For us, Easter Sunday did not go as planned. Eager to start the morning off on the right foot, the family woke up early and headed up to church for 7:30am Mass. Ready to participate in and enjoy the early morning Easter service, we settled into our pew and began the day. Half way through the service, Leah decided she was apparently not in the mood for church and started misbehaving. And, if you know Leah, when she decides she doesn’t want to do something or be somewhere she let’s the whole world know.
I quickly tried to hush her and took her out into the lobby. Stares from old grouchy women and judgmental people who forgot what it is like to have a 2 year old in church were plenty. Towards the end of mass when Leah and I were still in the lobby of church, I saw Nick peek back at me through the glass doors and I signaled that Leah and I were heading home… hopefully to wear her out on the walk so she would at least behave the rest of the day.
When everyone got home, we did our best to try and recover from the scene at church. Putting back on our happy faces, we went outside and let the kids find the eggs in the yard the Easter Bunny had left for them. Things were looking up and all was well for the rest of the morning! A small blip in the morning at church, but we recovered. I was feeling confident… yay us!
“Yay, us!” lasted until about 1pm that afternoon. Nick and I spent most of the day cooking, getting ready to welcome our good friends and neighbors over for a late Easter lunch / early dinner. It was at about 1pm…one hour before our guests were to arrive… that Nick put the pork loin into the oven for me. He then said, as he was checking the recipe to see what the timer should be set at, “You realize this has to cook for 2 hours?” Uh oh… I had hungry guests coming over in just a short while and I had completely misread the cooking time on the recipe! There was no away around it… our guests were going to be here and dinner would not be ready. Not a stellar move for this seasoned hostess!
Everyone got here and you know what? We made due. We sliced up one of the two loaves of homemade bread and shared it with Kerry Gold Butter. We munched on fruit and the deviled eggs my friend contributed. The kids played together, we chatted and all was well. Of course, would you believe that 2 hours later when the timer went off Nick went to check the pork loin and it was overdone! Ah well… it all still worked out and we had a delicious meal with our neighborhood family / friends.
The moral of my entire post is… best laid plans often don’t turn out the way they were meant to, however, there is absolutely nothing about yesterday I would have changed in the end. We enjoyed hanging out with some of my favorite people, were treated to a gorgeous day, a delicious meal, and our many blessings.
Yesterday was all about savoring the moments… the pork loin mishap and the walk home from church required me to slow down and take things in. Just like Limoncello… a drink that is not meant to be guzzled but slowly sipped and enjoyed as you savor what is going on around you.
This recipe is my husband’s handiwork (the Limoncello) combined with a recipe I learned about when traveling to New Orleans with Zatarain’s earlier this year. The head chef of the John Besh restaurant, Domenica, let us enjoy creamy Limoncello, then went on to share what to do to turn regular Limoncello into creamy Limoncello.
Homemade Creamy Limoncello
Ingredients
- 10 lemons
- 1 750-ml bottle vodka
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
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Using a vegetable peeler remove the peel from the lemons in long strips (reserve the lemons for another use). Using a small sharp knife, trim away the white pith from the lemon peels; discard the pith.
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Place the lemon peels in a 2-quart pitcher. Pour the vodka over the peels and cover with plastic wrap. Steep the lemon peels in the vodka for 4 days at room temperature.
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Stir the water and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Cool completely. Pour the simple syrup over the vodka mixture. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.
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Strain the limoncello through a mesh strainer. Discard the peels. Transfer the limoncello to bottles. Seal the bottles and refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours and up to 1 month.
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Before serving, pour prepared Limoncello and Sweetend Condensed Milk into a large pitcher. Whisk together until well combined. Serve very cold. Refrigerate remaining Creamy Limoncello.
I love your Easter story. I thought Leah was so perfect?! She looks that way, anyways 🙂
I absolutely adore Limoncello. A creamy version sounds great to me!
Who needs pork loin when you can enjoy creamy limoncello?
Limoncello is one of my favorite liqueurs to make; I’ve got a Meyer Lemon version brewing in my lab now (some might call it a garage). I’ve not tried a creamy version…now I have something different to look forward to!
Sounds like a wonderful Easter! Don’t you just hate those looks when your child does something in church? UGH! Your children are absolutely adorable!
I came very close to making a discreet exit during our Easter service too – my 4-year old wasn’t having it (and I didn’t dare even bring her little brother!). Oh well, we parents have gotten very used to adjusting our plans on the fly, haven’t we? 🙂
Loved your Easter story. I’ve always wanted to try a creamy.limoncello
Oh my gosh, I’d LOVE to try this. I love lemon ANYTHING!!
Little Leah is such a doll. I guess when you’re born with those good looks, you expect certain accommodations to be made for you 😉 I just love that kid!!
I really inspire reading your easter story…I know you had a great time last easter..Thanks for sharing this post..
I love cookbook queen’s comment “certain accommodations” and think that fairly well describes Leah, doesn’t it? The kids looked so Easterish in their pictures. They are all adorable. Remember when Ella was Leah’s age. They are two of a kind, aren’t they. Smart little cookies…..BTW what were the grouchy ladies doing in the lobby anyway….
Easter holidays are one of the best time of the year where we can spend more time with the family… We can ahve time for God and at the same time we can enjoy our holidays…
Loved reading your family’s Easter story! First time I had limoncello was in Capri, Italy and I have been a fan ever since! Love your version of the creamy limoncello!
Ooh I love the idea of homemade limoncello and can definitely see how it would help make everything better! 🙂
Love this idea, creamy limoncello sounds right up my street!
Oh well, things do go wrong. But, you had family and friends around you and that’s what counts!
Creamy limoncello, hmm? I’m surprised – I would have thought that wouldn’t be good (and maybe that was what the title was referring to), because milk and citrus just don’t seem right together to me… but that was the part that worked out perfectly!
I love the pictures of your sweet children. And I definitely know what it is like to have one who is not afraid to show it when things are not going her way. As you know, it does get better…or at least the moments happen way less often. 🙂 I love how you literally turned lemons into…well, limoncello. 🙂 Have a great week, friend!
I was enjoying my two little granddaughters over Easter and little two year old Millie did not want to cooperate the other night when heading to bed. Oh, the traumas of little ones. But yes, there are definitely greater things in life to be distressed about (as you know). Oh, and I am the gray haired lady who would have looked at you with love and sympathy as you left the church!
Oh..what a day for you. I must say, though I do not know those whom you worship with, but I think their “glares” were not to be mean. First, mothers always feel sorry for younger mothers. (we might be old-but we never forget what it is like to have small children) Second, we are possibly looking to help you. I remember an older mother getting up to just help me out. That was really nice.
And then lastly…we are just nosey. 🙂
Glad the day ended up better than how it began!
Sounds like a lovely Easter, even with the speed bumps. In the end, isn’t that savoring the time really the best part?
This cocktail looks divine! And your Easter story? Precious. Every moment raising children is a lesson, not only for them but for us parents!
Just a question…any good way to make this vodka (alcohol ) free ? This sounds so very good.
OMG. that reminds me of the limoncellos at Domenica!! yumm
At least you came out of the day not wanting to change anything in the end! I’ve got to try this creamy lemoncello… it sounds amazing!
This sounds delicious! The limoncello martini at my old work was fantastic, maybe I’ll have to recreate it with this!
yuh know . . . i have every. single. item. on. this. recipe. . . . what are the chances i’ll be making this tonight???? and really, who needs dinner when this loveliness is being served??!
what a wonderful story…nice to read this once in a while you know?
never ever tried limoncello, but i want too.
Caleb had a rough time at church too. He is sick now so I guess that is why he was fussy. We were in the lobby too:) Your kiddos are all so cute! Glad you had a nice Easter even with the little hiccup at church:)
Our 5 year old decided her arm had been sprained from a couch cushion slide mishap in the middle of our Easter dinner at a restaurant…yay! I could have used some of this creamy limoncello right about then….its my favorite! Can’t wait to try it!
My mom said to me, I found this amazing recipe on Pinterest, it’s was limoncello with Eagle Brand…I had to lol when I got to say, Mom, I know her! I thought that would make a good day a tad bit better! Glad ya had a happy Easter!!!
Aw, well Leah’s angelic face makes it hard to stay upset for long I bet! I’m dying to try this combination of limoncello with the sweetened condensed milk. Lucky for me I have both at home!
Girrrrl! I’ve got to try this, so fantastic.
You’ve got to come by and enter this is the V&B Cocktail Contest going on!
you know I never believe you Leah stories don’t you? She’s too sweet and adorable to act that way! hehe
We cook pork roasts and tenderloin all of the time and it seems I either over cook it or under cook it most every time! – we had pork roast for our Easter eve meal with my mom, and I took it off the grill when the thermometer read 145, let it sit about 10 mins before slicing, and there were still pink undercooked sections in the middle…….luckily I was warming bread in the oven, so I sliced up what was cooked, and tossed the rest in the oven while we ate.
I think I really need to try this creamy limoncello….it’s calling my name!
Kristen,
Didn’t realize you had 3 girls also….and our little ones are of the same name. My youngest just turned 4 in January, and definitely gives us a run for our money. 😉
I found with pork roasts that the remote meat probe is invaluble to have ! I havent over cooked one since we got our probe. We now have one that came in with the oven I bought for my husband!
Thanks for linking up Kristen! I featured your post in my wrap up! http://tidymom.net/2012/diy-ideas-for-home/ Have a great weekend
Love all the photos of the kids! And I’m sorry to hear about the misadventures. But it sounds like you know how to turn things around and keep it positive. This limoncello sounds so delicious…you always feature the best drinks. 😉
I have to give you credit for taking the little ones to church. This morning, there was a young family in front of me and the little girl kept saying “pee-pee.” The dad took her to the toilet and when she came back she announced “I no pee-pee, but daddy pee-pee.” Anyway, even with that and the overcooked pork loin, you managed to figure out what’s important. and brava to you. The creamy limoncello looks great – one of my husband’s cousins in Italy gave me her recipe but I still haven’t made it!
Creamy Limoncello sounds like something I need to make. It looks delicious 🙂
Hello! I was wondering if you knew how long the prepared creamy limoncello could be stored for once the sweetened condensed milk has been added?
So I’m not exactly sure – but I read in some other recipes that it can be stored in the freezer (with the alcohol it won’t actually freeze, I think), up to 6 months. Hope that helps!
Just returned from Italy. Had creamy limoncello in Sorrento. Wanted to buy it on-line and found out how expensive it was. Your suggestion to add sweetened condensed milk to regular lemoncello worked perfectly.
Thank you