Happy Easter!!!

It's Easter and that means I have an excellent excuse to spend a whole day in the kitchen.

Today's menu:

4 Berry Pie -- homemade, I can't disclose my secrets... pie is my backup career (seriously)

Roast loin of pork crusted in salt, pepper, garlic and rosemary ala Tedward

Gravy from the pork's onion bed

Garlic mashed potatoes courtesy of Zeny and Co

Salad courtesy of Zeny and Co

Homemade Lemonade from French Food at Home--Cooking Channel

AND these tasty lil apps: Dijon Prosciutto Asparagus Wraps (needs a shorter name!)

Here's how to make them:

Ingredients:

1. Dijon mustard
2. Pillsbury Crescent "Big and Flaky" Rolls
3. Prosciutto (10 slices)
4. Asparagus (20 pieces)

How to make pieces of heaven:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree.
2. Roll out crescent shapes one at a time.
3. Spread a thin to medium layer of dijon mustard on the crescent.

4. Now apply a piece of prosciutto (rip the meat so that it doesn't go "outside the lines" of the piece of dough.

5. Cut two asparagus in half and add to the thicker end of the crescent + prosciutto piece. Roll from the thinker end to the skinny end . Wrap extra dough around where necessary. (Some meat and asparagus will be visible.)

6. Assemble and line up on baking sheet. Cook at the temperature the crescent roll package suggests. (Mine cooked in 12 minutes at 350 degrees).

Take them out of the oven and enjoy!

And after much anticipation, the pie was a success too!

Homemade Tortillas?

Mexican food in Boston is a BIG deal.  So when my BF and I decided to grill some carne asada one night, I decided we might as well go all out.  The meal included the meat, fresh avocado slices (fresh = from Trader Joes on the East Coast), homemade jalepeno/cilantro pesto, black beans with bell peppers and HOMEMADE TORTILLAS!  

It's not like we didn't have any in the fridge already, but I had been holding onto a recipe for DYI tortillas for some time and decided that this dinner, more than any other, called for the extra touch!  Dinner was almost ready when I looked up the recipe and I'll have you know, it took me 10 minutes to make 15 mid-size tortillas, which we happily ate right off the stove.  YUM. 

The key to the tasty goodness - a perfect compliment to spicy foods - was to cook them without any oils on a SUPER HOT pan.  I used a cast iron skillet and made two at a time.  

The recipe is perfect.  I say, if you get it right the first time, try whole-wheat, try mixing in some garlic or some lime zest next time.  That's my next kitchen adventure!