This past week has been a complete whirlwind of activity and emotions!

First of all, I got a preview of my upcoming “empty nest”…Alyson spent a week vacationing in Myrtle Beach with family.  She’s only been away one other time and that was for 4 days at Girl Scouts Camp.  I missed my baby but fortunately I was getting ready to attend the Fancy Food Show in D. C. so I had a lot going on to keep me busy.

A few months ago, I participated in the Saucy Mama Fab with Five contest and got to know the folks at Saucy Mama.  Although I did not win, they were kind enough to extend an invitation for me to prepare the dish, Pan Asian Grilled Scallops Salad, at their booth in the Fancy Food Show!  They even encouraged me to secure a press pass for the event.  Me? Press Pass???  Sure enough, ShawnsPlate.com qualified!  From beginning to end, I had a great time…When I signed in for the actual press pass, Jennifer, who managed the press applications for NASFT, greeted me and she actually knew my blog and gave me some wonderful compliments!  Then, it was on to find the Saucy Mama booth…I met Suzie, the original Saucy Mama! Collette & Kelly the dynamos who work so hard making it happen!  Suzie and I cooked the scallops, made the salads, and served the visitors…Everyone enjoyed 🙂

Suzie: The original Saucy Mama and me cooking at the Fancy Food Show D. C.

There were some great exhibits!  I saw everything from MoonPies to a Jelly Belly Mosaic of Harry Potter!  Iron Chef Cat Cora was there…She was serving up food made with her line of sauces.  She actually handed me a sample…Grilled chicken, green olives, onion, and her sauce.  She’s tiny!

Back at home, I wanted to do something special for Alyson.  She loves what she calls ‘breakfast delectables’…I think she imagines that buffet from the A Little Princess movie(She knows the remake…The Shirley Temple original is my favorite).  I decided to make lemon curd to serve with toast, blueberries and cream cheese this morning!  What could be more delectable?!

Just a few ingredients and a little time…you can have something delectable!

Completely & thoroughly beating the mixture before cooking is the key to great texture.

After cooking, strain hot curd into a bowl…you want to catch the lemon zest and any separated particles.

Never seen vanilla in lemon curd?  It’s good…trust me, I’m southern 🙂

Served with toast, cream cheese, and blueberries…Yes, it’s delectable!

Lemon Curd
makes 1 1/2 cups

2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
3/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, strained
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract(trust me, I’m southern)

In a bowl, whisk together eggs, yolk, sugar, and salt until completely blended, no separate specks of egg showing.  Stir in lemon juice and zest, and transfer to a heavy saucepan.  Add butter pieces to mixture and heat on low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened and holds the marks of the spoon when stirred.  Pour hot mixture through a fine strainer into a heatproof bowl.  Stir in vanilla.  Cover and chill 2-4 hours before serving.