Ronn and I had a wonderful Easter spent at the Playboy mansion with great friends such as Playmates, Barbara Moore, Ola Ray, Victoria Fuller, Shannon Tweed, Luann Lee and Jacqueline Sheen. There is always a petting zoo for the kids and this year had exotic animals such as a baby fox, kangaroo, turtles, chicks and alligator and rabbits of course. The kids always have a blast on the Easter egg hunt for the famous hand painted eggs. Gene Simmons, Sandra Taylor, Julie McCullough and Scott Baio were just of a few celebrities joining in on all the fun. We then headed over to my pal Tina Hillstrom’s Easter dinner filled with a colorful table of ham, potato salad and yummy treats to top off an already amazing day filled with blessings. We hope your Easter was a fun filled one spent with loved ones and blessed with love and joy!
Easter Blessings
A Royal Disappointment
I never thought I’d be saying this about my friend Prince in concert, but last night sucked a big one! Now I’ve seen him many times before during his “Purple Rain” tour and after so I always thought he was more than worth the price of a ticket. But last night was a complete joke. Ronn had never seen him and because of that I wanted the best seats possible. Also thought maybe he’d see me in the first row and I’d get to reconnect with him and say hello. Well the stage was shaped in that symbol he uses and was built so high that even the people that spent $2000 a ticket for the VIP sections had trouble seeing the stage. I mean I”ve never seen anything like this ever. Maybe you’d get a glimpse of him when he came around the stage, but for the most part you had to stand and strain your neck to see any action since he was in the middle of it most of the time. We had what I thought would be primo seats in the first row center that turned into the back of the drummer’s head! None of the floor seats allowed you to really get a good view of the stage. The center upper sections which were much cheaper were way better because not only could you see the stage, you could see the large monitor screens of the performances. Chaka Khan opened the show and Larry Graham was added to the NPG band and a couple solos with Prince and looked like they would be great if only we could hear it? The lighting was also bad throughout the show sometimes there was no light at all on him. The sound wasn’t great either as it had a lot of echo and all you could really hear was bass in our section on the floor. All in all not one of this finer moments. Certainly not worth the money people paid for what they thought they were getting. You left there feeling totally ripped off and royally disappointed. I’ve always known Prince to be a perfectionist, especially in concert! So this was such a surprise to see happen with Ronn of all people. We both were so looking forward to seeing the show and I just couldn’t believe Prince would allow tickets to be sold to die hard fans in this crappy way. I’m speaking out so that you know not to waste your money on floor seats period. Best to get upper center seats and at least see the stage and possibly hear some of the music. Ronn and I were so turned off that I don’t think we will want to see another concert ever again. He thought it was actually the worst concert he’d ever seen and I thought that was ironic because Prince was always the best concert I’d had ever seen, but last night I had to agree with him as I think everyone that had floor seats would also. I think Prince would have been as awesome as usual if only we could have seen and heard him!
Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Mustard
- 1 well-trimmed 6-pound boneless leg of lamb, butterflied to even 2-inch thickness
- 8 garlic cloves, peeled, divided
- 1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Nonstick vegetable oil spray
- Fresh rosemary sprigs and fresh Italian parsley sprigs
- Devin’s Kickass Cajun Seasoning
Preparation
Open lamb like book on work surface. Using tip of small knife, make 1/2-inch-deep slits all over lamb. Thinly slice 4 garlic cloves. Insert garlic slices into slits in lamb. Combine remaining 4 garlic cloves, mustard, olive oil, white wine, rosemary, and lemon juice in processor. Blend until coarse puree forms. Spread underside of lamb with half of puree. Place lamb, seasoned side down, in 15 x 10 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread remaining puree over top of lamb. Cover lamb with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
Let lamb stand at room temperature 2 hours. Coat grill rack with nonstick spray and prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle lamb generously with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill lamb to desired doneness, about 17 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to cutting board; let rest 10 to 20 minutes.
Thinly slice lamb against grain. Overlap slices on platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh herb sprigs.
