Happy Easter!

I love Easter. It is a day that, for me, symbolizes new beginnings, a celebration of Spring, one of good food, family, and ...more good food!

We started off our day with our wonderful farm fresh eggs from this morning! YUM!!! We also had my honey's housecured/smoked bacon and some yummy Apricot Panetone. What a treat!

After that we went to church to hear a friend of our sing. It was quite beautiful and inspirational on many levels.


Speaking of new beginnings, we went over to the greenhouse to visit the tomato babies. They are so big I am going to need to refer to them as toddlers!

We are now going to clean up what we can of the back yard and the outdoor kitchen in preparation of guests for Easter dinner. Chef Jeff is fixing his famous Crab and Mango Salad in Avocado halves, my mother's marinade is on the leg of lamb which will be roasted in the wood burning oven along with fingerling potatoes, I will be making a beet, tangerine and mint salad, steamed asparagus and fresh meyer lemon mayonnaise. For dessert...back to the panetone, but this time it will be the one with Moscato wine mixed in.

Wishing all of you a happy Sunday, happy Spring and happy new beginnings!

Spring is here!

Spring = flowers, doesn't it?

The light of spring is beautiful. Life is bursting out all over.

We have been enjoying soft spring weather. Warm, but not too warm, a few clouds, but not too many, soft orange, pink sunsets and happy animals.
Our sweet pup, Callebaut, aka elder statesman, got into a tussle with our little guy, Tasso, and ended up with a hurt pad on his foot. Does it slow him down, or make him cranky or keep him from being his normal cheerful self? NO. He is our darling sweet boy.

Little Tasso has been under house arrest ever since he began, um, "marking" in the house. He is a very willful little guy. He gets to run and bark and do dog stuff while outside, but once inside, he is carefully watched!

Miz India, on the other hand, is a good little girl and does not require close supervision. The kids have all been happy to have Chicken Mama home (while she recovers from sinus surgery) and India takes full advantage by climbing up on the nap couch with a stuffed toy, and zonking out!



Whilst walking back from locking up the chickens one night, I saw a really fat earthworm on the path. My mom taught me that earthworms are invaluable and if you ever see one on the sidewalk after the rain, pick it up and move it back to soil. I was following this advice and as my hand reached for the big worm, I noticed the slightest flick of a tongue. HM...this is NOT a worm, but instead, a baby snake! I called friends of mine with little boys, thinking it would be a fun thing for them to see, but then we all agreed it may be in the snakes best interest, and let it go.

Our hens have been most generous lately! We are getting anywhere between 18 and 24 eggs per day! Thank heavens for spring. I am happiest of all to report that Tyner, our little Ameraucana hen with the scissor beak, is now laying eggs! Hers are the tiny green ones. Farmer Chef Jeff has just changed the menu at the restaurant to reflect Spring and has a warm Asparagus Salad with House Bacon in Sherry Vinaigrette, Eastside Farms "Sunny Side Up" Parmesan Baked Egg.


Julian likes to help dad to wash eggs. He is also hoping for a light green salad to appear on his salad plate. The cat is a nut. He loves his salads.


The sweet, darling of the house, Miz Chloe, poses for her close up.





Ginger declined to be photographed for this blog. Something about not getting the right amenities in her dressing room. Princesses!

PS: Happy Spring!