Lemon & Poppy Seeds Meringue Cake

The flavors of lemon and poppy seeds complement each other beautifully in this cake. I used the Meyer lemons for this recipe, but if they are not available, ordinary lemons will do just as well.

Purple Autumn: Black Lentil Stew with Beets & Fig Balsamic Vinegar

What a beautiful evening it is outside tonight as I write this! The air is still warm enough to be comfortable, but a cool breeze is coaxing the still-vibrant summer vines to dance tonight under the almost full moon. Katydids and crickets are busy making "a little night music" while toads, from tiny to plump, jump from sidewalk to lawn, entertaining our little dog as my husband I stroll with her on our evening walk.

Purple Deviled Eggs

Brunch (breakfast and lunch combined) is American in origin, and the English have adopted it because it fits in well with the modern way of life without upsetting their traditional eating habits too much. Morning tea, breakfast, luncheon, tea and dinner cut up the day too much. Brunch is a good idea for a quick synthesis of two main meals.

Brunch is an ideal Sunday formula for those who like to lie abed, or for week-ends and holidays in the country. It can be served like breakfast from ten onwards and enables the hostess to receive a number of friends almost without effort. As it can nearly all be prepared the day before, the hostess is free of too much preparation in the kitchen and, being substantial, it allows guest time to enjoy their day in the sun, by the sea or in the country, without returning for lunch. Here is a perfect brunch dish - Purple Deviled Eggs. Perhaps for the Easter? -))



Ingredients:

• 6 peeled, hard-boiled eggs
• the juice from a jar of picked beets (store-bought or homemade)
• 1/4 cup of mayo (I like homemade mayonnaise and it's easy to make)
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• paprika to taste
• cilantro, minced

Directions:

Soak hard-boiled eggs in beet juice for 30 mints (if you like your eggs be perplex a lot, leave it for a few hours or overnight). Remove and drain, then slice the eggs in half and gently remove yolks. Combine yolks in a bowl with mayo, mustard, minced cilantro, season with salt and pepper. Then stir until mixture is smooth.



Scoop the mixture into the plastic bag, then snip off a bottom corner and pipe the spiced yolks into the whites.



Sprinkle the eggs with paprika and garnish with cilantro or slice of beet.