Our Easter Meal: A Celebration of Springtime

Wow, three blog posts in less than a week! I wonder how long I can keep this up...

As with all other special occasions, we celebrated Easter with a little feast. (This travel blog is quickly becoming more of a food blog, but knowing my small circle of readers, that is probably more than OK…) At Church on Sunday morning we were told that if there was any day to honor by resting and enjoying each other’s company, this was it. That meant no laundry or mowing the lawn. (It was pretty easy to comply with that one.) A little cooking…well, that was OK.

I don’t know how literally I was supposed to take a little cooking, but I ended up in the kitchen from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM. Not that any of what I was making was particularly complex—I blame it on the homemade mayonnaise I was trying for the first time: I’m ashamed to admit it took me 3 tries, not to mention oil by the cupfuls, to get it right. But once it was finally time to eat, Alan polished off several helpings, thereby letting me know it had all been worth it. It is easy to cook for someone who likes absolutely everything you make!

In light of the theme of new life, I tried to pick foods whose season was just beginning. Here I am pictured with my steamed artichoke, ready to dip its leaves into that tricky mayo:



Alan dug in with gusto:



The star of the show was the roasted leg (no kidding) of lamb. I think next time I will buy more meat and less bone! Here it is pictured alongside its gravy, mashed potatoes with carrots, and sweet spring peas.



It made for an attractive plate. Fortunately, the meat was cooked just right--beginner’s luck--and was very flavorful thanks to the little pieces of garlic tucked inside.



Anyone who knows me well knows my profound affinity for sweets, so I was glad that my favorite part of the meal turned out well. These strawberry tartlets were a bit labor-intensive, but worth every ounce of cuteness.



Hope your Easter was just as sweet!