Easter

I had a wonderful Easter. This year I just really wanted to make pie (banana cream and lemon meringue), roast some veggies, and have a big meal. John's parents, Ann and Roger, brother Michael, and my co-worker Monica, joined us here in Oak Park for Easter brunch. Monica brought some delicious smoked salmon, Ann brought some ham from Wisconsin. We ate a lot and spent sometime talking and took a stroll around the neighborhood.

For some decorations I colored 24 blown eggs with 24 different hues of glitter. I was really thrilled at how they turned out. I'm happy I'll be able to use them for years to come. I also pulled out some molded faux chocolate bunnies I made two years ago. They were a big hit and good conversation pieces. John hadn't seen them for a while and had to do a double-take to make sure they weren't real chocolate. 

Spring is great time and a wonderful season to celebrate. It's nice to take time to notice the changes in the seasons and have great company to go with it.

E. Dehillerin

In planning my trip with John to Paris, I wanted to bring something special home that would be hard to find in the States. After doing a little online research I found a wonderful old store called E. Dehillerin in the Les Halles neighborhood. The store was also an old stomping ground for Julia Child, which offered another layer of interest to me. After months of pining and considering something I could bring home, I had decided to try to get a copper mold to make cakes and form ice cream in. However, the reality of such a quirky store is that the number of molds they had in stock was very low and I didn't see anything I was interested in. The store was still a very charming place to visit to get a sense of the culinary tools many local professional chefs and students need for their cooking.  So I didn't get a cooking souvenir from Dehillerin, but luckily I found another cooking store called Mora (more modern in format) that sold amazing professional-grade chocolate molds. I hope to use the mold soon in the future and I will definitely share the results here.

Inside Mora:
 

An Easter Surprise

The Great Bunny Reveal

I really wanted to have a very fun Easter this year and I figured it would be fun to have an elaborate project to focus on.  I really am trying to investigate molds this year as a hobby, as an artistic learning experience, and for decorative purposes.  For Easter, I chose to make some faux chocolate bunnies that I can use year-after-year (with zero calories-ha)!  

I purchased some inexpensive molds online, used wood-putty for my molding medium, and began my bunny endeavor.  Through the learning process I discovered that the putty was messy to use, I could avoid air bubbles by using coffee stirrers, and that the putty should be a pancake-like consistency when pouring.

After the molds were set I primed the bunnies with white acrylic paint and then I used a combination of burnt sienna, burnt umber, and white paint to make a perfect chocolate-like color.  

Below are photos of my project, which was such a treat to create and put together.  I hope to make a larger bunny next year. 

The putty dries quickly

Almost there...

Ta-da!  The final presentation!

Can you tell the difference between the real and fake bunnies?

Christmas in Portland (Part 3)

I promise that this is the last 'Christmas in Portland' blog entry for this year (but you-never-know).  Portland just keeps offering great festive happenings that are so great to share.  

This week it's Peacock lane.  On the east side of the city, there's a small historic neighborhood, and for three blocks all the little picturesque houses are all tastefully decked out in lights and lawn ornaments.  The houses each had their distinctive flair that included favorite pop-holiday references like The Nightmare Before Christmas, A Muppet Christmas Carol, Peanuts, and even Star Wars.  It was great seeing lots of children and families enjoying the lights, and the neighborhood had small hut to give out hot chocolate.  

Take a look:

This fall has been so wonderful getting introduced to Portland and it's been especially wonderful around Christmastime.  I'd really like to send a big thank-you to all of my friends and family who've been so supportive.  

Happy Holidays
and

a very

FANCY Christmas!