Easter Saturday

4/3/10 Five cookie/candy tins, given away

Isn't it wonderful how holidays, family, and food always go together, like some magnificent trifecta?

We had both sides of our family over today -- somewhat unexpectedly -- for a day-before-Easter get together. Joanna cooked up some local lamb and we broke bread together, with all proper attention on Chase and his older cousins James and Estelle. It will be Estelle's birthday in just a few days, so we even called the event a semi-birthday party.

The weather cooperated in an unbelievable way, and we ate out on the deck, in warmth and sunlight that was more typical of the Fourth of July than Easter. Is this Maine?

To be honest, I'm not much for mythical resurrections or magical bunnies, so the family meal was certainly the highlight of this holiday for me. Come to think of it, my appreciation for almost every holiday is grounded less in its historical, cultural, or religious significance and more in the way it brings people together -- usually around great food.

My mother brought an upside down pineapple cake for dessert, but it turned out to not quite be cooked all the way through. This is an unusual error for mom, who, while not so interested in cooking the main course, is quite a talented dessert and sweet maker. We put the cake in the oven here and it came out, just as everyone was ready to leave, cooked to perfection. Fortunately, she left it behind, and it's calling my name as I write this.

To balance the equation, I handed off five Christmas cookie tins to mom that we discovered in The Great Christmas Downsize. Mom is renown for both her Christmas cookies and chocolates, so she accepted the tins enthusiastically. They shall surely be stuffed with handmade goodies and given out next December

I'm willing to bet one will come back to me... full.

That's a holiday miracle I can believe in.