Saturday, April 16, 2022

Did Somebunny Say Easter Eggs?

 

Holiday Time! With Easter and Pesach overlapping this year, I've been a busy bunny. Dan wanted to colour some eggs, which these days he can take care of alone. We'll have a dozen hard boiled eggs to get through after Easter (the dye is food safe) but that's not a problem as everyone enjoys devilled eggs, egg salad, or even, an egg loaf. What's an egg loaf you ask?

Why this is! Egg and Olive loaf to be specific, from a 1973 issue of Gourmet Magazine.
You Will Need:

12 hard boiled eggs
1 stick butter, softened
1/3 cup diced celery
1/4 cup pimento stuffed olives, diced
2 tablespoons minced onion
Salt and pepper
(I added some radishes from the garden to be extra fancy)

Peel the eggs while still warm by running under cold water. Place in a bowl with the butter and with a potato masher, mash them coarsely. Stir in the rest. Line a loaf pan with buttered wax paper and pack in the eggs. Chill several hours before serving in slices.

I made that back in 2010, but I can't remember if we liked it. I didn't go out of my way to make it look good! 

Also cooked this week...

Sicilian cauliflower with chickpeas, capers, anchovies, and fried raisins. Quick and easy, everyone enjoyed it. 

 Most weeks I do some sort of stir-fry, this one was green beans, red peppers, and tofu. I added some ginger, garlic, and onions as well. Again, quick weeknight cooking but better than anything I could purchase pre-made in the freezer section of the grocer. 

Now that everyone's fed, let's move along to the clothes. 



I'd prefer a longer dress, but the print was too good to pass up. 
It reminds me of Colonial American fabric, though it would have likely been on a lighter background like this image I swiped off the internet
I wore my antique mourning brooch, or as Dan calls it, "Some dead guy's hair". He doesn't really appreciate the concept of mourning jewelry. 

I enjoyed the outfit even if I felt like a good wind might expose my behind to half of Omaha. 
It wouldn't be the first time, nor the last.
What are you looking at, pervert?

I had hoped this skirt would work for me as I have a good deal of brown in my wardrobe, but unfortunately, it didn't. I have it pinned and belted here, but as the day wore on it kept twisting around and looked lopsided . It was too bad, but I'll be moving it along as it has a nice bit of swing to it and on the right person will be a great piece. I am however keeping the odd little tee shirt even if the stripes on such soft fabric seem to bend and warp with every move. 

Cute bakelite sailboat brooches.
The shirt is originally Chicos, and the belt is Michael Kors, neither of which being the sort of thing I'd buy unless I was thrifting. 



The belt came with a bunch of branded logo crap hanging off it, which I removed. It is bad enough on handbags, but I definitely don't need all that stuff swinging from a belt. I don't know about you, but I'm not usually impressed by brands that sell in outlet malls-at least not enough to worry about signaling what brand I'm wearing. It isn't Hermes.  

Another dress that's just a bit shorter than I'd like, but was okay for an unseasonably warm 89 degrees F. day that ended with wild storms, a couple tornadoes nearby that didn't do much damage, and some hail. It was a strange night with the weather radio going off, tornado sirens in the neighbourhood, but in the end, very little actual rain. We're still in very dry, windy conditions facing wildfires and very dangerous conditions. There's a wildfire raging in the wildlife refuge and you can smell it and feel ash on your skin when outside for more than a minute. It is going to get worse if summer is as dry as projected. I've lived in Nebraska for 21 years, and this is the worst I can remember for fires. 
Anyway, 89 degrees F. is a bit warm for this time of year, but I found something sleeveless to wear with a cardigan for indoors where it is always too cold. 
The belt is a vintage Vera scarf I had that was a rather perfect match. I'm going to unpick the elastic on the waist as it hits in an annoying spot and would probably give me an extra inch or so in length. I've never gone in for flounces and ruffles, but something about this dress spoke to me. I think I had something like it in the 70s that was probably a hand-me-down from the 60s via my sister or cousins. 








The brooch is missing several stones and is horribly chipped, but I'm reluctant to fix it up-I rather like the aged look of it though seeing the photos I have to say it doesn't look quite that damaged in person. Well, it might, my eyes are terrible! 


You've seen all these pieces before



Vintage shoes





Tapestry belt

Some things just work so well together that I'm loathe to try styling it differently. 

You've seen this dress before as well. This time I made a belt from a sash belonging to a blouse. 

Vintage shoes are thrifted, handbag was my mother's
Tonight was the first night of Pesach (Passover) and we had a seder. Not a big affair, but we went through the entire ceremony unlike most years where we cut it short. It was nice, and relaxed with just Dan and myself. I don't get to spend a lot of time with him now, so I appreciate what we do have. This spring break has been lovely, we've even found time to do some birding. There's pelicans migrating in now and it is such a sight to see that many of them at once. 

I didn't snap photos of the meal because it wasn't anything you haven't seen before, though I did a chuck roast rather than a brisket, cabbage slaw and a potato pudding from a mix. I'm not grating potatoes anymore. We'll have a week of not eating wheat, barley, or oats. Some traditions allow rice and beans, some are okay with corn, and so on. It is 8 days, no one will die of malnutrition from going without corn.

And tomorrow, we'll do Easter.  

I hope you have a lovely holiday no matter what you celebrate, or a nice Sunday if you don't. 
 





14 comments:

Emily said...

That red dress with the Colonial-style print is stunning!!!!!!!

You did a great job pairing that beige tapestry belt with the burgundy floral dress. They look like they were made for each other, and I love how the purse also comes close to matching the belt.

You look like a watercolor painting in that dreamy blue, green, and yellow dress. I think my mother had a dress like that in the 1970s, and it may have dated to the late 1960s. It's beautiful on you. And the scarves that you use as impromptu belts are so nicely chosen too.

That chipmunk figurine looks ready to fall asleep, even though he's singing with a hymnal in his hands, LOL.

I hope the forest fires are being put out quickly so that the real chipmunks and other wildlife can breathe a sigh of relief.

Enjoy your holiday celebration!

bahnwärterin said...

i´m intrigued by that egg loaf - how much is a "stick butter" in gram?
the stir-fry looks delicious - we love green beens and stir-fries too - i even own a huge & very heavy cast iron wok for such.....
lovely outfits!! have to nick the idea of a bow at the waist - fabulous.
happy festivities!! xxxx

Beth Waltz said...

Trust you, Empress of Accessorizing, to devise an alternative to a stiff belt! Both the Vera scarf and the blouse sash add grace notes to those dressy ensembles. Their colors are perfectly in tune! (And, yes, we did spot the bangles echoing the ring on your mum's indestructible bag.)

Quite right to respect the patina of that handsome floral brooch! It resembles the pins HRM wears with three strands of pearls to open an event for the WI of Windsor. This is classic and classy cardigan wear.

Thanks for the vintage egg loaf recipe. It shall be added to my stash of brunch dishes that can be made ahead.

Polyester Princess said...

I absolutely love that first dress, even if I'm hearing you on its short length. I would definitely have picked it up for its print too.
Swooning over those bakelite sailing boat brooches in your second outfit, but yes, I agree, away with misbehaving skirts!
Love the scarf used as a belt in the 3rd one: I actually thought it was part of the dress until you mentioned it.
Favourite outfit is the final one with, I can't believe how well that sash from another dress goes with it.
Tornado sirens and wildfire sound quite horrible, I do hope there's some improvement in the weather soon.
Have a lovely Easter! xxx

Goody said...

@Beate
a stick is roughly 113 grams, or 1/4 lb.

Anonymous said...

I was invited to a seder once and it was a lovely family gathering event. I felt honored to be included although if I remember right everyone said a verse around the table. I was skipped over since I was not raised in the faith. It was a good experience never the less.

Your vintage shoes are in great condition . The heels are a very wearable height.

Thank-you for a good post that was enjoyable to read.

Best Wishes,
Gail from Pa.

bahnwärterin said...

@butter: thanks a lot - this is very helpful - our butter comes in a package of half a german pound = 250g.
xxx

Vix said...

All of your dishes look (and sound) great! Loving the Sicilian caulower, I'd use some of my poor man's capers instead of anchovies. Thanks for clarifying what a stick of butter is, I've seen it on other American blogs and was curious!
Gorgeous print on the first dress, it would make a fab wallpaper and the bottom dress looks fantastic on you, such a good shape.
It was Vaisakhi last Thursday, our Sikh neighbours have been going wild for days. Hope your celebrations were happy ones. xxx

Vronni's Style Meanderings said...

Loved the 'colonial' print dress and what a fabulous match the scarf as belt was for the so pretty floral dress - great finds. I envy your pelican watching!
I'm sorry to hear about the fires and the danger of them; it's definitely global warming affecting us all.

Hope you have a great week.
xxx

Sheila said...

That egg loaf looks amazing - I love anything with eggs, including deviled (I display them on a vintage Indiana Glass Co. tray for deviled eggs!).

I love that red dress - it's a fabulous and bold fabric. I reminds me of William Morris prints. Mourning jewelry is cool - I've seen a few pieces in vintage shops here.

Ah, yes, belts with a kazillion gewgaws hanging from them. Classic Y2K style! Good for you for removing them. Drooling over the Bakelite brooches.

I love Vera scarves - that one is the perfect belt! That dress reminds me of one I wore in the early 70s (a church dress, I think it was).

The brown dress is lovely - I love that oversized sheer look.

Love the blue flowered dress - that sash is the perfect belt. Your mom's bag is amazing!

I hope you had a lovely Easter following your Passover!



Goody said...

@Emily
Thank you! I hope you had a nice holiday too.
The fires are terrifying. We don't typically deal with that, and it all happens so quickly.

@Beth
I ended up using the Easter eggs on salads this year. Boring, but easy.
I'm having a hard time finding bangles that don't slide off my wrists. Might need to pack them away for a bit and wear the more adjustable sorts of bracelets.

@Ann
No sooner we got past that round of weather than another is waiting in the wings. I hope the entire spring isn't going to be like this.

@Gail
Thank you-I don't always have good luck with vintage shoes as they can suffer a bit of dry rot and the glue comes undone, but these have been good.

@Vix
Not only are our sticks of butter strange, but they come wrapped in wax paper marked with tablespoon on it. We just don't weigh stuff here for cooking, but even I don't need the tablespoons marked off on a stick of butter!

@Vronni
Thank you! I hope you're having a nice Easter in Ireland.

@Sheila
Thank you, I hope you had a lovely Easter too.

Mim said...

Belated Happy Passover/Easter! (And thank you for the lovely card.) I bet going through the full seder ceremony was very special for both of you.

I think any leftover boiled eggs in our house would end up in sandwiches. Egg loaf sounds tempting, but that's an awful lot of eggs...

I love the colours in the ruffle-necked dress - like watercolours. Very fairy-like.

Miss Magpie said...

I agree with Mim leftover eggs in our house would be in sandwiches too! We unimaginative Brits....

I hope you had a lovely Easter. xx

Goody said...

@Mim
Thank you!
I'm glad the card made it in time.

@Miss Magpie
Nothing wrong with egg sandwiches!
Hope you had a nice Easter too.