Happy Easter and Tie Dye Act II

Hope everybody had a wonderful Easter or Passover this week! As usual we ate too much
On the menu....spiral cut ham, pineapple rings,



Best Ever Rolls (Randy's Mom's recipe),



Luscious potato casserole (See recipe HERE),


and a new to me Asparagus with Buttery Bread Crumbs.


We also had deviled eggs that somehow didn't make it out of the fridge! Snack for me tomorrow :-)

Asparagus with Buttery Bread Crumbs
adapted from this recipe found on Serious Eats

1.5 pounds asparagus
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 clove garlic, crushed with a chef's knife

1. Wash, dry and trim off the woody bottom portion of the asparagus.

2. In a large zip-top plastic bag (if you're an earth murderer like me) or a long, shallow dish, combine the olive oil, vinegar, lemon zest and juice, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper, and crushed clove of garlic. Add the asparagus and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or in the fridge for as long as you like.

3. After marinades, saute asparagus until tender (I added a bit of water to make them more tender).

4. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until the crumbs take on an amber color and smell like you couldn't possibly resist eating them by the spoonful. Serve the asparagus with crumbs sprinkled over top.

There are two Easter traditions that I love...dying eggs and Pocking them. Now I know that most of you know what dying eggs is, but only a handful of you know about pocking. See my Luscious Potato casserole from last year above for details. And stayed tuned below for this years winner. Last year I tried a silk dying method of egg coloring using some old ties that I've collected that produced some pretty cool results so I thought I would give it a try again this year.


Its kind of hit and miss since some of the dyes adhere less than others.



I blew a few of the eggs so that I wouldn't have to throw them away if they turned out. Luckily some of my favorites ended up being the blown eggs. Including this groovy one.



The effect is really neat and on some looks a lot like tye dye



But on others you get a LOT more detail


The shiny shell is simply vegetable oil rubbed on



I wish I knew how to get the fabric on a little smoother because you get white spaces where the wrinkles are


Which can actually create a neat look on some eggs



I guess in a way it adds to the look




I love having a chance to use my Deviled Egg dish


And some of my egg cups



I think the Easter Bunny likes them too


Because he left a few in our baskets


So because the dyes on these eggs are not necessarily food safe (not really sure?) I boiled a few more eggs to eat. I ran out of time so didn't dye these. So the pocking contest was a little dull....especially since I DIDN'T win!!!! Randy won again!!! Dang him.


I'm joining in over at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday! Check it out HERE.