this land is your land

remembering Bob....

Earth Day, Mendham Commons

when life gives you lemons...

my father is turning 88 years young tomorrow!

we will not be sharing a family dinner in new jersey but my mom is of course making him his favorite, lemon meringue pie.

he is a lucky guy to have her.

we are a lucky family to have him.

happy birthday, bob!

stay home!!

eat pie!

lemon meringue pie, from mary cooks....

mary cooks continued: Easter egg cake and frosting recipes

hi again, fellow quarantinistas!

so, i found a great photo of my mother's mini egg cakes and also haver her reply to the questions posed in my pre Easter blog post asking her for the recipe and frosting details.

https://fashion-is-love-nyc.blogspot.com/2020/04/mary-had-little-lamb.html

she writes from isolation with my father in New Jersey:

Hi,

The cake is a Dromedary pound cake (sadly extinct!) (she uses Betty Crocker now) 

The cookies are in the book--Veronica's Xmas cookies!  (referring to the cookies i asked about) 

The icing recipe is as follows: 

1 cup granulated sugar.

1/4 cup  unsalted margarine

1/4 cup shortening (I use Crisco)

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk

3 cups confectioner's sugar

1 1/4 t. almond extract

Food coloring

Combine first five ingredients in saucepan.   Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring  constantly.  

boil vigorously 1 minute.   Remove from heat.   Beat in XXX sugar  and  almond  flavoring until smooth.

Tint with food coloring as desired.  Cool 2 or 3 minutes or until icing is a good consistency to use.

Using fork to hold cakes, cover top and sides with icing.  If icing gets too thick to pour over cake, reheat a fews seconds in microwave!  

If Decorating tops of cakes with rosettes, use buttercream icing!     

For chocolate glaze I use Shirley's glaze :  

XOXX Mom

Mary's mini egg cakes, Easter, 2017

here as well is the recipe for Shirley's chocolate glaze: 

1 pkg. (4 ounces) sweet chocolate (German's) or

3/4 cup chocolate chips

1 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. water

1 cup powdered sugar

dash of salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Break chocolate and melt with butter and water. Remove from heat. 

Beat in sugar and salt til smooth . Stir in vanilla.

and the buttercream icing is:

3 cups XXX sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1t. vanilla
1-2 TBSP heavy cream (or milk)

Cream together butter and sugar. add vanilla then gradually add milk to desired consistency.

p.s. she adds, if you are doing icing for fewer eggs (i made 55 last time) you can probably half the recipe. or use leftover to ice cupcakes when you make them. (it can be frozen).



and while we are at it, Veronica's Christmas Cookies recipe follows as per below.
if you cannot read it clearly, let me know and i can always type it out for you! it is obviously adaptable to Easter, Valentine's Day, or any holiday or occasion for which you have a favorite cookie cutter!

butter cookies recipe
mary, with her granddaughters abby and charlotte and my sister eleanor

really. mom?  55 mini egg cakes?!  extraordinary!
xx

bunny hop

Easter blessings to all.

now, back to my reading....

riverside drive....
#stayhome
#staysafe

stand by me

Royal Wedding, courtesy CNN, st george's chapel 

all kinds of cookies on Christmas

and cake, too...

Mendham, NJ

two views of shoes

Great House, Summit, NJ

boy meets girl

Dear Dad,

I am so glad things did not work out with that Smith or Holyoke girl you dated before meeting our Mary through Christy and John Rinehart in the spring of '57!

Happy Father's Day! Thank you for your grace, elegance, intelligence, humor, style and hard work!

Sunday allowance was always something I loved about you, too....

xx

Bob meets Mary, Georgetown, 1957

Animal Crackers

when i went home to New Jersey on Sunday, i was surprised by the plate of cookies my mother the gourmet presented following lunch.  

the chocolate Thin Mints were not the surprise, my father has always loved them and we used to stock up on them when Girl Scout fundraising season rolled around each year. 

Animal Crackers? i asked.

yes, my mother replied, popping one into her mouth. 

really?  i asked. 

we like them. from a bag, not a box. she clarified matter of factly.

times really do change...

Sunday, Mendham NJ 

mother's day!

I am embarrassed to confess that I do not know the story behind the car, the dress or the locale but the girl is my mom, Mary!

When the sun comes out somewhere this spring, we plan to meet up and I can then get the details on the photo!

Happy Mother's Day!!

mary

moving day

 off to the big event...

daily bread

Rain or snow, it is Easter! and spring!

My Italian mother, Mary Rose Catherine Benedict Tina Crisera Bush, makes many exquisite confections for this holiday, including chocolate and lemon glazed egg-shaped mini cakes and a pound cake in a lamb shaped mold, smothered in coconut dusted marshmallow cream icing.

My favorite? the authentic, buttery, Italian holiday "basket" bread, Casatielli -- melt in your mouth magic for Easter breakfast.

An added surprise? the egg tucked into the "bread basket" before baking!

Thanks, Mom, and Uncle Richard, for perfecting this recipe and passing it down from Grandma Marie (and Naples) to all of us!

excerpted from Mary Cooks, a food memoir (forever in progress) about my mom, Mary!