After years of being asked what I do, I created a video from the photographs supplied by my fans.  They are each recognized for their kindness at the end of the video and I received written permission from the band, Misplaced, to use “Tell My Ma” for this video.  Please be kind with the comments, I am a cook and not a videographer. 

Thank you all for your continued support.  I look forward to seeing many of you in 2013.

Rosemary in known as an analgesic, antiseptic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, antiviral, aphrodisiac, and disinfectant while stimulating bile secretion and helping eliminate it in the intestines, destroying microorganisms, increasing the quantity of eliminated urine, improving the blood flow and refreshing and energizing the mind. Rosemary helps as a memory stimulant and has calming effects by working against fatigue, sadness, anxiety, calming muscle soreness, digestive pains and also, indigestion caused by stress.

Rosemary improves digestion, fights against obesity, liver diseases, gastritis, hyper or hypocholesterolemia, bronchic asthma, edemas, and adjusts fast heart beats caused especially by irritability, coffee or tobacco excess. Because of its antiseptic and tonic properties, rosemary is extremely beneficial in cases of fainting, influenza, hangovers, asthma, bronchitis, cramps, constipation, cystitis, headaches, polypus, colds, cough, sinusitis or muscular pains. The plant also has a good influence on the blood circulation and blood pressure.

SOURCES: Wikipedia.org, ehow.com, herbalmedicineguide.com, and liveandfeel.com

Below are two ways that I know of making yeast from scratch and preparing it for bread.  This is not something that grows in a couple of hours.  It takes days, if not weeks, to grow yeast. I hope you enjoy these techniques.

• At the turn of the 20th century, yeast was made from boiling grated potatoes with a little sugar and salt until it became translucent. A cup of the old yeast was added to make it ferment faster. This yeast mixture was set on the back of the stove to ferment. It would keep for 2 or 3 days before going sour. The mixture would be the yeast that would be used for breads.  When more was needed, bakers would add a cup of the “old yeast” to a new potato and sugar mixture.

• Combine 1/2 cup unflavored yogurt and two tbsp of flour in a clean bowl. Cover and allow resting for 24 hours.  Remove any liquid that develops over the yeast.  Add two tablespoons flour and two tbsp water and stir every morning for a week. If too much starter grows, throw away half and replace it with an equal volume of the flour and water mixture.  If bubbles develop, begin feeding the yeast every six hours with the flour and water mixture. Continue to pour off any water.   Feed the yeast about an hour before you plan to use.

History of “Easter” eggs:
The ancient Zoroastrians painted eggs for Nowrooz, their New Year celebration, which falls on the Spring equinox. The Nawrooz tradition has existed for at least 2,500 years. The sculptures on the walls of Persepolis show people carrying eggs for Nowrooz to the king. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

At the Jewish Passover Seder, a hard-boiled egg dipped in salt water symbolizes the festival sacrifice offered at the Temple in Jerusalem.

There are good grounds for the association between hares (later termed Easter bunnies) and eggs, through folklore confusion between hares’ forms (where they raise their young) and plovers’ nests.

The Legend(s) how the Eggs Became a Christian symbol:
While the origin of Easter eggs can be explained in the symbolic terms described above, a pious legend among followers of Eastern Christianity says that Mary Magdalene was bringing cooked eggs to share with the other women at the tomb of Jesus, and the eggs in her basket miraculously turned brilliant red when she saw the risen Christ.

A different, but not necessarily conflicting legend concerns Mary Magdalene’s efforts to spread the Gospel. According to this tradition, after the Ascension of Jesus, Mary went to the Emperor of Rome and greeted him with “Christ has risen,” whereupon he pointed to an egg on his table and stated, “Christ has no more risen than that egg is red.” After making this statement it is said the egg immediately turned blood red.

The egg is seen, by followers of Christ, as symbolic of the grave and life renewed or resurrected by breaking out of it. The red supposedly symbolizes the blood of Christ redeeming the world and human redemption through the blood shed in the sacrifice of the crucifixion. The egg itself is a symbol of resurrection: while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it.  (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Getting right to it:
Easter eggs have become a long standing traditional in Europe and America.  The Slavic cultures would create meticulously decorated eggs that were a thing of beauty with complex line patterns, geometric patterns, and deep, yet bright, colors.   American have adopted a more commercial decorating with store bought kits that are child-friendly.

Has we move back to the old ways and more eco-friendly traditions, many families are looking for natural dyes to color their eggs this season.  Below are some suggestions and hints on how to color  your eggs using natural, homemade dyes.

Natural Dyes for Eggs (Courtesy of the Minneapolis Star Tribune):
Dyes required a significant about of ingredient to create a richer color. For spices, use 2 tablespoons or more per 4 to 6 cups of water. For solid food, use 4 cups or more of chopped up ingredients (beets, red cabbage and the like).

• Pink/red: fresh beets, pickled beet juice, cranberries, frozen raspberries, red wine, red onion skins

• Tan: yellow onion skins, green tea

• Deep yellow: ground turmeric, curry powder, ground cumin

• Orange: paprika, chili powder

• Purple: hibiscus tea leaves, cranberry juice

• Blue: canned blueberries, red cabbage leaves, red grape juice

• Green: Parlsey

• Grey: blackberries,

• Brown: coffee, black tea

It is true, the home brew is a bit messier than the instant version (but let’s face it, egg dyeing is always messy). Natural dyes take longer to work, so be patient. Their colors may be lighter than the vivid packaged variety.  The longer the egg can sit in the dye bath, the richer the color.

But with natural dyes, you can cook the eggs in the dye as it brews, which saves time and contains the mess a bit.

To get started, place the eggs in a single layer in a non-aluminum pan, and cover them with 1 inch of water and a little vinegar, which helps set the color on the eggs (see recipe above).

To the water, add the ingredients for the dye, pushing them down into the water and among the eggs. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. (If you’re using beverages for the dye, simply simmer the eggs in the liquid. If you’re using a can of blueberry pie filling, simply drop the cooked egg in there.)

Remove the eggs, strain the dye and let it cool. If you want the eggs to be a darker hue, put the dye in a bowl with the eggs and refrigerate for hours or overnight. Or try a second color for the eggs (keep several pots of dye going). The key is to experiment with anything colorful that you can crush and simmer in water for a dye.

If you would like a sheen on the eggs, rub them with vegetable oil. For easy storage, keep the just-dyed eggs in their original cartons.

The dye is only a starting point. You also can dabble with texture and design. For a mottled effect, rub the dyed egg to remove some of the color before it is dry.

For patterns, wrap the egg in onion skins or tiny leaves after it has been colored (but before it dries). For a stipled effect, use a clean sponge and dab at the wet colored egg. For a marbleized look, add a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the dye and swirl the egg in the color.

Channel your inner child by drawing on the eggs with a wax crayon to create designs (the dye won’t adhere to the wax). Rubber bands also can be used to create designs before you drop eggs in the dye.

From Alice the Cook:
The most important thing is to have fun with your friends and family.  It desn’t matter what your faith or beliefs are.  Holidays are an excellent reason to get together and cherish what we have – love, life, and happiness.

Oxtail Soup

Oxtail dishes are found across cultures.  From Northern Europe, across the British Isles, Ottoman Empire, Mediterranean, Arabic, and Far Eastern cultures have all used oxtail in a variety of dishes.  Some dishes were primarily delicacies, but secondarily offered homeopathic cures to various ailments including back and hip pain.

 The Chinese added shredded cabbage mushrooms, and carrots, among other vegetables to provide a heart stew.  Arabic and Mediterranean cultures added tomatoes and chickpeas, while European cultures, including Italy even added wine or brandy to the dish during the post-Restoration period. 

Oxtails were once inexpensive, but with their increased use in many cuisines, the price of oxtails has become expensive.  Asian grocery stores offer oxtails at about a third of the cost of main stream grocery stores. 

This is a favorite among my male friends as oxtails, when cooked properly, can take on a prime rib flavor and texture.  This particular dish, was cooked over an open fire in a cast iron Dutch oven. 

Begin preparing the dish by adding the beef shoulder bones in a large pot with enough water to cover the bones and add 1 tsp of sea or kosher salt.  Bring items to a boil for a half an hour.  Remove and dispose of the bones and reserve the broth. 

Heat oil or melt butter in a different soup pot.  Once heated, add the oxtails to brown and slowly add the leeks and garlic; continuing to cook. Once browned, add enough of the new broth to cover the cover the oxtails by an additional 3 inches, water may be added to increase the amount of liquid.  At this moment, one may add optional tomato paste.  Let cook for 1 hour and stir occasionally.  After an hour, remove the soup bones, but leave in the oxtails.  Begin adding the potatoes, carrots and rosemary.  Cook for an additional 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.  

This dish is very rich and if one’s constitution prefers a less rich version, one may choose to put the soup in a cooler and remove the excess fat from the top before reheating.  Add additional salt and pepper to taste.  

Serves 6-8.