!

Although the neighbors do seem closer

But the view is wide and expansive!

As you walk up the front steps

And the view from the door to the street

I think it looks handsome . . . without the screens!

It's the house the way it was meant to be!

I am one happy woman!

A Spring Lunch for Company

Company for lunch today

Friends from Nevada

To celebrate a birthday . . . 

The table in the dining room

The lace cloth and damask napkins in silver rings

Jim's grandmother's cutlery

My grandmother's china

And a menu, of course, for each place

The centerpiece of garden flowers -- lavender iris and yellow tulips

and bridal wreath

The menus echo the iris in the centerpiece

Lunch was full of Spring flavors . . . 

An asparagus quiche with fresh local asparagus

Served with a salad of romaine, fresh strawberries, red onions, walnuts and a homemade poppyseed dressing

Since they were Missourians,

dessert was Bess Truman's Frozen Lemon Pie

An old fashioned lemon pie full of lemony flavor

A perfect dessert for a warm Spring day

One of my favorite ways to spend a day is to have company for lunch . . . 

tidying up the house, fix a delicious meal and have great conversation

I'm joining Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday

A Busy Week

Holy Week is always a busy week at Linderhof

First . . . are the PEO cookies

This year over 700 chick and bunnies were baked, iced, hand painted

for our PEO fundraiser

Of course, a package of each went north to Minnesota

for the Grands

Easter, after all is a candy holiday and all candy holidays call for

"Nana Cookies"

Thursday night,

we attended the Maundy Thursday communion service at church

Good Friday morning we were up early,

to tidy for company was company --

to help put all of those bunnies and chicks in bags

and tie them with a ribbon

Tradition now is coffee and hot cross buns after all the cookies are bagged!

Hot Cross Buns are a Good Friday tradition at Linderhof!

Then a trip South to secure provisions for the Easter breakfast at church

I did, however, find something for me . . . 

The Easter cactus -- we were in Germany during Lent one year

and every bed and breakfast we stayed at had an Easter egg tree and a blooming Christmas cactus in the dining room.

I bought 12 real hen's eggs decorated for Easter from Woolworths while in Germany

(for less than $1 each)

But alas, I never did find a Christmas cactus

(until this year!)

A true treasure!

Good Friday tea is always hot cross buns . . . 

And we always dye our Easter eggs on Good Friday

A dozen -- it's just for us

We don't need to hide them -- they are, after all, to be part of Easter dinner,

reincarnated as "deviled" eggs

The service of darkness reminds us of what happen on that Friday all those years ago

As if 700 plus cookies were not enough, Saturday found me making the traditional

"egg" cookies for our Easter breakfast.

They're beloved by children and adults alike.

The centerpiece for our Easter dinner table

It's just us but I still like real flowers

(garden ones this year)

This year we had a Holy Saturday evening service

Easter morning dawned not clear and sunny  but thunderstormy 

(I couldn't help but think of all the children waking up and not being able to go outside to find their Easter eggs -- because of the rain)

I was up early for I had eggs to cook -- 7 1/2 dozen to scramble

And a friend and I did the rest of the prep for our Easter breakfast . . . 

A wonderful church service

The church full of people

Followed by our catered Easter breakfast

(scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, hash browns, fresh fruit, hot biscuits, sticky buns, juice and coffee)

(We were so busy serving breakfast that I got not one picture!)

We're waiting now for Easter dinner --

very non-traditional:

prime rib, yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes, green beans with bacon and onions and horseradish sauce

Dessert will be daffodil cake!

We, at Linderhof, wish you and yours a

Blessed Easter

PEO Cookies for Easter

Every year, I bake cookies for our PEO Chapter's fundraiser

Monday, I make the dough

(for it needs to be refrigerated)

Tuesday, I bake the cookies

This year over 700 cutout cookies

Bunnies and chicks

Then they get frosted . . . 

Then they get decorated -- hand painted each and every one!

After they're dry, six is put into a cello bag and tied with a ribbon

Today, other club members joined me at Linderhof as we put

all of the cookies into cello bags and tied them with a ribbon

Bunnies

And chicks!

It takes many hands to make easy work of packaging over 100 bags of cookies

And tie them each with a bow!

Tradition has now become, after they're all packaged

we have Hot Cross Buns and coffee

 Not buns made by me, but purchased from All Saints Church in Nevada, Missouri

this is the third year and now that is a tradition!

After they left . . . 

It was good to get my dining room back again!

And this afternoon . . . 

I had another hot cross bun with my afternoon tea

Another tradition and a tradition that goes way back --

the hot cross bun for Good Friday Tea