Easter Tradition

Happy Easter!

appetizers

It was nice not having to clean my house this year for Easter meal.  I don’t mind the cooking or table setting, but I dislike that our house is usually such a wreck that I need to spend time cleaning and picking things up.  Granted my friends who share our holiday table are a forgiving group, but the condition of our home is usually a wreck!  Just look what the kids did to their Easter basket in 20-minutes, maybe it was even less than 20-minutes!

this is what the Easter basket looks like, small
view into how our whole house looks. yikes!

Since I didn’t have to cook or clean for Easter, my son and I went out for waffels at a new waffle place, called The Wafel Shop.  Yes, there is an “f” missing.  They were open until 2pm on Easter Sunday.  Perfect for us.  I tried their Liege waffle, which is petit but indulgent.  The woman at the counter asked if I wanted any toppings.  I thought she was crazy because it’s already sweet.  Even though I don’t count calories and I probably should, it seemed calorie-ladden.  My son got the Belgium wafel with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, chocolate syrup and two strips of bacon.  I also got a soy streamer.   Luckily I had more than a $20 with me.

Boy and his wafel

                      We made it back home in time for me to make a platter of curry deviled eggs and Brussles Spouts sautéed in bacon fat & topped with bacon.  Super yummy.  The hostess asked that I bring that as my contribution.  Nice that I make a dish that people look forward to eating.  The other guest, Molly, makes the most amazing cheesy mashed potato dish that is mandatory that she bring. 

Years ago when I hosted my first Thanksgiving with my Ann Arbor friends, I asked Molly to bring a mashed potato dish, it was something that takes several steps and if I could ask someone to deal with it, it would be helpful to me.  Little did I know, she would bring the most awesome mashed potato dish ever! 

There is some history to our gatherings.  My husband and I (with our children) do not have any family close by.  We later discovered that our friends, Kelly and Molly, were in the same situation.  Making a big family dinner just for our immediate family wasn’t worth doing (mostly because our kids weren’t going to eat much of the meal), but what if we got together?  Hence, we have spent our Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holiday meals together.  People ask, what about your parents, what do you do when they come?  We bring them to whomever is hosting.  It’s as if we are all family.

I feel like these ladies are my family.  I always say, I’m eternally indebted to Molly.  I was a new mother with a 10-day son when I met her at Le Leche League (Ann Arbor 3) meeting in St. Joe’s Senior Center back in 1994.  I was a mess!  My baby boy was nursing constantly and not gaining weight, I was tired, sleep-deprived and unsure of nearly everything.   There was this group of moms with 8-month-old babies who had it all together, sitting on the floor, bouncing their smiling babies and telling me – it gets better.   Many of them have been where I was!  They talked about being at the mall all sitting around nursing and they didn’t care if anyone saw.  I knew I was in love with these moms.  During the meeting, Molly told me – “you need a mom’s group.”  I thought, “yes, I do, but where do I find one??”  I don’t know if I said that out loud or she read my mind, but she told me they had a yahoo group and what was my email address.  I couldn’t even remember my email address!  She wittingly said, “oh they didn’t tell you when you gave birth to your placenta, your brain went with it?” followed by what I consider her trademark laugh.  That was my introduction to a fabulous group of moms. 

table setting with lovely baskets
with candies 

 This year, we celebrated Easter with Kelly at her home.  Here is the bountiful amount of shrimp and my tray of deviled eggs for appetizers.

As in our household, ham was served, with Kelly’s summer squash & zucchini casserole, Molly’s cheesy mashed potatoes and my Brussel sprouts, with salad and biscuits.  Many bottles of wine were opened and drank.   Hoping your Easter was as warm and delightful!

Spring Cookie Class

Last night’s class was Spring Cookie decorating at Sweet Heather Anne’s.  I have taken several classes there and it feels as if I’m right at home there in their kitchen studio.  I say studio because these ladies are artisans. 

rustic buttercream birthday cake

I initially fell in love with their cakes when they had a cake they were sampling at Elephant Ears in Kerrytown.  Elephant Ears is an adorable children’s clothing boutique in Kerrytown.   One bite of their cake transported me back to my wedding cake back to a hot and sunny day in 1994 in Virginia.   I have eaten many cakes and I had never tasted one that was like my wedding cake.   I knew that I had to keep them in mind for something special in the future.

Since I wasn’t planning on having another wedding, I decided to have them make my 40^th birthday cake last year.  I will tell you more about that at another time, but I have included a picture of my rustic buttercream cake.

As I mentioned, a gal of the 21^st century, I stalked  websites and blogs until I saw they offered classes!  YAY, classes!  My first class with Sweet Heather Anne was the Holiday Cookie decorating class in 2012.  

The Spring Cookie class was my third cookie class.  They share the recipes to make it at home but I like that the cookies are already baked and ready to decorate.  The instructor last night was Claudia, who is witty, beautiful, smart and talented.  She demonstrated how to make the royal icing.  I won’t tell you how – you will need to sign-up and take the class.  There is a “secret” to the lovely taste of their royal icing.  We get to see what the “right” consistency for royal icing.  That was an eye-opener for me!  I use to follow the recipes exactly (That’s what I do) for royal icing and it would be too thick and didn’t behave as to allow me to do the things I wanted.

What makes Sweet Heather Anne’s cookies and cake so beautiful is because these ladies are artist.  Heather has a fine arts degree.  The colors they create are a mixture of food coloring colors.  In class, Claudia squeezes for three different bottles of food coloring (These aren’t the small bottles we buy from the grocery store) These are 8-oz bottles!  I don’t remember the color—yellow, peach and some shade of blue.  The royal icing is a beautiful light, but not too light, coral color.

The icing is mixed and set into the piping bags.  She seals the bag with a rubber band.  Ingenious!  That’s another great thing about the class, all the colors are mixed and bagged.  Claudia shows us how to pipe—using your “writing hand” to be at the top of the piping bag and your other hand guiding the tip.  She floods the cookie, after outlining it—this is all with the same icing.  She picks out two other colors and pipes some lines in.  Then the magic happens.  She takes a toothpick and drags it through the icing and VOILA—different effects…feather or weave pattern.  Gorgeous!

San Street yumminess

During the class. I’m feeling like it’s getting late, it might just be my feeling and I feel this urge to pipe my cookies in record speed.    I would discourage trying to go quickly, but I wanted to get to Zingerman’s Event space for San Street Pop-In.  That’s another passion—my love for food.  I discovered San Street last summer through Mark’s Cart, which is located behind Downtown Home and Garden.  It’s Korean-inspired street food.  It’s delicious.   If I am out and San Street had a Pop-In, I’m on it.  I had told my husband dinner was after my class and I was bringing home San Street.  Last year we went to a Zingerman’s Roadhouse special event San Street Dinner.  Yum!

So instead of being totally focused on my lovely cookie decorating, I was hunger and bit on a sugar high, I ate some solid-chocolate Easter mini-eggs before leaving the house and the thoughts of trying to get to Zingerman’s Event space in a timely manner was messing with me.  The previous San Street Pop-In at The Bar at Braun Court, I got the last meatball entrée. That sounds fantastic but I wanted two—remember I was getting it for my husband too.  I didn’t want that to happen again!

My cookies decorating wasn’t as excellent as it could have been, but they still look lovey and of course taste delicious! 

Oh did I get my food at San Street?  At 8:20pm they were sold out of all the meat dishes!  They were kind enough to scrape enough of the sauce and shredded meat to get me a sampling of the entrée. 

I don’t know if this is because we live in a relatively small town or just simply great minds think alike, but a woman I just meet three weeks ago in my workout group, called Ann Arbor Stroller Strides, was there in the cookie decorating class!  The thing that is particularly interesting is that she’s good friends with someone I’m friends with from my original moms group.  I say original moms group because I have meet moms with each of my children and the “original “is the oldest group of friends I have in Ann Arbor and they got me through a lot of angst that comes with first-time parenting.   I find that happens more often than not, bumping into someone that I meet in one aspect of my life and our paths crossing again in another aspect of my life.   I have this believe of cosmic connections.  Realists like my husband would just say people who have the same interest will flock to the same events.  But that doesn’t explain our shared friendships and workout connections.

my tray of beautiful cookie

Modern Easter Basket

I have been enjoying taking floral design classes at pot & box on 220 Felch Street, Ann Arbor.  The classes are run by Bloom Florist Collective, which are four local independent florist working together.  They are Susan of Passionflower, Holly of Sweet Pea, Tracy of Red Poppy, and Lisa of Pot & Box.  

End of last summer when I discovered they offered floral design classes, I couldn’t stop wondering how can I get into their class—I had miss their grand opening class—that’s a problem of blogs, you find out about things AFTER they happen!  The arrangements were gorgeous.  I wanted to learn to make such stunning arrangements!  So I did what most modern 21^st century gal does, I stalked their blog waiting for classes! 

In Fall of 2012, I took their “Art of Compote” class and have been hooked since.  Last night, I enjoyed the “Modern Easter Basket”  class.  We were given simple moss baskets and we transformed them into magnificent arrangements.  I’m still not sure how the transformation happens.  Susan, guides us through—telling us how she wrapped the willow branches from one side and wrapping it around the handle. 

At the end of the evening, I’m thrilled with my accomplishments and how beautiful it looks.  Surprisingly, I’m honestly impressed with my own work.  Large part of the satisfaction comes from my initial trepidation  -- how am I going to create something that looks half as nice as what we are shown?  In the end it comes together.  My designs tend to be organic.  In the past the crowns or wreaths looks as if garden fairies or woodland creatures made it.  Which is interesting to think I might be a woodland creature because I am not.  I’m an urbanite. 

Humble moss basket

Modern Easter Basket

The materials we are given are extraordinary.  Bloom Collective picks incredible floral.  These aren’t just beautiful flowers, but they think about color, texture and layering.

I’m excited that I’m taking this knowledge and doing the floral arranging for my friends’ wedding this summer.  I’m excited and a wee bit nervous.  I’m confident that I can do it and that my work will be beautiful.  BUT beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  My fear is that what I consider to be gorgeous might not be for my friends, the bride and groom.   They are putting a lot of faith and trust in me.  It’s going to be exciting (I hope).

http://www.bloomclass.com

Wheatgrass Baskets

this is day #5, made me even question -
will it be ready in time?

day #7 - day of the party

        

Here are the wheatgrass filled Easter Baskets.  On day #5, my husband looked at the sparsely patch of wheatgrass and asked, “when is your party again? Are you sure it will be ready then?”  It made me question if 7-days was enough time.  Well, on day #7, it was ready!

deviled eggs made from the cracked ones

We invited 5 of my daughters classmates/friends over for egg coloring/decorating.  These are kindergarteners who will have bowls of food coloring at their disposal.   The night before, I wondered if I was a bit off my rocker.  Not clinically crazy, but crazy to take on a task.  I remembered, I have done it before – when my kids were younger.  So in many ways I felt confident things were going to be ok—they are older and I'm more experienced.  One child brought her older sister, since this was a short playdate—1-hour.  Being experienced, I knew that egg coloring takes about 15- to 20-minutes per dozen.  I didn’t want to occupy their time with anything other than egg coloring.  I boiled at least a dozen eggs per child.  In reality, that means I needed to buy 8 dozen eggs.  There were 7 participants but inevitably some eggs would crack during boiling .    I asked parents if they could send each child with a dozen eggs, because dyeing a dozen would only take 15-minutes.   Many brought 2 dozens. They didn't take home 3-dozen, so I was left with plenty.  I'm bring deviled eggs for Easter dinner.

Each parent was impressed with the wheatgrass baskets.  They said how much nicer it was to have this than the artificial plastic grass.  Each year, I’m impressed with the wheatgrass baskets too.  I hope you will make this a tradition in your home.

what a colorful table

all the children with their eggs

after spraying the basket,
time to spray the windows