Easter Feast with Seduction Spinach Gratin

Holy Week is making me long for family and spring blooms. This is a mashup of past pics of my godmother's home, an avid SHF reader, and Eric's sweet family Easter meal from a few years ago. 

Dogwoods have the most beautiful Easter story.

Redbuds always make me think of my sweet Momma. We would drive and she yells in a hello sort of whistle, "Redbud, redbud."

Jeano is the best cook. She roasted lamb a few years ago for our Easter feast, but my favorite memory was of her crab meat stuffed Rockfish. No lasting photos of that sucker sadly.

I look forward to this coming Stone Hill spring. 

We've got a few more weeks for these bright green leaves.

One of my favorite treats is creamed spinach. McCall nicknamed my mother's creamed spinach recipe "Seduction Spinach". It's bizarre I haven't posted the recipe here. I guess because it is so easy that I have it memorized. 

Seduction Spinach, KTPunks Mommy

(1) huge box of fresh baby spinach or (4) frozen boxes of chopped spinach

You can also mix a few boxes of the frozen with a few large handfuls of fresh. The stuff wilts like crazy.

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

Light dusting of flour to make a roux

2 tablespoons chopped horseradish

salt and nutmeg to taste

lemon squeeze

If you are using frozen spinach, cook in a sauce pan with just the frozen blocks of spinach. Let them melt the ice and cook down the water as much as possible. Pour off water if there is too much. If you defrost the spinach box beforehand squeeze as much water out of the box by cutting a little hole in the corner. The less water the better. 

Once spinach is wilted and cooked down, remove any big stems. Add butter. Melt and mix spinach and butter. I sometimes add shallots if I have them but not necessary. Push spinach to side and add flour. Cook flour and butter mixture and add cream to make a roux. Once the roux thickens mix the spinach back in. Add horseradish and seasoning. I love nutmeg in this but you can leave it out. It should be spicy so if two tablespoons isn't enough, put in another heap and you are golden.

Ina's Spinach Gratin

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
4 cups chopped yellow onions (2 large)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
About 3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 10-ounce packages)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Add the cream and milk and cook until thickened.

Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season to taste with the salt and pepper.

Transfer the spinach to a baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyère on top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately. 

If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. Follow Ina's recipes to the fraction of the ounce. She tests and retests her recipes so that they are foolproof. I truly don't know of any other cookbooks that are so well tested. I added WAY too much cheese in this recipe and it turned greasy (see last photo). I'm a glutton for Gruyere and it was a hot mess of oil. Bad Nellie. In Ina We Trust. 

In this recipe she suggests making the roux first. You know your roux is ready when you can drag a spoon through it.

Then she adds the squeezed out spinach.

I added horseradish to make it "a la seduction" spinach.

Just use the 1/2 cup of Gruyere.

This was the problem. I added at least a full cup on the top.

It was still delicious but the half cup would have been less oily and more crispy. Yum. Crispy Seduction Spinach Gratin.

Family meals at the Somerville's are always wonderful. Kim makes her famous potato salad and Aunt Barbara usually makes her 4 cheese mac and cheese. 

Good memories from a few years ago.

Sending good Easter Feast vibes your way as you plan your menus this week.

McSunset

Driving to DC or Virginia from Baltimore can be such a chore. This 33 mile jaunt can some times take an hour and a half or more with traffic. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was taking so long on the DC Beltway as I didn't see an accident warning.  After a crest in the road I finally realized it was the SUNSET.

Literally the sun setting was blinding the outer loop drivers to a screeching halt. 

I would have been okay with this if it weren't for a very important going away party I was now late for due to the sun.

Then I saw this glorious site. I gasped for air and was so thankful I had my camera at the ready. God was delaying me. Slowing me down to bid farewell to one of my closest friends of all time. 

Were other drivers doing the same thing...taking photos of the Mormon Temple sunset?

It was a breath taking sunset and I know my Momma will be so proud of me. She is the sunset queen.

Traffic let up the minute the sun went down.

Thank the heavenly sunset I made it in time to kiss the squeaky clean Bird before going night night.

DC's most patriotic couple is heading to the Best (Left) Coast! It's beyond difficult to even cuss and discuss this loss of proximity to our pals.

McCall and Tyson are leaving for Southern California to rear the Bird closer to their families. They are both from California. We are so thrilled for them. But what will I do without my bestie who invented Diva Doubles, Diva Dinners and is Smart and Glamorous and Knows All of the Answers?  Sadness.

The buffet was decked in Red, White and Blue.

McCall was the hostess with the mostess looking smashingly June Cleaver'esque in her black cocktail dress and bow headband.

The food was even Star Spangled.

Beach house pals we've know for over 13 years were in tow telling very funny stories.

There are not enough words to explain this photo. Just know this old friend was wearing his baby spit up as a badge of honor on his cashmere sweater.

I donned my most favorite martini glass GTH pants and posed with my Dewey Beach Babes. There were 32 of us in the house on McKinnley a jillion years ago. A few of us were there to represent for the going away party.

Our other very dear DC friends, Kristen and Tom, came to The Party in Kalamazoo (our wedding). Kristen and McCall went to college together in Cali.

Some of McCall's oldest Capitol Hill friends came to kiss them goodbye as well.

As DC is one of the most transient cities in all of the Union, McCall would always buy a photo book for going away parties. I carried on her tradition and got one for this very special going away party. Sigh. 

She has names for everything and KNH and I couldn't remember the nickname for her first apartment. It could have been any of the following; McMinny Apt, McCottage, McCapitol Chambers...but alas, we all McForgot the name.

Bryn was reading her husband Charlie's hilarious comment about how he was glad they were leaving. Which is a lie. None of us are happy they are leaving. We are all weeping ourselves to sleep as of late.

Her husband Charlie was even close to jumping into the pool in protest. If you remember from my earlier post this year McCall and Tyson JUST purchased this six months ago. They close next week. God opened every imaginable door for them to move and took care of business FAST. 

Despite the reason for the gathering we all managed to pull it together and have a good time. There was a crispness to the night and we could tell that fall was nipping at our heels.

Tyson had a few friends show up from the Marine Corps. He has a BRONZE STAR and is a real live American hero. In the six months they've lived in Great Falls they have already befriended great neighbors. We will all miss this house and this hood, the yard and the pool. God's lighthouse was the nickname for this bad boy. Shining light on all who enter, truly.

Charlie went to check on the Bird who he heard on the baby monitor.

The Bird was fast asleep.

This gal pal is like a sister to me. We were in each others weddings and we just love each other to pieces. I'm in complete denial that they are really leaving and burst into tears upon arrival the night of the party. Thank heavens I was the first to arrive and could buck up for the party. 

Avery's, what can we say? We are so happy that the Bird will be able to grow up going to yoga with Pooty and learn how to play tennis from Caren Cam. We are thrilled she'll be able to know her cousins, hang with Kevin from Heaven, Aunt Cheetah and learn all about the family wine business. Tyson, we couldn't be happier that you'll be able to catch waves on your lunch break in the Pacific. McCollege, I'm just going to miss hugging your face so much but can't wait for our SoCal vacays and long walks on the beaches with you. We love you and wish you the most peaceful move ever. God bless you friends!