Eliana Drawing Humpty on a Blown Egg

Humpty Dumpty Egg-Splodes - Blown Egg Humpty
This is a great book by author and illustrator, Kevin O’Malley. Kevin has a wonderful sense of humor (in person and in books). The story begins with a man telling a story… Humpty Dumpty is ginormous and he’s on a rampage. This book is a uproarious romp through Nursery Land with spoofs of nearly every nursery rhyme you can think of. And the end is the stuff made of legends. A great book for boys but equally fun for girls too. Incidentally, Kevin O’Malley won the 2008 Louisiana Young Readers Choice Awards for his book, Once Upon a Motorcycle Dude.

Materials:
Raw egg at room temperature
Pin or Sewing Needle
Pencil
Ultra-thin permanent marker
Colored markers
1X5″ strip of construction paper

Directions:
With a pin or sewing needle poke a hole at each end of the egg. Over the sink or a bowl, blow into one side of the egg. The egg’s insides will emerge out of the other end. Rinse thoroughly then dry in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or bake in an oven for 15 minutes at 275 degrees. The heat will sterilize the egg and harden it further. With a pencil, draw Humpty’s face on the egg. Humpty’s expressions in the book are fun and easy to copy. Next, trace over the pencil with a permanent marker. Color the egg with colored markers. Take the strip of construction paper and tape it into a circle, creating a base for the egg to sit on. We used two eggs (Eliana did one and I did one) and didn’t even waste an egg! This was an egg-citing, egg-ceptional craft!

Egg-ceptional Humpty Dumpty X 2 (Eliana's is on the right)

Until next time…

Warmly, Dianne

Friends:

Today is the first Friday of Lent. In the Catholic tradition, we don’t eat meat on Fridays. So my family requested one of their favorite recipes, my original Tomato Basil Bisque. It is delicious and hearty. Without the addition of half-n-half, it can also be a very diet-friendly recipe.

Tomato Basil Bisque by Dianne de Las Casas

Ingredients:
20 medium-size vine-ripened tomatoes or 25 ripe roma tomatoes, diced into small cubes
1 c. water
4 boullion cubes
2 tubs of ready-made pesto
1/2 c. grated aged parmesan cheese
1 c. grated Italian blend cheeses
1 c. half-n-half
1 tbsp. dry basil
1 tbsp. garlic powder
3 heaping tbsp. minced garlic
Box of cheese straws
1 tsp. white pepper
Salt to taste

Preparation:
In a large pot, sautee’ minced garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil for about a minute or two. Add diced tomatoes and cook down until there is a visible amount of liquid in the pot. Add 1 cup of water and the four boullion cubes. Add all the dry ingredients. Let simmer for about 15 minutes. Then add the cheeses and pesto. Puree’ the soup with a Thunder Stick or in a blender. Once the mixture is pureed, add the half-n-half, stirring it and mixing it well. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to marry and the bisque to thicken. Salt to taste.

Serve hot, garnished with shredded cheese on top and cheese straws. A side salad makes a nice accompaniment. I like to leave the bisque chunky (with the basil and tomato skins inside). You can opt to strain it although I find it loses some of its character and flavor. It’s a delicious meal perfect for a chilly day. Makes 20 servings so you can feed a large group or save some for lunch! It would be perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich! Mmmmm.

Friends,

Today, I laid down for an afternoon nap (what a luxury). My husband, Antonio, awoke me with a surprise dinner! He grilled New York strip with a homemade spicy Latin rub topped with a garlic herb butter, sauteed spinach, cheddar-stuffed grilled poblano peppers, and ripe roma tomatoes. All of this was finished with a glass of Riesling. Take a look…

Mmmmm! The steak was cooked just the way I like it - medium with a hot pink center. For Christmas, Antonio and I treated each other to the “Outdoor Gourmet” gas grill. It’s so nice - lot of storage, four burners, a granite countertop, and a side burner. We’ve been using this bad boy every week, grilling the most delicious meals!

We love entertaining so the gas grill is a perfect addition to our newly renovated kitchen. Here’s a pic…

This is a picture of my red wall… Red is my favorite color and I’ve always wanted to have a red wall in my house. It’s so SPICY! Studies show that red stimulates appetite so it’s a perfect color for the kitchen. The kitchen table is configured to seat six but we have a leaf that enlarges it to comfortably seat eight with plenty of space in the middle for food!

The other feature I love about this kitchen is the tile backsplash I designed.

It’s not a huge kitchen but it’s tricked out with some cool features such as Cherry cabinets, the Quartz countertop (better than granite - never needs sealing and contains Microban), a tilt-out to hide the sponges, a pull-out spice rack, and anti-slam drawers that glide to a smooth close. It’s a little dream kitchen but it’s my dream kitchen.

So if you’re ready for cuisine thats “yummy in your tummy,” come and visit us in New Orleans! We’ll treat you to Southern hospitality and fabulous food with our indoor and outdoor kitchens!

Warmly, Dianne