Jupiter and Venus Aligned

Kate and suspended broom

Solstice Crow

Tuesday is the spring solstice.  Jupiter and Venus are in alignment. Here are a couple of pics. I took the broom pic an hour or so ago. Yes, the planets are in alignment.

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Venus-Jupiter Conjunction

Beginning March 12, the two brightest planets in the sky will be so close together that you'll be able to block both of them out with a few fingers held at arm's length. The celestial action peaks Thursday March 15, when Venus and Jupiter line up in what's known as a planetary conjunction.

Venus-Jupiter conjunctions are fairly special events, occurring roughly every 13 months. And this one should be the best conjunction for several years to come for viewers in the Northern Hemisphere, experts say, because the two planets will be visible for so long in the evening sky. At mid-northern latitudes on Thursday, the pair should blaze bright over the western horizon for about four hours after sunset.

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Historic Louisiana Plantation Goes on Auction Block

Mary Plantation, Louisiana

Louisiana River Road Plantation Auction

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Mama Mulate's Oysters and Champagne - a weekend recipe

Mama Mulate, voodoo mambo and character in the mystery novel Big Easy, loves oysters. This is one of her favorite recipes whenever she’s not eating them on the half-shell.

Ingredients

·         24 oysters, in shells ·         1 c fresh cream ·         1 T butter ·         1 c champagne brut ·         3 shallots , finely chopped ·         ¼ lemon, juice only ·         3 egg yolks ·         1 sprig of dill , finely chopped ·         1 dash horseradish ·         1 pinch saffron ·         Pepper to taste

Directions

Place cheesecloth over a bowl. Open the oysters over the bowl and recover all liquid. Separate the oyster shells and reserve the oysters. Combine egg yolks, cream, ½ c champagne, chopped dill, horseradish, saffron and lemon juice. Mix well. Add pepper to taste.

Heat ½ T butter in skillet over medium heat. Add chopped shallots with ½ c of champagne. Reduce the mixture for 5 minutes, or until there is only a small amount of fluid in the pan. Add the cream mixture, egg and oyster liquid to the pan. Reduce by half for about 10 minutes over medium heat while stirring. Don’t let the mixture come to a boil.

Add oysters and poach for 3 minutes. Remove the oysters and place them in their shells. Stir ½ T butter into champagne sauce and whisk vigorously over the heat to combine. Coat each oyster, in its shell, with sauce. 

To stabilize oysters in the oven and keep them parallel with the cookie sheet while cooking, position them on about ¼” of coarse salt. Cook for 3 minutes in preheated oven at 250 °. The sauce should be nicely browned. Serve with toasted French bread.

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Mama Mulate’s Bread Pudding with Jamaican Rum Sauce

You wouldn’t know it by Mama’s slender frame, but she has a real sweettooth. Here is one of her favorite New Orleans’ desserts, along with her own special sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 loaf stale French bread
• ¼ can evaporated milk
• 1 pound butter
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ¼ pound raisins
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons vanilla extract
• ¼ cup brown sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wet the bread and squeeze the water out of it. Melt the butter and mix with all other ingredients. Pour mixture into a well-greased 4 x 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 2 ½ hours. The pudding will rise in the first hour. After an hour, remove pan from oven and stir the mixture to tighten it. Return to the oven for the second hour of cooking.

Jamaican Rum Sauce

Ingredients

• ¼ stick butter, melted
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup Jamaican rum

Directions

Place all ingredients in double boiler and cook for 10 minutes. Beat until fluffy.

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