Love and Cooking

The title is from a sermon that my rector preached some Easters back that has made its way into the church lore. I arrived after the time but have certainly been told about it by a number of people. And when she set up the line in today's Easter sermon, you could tell who the "regulars" were, because they completed it.

We like food, and we have given up our normally glorious coffee hours for Lent, and it is now Easter. Not one blow-out feast, but two; a breakfast after the Easter Vigil service (which let out shortly before 8 am) and a festive coffee hour after the main service, with extra laid on for both Easter and a large expected number of visitors.

I was working Altar Guild (washing out the communion ware) so I was the last person to partake of both of these. I am happy to report that there was food left for me (indeed, I scored some pineapple upside down cake, and a large quantity of peppermint bark). I had coffee, Martinelli's, a strata with asparagus, and ham for my breakfast - it was the only food that hadn't moved downstairs to the other kitchen - and felt I had breakfasted well.

I made two loaves of banana bread and six dozen (one recipe) peanut butter cup cookies and all that was left at close to 1 pm of my stuff when I moseyed over to the social hall was one thin slice of the bread. Which I ate, because the QC slice I'd had at 4:20 am had been good.

My Easter feasting started on traditonal fast days, because my young cousin got herself married on ... Good Friday. I had a nice festive lunch with my aunt, uncle, and parents that day, and a tasty dinner at the reception. (I had my dancin' shoes on, too.)

The feasting continued on Saturday. My folks gave me some Dove chocolate eggs for Easter (*grin*), and my other aunt had a round-number birthday and her kids invited us for brunch at a restaurant in the motel most of La Familia was staying at. It was pretty tasty - even (as my dad noted) the coffee was good.

I shopped farm stands (including Ikeda's of Apple Hill, now in Davis) on the way home. I have a razzleberry (raspberry and marionberry) pie to bake up. I thought of my berry-loving grandmother (great grandmother of the bride) when I got it.

So, I have had a lot of good food recently, and have some great stuff in the fridge. I may have to scramble for lunch tomorrow, as I am too exhausted to cook some soup for my lunch, but Easter has arrived.