Post Easter

Am happy to report that I'm feeling much better after a thoroughly enjoyable weekend, beginning with the Mostly Native Plant Sale at the Cibolo Nature Center and a delightful gathering of Freethinkers for a picnic at capmconnundrum's place in the country on Saturday.

But it was Sunday that was truly restorative. I had both my sons, ages 23 and 17, at home and had planned to serve brunch, thinking that they might spend the afternoon playing golf with their dad. But, lo! Dad turned out to be otherwise occupied, and I got to have them all to myself all day long, and what a treat that was!

I really went all out. I dyed eggs and hid them, along with cascarones (confetti-filled dyed eggs), and jelly-bean-filled plastic eggs. I fixed Easter baskets for both boys filled with bubble-making toys and other assorted odds and ends including the obligatory chocolate Easter bunny. We ate lunch and played cards and ping-pong, watched a movie and just generally hung out and had a great time.

The highlight of all was probably when my younger son, Sandy, shared a memory he had of an earlier Easter: He was, at the time, still hanging on to the concept of the Easter bunny, but Dad had given up trying too hard, and this year Mom was sick and Dad, being saddled with the task of Easter egg hiding, told the boys, "The Easter bunny is sick this year so all the eggs are in the living room" (yeah, they were usually hidden in the house and in the yard). This caused Sandy to ponder, "Mom is sick, the Easter bunny is sick.....OMG!! THE EASTER BUNNY MADE MOM SICK!!" Another childhood trauma navigated.

Easter menu for those interested: Ham-potato-onion gratin, roasted asparagus, fruit salad, mimosas and flan. The flan recipe was given to me by my friend, Sharla, who got it from Fonda San Miguel in Austin and it goes like this:

Pour 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a 9" metal cake pan and heat directly over medium heat until the sugar melts and turns medium brown. Remove and set aside to cool.

In a blender, combine:

1 15-oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup slivered almonds (I sometimes use pecans)

Buzz for about 15 seconds, then pour into the pan over the caramelized sugar. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and set into a larger pan filled with water that comes up about halfway up the side of the cake pan. Bake at 350 for about 55 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool thoroughly (best overnight) then invert onto a plate so that the caramel flows over the top.