Easter. . .

(or, Spring finally arrives in the Northeast)

This year, both Greek and regular Easter Sundays fell on April 15. With the stock market closed on Good Friday, and Massachusetts schools and colleges closed the following Monday for Patriot's/Marathon Day, we would have a lovely long weekend. As it approached Easter, the weather warmed up, and the bulbs planted in the garden in the middle of our street actually started to bloom. On Good Friday, we drove my friend Annie home from the oral surgeon, ate lunch out, and dyed eggs with the Passover-observing, never-before-having-dyed-an-egg Howard at home that evening. On Holy Saturday, we had a lazy sunny spring day together, with lunch in Chinatown and a trip to Ming's supermarket, and ended the day by preparing the boneless leg of lamb for Easter dinner (trimmed of fat, rubbed with thyme, rosemary, paprika, flour, salt, pepper, and lots of ground coriander, and with many garlic slivers inserted into the meat). This (above right) is what the fridge looked like on Easter Eve--everything in it, of course, in preparation for the holiday.

Easter Sunday dawned beautifully sunny and warm. Christina was up at 7:00 to put the spanekopita in the oven and shower and dress. By 8:30, a sleepy Robert wandered into the kitchen and we decided to eat breakfast and forego the too-early, too-long church service at the Methodist church we'd gone to the week before. Our dining room (Howard calls it the solarium) gets such lovely morning sun that Robert (left) wore his sunglasses to breakfast. This picture shows our dining room and part of our deck, separated from the dining room by a wall of windows. Breakfast (right) consisted of Aunt Grace's homemade strawberry jam; iced coffee with tapioca pearls (Robert's contribution to the meal, perfectly cooked and a rare treat); orange juice, Christina's homemade Greek Easter bread; a small cheese sampler from the Bread and Circus; and the hard-boiled dyed Easter eggs.

By 11:30, everything was done--the table was set for dinner (left), the lamb ready to pop in the oven, the potatoes and spanekopita keeping warm, the ice made, the drinks chilled, the appetizer platter made up--and, as Robert's father, grandmother, and Ada weren't expected until after 1, Christina (left) relaxed in Uncle Frank's big blue chair to read a book for awhile.

When everyone did arrive, we first took Grandma Helena on a tour of the apartment--she was impressed by the computers, loved sitting in Uncle Frank's chair, admired the kitchen, and is here (below) seen smiling as she peers into the bathroom (not visible in this picture) to admire our tub (not just a shower, and not narrow and uncomfortable like her current bathtub). Then, we settled down in the living room for appetizers (homemade blue cheese carmelized onion spread and purchased duck pate with more of the Greek Easter bread).

Above, Robert and Christina take a picture together in the living room before everyone arrives. Both are wearing new clothes from the Old Navy we recently discovered right by our house--yes, Robert's shirt is lavender, and yes, he picked it out by himself. It happens to look great on him.

Dinner was lovely--the lamb was medium, but still very juicy, with a nice white wine-dried cherry sauce on the side for it; there was spanekopita (Greek spinach pie); potatoes au gratin with goat cheese; a salad of Boston lettuce, red onions, almonds, and mandarin oranges in a citrus-balsamic dressing; a first course of chilled cream of asparagus soup with an avocado garnish; and, later, a white chocolate apricot frozen mousse, with fresh marinated strawberries and a raspberry sauce. In between dinner and dessert, we watched the movie Mickey Blue Eyes, which everyone enjoyed. Robert's father drove his grandmother home around 8pm, and thus ended a very nice Easter day.

on to other Spring Flings. . .