"EASTER IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME, IT'S A SECOND CHANCE." - REBA MCENTIRE
Hoppy Easter from my nieces back home!
Feaster - 2013 This is no April Fool's joke. The Easter bunnies came to me via a picture of my adorable nieces; it's safe to say there's no cuter way to wear a fuzzy tail!
Having been raised Catholic, I was taught to appreciate the sacrifice that Easter represents; but as a kid, Easter also meant that I got a week off of school, a day of skiing with my family in Lake Tahoe, and the chance to eat as many chocolates as I could unwrap before being sent back to school.
Easter also represents rebirth through the dead of winter into spring. Unfortunately it's still rainy and cloudy here in New York but I am told that the sun is shining two-fold for me back home in California.
As an excuse to get together, eat too much food, and feel comforted by the love around you; most people celebrate occasions with an abundance of food. Although it was my first Easter living on the opposite coast away from my family and many friends, it didn't stop me from making a feast and inviting my friend A and her roommate J over for a bottle (or two) of wine and some lovely conversation...as well as shoving them out the door, happy, full, and bogged down with leftovers. I made the traditional spiral sliced ham with a honey and stone ground mustard glaze, mashed potatoes, garlic mushrooms, creme de cauliflower (a favorite creamy cauliflower with crunchy cracker topping, I just made up that name), and my friend A made a salad and J brought dinner rolls. I also made my favorite cake that my mother always makes on Easter, it's light, fruity, custardy, and satisfying without being dense and pant-button busting, as it's usually the last course of the day.
As a new treat, I wanted to make a simple appetizer that my guests could nosh on (already picking up the NYC colloquialisms) while grabbing a drink and catching me up on their lives while I cooked. Since I love mozzarella but can't stand tomatoes (it's a texture issue) I wanted to make something easy like a Caprese salad on a stick, but I also wanted to enjoy it. Instead, I fell back on meat...I had given it up for Lent and it seemed the best time to bring it back into my menu.
I have included the appetizer recipe below; see Feaster #2 for the cake recipe.
Enjoy!
Having been raised Catholic, I was taught to appreciate the sacrifice that Easter represents; but as a kid, Easter also meant that I got a week off of school, a day of skiing with my family in Lake Tahoe, and the chance to eat as many chocolates as I could unwrap before being sent back to school.
Easter also represents rebirth through the dead of winter into spring. Unfortunately it's still rainy and cloudy here in New York but I am told that the sun is shining two-fold for me back home in California.
As an excuse to get together, eat too much food, and feel comforted by the love around you; most people celebrate occasions with an abundance of food. Although it was my first Easter living on the opposite coast away from my family and many friends, it didn't stop me from making a feast and inviting my friend A and her roommate J over for a bottle (or two) of wine and some lovely conversation...as well as shoving them out the door, happy, full, and bogged down with leftovers. I made the traditional spiral sliced ham with a honey and stone ground mustard glaze, mashed potatoes, garlic mushrooms, creme de cauliflower (a favorite creamy cauliflower with crunchy cracker topping, I just made up that name), and my friend A made a salad and J brought dinner rolls. I also made my favorite cake that my mother always makes on Easter, it's light, fruity, custardy, and satisfying without being dense and pant-button busting, as it's usually the last course of the day.
As a new treat, I wanted to make a simple appetizer that my guests could nosh on (already picking up the NYC colloquialisms) while grabbing a drink and catching me up on their lives while I cooked. Since I love mozzarella but can't stand tomatoes (it's a texture issue) I wanted to make something easy like a Caprese salad on a stick, but I also wanted to enjoy it. Instead, I fell back on meat...I had given it up for Lent and it seemed the best time to bring it back into my menu.
I have included the appetizer recipe below; see Feaster #2 for the cake recipe.
Enjoy!
RSS Feed