Reveling in Renewal

Today I made my very first Easter brunch all by myself! My mom and dad traditionally make Eggs Blackstone for us on Easter, but since I'm far away, I had to do it on my own. It turned out rather well, if I do say so myself. Eggs Blackstone is basically Eggs Benedict plus stewed tomatoes. Plated we have poached asparagus with garlic aioli (equal parts mayo and nonfat greek yogurt, some minced garlic, salt and pepper), bacon, whole wheat English muffins with poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce, and baby heirloom tomatoes stewed in olive oil and fresh rosemary and finished with raw minced garlic and sea salt. I've recently converted Devin to asparagus with the help of the aioli. We each ate half of the bunch.

My first Hollandaise! I was sort of nervous about it since I hadn't every tried to make it before...and I don't have a double boiler or a whisk. But one pan of boiling water and another pan for the sauce plus a fork worked out fine. Making it also helped me to realize that it's basically straight-up butter...with the help of a few egg yolks and a little lemon juice, water, salt, and cayenne.

After brunch we went to the park to get a little reading done. It was a beautiful day, and the new leaves of grass were so fresh.

I'd never realized how delicate the yellow-green of new leaves is until this spring.

A pretty amazing fire-colored tulip.

More tulips on a traffic island on Broadway. Tulips = the official flower of Easter to me.

Chocolate Easter bunnies are great to look at, but taste waxy and are disappointingly hollow. Chocolates from See's are delicious, but not rabbit-shaped. What's a person to do? Why, put chocolates in a bunny-shape box, of course! (I'm pretty pleased that the tulips on the box echo the tulips outside of my apartment.)

My mom and dad sent us these rabbit-boxed chocolates, since candy is as indispensable to my family's version of the holidays as Eggs Blackstone. I think the assortment is pretty lovely, with a combination of light and dark chocolates and a glimmer of gold. My two favorites were the dark chocolate chip truffle and the milk chocolate butterchew, which tastes basically like eating buttery brown sugar. Here's to spring feasting!

Too Many Delicious Bites

I love bite-sized food, mostly because it allows me to sample as wide a variety of deliciousness as possible without spending too much or getting too full. Thus, I love sliders, hors d'oeuvres, mini anything, tacos, and dim sum. Today was full of tiny awesomeness. First, we finally found some absolutely amazing dim sum! Yeah, it's like forty minutes away in Chinatown, but good enough to be worth the trek. Red Egg, we love you!

Pork and shrimp and seafood Sui Mai! So good, and with delicious, meaty chunks of shiitake mushrooms.

These. Were. Amazing. Garlic spare ribs!

Red Egg doesn't do the cart rolling-around thing, which I actually sort of prefer. I like being able to look at all my choices and order all at once. It's less stressful and more methodical.

Har Gow! Tiny and full of fresh, yummy shrimp.

Steamed pork bun, a childhood favorite, and still just as scrumptious. I liked that their pork buns were small and delicate.

Red Egg is decorated in a red-and-black-only color scheme. Pretty posh.

Crispy shrimp rolls--diminutive and dangerously good.

This was the surprise show-stealer: Lo Mai Ga (sticky rice and various bits of meat wrapped in lotus leaves)! I always really like this dish, but Red Egg doesn't just do chicken and Chinese sausage inside...also hearty chunks of smoked pork, as well as other surprises!

As if the day could get any better....ACTUAL SUN. And actual warmth emitted by the actual sun. Beautiful!

More miniature delicious things: Yesterday Devin surprised me with an early present of a box of mini cupcakes from Crumb's. Today I ate my three favorites, which are:

Vanilla cake & frosting with mini M&Ms, vanilla cake with raspberry frosting & filling, and the Grasshopper (an amalgamation of various chocolate and mint components). Awesome sakura plate a gift from my brother.

A happy camper!

Here's some of the rest of the gang that will have to wait til later to be devoured. For details on their construction, see my previous post Cupcakes on Broadway.

A glimpse into the genius of Crumbs: frosting on the top and in the middle!

More centers, and the necessary accompaniment, cold almond milk.

And that's not all! My mom sent us a treat from the West Coast, something that's always been a Valentine's staple with my family.

A box of assorted See's chocolates! All dark chocolate covered, of course.

And finally, a tiny, beautiful, sunset-colored orchid from Devin.