WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Starbucks is celebrating Earth Day by offering a free cup of coffee or tea for any customer who brings their own mug.
Click here to learn more about the offer, which is good only today, Friday, April 22, 2011.
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Ratings and running times are in parentheses; foreign films have English subtitles. Full reviews of all current releases, movie trailers, showtimes and tickets: nytimes.com/movies.
★ ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ (PG-13, 1:46) A politician (Matt Damon) and dancer (Emily Blunt) try to hold on to love across time and space in an enjoyable film based loosely (very) on a short story by Philip K. Dick and directed with confidence by the writer George Nolfi. (Manohla Dargis)20110421
‘American: the Bill Hicks Story’ (No rating, 1:41) Paul Thomas and Matt Harlock’s sterile portrait barely skims the surface of the comedian Bill Hicks’s scabrous wit and abrasive intelligence. Employing an animation technique that saps the tragedy from his untimely death from pancreatic cancer in 1994 at 32, the filmmakers recount a bright-burning life while leaving us mostly in the dark. (Jeannette Catsoulis)20110421
‘Armadillo’ (No rating, 1:40, in Danish, Pashto and English) Another tough, ground-level documentary immersion in the tedium and brutality of modern combat, this time in the company of a group of Danish soldiers stationed in a dangerous part of Afghanistan. (A.O. Scott)20110421
‘Arthur’ (PG-13, 1:50) There was no good reason to remake the beloved 1981 comedy starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli, but there was also no reason the remake had to be so bad. Russell Brand wears out his charm quickly as the infantile, alcoholic billionaire of the title, and the charms of Greta Gerwig (in the Minnelli role) and Helen Mirren (as Arthur’s nanny, Hobson) are not sufficient to rescue the movie from becoming a safe, second-rate bore. (Scott)20110421
‘Battle: Los Angeles’ (PG-13, 1:56) The aliens invade. The Marines (led by Aaron Eckhart) fight back. The audience, excited at first, grows bored, restless and ultimately disdainful. (Scott)20110421
‘Bill Cunningham New York’ (No rating, 1:24) Richard Press has made a sensitive portrait of a spiritual man whose devotion to fashion photography, that most worldly of pursuits, has chronicled an era. In street fashion, Mr. Cunningham, a photographer for The New York Times, has found something creative, life-affirming and free: proof of humanity amid the chaos of daily life. Interspersing lively interviews with affectionate commentary from longtime friends and subjects — socialites, editors, models, eccentrics, dandies, avant-gardists, curators and neighbors — Mr. Press has made an intimate portrait that feels more found than it does constructed. (Carina Chocano)20110421
★ ‘Blank City’ (No rating, 1:35) Celine Danhier’s documentary looks back at the New York underground film scene of the 1970s and ’80s, blending old film clips with recent interviews to create a vivid, critically informed picture of a city in crisis and the artists who thrived on its desperate, decadent energies. (Scott)20110421
‘Born to Be Wild 3D’ (G, :45) You may feel cheated by the length of this documentary about two women working in different parts of the world to save orphaned wildlife — it’s only 45 minutes long — but some of the 3-D camera work is pretty cool. An elephant’s trunk, it turns out, is admirably suited to three-dimensional filmmaking. (Neil Genzlinger)20110421
★ ‘Certified Copy’ (No rating, 1:46, in Italian, French and English) Abbas Kiarostami’s brilliant first feature made outside his native Iran is such a conspicuous leap from neo-realism to European modernism, it sometimes feels like a dry comic parody. As it goes along, the movie begins to deconstruct itself by posing as a cinematic homage, or copy, if you will, of European art films of the 1950s and ’60s. (Stephen Holden)20110421
‘The Conspirator’ (PG-13, 2:03) Robin Wright plays Mary Surratt, who was tried by a military tribunal in 1865 as part of the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. The episode, rich in historical interest and topical implications, is turned into a dull and tendentious civics lesson by the director, Robert Redford. (Scott)20110421
‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules’ (PG, 1:36) The most you can say about this sequel to “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” based on Jeff Kinney’s illustrated children’s books, is that it’s inoffensive — which isn’t necessarily what you want in a movie about the humiliations of being a seventh grader with a bullying older brother. (Mike Hale)20110421
★ ‘The Double Hour’ (No rating, 1:35, in Italian) This diabolically clever Italian psychological thriller, the feature debut of Giuseppe Capotondi, is the best mystery of its kind since Guillaume Canet’s “Tell No One.” (Holden)20110421
★ ‘Even the Rain’ (No rating, 1:44, in Spanish) Icíar Bollaín’s bluntly political film makes pertinent if heavy-handed comparisons between European imperialism five centuries ago and modern globalization. In particular, it portrays a high-end film made on location in Bolivia as an offshoot of colonial exploitation. (Holden)20110421
‘The First Beautiful Thing (La Prima Cosa Bella)’ (No rating, 2:02, in Italian) This sweet, thoughtful film by the Italian director Paolo Virzì uses the flashback to perfection, showing why an indolent fellow named Bruno (Valerio Mastandrea) is reluctant to go visit his dying mother. You expect a simple story of bedside reconciliation but end up with something considerably richer and more nuanced. (Genzlinger)20110421
‘Hanna’ (PG-13, 1:51) Saoirse Ronan plays a girl raised by wolves (well, Eric Bana) who matches wits and weapons against a wicked queen (Cate Blanchett as a C.I.A. operative) in a twisted modern fairy tale directed by Joe Wright. (Dargis)20110421
‘Hop’ (PG, 1:30) An animated would-be Easter Bunny (voiced by Russell Brand) interacts with his human counterpart, an underachiever played by James Marsden. The best that can be said is that this is not as ghastly as “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” which was also directed by Tim Hill. (Scott)20110421
‘I Am Number Four’ (PG-13, 1:50) Based on the young-adult novel by Pittacus Lore, D. J. Caruso’s elaborate puberty metaphor concerns an alien teenager (Alex Pettyfer) hiding out in Ohio from an evil race resembling an apocalyptic biker gang with a bad case of ringworm. Despite the presence of a hot protector (Timothy Olyphant) and a hotter Number Six (Teresa Palmer), this sluggish high-school drama is only marginally more fun than a week’s worth of detention. (Catsoulis)20110421
‘In a Better World’ (R, 1:53, in Danish, Swedish and English) Illustrating that good intentions don’t always produce good movies, Susanne Bier’s thoughtful drama (this year’s Oscar winner for best foreign-language film) explores the problem of violence and the nature of justice in the modern world. Nothing wrong with that, but the narrative — in which two young boys in Denmark plot revenge against a grown-up bully, while the father of one of them tries to help refugees in an unnamed African country — is heavy and schematic, squeezing the life out of a potentially interesting and provocative situation. (Scott)20110421
‘Insidious’ (PG-13, 1:42) The first half of James Wan’s haunted-house picture is a dark, suggestive bump-in-the-night thriller with some honest scares; the second half of the film, which stars Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson as embattled parents battling shadowy presences, is literal-minded, overexplained and run-of-the-mill. (Hale)20110421
★ ‘Jane Eyre’ (PG-13, 2:01) Mia Wasikowska (“Alice in Wonderland,” “The Kids Are All Right”) is Jane and Michael Fassbender (“Hunger,” “Fish Tank”) is Rochester in Cary Joji Fukunaga’s smart and vigorous adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s novel — the latest and one of the best, though surely not the last. (Scott)20110421
‘Limitless’ (PG-13, 1:46) Bradley Cooper plays a blocked novelist who takes a neuro-active wonder drug that gives him access to his entire brain and plunges him into all manner of paranoid shenanigans. The movie, directed by Neil Burger and based on a novel by Alan Glynn, is a bit of a mess, but also stylish and energetic and saved from total silliness by a bracing dose of satire. It’s both an exercise in and a critique of the hollow, shallow, obsessive materialism that drives so many of us these days. (Scott)20110421
‘The Lincoln Lawyer’ (R, 1:59) Matthew McConaughey, with ace support from the likes of Marisa Tomei and William H. Macy, plays a dodgy Los Angeles lawyer in Brad Furman’s satisfying adaptation of the Michael Connelly crime novel. (Dargis)20110421
★ ‘Meek’s Cutoff’ (PG, 1:44) Kelly Reichardt’s latest film, set in the Oregon Territory in 1845, is a stripped-down western that looks at the mythology of Manifest Destiny through a feminist lens, and with an acute eye for heroism, folly and danger. The cast, which includes Shirley Henderson, Bruce Greenwood and Will Patton, is excellent, with Michelle Williams standing out as a pioneer wife whose patience and resilience is sorely tested (Scott)20110421
★ ‘My Perestroika’ (No rating, 1:27, in Russian) Robin Hessman’s enthralling documentary about growing up in the Soviet Union during the final years of Communism gives you a privileged sense of learning the history of a place not from a book, but by being told about it by the people who lived it. (Holden)20110421
★ ‘Of Gods and Men’ (R, 2:00, in French and Arabic) The true story of a group of French Cistercian monks caught in the Algerian civil war of the 1990s, brought to vivid and intelligent life by the director Xavier Beauvois and an excellent cast led by Lambert Wilson as the prior, a brave man of conscience in impossible circumstances. (Scott)20110421
‘Paul’ (R, 1:44) Greg Mottola directs this low-key, genial comedy about a little green dude from outer space (voiced by Seth Rogen) who wants to phone home and enlists two British geeks (Simon Pegg and Nick Frost) to help. (Dargis)20110421
★ ‘The Princess of Montpensier’ (No rating, 2:20, in French) Bertrand Tavernier directs a rousing amalgam of ambition, moods and genre conceits, set against a 17th-century French civil war, that looks like one of those old-fashioned diversions where swords clang as bosoms rise with passion but is mostly greater than its pretty parts. The excellent cast includes Lambert Wilson. (Dargis)20110421
★ ‘Le Quattro Volte’ (No rating, 1:28) An elderly man, a baby goat, a towering tree, a lump of charcoal — these are the subjects of Michelangelo Frammartino’s sublime and strange inquiry into the nature of existence. It’s a deadpan pantheistic head trip, with more life in 88 minutes than movies twice as long. (Scott)20110421
★ ‘Queen to Play’ (No rating, 1:36, in French) Caroline Battaro’s tangy comic bonbon plucks the game of chess out of the metaphorical realm of spy thrillers and re-imagines it as a fable about relationships and upward mobility. (Holden)20110421
★ ‘Rango’ (PG, 1:47) This lizard-themed western, chockablock with creepy-crawly critters and learned movie references, is a rarity among recent animated features in that it allows itself to be odd and complicated as well as cute and sensational. It’s also not in 3-D, which is refreshing. Gore Verbinski of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise directed, with Johnny Depp as the chameleonic protagonist, who becomes the sheriff of a dry desert town called Dirt. (Scott)20110421
‘Rio’ (PG, 1:38) A rich voice cast, exuberant music and a vibrant palette make this animated outing a big step forward from the “Ice Age” movies for Fox animation. As kids’ movies go, “Rio” brings a lot to the party. (Andy Webster)20110421
‘Scream 4’ (R, 1:43) Like its predecessors, this sequel replaces the joys of storytelling and suspense with the satisfaction of being in on the joke. Unfortunately, in the 11 years since “Scream 3,” the joke — primarily, that the characters’ fates are determined by the “rules” of the horror-movie genre — has gotten really old. (Hale)20110421
★ ‘A Screaming Man’ (NC-17, 1:32, in French and Arabic) A quiet, tender and finally wrenching fictional story of an individual at the intersection of the personal and the political: an Everyman who works at a pool becomes engulfed by calamitous jealousies even as a civil war fast approaches. From the Chadian-born filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun (“Daratt”). (Dargis)20110421
‘Soul Surfer’ (PG, 1:46) For all its pronounced religious overtones and glossy, commercial sheen, this picture about Bethany Hamilton, the competition surfer who at 13 lost her arm to a shark, manages to provide an interesting portrait of a determined athlete. It benefits from strong performances and an honesty about its protagonist’s daunting challenges. (Webster)20110421
‘Source Code’ (PG-13, 1:33) Duncan Jones (“Moon”) directs and Jake Gyllenhaal stars in a nifty science-fiction thriller with a contemporary twist about a man who toggles between realities, one of which lasts eight minutes and ends with a boom. (Dargis)20110421
★ ‘Win Win’ (R, 1:46) Tom McCarthy’s comedy of middle-class anxiety and scrambled good intentions is sharp and sweet, and in no hurry to reach conclusions or teach lessons. This gives plenty of room for the terrific cast — including Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale and a young first-timer named Alex Shaffer supporting the sad sack in chief, Paul Giamatti — to give the movie a scruffy, lived-in shape and texture. (Scott)20110421
‘Wretches & Jabberers’ (No rating, 1:34) The two autistic men followed by this documentary are evidence in favor of never giving up on a person with a disability: only when they reached adulthood did they learn how to communicate effectively using a keyboard. The film follows the men, Larry Bissonnette and Tracy Thresher, as they (and two aides) travel to several foreign countries to tell their story. It can be slow going — the men need lots of time to peck out their thoughts letter by letter — but it’s inspiring nonetheless. (Genzlinger)20110421
‘Your Highness’ (R, 1:42) David Gordon Green directs this self-conscious, sometimes overly self-satisfied goof about ye olde high times with James Franco and Danny McBride as two princely brothers on a royal if not royally excellent quest. (Dargis)20110421
Film Series
The Urge for Survival: Kaneto Shindo (Friday through Thursday) Best known in the West for his grim, unsettling period thriller “Onibaba” (1964), Mr. Shindo is a protean filmmaker whose work often circles the bombing of Hiroshima, the city where he was born in 1912. This 11-film retrospective, which continues through May 5, is sponsored by the actor Benicio Del Toro, who will appear with the director’s son, Jiro Shindo, to introduce Friday’s 6:50 p.m. screening of “The Naked Island,” an allegorical account of a family’s struggle for survival on a small island. The series will include rarely seen works from all periods of Mr. Shindo’s long career, including the 1952 “Children of Hiroshima” (which is being screened daily through Thursday) and “Postcard,” the 2010 feature that Mr. Shindo, who will turn 99 on Thursday, has said will be his last. BAM Rose Cinemas, 30 Lafayette Avenue, at Ashland Place, Fort Greene , (718) 636-4100, bam.org; $12; $25 for “The Naked Island,” with proceeds going to the earthquake relief effort in Japan. (Dave Kehr)20110421
Kino! 2011: New Films from Germany (Friday through Thursday) MoMA’s annual survey of recent films from Germany includes “The Weissensee Saga: A Berlin Love Story,” Friedmann Fromm’s hit six-part television series about two families in East Berlin (Thursday, Episodes 1 to 3 at 4 p.m.; Episodes 4 to 6 at 7:30 p.m.), and Florian Cossen’s first feature, “The Day I Was Not Born,” about a champion swimmer who discovers her unsuspected origins (Friday at 4 p.m.; Saturday at 7:30 p.m.). Next week’s screenings include the documentary “Dancing Dreams: Teenagers Dance Pina Bausch’s ‘Contact Zone’ ,” in which the filmmakers Anne Linsel and Rainer Hoffmann observe Ms. Bausch, who died in 2009, at work (May 1 at 1 p.m.; May 2 at 6 p.m.). Museum of Modern Art Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters, 11 West 53rd Street , (212) 708-9400, moma.org; $10. (Kehr)20110421
W. C. Fields (Friday through Thursday) Here are 28 films in 12 days (the series runs through May 3) starring the great misanthrope; rarities include four of Fields’s silent films, including Gregory La Cava’s 1926 “So’s Your Old Man” (Thursday, 6 p.m.). Film Forum, 209 West Houston Street, west of Avenue of the Americas, South Village , (212) 727-8110, filmforum.org; $11 (Kehr)
I've always loved Robert Frost's line about home being the place where, "when you have to go there, they have to take you in." Perhaps I'm putting an overly optimistic reading on it, but it's reassuring that even on our coldest, darkest nights, there is always a place with a warm light in the window. That's kind of the way I feel about having eggs in the refrigerator.
It doesn't matter how gruesome the workday has been or how late it is when I get home, give me a couple of eggs and some of this and that from the fridge and I know I can fix a meal that will not only get me through the night, it will even redeem the day.
Yet it seems like every time I mention eating eggs for dinner, I get met with a blank look — "Dude? You don't know those are for breakfast?" — or even worse, pity — "So, at long last it's come to this, has it?"
But while I'll happily acknowledge the rules-turned-upside-down pleasure of eating things like waffles and pancakes for dinner (or pizza for breakfast!), that's not at all what this is about.
These are egg dishes that make perfect sense as light main courses. Better yet, throw together a quick salad and you've got a complete, elegant meal that can probably be prepared in less time than it would take my big pasta pot to come to a boil.
Of course, there are omelets and frittatas. Those are easy answers. Eggs, cheese, a few bits of vegetables and you're there. But you don't even need to get that complicated.
You're going to have to trust me on this, but one of my favorite late-night dinners is scrambled eggs. These aren't your typical diner eggs, though. They're more like the ones you get at great restaurants. In restaurants, these are cooked long and slow, often over a double boiler, with someone whisking the whole 20 or 30 minutes until the eggs are set. The result is glorious — rich and creamy eggs that are more like a slightly curdled hollandaise than what Andy brings to the counter with a couple of slices of bacon.
Several years ago I came up with a trick that makes them really easy to prepare at home. The secret is butter. Cold butter, specifically. Here's the deal: The trick to getting that creamy texture in scrambled eggs is monitoring the heat really carefully.
The proteins in eggs begin to set at a relatively low temperature, about 150 degrees (that's roughly correct — the whites and yolks set at different temperatures). And once they start to set, they get very firm very quickly.
One way to get around this is by whisking them constantly over very low heat — or you can just outsmart the proteins.
The way I fix scrambled eggs, I add just a little bit of cold butter to the raw eggs and start cooking over medium-low heat. You do need to stir constantly — a wooden spoon or a silicone spatula is perfect.
Keep the eggs well agitated and in a couple of minutes, when you can feel them getting thick and see them looking creamy start beating in little cubes of cold butter, a few at a time. Adding the cold butter moderates the temperature, keeping it just below the point at which the eggs will actually set.
Oh, and the butter also emulsifies into the eggs, making them absolutely delicious. The eggs will be done when they have formed tiny, creamy curds. Some people (like my wife) don't like their eggs too runny; for them you can go just a little longer. Whatever your preference, take the eggs off the heat while they still look a little too moist. They cook so quickly they'll firm up more in the couple of minutes that you're dishing them up.
If you have caviar or truffles languishing on your counter, by all means use them for garnish. I usually use just a couple of pinches of minced fines herbes (a mix of any or all of parsley, tarragon, chervil and chives, varying according to what I have on hand). And I have to say that, in a pinch, a good grinding of cracked black pepper cuts the richness deliciously.
Another favorite dinner is based on a recipe for eggs fried in bread crumbs that I learned from my old friend Judy Rodgers. For years this was my standard order when I'd stop by her Zuni Cafe in San Francisco for Sunday breakfast. And they're even simpler to make than scrambled.
Put a generous handful of fresh bread crumbs in a small bowl (I've tried this with dried bread crumbs and with Japanese panko bread crumbs, and the fresh crumbs work best). Stir in some chopped fresh thyme and just enough olive oil to moisten them nicely.
Cook the bread crumbs in a skillet over medium heat until they begin to toast. You'll see the color change from pale to light tan, and you'll also hear the change as the crumbs crisp and sizzle when you stir them.
Gather the crumbs into two low mounds that are as near to a single layer as you can manage, and then immediately crack an egg over each mound (this recipe can multiply out for as many eggs as you want to make, but I find four eggs is about the most that will fit in a 9-inch skillet).
Cover the pan and, if necessary, adjust the heat so the eggs cook evenly without scorching around the edges. When the yolks are as firm as you like transfer the eggs to a plate and quickly sizzle about a tablespoon of vinegar in the pan to free up any stuck crumbs or bit of eggs and pour that over the top.
This is the epitome of subtle sophistication. Simple ingredients are cooked in a smart way to get the most out of them. The toasted bread crumbs add crispness to the eggs, and the vinegar finish keeps them from being too rich.
Serve it with just a tart salad, but at this time of year, when I seem to be eating as much asparagus as I can hold, it's even better with the egg laid languorously over a bundle of steamed spears.
It's a simple thing, really just fancy fried eggs, but knowing I've got this waiting for me when I get home, I don't care how my day has gone or how long my commute might be — how dark the world might seem at the moment — there is a light shining at the end of the tunnel.
Asparagus with Bread Crumb-Fried Eggs
Makes 2 servings
1/2 to 3/4 pound asparagus
Olive oil
Salt
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
A few leaves fresh thyme
2 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine or sherry vinegar
1. Prepare the asparagus: If it is thin, simply cut off the bases. If it is thicker than a No. 2 pencil, cut off the bases and peel, starting at the tips with light pressure and gradually increasing the pressure as you work your way down the stalk until you're pressing quite firmly at the base.
2. In a tightly sealed pot over rapidly boiling water, steam the asparagus until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes for thin asparagus, 4 to 5 minutes for thick. Drain, pat dry, dress lightly with 1 tablespoon oil, season with a pinch of salt and keep warm.
3. Place the bread crumbs in a bowl. Season lightly with salt and thyme leaves and then add enough oil to generously coat, about 1 tablespoon.
4. Transfer the bread crumbs to a small nonstick skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to darken. When they have fried enough that they feel dry when you stir them and make a dry, static-y sound, 2 to 3 minutes, divide them into 2 equal batches and pat to make a thin layer.
5. Crack the eggs over the bread crumbs. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, cover tightly and cook the eggs until they're as done as you like. 6. Divide the asparagus in half and arrange it on 2 warm plates. When the eggs are done, drape one egg over each asparagus bundle. Add the vinegar to the empty pan and let it sizzle for a moment before drizzling it over the eggs. Serve immediately.
Note: This is based on a recipe from Judy Rodgers' "The Zuni Cafe Cookbook."
3/4 teaspoon minced herbs, from a mixture of fresh tarragon, parsley, chives and chervil, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small cubes, divided
4 slices hot toasted and buttered baguette
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat briskly with a fork to break them up and homogenize them. There should be no trace of white remaining. Beat in half the fresh herb mixture and the salt and stir in about 1 tablespoon of the cubed butter.
2. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. When it is warm, pour in the egg mixture and stir briskly with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, scraping the bottom and sides to make sure the egg doesn't set too quickly. If you feel the cooking is too fast, remove the pan from the heat for a moment or two, stirring constantly, then return it.
3. After a couple of minutes, the butter will be melted and the eggs will have begun to thicken into a creamy sauce. Add the remaining cold butter in 2 or 3 portions, continuing to stir briskly. When the eggs are thick but not yet set, arrange the hot toast on warm plates. 4. The moment the eggs begin to set firmly (they will still be slightly creamy), spoon them over the toast, season with just a little black pepper and the remaining fresh herbs and serve immediately. These must be eaten hot to be appreciated fully.
Sony’s PlayStation network is suffering massive outages.
Just in time for a few big game releases, Sony’s PlayStation network is suffering massive outages.
Portal 2, Mortal Kombat and SOCOM 4 were all released for the PlayStation 3 this week, making the downtime all the more frustrating for gamers.
In a blog post Thursday, Sony said that it is investigating the issue but that it could be “a full day or two” before the company can get the network back up to full strength.
Users have been reporting problems connecting to the network since Wednesday night.
Some had speculated that Anonymous, the loosely affiliated hacker group, was responsible for the outages. The group declared war against Sony over the company’s lawsuit with accused hacker George Hotz. Anonymous has said that it is not responsible for the most recent downtime. The group had promised to stop attacking the PlayStation Network to avoid affecting Sony customers.
It’s not clear whether the PlayStation Network outage is being caused by an outside attack or whether it’s due to other usage or maintenance problems. But this outage — along with the Amazon server outage that brought down a lot of Web 2.0 services yesterday — does remind users that although cloud services make our lives easier, they have their downsides, too.
Dyed eggs are, of course, the star of any Easter celebration, but consider serving regular eggs as a component of your Easter brunch or dinner. They're a healthy protein that most guests -- even vegetarians -- are happy to enjoy. Plus, nothing says "spring" quite like a fresh farm egg.
Check out these five lovely egg dishes that pair well with Easter ham, lamb, or whatever you happen to be celebrating with on the big day.
Brunch:
Classic Eggs Benedict is typically two English muffin halves topped with poached eggs, slices of ham or Canadian bacon, and Hollandaise sauce. But there are plenty of ways to dress yours up for an Easter brunch. Substitute smoked salmon for ham, serve with fresh asparagus, or go totally crazy and make this amazing Poached Egg and Crispy Pork Belly on Potato Pancake With Bacon-Maple Vinaigrette.
Similar to an omelet or quiche, a frittata baked in the oven is an elegant way to enjoy eggs during brunch. Go simple with fresh herbs and cheese, or the whole nine yards with apples, bacon, and cheddar cheese.
Dinner:
Poached Egg Over Asparagus is perhaps the most perfect of all Easter sides. If you make it correctly, the beautiful egg yolk oozes over the fresh steamed asparagus and is richly satisfying. Don't like asparagus? You can add a poached egg to any salad or pasta dish to make an ordinary dish more special.
Now, quiche in a flaky pastry crust is typically eaten at brunch, but it shouldn't be overlooked as savory side dish at Easter dinner. A couple of recipes that would pair well with ham: Caramelized Onion Quiche or Gruyere and Spinach Quiche.
Finally, Deviled Eggs make for a fun accoutrement to the meal. The trick is to fancy them up with gourmet ingredients. Don't Bacon Deviled Eggs With White Truffle Oil sound absolutely amazing?
Cambridge University professor Colin Humphreys says Jesus' final meal with his disciples actually was eaten on the Wednesday before the crucifixion - one day earlier than has been traditionally accepted.
The mix-up, Humphreys concludes in his book, The Mystery of the Last Supper, might be because Jesus and disciples Matthew, Mark and Luke used one calendar and disciple John used another.
Humphreys notes that the Gospels attributed to the first three said the last meal coincided with the Jewish Passover, whereas John's Gospel said the meal took place before Passover.
Humphreys thinks Jesus used an older Hebrew calendar rather than the official lunar calendar of the time.
That, Humphreys said, would put the Last Supper on the Wednesday, and means Jesus' arrest, interrogation and trials were not all crammed into a single night but were instead spread over a longer period.
Humphreys based his findings on research that established the date of the crucifixion as Friday morning, April 3, 33 A.D.
Merchants, clubs and churches in Rochester and Austin have scheduled Easter egg hunts for Saturday, the day before Easter. They include:
• Shops at University Square in downtown Rochester. Easter bunny will appear, and photos may be taken with him. Hunt begins at noon.
• 40&8 American Legion in Rochester. Easter egg hunt for children 10 and younger, with two golden eggs and 24 ceramic eggs, and sacks of candy for all. Starts at 10 a.m., near the Ninth Street Northeast entrance to Quarry Hill Park.
• People of Hope Lutheran Church of Rochester. Easter egg hunt with thousands of candy-filled eggs hidden on the church grounds. Starts at 10 a.m., 3703 W. Country Club Road.
• Grace Lutheran Church of Rochester. Bring a basket and a camera for photos with the Easter Bunny. Rain or shine. Starts at 11 a.m., 800 E. Silver Lake Drive.
• Oak Hills Wesleyan Church of Rochester. Free community breakfast (8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.) and giant Easter egg hunt (10:30a .m.). 410 28th St. S.W.
• The Original Canine Easter Biscuit Hunt at Bone Appetit Canine Bakery in Rochester. Hidden treats for dogs and 500 Easter eggs with gifts inside. Prize for the best-dressed dog. Starts at 10 a.m. Rochester Feed & Country Store, 5 11 1/2 St. S.E., Rochester.
• Westminster Presbyterian Church in Austin. Carnival games, puppet show, treats and egg hunt. Free. Adults must accompany children. 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. 802 Fourth St. S.W.
