Storybook Easter: A Photo Journal

Today's Joy: Happy Easter!

Reader, I hope this post finds you content after a day spent celebrating life & rebirth with your loved ones. For me, this Easter was the best yet--full of love and fun. Here is a photo journal of all the day's doings from our big Easter Brunch to a low-key but delicious family dinner.

As a hospitality junkie, I must first tell you about the table setting. This year's table was a masterpiece! From the foil bunnies I discovered at Platt Hill Nursery to the fresh tulips & hyacinth, 3-D floral bowls and the Easter-themed accessories, it was the most inviting table we've set to date.

Yes, it's a lot of work. But Reader, I enjoy every moment of the planning. There's something about sitting down at a well-appointed table that makes any holiday twice as special. This year, we mixed and matched floral bowls, pastel napkins, Easter Egg napkin rings, chick place card holders and an assortment of egg cups.

I printed the place cards myself and cut them out with pinking shears. One guest's name was perfectly suited for a little themed play on words.

Another view of the centerpiece. The foil bunnies were not made of chocolate (much to my Uncle's dismay) but they added a wonderful storybook feel to the meal.

If you're looking for a how-to, here's an individual setting for reference.

The other side of the table. This is a brunch seating for 10.

These faux chocolate eggs (Pier 1 Imports, 2009) dressed up an apothecary jar on the server.

Once the Brunch crowd began arriving, Lonnie produced a pair of kites to keep the 2 youngest guests occupied. It was a sunny day with a fair amount of wind and the kites turned out to be a big hit. She instructed the boys that the proper way to get a kite into the air is to do so while singing the kite song from Mary Poppins.

Tommy hit the deck after a sudden change in wind direction sent his kite swooping down on his head!

A short while later, the Brunch Crowd gathered around the table for our favorite Easter tradition: the highly-anticipated Egg-Off!

The Egg-Off became a family tradition after Aunt Judy first tried it at the home of her Greek college friends.

Rules for a proper Egg-Off:

#1 Hard boil a lot of eggs. This year we did 5 & 1/2 dozen.

#2 Dye the eggs fabulous colors. Think along the lines of Nascar--your egg is your vehicle to win. Shouldn't it look snazzy?

#3 Each person receives one hard-boiled egg (no cracks!).

#4 Hold your egg with the large end nestled in your palm. The small end should be facing out horizontally.

#5 Face the person next to you and at the same moment, you both whack the small ends of your eggs head-on. The egg that cracks is eliminated. The winner goes on to face other winners around the table. If both eggs crack, both contenders are eliminated.

#6 Repeat until only one winner remains. This person is crowned the Egg-Off Champ for that year. A prize can be awarded but the sheer joy of whacking your neighbor's egg is usually reward enough ;-)

Be warned--some people are overly-enthusiastic whackers!

Once the winner of the Egg-Off is determined, we eat! Thanks to the efforts of several talented cooks, brunch was a mouth-watering success. Below: Lonnie soft boiling eggs for the Eggs Benedict.

Holy Hollandaise! The Eggs Benedict was delish!

Add to that all the delicacies laid out on the buffet: potato latkas with caviar & chives, fresh scrambled farm eggs, mini cinnamon rolls, crepes, our home-raised pork sausage & cottage bacon and Reiner's decadent new salmon and cream cheese rolls--made here with puff pastry.

As Lonnie is a chef and several of the Brunch Crowd are gifted bakers, the post-feast conversation turned into a cooking round table. Imagine: everyone relaxed and the usual food coma sets in as someone switches on the game and the guys start talking sports. It was the same thing, except they were discussing hollandaise, how to make healthy oatmeal cookies and then held a demonstration on how to pipe cookies using a pastry bag. I LOVE hanging out with Foodies!

A 2nd Egg-Off and a cozy family dinner capped off the evening with a gorgeous home-raised ham, potato casserole, asparagus and Lonnie's incredibly decadent Strawberry Basket dessert made with layers of chocolate shortcake drizzled in chocolate and piled with fresh blueberries, blackberries & strawberries and topped with fresh whipped cream. It was so good, it hurt!

And just when we thought the holiday couldn't get any better, the Easter Bunny showed up.

Well, the Easter Dalmatian, anyhow.

All the best to you & yours, Reader! May your Easter be full of Egg-Offs and delish recipes!