Easter Colors

Last weekend (was it only last weekend?) I had the most lovely Easter tea with my family.

(We celebrate with food, in case you couldn’t tell…)

Here, take a look:

A rainbow of dye

Pastel

My niece’s first year dying eggs. She had so much fun. She was tossing the eggs in the dye with abandon. I started saying “plunk” every time she did, and she quickly picked up on that. Plunk, plunk, plunk. Luckily eggs of the hard-boiled variety are a little tougher than the raw ones.

In progress

The first dozen

Pink! My niece's favorite color. This dye took a long time to soak in though…not great for the impatient.

My rainbow (she shared the dying responsibility with us)

All twenty-four (pre-stickers)

Easter shards (following our traditional egg duel - does anyone else do that?)

Naked eggs

Egg purgatory

Deviled

Easter tea, courtesy of my mom and sister: meat pie, scones (with clotted cream and cherry jam), ham biscuits, pimiento cheese sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches, babka, cupcakes, and a chocolate Easter bunny.

Cold cuts + fruit

Kielbasa, fresh and smoked

White borscht, with the fresh kielbasa (my dad's specialty)

Adorable cupcakes that my sister made. Cute and delicious! (She left some without the coconut grass for me…)

Easter rose

Weeki Wachee Weekend (was wonderful)

First, let me start by spelling the name of the spring correctly…it’s not Weeki “Watchee” as I’d typed in my last post. It’s Weeki Wachee. And it’s plain fun to say – give it a try! The name means “winding river” or “little spring”.

Saturday morning my sister, my niece, and I ventured out (after visiting a farmers’ market to take advantage of one of the last weekends of strawberry season) and up 75. We took our exit and everything was peachy keen, until, for the third time, our mapquest directions told us to turn L on Cortez Blvd/SR 50. Third time. In a row. We’d never left Cortez Blvd/SR 50. After seriously doubting the accuracy of the directions, and one wide u-turn we realized, yes, you turn on the same road three times. Really, who planned this town?

(Strawberry goodness)

Alas! We got there and snagged a primo parking spot and made our way in. The first show was just starting – it was the Mermaids of Yesteryear, which featured mermaids from the past decades back in the water in a sort of behind-the-scenes show – fun, right? One of my favorite shows ever is Pushing Daisies, and throughout the day, but especially during this show, I kept thinking of Aunts Lily and Vivian, the retired Darling Mermaid Darlings. I was so happy the mermaids of yesteryear were back in their tails – they seemed content to be diving and dancing.

(Darling mermaids)

Aside from being a fairy-“tail” (oh, I love being cheesy) attraction that caters to the young and young-at-heart, the setting of Weeki Wachee is a slice of lovely, shady, quiet Florida. I really do love this state. Well, it was quiet except for the very vocal peacocks roaming around. These were not shy birds. They had no qualms about snatching sweet potato fries from hungry tourists.

(I love his lovely blue)

We snacked on our own fries (keeping one eye on the peacocks), wandered around the lovely grounds, took photos in the mermaid props (of course), and peered into the natural springs. Is it just my native Floridian blood, or is 74.2 degrees just too chilly to call swimmable? Though the swimming hole was full of people…perhaps snowbirds?

(My sister - the mermaid queen, me - the…king? My niece, who loves the camera, was being uncharacteristically camera- shy and didn’t want to pose…)

(Mermaid Me...ooh lala)

(People more cold-tolerant than me)

Next, the feature mermaid show had my niece (and me) captivated. I think when you’re little you probably don’t even notice the breathing hoses, but even through my thoroughly jaded adult eyes, the mermaid show was as I had imagined it would be 20 years ago - full of wonder. The show was a rendition of The Little Mermaid - a little bit H.C. Andersen, a little bit Disney, and a little bit Weeki Wachee original - and it was just right. We even got to meet the mermaid princess after the show!

(Lovely mermaid)

(My sister and niece [being oddly camera shy again] with the mermaid princess!)

We concluded our outing with a ride on the river boat (we almost didn’t make it because, unfortunately it seems, some people have no manners, and have no problem jumping in front of entire lines of patient people to make sure they get theirs…). We saw a bald eagle, an osprey nest, a deer, and some kayakers along the way.

(The chilly water did actually look inviting by this point in the day – it was a tad warm in the sun.)

What a beautiful, magical day.

PS - my sister wrote a guest post on our friend's blog SHDesignFL - check it out too!

Do you believe mermaids exist?

I did for a long time...long story...anyway:

One of my childhood wishes will come true this weekend - I am off to see the mermaids! My sister and I, realizing that we both always wanted to go to Weeki Watchee Springs, and also fearful that this key piece of Floridiana may someday go the way of Cypress Gardens, have decided to take my niece and go see the sights!

I can't wait!

*Image from weekiwatchee.com

My delectable weekend continued:

Strawberries

Grapefruit sorbet served up in a compost-able bowl/orange peel

Proscuitto di Parma and drunken goat cheese. I paid a visit to my one of my favorite places, Casa Italia, where my family used to stock up on delicious cold cuts, salads, cheeses, and cured meats for the holidays. As a I walked in the salesclerk chuckled, and I figured he was just feeling jovial. But upon checking out, I mentioned that I remembered coming in as a kid, and he said "Yes, I remember you," which explained his knowing laugh. It was nice to see a friendly face from the past.

(*I know my father is cringing at me playing with my food, and then photographing it and posting it for all the world to see but...) it was cut so beautifully thin. Translucent indulgence.

And some gnocchi with parmesan and basil, to finish the evening.

Romanesco, Beware!

(My romanesco, slightly less-than-perfect but with lovely 'arms' curling defensively up around it)

My sister discovered this vegetable called romanesco at my local Farmer’s Market. We call it the “fractal veggie” as it is like a cross between a broccoli and a cauliflower but in a geometrical fractal explosion.

It’s a Spring-ish (it’s getting towards Spring here in FL – not to make all of y’all who are currently snowed in jealous) veggie so I peer into the Worden Farms tent at the Farmers’ Market whenever I’m there, awaiting its arrival.

Last week I was out of town on market day, for my Mom’s birthday. But I’d mentioned this green geometrical wonder to my friend who also frequents the Farmers’ Market…lo and behold it was there! And she bought one for me!

So after work on Monday she grabbed it from her apt, met me at study group (study study study [why didn’t I pay more attention to moments of inertia and radii of gyration when I was in structures class??]) and passed it off to me after study group. But then we decided to continue studying (at a bar…strangely effective for the first 30 minutes or so), then went to dinner, and by the time the night was over…my beautiful veggie had slipped my mind.

Until…not when I got in my car Tuesday morning and should have seen it (still groggy), but when I arrived on a construction site soon after, and saw it sitting next to my notepad (which I’d thankfully remembered). Who brings raw heads of vegetable to a meeting on a construction site? So in my car it sat, in the thankfully cool morning lack-of-sun.

So when I made it into my office finally I felt like I was toting around a poor little orphan vegetable, which amused me to no end. I couldn’t leave it in my car so I brought it in. And I feared I’d forget it at the end of the day, so believe it or not, I set an Outlook Reminder to 4:50 pm “Romanesco – bring home”. Normally I’d have used a post-it, but alas, post-its don’t have times that can be set when they’ll pop up in your face…

So…to make the long and uneventful, but amusing-to-me, story of my orphan vegetable slightly shorter than it could have been…it’s now home safe and sound.

But I was too lazy to cook tonight and ate leftovers from my freezer. So, Romanesco, beware…tomorrow is your last day!

(The picture-perfect romanesco that the wikipedia folks found, in all its fractal glory)

Holidays!

How was your Thanksgiving-2010? Here is a "moment of zen" from my family and laughter-filled holiday weekend:

Father's Day is a'coming!

Let your Pop know how much he means to you. I am not sure if "Daddy's Girl" is wholly the right term for me, but I certainly think I have some "Daddy's Girl" tendencies. Every time I see a bit of my father in me - my determined side, my creative side, my quiet side - I smile. Every time I see my car covered in lovebugs (aka now) I think of him...reminding me to wash it... :D I've got a couple of Father's Day cards up in my shop (Pen and Paperie), with more to come! What do you think of these?

Summer Colors

My parents' wonderful yard. I love wandering through with my camera when I visit.

More Silly Cards!

One more silly card on my Etsy shop (www.penandpaperie.etsy.com) ...I actually got a great photo of my little cousin in this quintessential boy-enjoying-summer vacation pose - my inspiration. Except it was at Thanksgiving, not summer... But this card makes me feel summery!! :D

Silly Birthday Cards!

I've been making birthday cards for my wee family members and having so much fun. Of course, I make them for everyone else to send out to them and then I don't send any out FROM me...that busy-busy-busy of the holiday season never seemed to subside... But alas, here is one of my favorites I just posted on my Etsy shop (www.penandpaperie.etsy.com):What do you think?

The Back Yard

This weekend my brother, my sister, her husband, and my niece all journeyed down to my parents’ house for my Mom’s birthday. (It’s nice that we’re all within driving distance.) We celebrate with food – we had grilled shrimp (three types of marinades), burgers with onions and mushrooms, grilled zucchini, oven fries, and my sister made carrot cake with amazing cream cheese icing. Decadent! Happy birthday Mom! But before dinner…before I was too stuffed to wander… I was walking through my parents’ yard and taking pictures of all of the pretty things…the decadent everyday. The visually decadent – tiny orchids, tangelos, thyme, flowering aloe, and a particularly jungly and overgrown pot. Mmmm....lovely!

The Immaculate Tea Set

Not a drop of tea poured from April 1956 - January 2010!

My Nonna loved her original china tea service – when she and my Dziadziu moved from Italy to Argentina (1948) she had it shipped to follow them. Then, when it was broken in transit when they moved from Argentina to Miami she was quite upset – she has a great appreciation for the beautiful.

A Lebanese man who worked with Romuald (my Dziadziu) in Miami told him about a store which was going out of business, so all their china was on sale. Rom didn’t have a car, so the Lebanese man drove him there; Rom also didn’t have the cash on him, so the man wrote the check for the china and then Rom paid him back when they got home. They brought the china to Rita (my Nonna) as a surprise, and presented it to her with a big smile. She loved it. (This part of the story just totally warms my heart!)

When she gave it to my sister Helena, Nonna told her (through our father, who picked it up in Miami and brought it to her) that the tea set had never been used. She wanted to be sure that my sister knew this so she didn't think she was giving her something used/worn out/cast off, so to speak. My Nonna is very particular about these things.

She told my sister that one of the cups was chipped and so that this should always be the "hostess cup." This has been somewhat of a running joke in their household ever since. Proudly displayed in the china cabinet is…THE TEA SET THAT HAS NEVER BEEN USED. Jokes were made about waiting for the Queen’s arrival…et cetera et cetera…

Then…on the fateful day of January 16, 2010 my sister Helena, her husband Matthew, their daughter Katrina, and I USED THE IMMACULATE CHINA TEA SERVICE! Gasp! It was a momentous occasion and forever changed one of my brother-in-law’s favorite stories about “the tea set that has never been used.”

The menu included buttermilk scones with clotted cream and homemade (by my sister) strawberry jam; cucumber tea sandwiches (with the crusts cut off….toast and make into bread crumbs so as not to waste!) and chicken salad tea sandwiches (same); meat pies; mini-Yorkshire puddings (popovers, technically, I think…); pumpkin bread; and a special Tasha Tudor blend of tea. We don’t overdo it or anything…:)

Simply Delightful!!