Lilacs and tulips in bloom -- what's for Sunday dinner?

[grasswire]

Can't believe the lilacs are already blooming. It's very early for that.

What's going on in your spring kitchen? I browsed the meat and fish counters this morning with nary an inspiration for Sunday dinner. It's much harder to make a festive small meal for a few than it is to make a festive buffet for a crowd, IMO.

[Stinky The Clown]

1. "It's much harder to make a festive small meal for a few than it is . . . . . . . "

You are *absolutely* right. We're invited out for tomorrow, but tonight we have a really nice "mixed grill". Grilled BBQ shrimp, grilled seasoned scallops, grilled lemon pepper mahimahi, grilled asparagus, and grilled potatoes.

[Warpy]

2. Flowering trees are finally out in NM, two weeks late

so yes, they've confirmed we've had a stinker of a winter around here.

However, the temperature is supposed to be in the 60s and 70s all next week, so I'll be doing a huge seafood salad, the first of the year. Since it doesn't freeze, I'll be noshing on it all week.

[Lugnut]

3. Ham.

We're doing a cold dinner for eleven people tomorrow. Brie en croate and crackers for an appetizer then ham, potato salad, cucumber salad, raddichio, endive and orange salad with orange balsamic dressing, sliced kielbasi, paprika bacon, Easter pie, deviled eggs and Tandy Take squares for dessert. My daughter's 39th birthday is on Thursday and she requested the dessert as her birthday cake.

It's warm and sunny here which is very uncharacteristic of spring weather in the mountains. We are in the middle of some major renovation projects in the house so a lot of make-ahead dishes was easier for me to handle. The filled plastic eggs are ready to be hidden in the garden for the little ones. We're ready for an easy going laid back day.

[grasswire]

8. what is a Tandy Take cake?

Never heard of that one.

[hippywife]

13. From anything I can find, and it isn't much

it seems it's a golden cake with peanut butter and chocolate?

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,176,152160-246195,00.html

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig6/fischer1.html

[Lugnut]

14. It tastes very much like Tastykake Tandy Takes.

Here's a link for a recipe that's very close to the one I use.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1710,152160-247195,00.html

I melt 11 regular Hershey bars for the topping but the procedure is pretty much what I do. The cake part is very dense and sweet like the Tastykakes. I hadn't made this in a lot of years but we all enjoyed it.

[Arkansas Granny]

4. Redbuds are in bloom here and dogwood will be blooming soon.

My daffodils are finishing up and the forsythia is starting to drop it's blooms.

We're fixing glazed pork tenderloin, rosemary parmesan scalloped potatoes and a green salad today with strawberry shortcake for dessert.

[hippywife]

5. Going to my SIL's

not because we celebrate Easter but we bugged out on the last couple of holidays so felt we should go this time. Plus it's so lovely here finally that I feel like getting out and about. Loooonnnnggg and dismal winter.

I'm just making a big green salad with lots and lots of fruits and veggies in it and a lemon balsamic vinaigrette to go on it. And probably those chocolate caramel crackers from Smitten Kitchen.

I do hope you and your niece enjoy your day, sweets, and the beautiful aromatic lilacs. :hug:

[Phentex]

6. Cold turkey and ham at MIL's...as usual...

I'm making a pasta side dish and a cucumber salad. I'm sure there will be the usual sides of veggies and mac and cheese, etc.

For later tonight I made a semi frozen chocolate cream. It looks like half an Easter egg after I unmold it. I need to decorate it but that won't happen until much later today.

Happy Easter! Happy Spring!

[tigereye]

7. I don't know yet, we usually eat out on Easter

but the flowers here are wild- my early tulips and crocuses are all done, hyacinths have been out for about 2 weeks, little daffs that I planted last fall are out now, daylillies are starting to spring up and my clematis (I was worried the blizzard had done it in) is starting to bud a bit.

I actually had to water since it was so hot the last 2 days! Also I have some new bulbs and tubers to put in, maybe today.

[grasswire]

9. well we finally have a menu

Peel and eat shrimp Chesapeake with two dipping sauces (horseradish cocktail and mustard remoulade)

Crispy polenta with sundried tomato and basil

Green beans slow-cooked with a bit of bacon fat

Deviled eggs w/curry

Petite green peas with fresh mint

Pineapple, orange and carrot Jell-O mold (for some reason my Aunt Dorothy's Easter tradition was on my mind!)

Pickle and olive tray

Strawberries, brown sugar and sour cream.

A veritable feast. Sorry, all you family members who are off doing other things this year! Three are in a tiny Transylvanian village (where the only produce available this time of year is cabbage, onions, and potatoes but the pastries are delicious).

[hippywife]

10. Sounds like you ended up

with a delicious meal today. All sounds scrumptious. :hi:

[yellerpup]

16. This all sounds wonderful...

A feast indeed!

[yellerpup]

11. We had bison tacos with guacamole and frijoles refritos.

Mrs. Renfro's tomatillo salsa because all the ripe tomatoes were gone from the store. I spent a good part of the afternoon candying ginger again and I doubled the batch this time. Easter is the ham & eggs holiday and that's what we had yesterday morning because I wanted to use up the last of those sweet young asparagus in an omelet. Poppyseed bagel, split and toasted, and crispy hash brown potatoes with a tasty handful of chopped onion. I also made a pineapple upside down cake yesterday but played with the recipe too much. I used about half corn meal for that whole grain shot-in-the-arm and it came out yummy but too coarse and crumbly to pass for cake--more like very sweet pineapple infused cornbread. Forsythia is blooming here and I picked bluebells and dandelions so my kitties could sniff the outdoors at ground level. Hope everyone had a great holiday! :hi:

[hippywife]

12. Sounds like a great dinner!

I looooooooooooooove tomatillo salsa! Have you made it yourself?

I make this one without the cumin and lime instead of lemon. :9
http://www.fsafood.com/fsacom/Recipes/Recipe+Index/A-Z+Listing/A/Avocado-Tomatillo+Sauce.htm

Buffalo is so good, too, and good for you!

Keep on trying that cornmeal in the cake. I bet you get it just right the next time. :loveya:

[yellerpup]

15. Yes, I regularly make tomatillo salsa, but was glad to have Mrs. Renfro

on hand yesterday. The supermarket where we shopped yesterday doesn't have tomatillos, but the Asian market does--just didn't feel like making two stops! I cribbed the idea for cornmeal in pineapple upside down cake from Charlie Trotter when I worked on describing each episode of his (failed) TV series. It is a nice touch, but I overdid it, I guess. I might get it right next time--we'll see. Have a wonderful day! :hi: