Happy Easter!

[wiseheart]

Come, folks, and have a virtual piece of Spiegeleikuchen:



It is a relatively simple traybake, with a sponge base, a topping made of quark and vanilla custard, and apricot halves to resemble fried eggs, hence the name. I'm happy to report that it turned out delicious, and that my Easter ham (the one with the cumin and garlic, recipe posted a couple of entries previously) was very satisfactory as well. Consequently, we didn't even cook today, save for the apple compote Mum made, and were generally lazy.

My eldest (male) cousin called in the morning; he calls a few times a year, usually around birthdays and main holidays. Since he's almost 80, Mum and he can discuss Grandma and her siblings together, as he's the one who has the most memories of them, from all of us cousins. That's always nice for Mum.

I've crafted a little bit - another page base for The Thing of Beauty is done, only two more to go - wrote a tiny bit (very little; I so wish I could finish this dratted story!), solved some crossword puzzles - and that was basically it. Lazy days are good!

Comments

[beauty-forashes.livejournal.com]

Oh I wondered why it was called Spiegeleikuchen, LOL! That looks and sounds great. Have a happy Easter!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

They do look like a plate of Spiegeleier, don't they? And a happy Easter to you, too!

[beauty-forashes.livejournal.com]

They really do. And thank you! :)

[meathiel]

I've not made Spiegelei Kuchen for a long time. It looks yummy.
Lazy days are good! I didn't do a whole lot today either, except for reading, faffing about on the internet and writing a long letter.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

It is yummy! Also, quite filling, so part of the laziness might be based on that. *g*

[noadvertising.livejournal.com]

Spiegelei cake looks delicious! Listening to old people sharing their memories between themselves is always strange, or maybe it´s only me who thinks so...

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I grew up with my grandparents' stories from the early 20th century (Grandpa was born back in 1896 and Grandma in 1900), so I tend to get a bit nostalgic when we're discussing that generation.

[bk_forever]

Happy Easter! Your tray bake looks delicious.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It is delicious indeed!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Happy Easter.

[kit10notk9.livejournal.com]

Looks and sounds yummy. I might just make a copy for later..

We are on day four of a 8 to 10 lb precooked spiral cut ham. (There are 4 of us.)
So far:
Day 1: baked ham, canned green peas & carrots, and sliced pickled beets.
Day 2: fried ham, sweet potatoes, & riced vegetables.
Day 3: fried ham, mashed potatoes, and vegetables leftover from the previous two days.
Day 4: if the pinto beans in the crackpot finish, we'll have them with the leftover ham. If not. We'll have baked ham with pineapple, macaroni, and broccoli.
If the beans aren't done by 6:30 pm my time, we'll have them with the ham tomorrow. And probably Tuesday and Wednesday nights as well.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Haha! It sounds like our menu after a feast. There are always leftovers to use up. But at least nothing is going to waste, right?

[kit10notk9.livejournal.com]

Right. The beans refused to cook through in a reasonable time. (All day in a crockpot.) So I did fried ham with broccoli and macaroni.
I will put the beans bak on to re-cook tomorrow morning.
[They are dried pinto beans, so they can be finicky to cook if the weather isn't perfect.]
I've never been able to cook a small amount. And so there will be 2 - 3 meals of just beans; & possibly 2 - 3 meals of chili.

[elwenlj.livejournal.com]

The traybake looks cute. Before I read the text, my first thought when I saw it was that it looked like fried eggs, so it was definitely a success.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

Then my work is done! :)

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

Those look delicious! We had a spiced beef yesterday — with enough for today as well. But as it was only going to be 2 of us eating main meals I didn't make my usual Easter trifle but made cake with NYK2 instead — one for S2C and I and one for her to take home with her for the rest of the family.

How good for your Mum to be able to talk to her cousin — I know my Mum always appreciated visits from her cousins, too.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I thank God for the existence of the phone each passing day. Without it, we would both fall into depressions, seeing how rarely we see a living person.

[mirasaui.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, I thought that was a raw egg on top until I read the post! Sounds delicious, I love both custard, apricots, and sponge cake. The ham sounds delicious also. Glad you and your Mum had a good Easter!

We had dinner at home, nothing fancy: shrimp gumbo and a salad. plus some Easter candy and pound cake for dessert. Ryan's girlfriend was a last minute addition, so I cooked her salmon as she does not like gumbo. For once, the weather co-operated. It was a nice day.

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear you had a nice day. What is gumbo?

[mirasaui.livejournal.com]

Gumbo is a flavorful soup made from a roux, i.e., equal parts flour and oil stirred in a heavy pot over heat to a dark, chocolate color. Chopped vegetables, usually onion, celery, and bell pepper are sautéed in the roux until they are limp or dissolved, then stock (either shellfish, meat, or vegetable) and seasoning (salt, cayenne or black pepper, and possibly clove, marjoram, garlic, thyme, or lemon) are added and the whole mixture is simmered for a minimum of 3 hours.

This makes a soup base to which meat can later be added, usually fish and/or shellfish or poultry and sausage. Fish and shell fish are added close to the end of cooking. Poultry and sausage are browned and set aside, then added within the last 1 to 2 cooking hours, so the meat is very tender.

Gumbo is usually served in individual bowls to which ½ cup of rice has been added and may be topped with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and scallions and a slice of lemon as garnish. New Orleans style gumbo is thickened from the roux or from file’ (ground sassafras leaves). File’ is usually added at the table to the individual bowls. If added to the main pot, it should only be added after the gumbo has been removed from heat or the gumbo will be stringy.

Okra gumbo is thickened with okra instead of or in addition to a roux. Okra gumbo is usually a bit thicker in consistency than roux gumbos. Some cooks add tomatoes to their gumbo. Some gumbos contain only greens, no meat.

No one is exactly sure of the origin of gumbo. Louisiana cuisine is heavily influenced by the peoples of its history, a mix of French, French Canadian, Spanish, African, and Native American Indian. Gumbo is an extremely popular Louisiana dish that reflects this mix and every cook has his/her own recipe and preferred ingredients. Sorry for the long post, but it is hard to describe in brief.