Hello my fellow foodies! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend with your family and friends.

Mine of course was full of tasty food, aggressive Easter egg hunting, and tons of artistic egg dying.

Every year, my mom and I set aside the Saturday before Easter to get together for some champagne and egg dying. We are super serious about our process. We utilize special tools and techniques (which if I told you I would have to kill you) and dye dozens of eggs. Literally.

If we are lucky my brother Josh will be around to help, or I can convince a girlfriend to come over and help. If we are extra lucky, we can convince my dad to do ONE.

But this weekend must have been a full moon or something crazy because we had TOO many helpers. So many we had to boil more eggs.

Wes, myself, my mom, both my brothers, Albert’s girlfriend Samm, Albert’s friend Trent and Trent’s roommate all got their egg dye on.

And of course my family can’t just do something for enjoyment. We had to make it a competition. We made Dad judge who’s egg collection was best.

All I’m going to say is that I didn’t win. But I should have.

But I won in the kitchen with this perfect Easter dessert.

You will need…

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons flour

4 eggs divided, yolks lightly beaten and whites stiffly beaten

3 Meyer lemons, zested and juiced (about 1 tablespoon zest and 1/3 cup juice)

¼ cup half and half

Pinch of salt

1 cup blueberries

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, blend together the melted butter, sugar, flour and salt until completely combined.

Add in the egg yolks, lemon juiced, zest and half and half and mix well.

Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites just until combined.

Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish.

Pour the batter into the dish and bake just until set. About 45 minutes.

In the last 5 minutes of baking, pour the blueberries over the cake and finish baking.

Allow the cake to cool and serve warm sprinkled with powdered sugar or topped with a scoop of your favorite ice cream.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Meyer Lemon and Blueberry Pudding Cake 

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar

4 tablespoons flour

4 eggs divided, yolks lightly beaten and whites stiffly beaten

3 Meyer lemons, zested and juiced (about 1 tablespoon zest and 1/3 cup juice)

¼ cup half and half

Pinch of salt

1 cup blueberries

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, blend together the melted butter, sugar, flour and salt until completely combined.

Add in the egg yolks, lemon juiced, zest and half and half and mix well.

Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites just until combined.

Lightly grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish.

Pour the batter into the dish and bake just until set. About 45 minutes.

In the last 5 minutes of baking, pour the blueberries over the cake and finish baking.

Allow the cake to cool and serve warm sprinkled with powdered sugar or topped with a scoop of your favorite ice cream. 

Pronounced coo-gle. Like google but with a K.

Kugels can be made of many things. Traditionally it is either egg noodles or potatoes, but they can also be made with a bunch of other fruits and veggies.

It sounds weird, but there is nothing weird about it.

This is a tasty, hearty potato casserole.

With a tasty shallot surprise.

You will need…

1 cup vegetable oil

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

2 ½ lbs russet potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded

1 small yellow onions, coarsely grated

¼ cup potato starch

½ tablespoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

3 large eggs, beaten

2 large egg yolks, beaten

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup boiling water

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat until shimmering.

Add in the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are golden and crisp. About 6 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shallots to paper towels to dry. Season with salt and pepper and reserve the shallot oil.

Working in batches, squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible from the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl as you go.

Add the grated onions, potato starch, salt, black pepper and nutmeg and stir well.

Then add in the eggs, yolks, olive oil and boiling water and stir well.

Stir in the fried shallots.

Then, heat a 9 x 13 inch flameproof baking dish over high heat on the stove until it is very hot to the touch.

Add in 2 tablespoons of the reserved shallot oil and heat until smoking.

Carefully spread the potato mixture into the baking dish and transfer the potato kugel to the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and then bake for an additional 40 minutes.

Preheat the boiler and then broil the potato kugel as close as possible to the heat for about 2 minutes. Just until they are browned and crisp on top.

Let the kugel stand for 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Potato Kugel with Crispy Fried Shallots 

1 cup vegetable oil

2 large shallots, thinly sliced

2 ½ lbs russet potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded

1 small yellow onions, coarsely grated

¼ cup potato starch

½ tablespoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

3 large eggs, beaten

2 large egg yolks, beaten

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup boiling water

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium high heat until shimmering.

Add in the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are golden and crisp. About 6 minutes.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shallots to paper towels to dry. Season with salt and pepper and reserve the shallot oil.

Working in batches, squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible from the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl as you go.

Add the grated onions, potato starch, salt, black pepper and nutmeg and stir well.

Then add in the eggs, yolks, olive oil and boiling water and stir well.

Stir in the fried shallots.

Then, heat a 9 x 13 inch flameproof baking dish over high heat on the stove until it is very hot to the touch.

Add in 2 tablespoons of the reserved shallot oil and heat until smoking.

Carefully spread the potato mixture into the baking dish and transfer the potato kugel to the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 375 degrees F and then bake for an additional 40 minutes.

Preheat the boiler and then broil the potato kugel as close as possible to the heat for about 2 minutes. Just until they are browned and crisp on top.

Let the kugel stand for 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.