Today I give to you the recipe for the rich, smooth, and creamy chicken liver mousse that Jacques demonstrated on the Jacques Pépin Cooks for Eight taping this past Sunday.  Here is a little of what he has to say about it.

“Unlike most mousses and pâtes, which become watery and grainy when frozen, this one freezes perfectly. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil before freezing. Small soufflé dishes are ideal for freezing because they can be defrosted in a couple of hours. If you use a large dish, you’ll need to defrost it slowly under refrigeration for 24 hours before serving.”

So, of course, I followed the master’s advice and made six little ramekins to freeze for later entertaining purposes. The larger dish that you’ll see decorated, is one that Jacques made on set Sunday which I brought home to finish. It was served last evening as an appetizer at my father’s birthday dinner. Happy Birthday, Dad! xoxo

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My poor husband is working at least 90 hours a week. He has dragged his worn-out self in the door at 9:30 or 10:00 the last several nights, exhausted to the bone. At least there is a dim little light at the end of the tunnel… unfortunately, it does not shine into full brightness on April 15th this year.

Last year it was April 18th because of a Federal holiday that fell on a Saturday but was observed on the Friday before, which was April 15th.  And since tax filing deadlines can’t fall on a weekend or holidays, it was extended to Monday, April 18. Confused yet? Well, this year the 15th is Sunday and then Monday, the 16th, is that same holiday.  Many people know nothing of this new (only since 2005) day off for the Feds.  Here is the lowdown from the ever-reliable Wikipedia:

“The municipality of Washington, D.C., celebrates April 16 as Emancipation Day. On that day in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act for the release of certain persons held to service or labor in the District of Columbia.

On January 4, 2005, Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed legislation making Emancipation Day an official public holiday in the District. Although Emancipation Day occurs on April 16, by law when April 16 is a Saturday, Emancipation Day is observed on the preceding Friday.

In 2007, the observance of this holiday in Washington, D.C. had the effect of nationally extending the 2006 income tax filing deadline from April 16 to April 17. The 2007 date change was not discovered until after many forms went to print. In 2011, the tax deadline was extended to Monday, April 18, since the observed date for the holiday was Friday, April 15. In 2012, because Emancipation Day falls on Monday, April 16th, and the normal tax deadline of April 15th falls on a Sunday, the tax deadline will be on Tuesday, April 17th.“

There you go, now you know exactly why your taxes aren’t due until April 17th this year and why my husband and CPAs everywhere are tortured for an additional two days.

Since I’ve been cooking for one, I’m cooking quickly and lightly. This recipe is a perfect example. I’ve eaten it for dinner, lunch the next day, and dinner again until finally I just tossed the rest of it. It is the perfect vegetarian meal. If you’re observant you’ll notice that I used chicken broth instead of the suggested vegetable broth, only because I had a partial box in my fridge left from Easter. Use vegetable broth or water to keep it vegetarian.

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Image from Pinterest

I’ve been working with a friend/neighbor, cooking together once a week, to help increase her repertoire and confidence in the kitchen.

We make a meal for that night and another meal for the next night… something in the crock-pot or a casserole that can be refrigerated overnight and then popped in the oven the next day.

She has two sons who are picky eaters, I had forgotten what it felt like to have picky eaters! Because of that, we are taking it slow.  Let’s see; no fish or seafood, extremely limited variety of vegetables (when I say limited, I’m talking only potatoes, corn, and tomato), nothing too spicy… you get the picture.

They like pasta, red sauce, and meatballs… so I came up with this easy recipe for the “second-night” dinner… from the refrigerator to oven.  Add a fresh salad and she is ready to rock and roll.

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The three quiche recipes I worked up for The Arizona Republic food section over six weeks ago are finally in the newspaper today.  Although I am extremely pleased with the article written by the lovely Karen Fernau, the photos leave a lot to be desired. The cover shot’s color is off and the inside photos are an unappetizing black & white.  Luckily, the beautiful color photos that food photographer extraordinaire, Michael McNamara, shot are on the AZCentral website, along with all three recipes.  Find the full article and links to all three recipes, plus the basic crust recipe, HERE.

And this is what you will find there…

Jalapeno Popper Quiche                  Photo credit: Michael McNamara

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For Easter, I rearranged the hanging basket, over the sunken swim-up kitchen… keeping the ivy and replacing the roses with purple iris, daisies, and lilies.

Then, I drew all the new drop-cloth drapes on the patio, to keep the sun and warmth out, turned on the ceiling fans, and we had a beautiful late-afternoon dinner outside.

The place settings consisted of my collection of pink and green Bordallo Pinheiro majolica plates. Here is how I built each setting.

The green salad plate varied from one seat to another.

The bunny plate on the bottom right is my favorite, I particularly love the edging on that one!

For holiday dinners, I usually plate each course, but since Connor’s roommate was joining us, I didn’t want to make any assumptions about what he might or might not eat.  So instead, I set up a buffet.

We dined on Brussels Sprout Salad, Challa, Fruit Skewers, Smashed and Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Roasted Leg of Lamb with Zinfandel Sauce, a glazed spiral ham from Costco, and Plum and Raspberry Upside-Down Cake.

The fruit skewers are self-explanatory – and just click on the names of any of the other dishes to get to the recipe. Below you will find the recipes for the lamb and the potatoes.

Even though Connor and his roommate, Patrick, are both nearly 21, they still enjoyed searching for, (above) and then playing with (below) the stuff in, their Easter baskets.

Oh, and turns out, I could have saved on the washing of a bunch of bowls and platters and just plated the meal after all. Patrick ate it up!

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I had planned on sharing more of my Easter recipes, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

The very beautiful Kim Covington from EVB Live just left my house after shooting a quick little segment to air on the show tomorrow.  They will be talking about upcoming summer camps and have kindly decided to feature Les Petites Gourmettes.

There are still a few spaces in both of the teen weeks in June. Go HERE to check out the classes.

I told Kim I would send her the recipe for the barley salad that we put together for the shoot and this is the easiest way I know how to share a recipe.  Thank you Kim and enjoy!

P.S. Look for my quiche recipes on Wednesday in the Arizona Republic food section.

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Happy Easter to you and yours. I’m throwing out one last recipe, just in case you still have to make something super easy and SUPER-DUPER cute! Usually, I would have already had my table all set to show you my tablescape, but since we are eating outside and it’s been windy and dusty all week… I have not done it ahead. Instead, above you can see the pile of dishes I plan to use and a mock-up of a place setting at the bottom of the post.  I hope you enjoy this beautiful day!

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Bonus Photo – The full moon setting this morning at 6 am – gorgeous!

Citrus, specifically lemon, is my favorite dessert to make for Easter. The thing is, my guys don’t love citrus as much as Marissa and I do. Since Marissa isn’t coming home for Easter this year (picture my eyes welling up at this moment), I’ve decided to cater to my husband and son and make something different.

As I was strolling leisurely through Costco earlier this week (picture the one in a million chance of that!) picking up a leg of lamb, spiral ham, and other Easter dinner necessities, I spotted this carton of 18 luscious plums.

Immediately, I thought “plum and raspberry” – so I picked up a package of raspberries too.  Since I’m not a natural baker, I searched the web and found this lovely cake on marthastewart.com. I hope my guys like it… and as for my sweet Marissa… I miss you! xoxo

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Challah is an egg bread that holds deep religious significance in the Jewish faith.

“According to Jewish tradition, the three Sabbath meals (Friday night, Saturday lunch, and Saturday late afternoon) and two-holiday meals (one at night and lunch the following day) each begin with two complete loaves of bread.  This “double loaf” commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. The manna did not fall on the Sabbath or holidays; instead, a double portion would fall the day before the holiday or sabbath.” (excerpt from Wikipedia)

Challah recipes always make enough dough for two loaves. Three important steps to the perfect challah are; three risings instead of the usual two (one of those being a slow-rise in the refrigerator), using two coats of egg wash for a shiny lacquer-like crust, and not over-baking.

Challah is delicious and used the next day for French toast.  Especially loaves with raisins, or in this case, craisins.  I substituted dried cranberries for the raisins, as my family prefers craisins to raisins. We’ll be enjoying the plain loaf with our Easter dinner on Sunday and the craisin loaf for a French toast breakfast on Easter Monday.

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Do you work outside the home? Have you in the past? If so, then you already know what happens when a co-worker brings food into the office. People suddenly act as if they are on the verge of starvation and have not eaten in a week. Even if you have never worked in an office, you have still witnessed this phenomenon before… at Costco… or anywhere there is FREE FOOD!

There was a bunch of food leftover from the appetizer portion of our party this past weekend and I sent it all into Dave’s office on Monday morning. I can just imagine the food frenzy that day!  The thing is, I can’t blame the people in my husband’s office. These dear souls deserve a treat.  Dave is a CPA, and at this time of year… coming down the homestretch of another  “tax season”… their days are long and stressful! Enjoy and eat up, people!

Turns out, I didn’t send in everything after all. Yesterday morning I found a bag of extra dippers for the fondue.  One of my favorite items to add to a cheese fondue or crudites platter is new potatoes. The potatoes are left unpeeled and larger ones are cut into halves or quarters and then boiled in salted water until easily pierced with a paring knife. The potatoes are now perfect to cook up for breakfast too.

Dave usually prepares oatmeal and an apple for breakfast, but yesterday I made him an extra special meal, which he richly deserves! Thank you, my sweet husband, for all you do – especially this time of year! xoxo

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