I just died and went to lemon curd heaven

So tonight when I should have been getting ready for bed, I decided to make lemon curd instead. (Clearly a better use of time!)

Making this recipe was more an exercise in curiosity rather than an expectation, but I think I may have hit on an excellent (albeit occasional) staple. Just the term "lemon curd" sounds a bit fussy and impractical, but it really was quite simple. The recipe just calls for egg yolks, sugar, and lemons - things I almost always have on hand. Yes, the amounts of said ingredients are a bit off-putting at first, but it tastes dang amazing (although pretty much anything does if you put enough butter in it!). I found myself eating the last bits right out of the pan with a spoon, and then scraping down pan with a rubber spatula to get at the very last spoonful. It is that good. (I may even have snitched a few spoonfuls out of the jar. . . because that is how I roll).

A few thoughts:

• The curd is a bit on the lemon-y side, and although I quite like it that way, you might consider slightly reducing the amount of lemon juice if you prefer things less tart.
• The recipe also suggests straining the curd after it is done. I normally get annoyed by and skip these types of steps. I tend to see them as overly fussy (for example, I don't think I've EVER mixed my dry and wet ingredients separately), however I decided to strain this curd on a whim and I'm glad I did. There was a noticeable difference between the strained curd and the curd I sampled (I mean. . .cleaned out) from the pan (ahem).
• I haven't quite decided how I'm going to use this jar of heaven, although it will likely end up on ice cream or over some breakfast food goodness, but I think it would be outstanding in a trifle. I'll let you know what I decide.
• Once raspberries are in season, I'd love folding raspberry puree into it (like this version.) I think it would also be very tasty with a mixed berry puree, or with other citrus juices (like lime or grapefruit).

Happy cooking!

March Madness

I love this time of year. The weather is nearly perfect right now and I want to spend every waking moment outdoors. It's my March Madness. Safe to say, not much work is getting done 'round these parts. I am extremely affected by the weather - much more so than I care to admit. Just one cloudy day puts me into a funk that only a good dose of prolonged sunshine can cure. (Three days without sunshine? Well, it ain't pretty.) When the sky is deep blue and sunny with just a few gorgeous clouds and the weather is barely into the 80's and cool (but not cold!) and breezy at night, I feel I'm at Nirvana's doorstep. I want to melt into a thousand pieces and perch myself into blossoming apricot trees and plum trees and beds of daffodils until I melt away in the sunshine. Aaah.

I'm trying to pretend this slice of perfection won't be followed by months of living in an oven.

Unrelated:

• If, like me, brackets to you are merely grammatical and seeding proceeds home grown basil, this is for you. Pick your teams by color scheme or mascot? Yes please.
• Have you seen this new collection ? (Scroll down a bit.) Oh my. Oh my oh my. Oh. My.
• I really want to try this for an upcoming family gathering. Maybe I'm just getting in touch with my Tennessee roots, but I think it looks fun! (Maybe this, too.)
• I made my sister a lovely throw pillow for her birthday. So easy! Since it turned out so well and I'm now way too confident in my meager sewing skills, I'd love to try this. (But I probably won't.)

On a more somber note:

• If you're as horrified by the disaster in Japan, check out this nice list of organizations that are helping out in Japan.
• The disaster also has me thinking long and hard about all the warnings LDS Church leaders have given us over the years about being prepared for events such as this. Thank heavens for good counsel. Now to just follow it. . .

Yet Another Reason I Love NPR

Thanks to my local NPR affiliate, I am know the proud owner of 2 (two) tickets to the Josh Groban concert in Las Vegas.

August 20th cannot come fast enough!

P.S. To all you music people out there, I know exactly what you're thinking. Don't judge - he's my guilty pleasure! :)