What to do with all those Easter Eggs?

From Fabulous Living:

Okay. Easter is over. A good time was had by all. There were chocolates and grand style feasting, and of course, Easter Eggs. Lots and lots of Easter Eggs. So many Easter Eggs. Never have you and your family turned out such masterpieces of Easter art. You just couldn't stop!

But what are you left with after the bunny goes home? A couple of extra pounds from all the chocolate, a pile of brightly colored egg shells and lots and lots of hard boiled eggs.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH ALL THOSE EGGS?

We love coloring eggs as much as anyone. But we HATE wasting food. What follows is a list of ten fabulous things to make with leftover eggs. Oh, by the way, you don't have to wait till Easter to enjoy these recipes.

1. Scotch Eggs -- Britain's favorite bar food makes a great snack, hot or cold.

2. Deviled Eggs -- Why wait till your next party to serve this great hors d'ouervre?

3. Pickled Eggs -- Another pub favorite!

4. Beet Pickled Eggs -- Brightly colored pub food. Yummm!

5. Egg and Arugula Stuffed Tomato -- Cut up a tomato and stuff it with a special egg salad. Almost instant lunch.

6. Egg Salad Sandwich -- A classic: egg salad spread it on bread, topped with lettuce and sliced tomato (pumpernickel bread is especially good).

7. Meatloaf -- Bury a few of hard boiled eggs in a meatloaf for a visual and taste surprise.

8. Potato Salad -- Bet you never think of this favorite picnic side dish until summer, but it makes a great way to use extra boiled eggs now.

9. Cobb Salad -- Eggs add the perfect flavor touch to Hollywood's most famous salad.

10. Scalloped Eggs -- This is an old fashioned recipe that was a favorite in your grandmother's (or great grandmother's) day.

He is Risen!

A blessed Easter to you and yours!

Today's History Lesson

Maria Trapp tells us, "We cannot be grateful enough that the Holy Father, Pope Pius XII, has given us back the ancient Easter night! Even as children, we felt that something was not quite as it should be when the Church broke out early in the morning of Holy Saturday in the three-fold Alleluia, while the Gospel told us that Our Lord was resting the grave to rise on Easter Sunday morning. Now the word of the Holy Father has put things straight, and Holy Saturday has regained its ancient character." [source]

Here's Wikipedia's explanation
In 1951, on an ad experimentum basis, Pope Pius XII introduced the Easter Vigil, a new celebration of Easter night by means of De Solemni Vigilia Paschali Instauranda. This has been highlighted as his most important reform, as the Easter ceremonies are the centre of all Christian faith and life.

In antique times Christians had baptised neophytes during a night-long Vigil preceding Easter Sunday. The celebration concluded after dawn by the offering of Mass. In time this Mass became the Mass of Easter Sunday, which was separated liturgically from the observance of the Easter Vigil, itself being anticipated on the morning of Holy Saturday. This practice of celebrating the Vigil on the morning of Holy Saturday was in place by the twelfth century, after the hour of the liturgical observance had already been moved back bit by bit over preceding centuries.

Pius XII restored the older time for the observance of the ceremonies, but most importantly created a dramatically restructured form of the ceremonies. His re-introduction of the Easter Vigil was generally popular, although it faced a cool reception from prelates like Cardinal Siri of Genoa and Cardinal Spellman of New York. Other Christian denominations adopted the popular Roman Catholic Easter ceremonies in later years, an ecumenical influence of Pius XII. The new Easter Vigil reduces the number of prophecies (Old Testament passages read before the blessing of the font and the Mass) from twelve to four.

The rite for blessing the Paschal Candle was also changed: formerly the deacon would process into the church with a triple-branched candlestick known as the arundo (a symbol of the Blessed Trinity), which would be used to light the Easter Candle. With Bugnini's reform to the Easter Vigil, the Paschal Candle itself is carried in procession and the arundo is suppressed. The Candle is no longer blessed during the singing of the Exsultet, though the liturgical text in question refers to the blessing of the candle. The "renewal of baptismal promises", devised for the new Easter Vigil, introduced into the liturgy of the Mass the principle of vernacularism for the first time. (source)

After her canonization in 1267 this miracle was attributed to Hedwig:

When the son of a prominent judge was still unable to walk at eight years of age, his mother brought the boy to the grave of St. Hedwig in her arms and was praying to St. Hedwig to heal him when, lo!, a miracle happened. In the presence of the priest who baptized him and the abbess of the monastery, the boy suddenly stood up, took an egg that lay before him and walked around the saint's grave. The abbess took other decorated eggs and threw them at the feet of the young boy, compelling him to walk further from the tomb. This miracle is said to have happened near Easter between 1274 and 1287" (p. 107, Polish Customs, Traditions, & Folklore by Sophie Hodorowicz Knab).

[image source]

CLOCHE tip: Catholic Culture

40 Meatless Meals- Spaghetti with Red Clam Sauce

3 cloves of garlic, mashed
1 small onion, diced
1/3 c olive oil
1 t salt
1/2 t red pepper flakes
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I like a lot of texture in sauce, substitute sauce if preferred)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 t parsley
1 10 oz can clams
1 lb spaghetti

Sautee garlic and onion in olive oil, adding salt to draw moisture out of the onion. Stir in pepper flakes, and cook until onion is translucent.

Add crushed tomatoes with liquid and tomato paste. Stir well to combine. Simmer 30 minutes.

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions.

Stir in parsley and clams with clam juice. Cook until heated through; serve on top of spaghetti.

40 Meatless Meals- Seven Vegetable Couscous

4-6 servings of couscous, uncooked
vegetable stock
1 t turmeric
1 t cumin
1 t corriander
1/2 cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, mashed

2 T olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup each of 6 fresh vegetables, chopped
1 14 oz can chickpeas
1/4 cup raisins or chopped dried apricots

Prepare couscous according to package directions, substituting vegetable stock with spices for cooking water.

Meanwhile, sautee fresh vegetables in olive oil until tender, allotting more time for vegetables like potatoes and carrots. Stir in chickpeas and raisins.

Transfer couscous to serving bowl then arrange vegetables on top.

Satisfying the hungry heart

This book takes us into the world of the medieval cook, from the chefs in the great medieval courts and aristocratic households catering for huge feasts, to the peasant wife attempting to feed her family from scarce resources, from cooking at street stalls to working as hired caterers for private functions. It shows how they were presented in the art, literature and moral commentary of the period (valued on some grounds, despised on others), how they functioned, and how they coped with the limitations and the expectations which faced them in different social settings. Particular use is made of their frequent appearance in the margins of illuminated manuscript, whether as decoration, or as a teaching tool. (from Amazon)

Ultimate Church Lady

The Oblate Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus were founded by Mother Teresa Casini in Grottaferrata, Italy on February 2, 1894. They are women who strive to attain union with God by offering their lives for the diocesan priesthood. Their special charism is both spiritual and ministerial. The sisters are called first of all to pray for priestly holiness and to offer the joys and sorrows of their lives for the good of priests. Ministerially, the sisters care for retired and convalescent priests and collaborate with them in parish ministry which includes teaching, directing religious education, hospital visitation and distribution of the Eucharist to the homebound. [website]

Beautiful thought of the day

My professional Church Lady occupation required researching religious communities today, and I came across this lovely passage:

"As he crossed the vast ocean, he dreamed of mounting any pulpit, stepping down any street, stopping into any hovel just to reach them, to touch them, to save them…

He was like many of the other good American priests, but there was something about him, something unique, something special. Was it because he was like the people? Was it because he was one of them, talked like them, used their words, knew their first names? He seemed always to be there. His church and rectory were open from dawn to dusk. Like his people, he, too lived a family life. He prayed and ate and laughed and lived in a home with his Redemptorist family. He waited on tables, washed dishes, did the shopping and sat around at night telling stories…

He looked on his days as days of privilege, wonderful moments of grace and life. He heard the laughter of their weddings, graduations and baptism. He tasted the tears of their sickness and death, their mistakes and sins. He got them out of trouble and into heaven by walking with them as one of them. And they grew old together."

-- Rev. John McGowan, C.Ss.R

40 Meatless Meals: Pierogi

Dough:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream, buttermilk, or plain yogurt
1 cup water (more if required)
butter or oil
salt and pepper

Combine flour, half of the water, eggs, and the sour cream, buttermilk or yogurt in a large bowl.  Stir vigorously to incorporate the eggs.

Slowly stir in the remaining water until a dough begins to form. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead gently, lifting dough to stretch.

Continue lifting and stretching the dough until the dough is smooth and somewhat sticky inside (I don't know what this actually means; just knead it for a little while), about 3 minutes or so. Do not overwork the dough - if it begins to become elastic, allow it to rest 5-10 minutes under an overturned bowl before working with it again.

When the dough has been kneaded enough, place in a storage bag in the refrigerator to rest 20 minutes, or leave on the counter under an overturned bowl 30 minutes, to allow any gluten which may have developed to rest. (I skip this step, and it still works, but it couldn't hurt)

While the dough is resting, you can prepare the filling.

Filling: (this part is totally up to you; I made up this recipe as I went, but there are all sorts of other filling recipes online)
4 potatoes (boiled, mashed, etc.)
1 sm. onion
2 cloves garlic

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and form it into balls 1 1/2 to 2" in diameter. Roll each out with a rolling pin into a 3-3 1/2" round approximately 1/8 inch in thickness. Cover the ones you've made with a damp paper towel as you work.  (It works best if you flour one side and leave one unfloured.  Put the filling on the unfloured one so that the edges stick together when you shut it, and the floured side will keep them from sticking together while you're stacking them up before you boil them.)

Hold the dough in one hand, and place a round ball of filling or spoonful into the center. Fold in half to enclose the filling, and pinch the edges securely together. Use water to help with the sealing, if necessary.  Don't allow filling to touch the edges to avoid an imperfect seal. Be sure there are no openings along the edges, or the filling will boil out.

Boil a large pot of salted water as you continue to fill the remaining pierogi until all the ingredients run out. As you work, place a sheet of waxed paper dusted lightly with flour or corn meal over and between the pierogi layers until ready to boil.

Cooking: Gently lower pierogi into rapidly boiling water 3-5 at a time and cook for a few minutes until they float to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and continue til all are cooked. Saute in butter (or oil) until lightly brown on outside.

An alternative to cooking these in water is to boil them in the broth remaining from a boiled ham, or in chicken broth.

After you boil them, they can be frozen and then reboiled/sauteed later.