Sylvia's Scenario

Our dessert for Easter will be these little coconut cream pies in jars that I made tonight. I used wide mouth 8 ounce mason jars which are the perfect portion size. My peeps bird's nests are also finished along with the table center piece; ready for the celebration tomorrow. I used some of our natural Easter eggs for our center piece along with some wheat grass and a lovely Easter bow. Eating coconut cream pie that look more like a bird's nest fits the theme for tomorrow. Recipe from "Dessert in Jars" by Shaina Olmanson Makes 6 servings 6 wide mouth 8-ounce jars For the Crust: 2-1/2 cups flour 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 cup (2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter, diced 4-7 Tbsp. ice cold water For the Pies: 5 large eggs, separated 1 cup sugar 3 cups milk 1/4 cup cornstarch 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. coconut extract, optional 1 cup coconut, plus more for topping mini candy eggs, for garnish 1. ...

I got out my Easter decorations today.  I always look at each one and remember all the memories that surround them like these little peek-inside confectionery eggs that the kids just loved.  This one was blue but you can see how it's faded over the years. I have my favorite candy dish to hold my favorite Hershey's candy-coated chocolate eggs.  I have my favorite ski bunny that is from the time I use to ski before I injured my knees.  He has his permanent place on top my favorite Easter basket that looks like a real bird's nest.  (Those eggs are fake but again, more of my favorites.  I display them all year in a cute little basket but at Easter, they get the honorary place in my favorite Easter basket.)  I also have favorite egg holders that get a spot at each place setting for Easter dinner. You can see they are not perfect, a little quirky which makes them unique and that's why they're my fa...

Easter is in the air. That means Spring is in the air, too.  We are so eager for Spring around here so yesterday    I made these, not for Easter, but for a going-away gift for my intern at work.  Today, I gave them to her to congratulate her for all her hard work.   I was hoping she would still have some left by the end of the day to enjoy at home.  She did.  But she admitted, "you can't eat just one!" She confessed they were the best sugar cookies she'd ever tasted.  The recipe is none other than my  sugar cookie recipe .   1.  Use a bunny cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. 2.  Sprinkle with colored sugar. 3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes. 4.  Remove from oven and let cool on cooling racks. 5.  Tie a colorful pastel 1/8-inch ribbon around each one. My intern has a Dutch rabbit as a pet at home so I enjoyed talking to her about it because Lauren had rabbits for 4-H for many years.  He...

We have a new addition to our household after 9 months since Puppy left us. We now have another dog running around our house! And she is a cutie, too. Her name is Mesa and she actually belongs to our niece, Claire. We are just taking care of her until the end of September while Claire works a summer job on a resort ranch in Montana. Claire was here for a couple days before she took off for her new job so Carol came over and we had margaritas and homemade corn tortillas . Sort of a mini Mexican feast. Mesa's story started in New Mexico where she lived in a pack of stray dogs until Claire rescued her last summer. She is such a mild mannered dog for living in a pack. She desires a home. Claire worked at a horse camp in Wyoming last summer and then traveled around the West until October. She ended up here at the end of her travels when we first met Mesa. Then the two of them flew home to Maryland. (She left her car here until they returned) W...

Nick is working in Japan again this year for 6 months and yesterday he sent us photos of a stop at McDonald's where he ordered the "Idaho Burger".    McDonald's has launched a campaign in Japan the past few years featuring "Big American" burgers that are suppose to evoke the places they are named after. This year they are featuring the 'All Stars' edition bringing back the most popular items from the last 3 years. Luckily for us in the States, we will not be offered these concoctions since McDonald's is actually trying to offer more healthful choices in the face of our obesity epidemic. But for healthy-minded countries such as Japan, McDonald's have found that they are willing to gorge as long as it tastes good. Sound familiar? The Japanese aren't that different from us after all! The first release of the Big American burgers was in 2010 with each burger topped with garnishes that were regional - at least regional enoug...