Easter

We celebrated Easter this year in a really mellow way. Dan, Maddie and went to church down the street.....Grandma stayed home with a napping Charlotte. We ate left overs for lunch and then Maddie hunted for Easter eggs in our front yard. She got her basket with a few toys and some chocolate (her favorite) and of course an Easter bunny! Charlotte did not get a basket or a bunny because she doesn't know what was even going on, but she did enjoy eggs....both plastic and real! We discovered that Maddie LOVES her some hard boiled eggs. We made 18 and I swear that she has eaten at least 10 of them!! We had a lovely dinner of grilled steaks and roasted sweet potatoes and asparagus. It was a really great day!! Too bad it was Grandma's last day with us. I think all the hard boiled eggs are gone, and most of Maddie's chocolate is gone too. I think next year when both girls can enjoy the festivites will be delightful! Until then, enjoy my roasted sweet potato recipe. Delicious!!!

Easter basket

Egg hunting

These purple flowers are chocolate chip plants

Sisters

Playing with tiny chickies

Roasted sweet potatoes

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Red Onions, Rosemary, and Parmesan
(Makes 4 servings, slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, November 2002)

4 large or 6 medium tan-fleshed sweet potatoes (white skin)
3 medium red onions
3 T olive oil
2 T finely chopped fresh rosemary, divided
1 tsp. salt
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
2-3 T chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F and cover a flat roasting pan with foil, then spray foil with non-stick spray or mist with olive oil.

Peel potatoes and remove skin from onions. (Sweet potatoes could also probably be left unpeeled, but I did peel them.) Cut sweet potatoes and onions into same-size pieces about 1 inch square. Place in plastic bowl and toss with olive oil, 1 T chopped rosemary, salt or sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Arrange in single layer on roasting pan and roast until vegetables are cooked through and slightly browned, about 45 minutes or longer. (I actually roasted my sweet potatoes and onions in the photo for about exactly an hour, but I like them a little crisp and well-browned.)

Combine fresh-grated parmesan and finely chopped rosemary in small bowl. Remove vegetables from oven and toss with parmesan-rosemary mixture. Serve hot, sprinkled with fresh parsley if desired.