Spice Hunting: Mahlab

[Photograph: Robyn Lee] Here’s another one of those spices that makes you wonder how people got the idea to eat it. Mahlab is a powder made from the seeds of the St. Lucy’s cherry, found in different parts of the Mediterranean, that requires drying and cracking open rock-hard cherry pits. But if you’ve ever had a dessert made with whole roasted cherries, where the pit imparts an inimitable depth of flavor, it’s easy to see why people go through the trouble. When mahlab first hits your tongue it tastes a bit like cherries, a bit like roses, and a bit like almonds. There’s a hint of vanilla and something quite floral. Its aftertaste, though, is quite bitter. When cooked, everything changes. It’s fruity and rich, but subtle. It’s a regal spice that adds majesty to sweets, an excellent mystery ingredient that contributes a whole palette of flavors without dominating an end result. How Do You Use It? Though it has some savory applications ( coming to a lamb tagine near you! ), mahlab is mostly a baking spice, used in pastries and …

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Tags: addition, cherries, cherry, chunks, easter, fruitiness, mediterranean, oil, pudding, result, sesame, time

VG & K Shenanigans: Part 5

My weekend adventures with Katharina certainly came and went in a flash … It is now time to recap the fifth and final part of that weekend . It really does not seem like it was practically a month ago already ! **Sunday, April 4th: Final Fun & Farewell** That morning, Katharina surprised me with a early birthday present – a beautiful, black-beaded ( alliteration alert! ) necklace . Shortly thereafter, my brother, sister-in-law, and nephews showed up to celebrate Easter! VeggieMom always turns our backyard into an Easter Egg Hunt paradise , which brings back such warm memories from my childhood. And she never fails to create gorgeous homemade Easter Egg baskets – one for Katharina, one for me . After the early morning Easter festivities, it was time to head to lunch . Into the car, we go! This song literally played on the radio three times while we were in the car . Repeat mode, much? While stuck in traffic, we just happened to be behind the car from the “Back To The Future” film ! Too cool. And yet more proof that weird things occur when Katharina is around , haha. Lunch was at… surprise! The same exact location as the previous day’s lunch = Taza…

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Tags: adventures, airport, easter, falafel-roll, falafel-salad, folks, katharina, pickled-turnips, radio, recap-the-fifth, result, seasoned-fries, weekend

Easter, Better late than Never

Maybe the Easter Bunny was not good to number 7 Or number 8 Poor little children The baskets look good to me The cookies could not be better Well ,At least 3,4,5&6 ,Dad and Marisa were happy, and oh so handsome in there Easter attire. It was good day for most, the sun was shining, everyone was clean, The only way it could have been better was if 1&2 and their better halves were with us !! It seems a bit late to do the Easter post, however after cleaning up all the grass, the tiny pieces of tinfoil droppings from all the candy, gathering up all the baskets that were strewn from one end of the house to the other, finding and putting away all the shirts, ties and jackets, a week went by. The job was then getting the photos from the camera to the computer, and so on and so on , well you know the drill , time flies…..and when ever the majority of my children are clean and conforming in the wardrobe department I want to share it!!!!! No matter how much time has gone by, It’s a mom thing

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Tags: align, better-halves, easter, from-the-camera, house, know-the-drill, marvelous motherhood, wardrobe

Spiced Bulgur Pilaf Recipe with Pine Nuts & Currants

It would be safe to say that, after several days of dipping my hand into the overflowing jellybean bowl, indulging in warm Hot Cross Buns, and snacking on leftovers of Easter ham and three-cheese scalloped potatoes, my waistline was ready for a healthy meal. Easter foods, in all their glory, leave something to be desired when it comes to proper nutritional value. Perhaps the only one who avoids

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Tags: after-several, buns, easter, food, foods, Ham, hot, leave-something, leftovers, Nutritional, scalloped, side dishes

Tarragon Crepes with Ham, Asparagus & Mascarpone Cheese Recipe

We knew it was Easter when we woke up this morning because that is what the calendar said. And, of course, the Easter Bunny left behind a substantial haul of little treasures. When we looked outside, however, we were sure that another popular holiday figure and his reindeer should have come instead. The ground was covered with several inches of fresh snow and the temperature was a brisk 28

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Tags: calendar, easter, his-reindeer, left-behind, looked-outside, morning, popular, reindeer, several-inches, snow, Temperature, Treasures

Easter cupcakes by CupCake FabuLous

These fun Easter cupcakes are by CupCake FabuLous in Dallas, Texas, who can be reached at 972-999-9262 or ORDERS at CupCakeFabuLous.COM You can also follow them @CupCakeFabuLous on Twitter and Facebook .

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Easter Greetings

Episode 31 of VeggieGirl TV is short ( **2 minutes and 51 seconds** ), sweet, and features one of my best friends, Katharina . Time to unwind, relax, and enjoy the show before a new week begins! Coming up in my next post = more of my weekend adventures with Katharina. Stay tuned! **So tell me: What was the highlight of your Easter celebration and/or weekend?**

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Tags: best-friends, easter, friends, highlight, new-week, the-show, weekend

Sweet Treat: Coconut Macaroons for Passover

Our favorite contributing baker sends this recipe along. It’s the perfect Passover treat, and since it took us so long to post this, we should mention it would also look pretty cute in an Easter basket…. Marianne’s Coconut Macaroons 2 egg whites pinch salt 14 oz sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp vanilla extract 2 – 14 oz bags of shredded, sweetened coconut Whisk together egg whites & salt until frothy (about 1-2 min) Stir condensed milk & vanilla into egg whites. Fold in coconut with a rubber spatula until all is combined. Form balls with a small ice cream scoop (really pack the batter in there!) and place on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 300 until golden brown, about 20 minutes. makes 4 dozen.

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Peepza = Peeps on a Pizza

From Slice VIEW SLIDESHOW: Peepza = Peeps on a Pizza I can’t really say that Peepza—Peeps on a pizza— is as well thought out and crafty as Grace Kang’s now internet-famous Peeps sushi (aka “Peepshi”) . And I can’t say that it’s not an obvious attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Peep torture at this time of year. I can say, however, that it was a lot of fun to make and that it actually doesn’t taste as bad as you might think. You know that whole salty-sweet dynamic that we all tend to love so much? Peepza has it in spades. (Sure, it was a stunt, but I did eat try it!) After the jump, pointers on making Peepza—and a bonus video! The Finished Peepza The little dudes melted in nicely. Like steak, which keeps cooking even after removed from the heat, there is some carryover with the Peepza, and the chicks melt even further as the pizza cools off a bit. The Peepza in the Oven How to Make Peepshi

Tags: cooking, easter, finished-peepza, peeps-krispies, peepza, pizza, recipes, result, slideshow, street

The Easter Bunny exists (in cupcake form)

Yay for Easter bunny cupcakes…so adorable. I think Easter is bringing out the cutest cupcakes of the year! These are by Heavenly Bites Cakes via Flickr .

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Tags: bunny, cupcakes, easter, heavenly bites cakes, heavenly-bites, the-year, year