Dessert first? No, but we were very tempted to eat The Bunny Cake! I have been making this cake for years. The molded halves had to be coaxed back together this year. The cake is coconut rum pound cake with an almond flavored glaze. The kids had many ideas on how to cut the cake. Anna had the tail pinched off, Ryan chopped the ears, Tyler had a slice of the belly, and Aiden was happy with any part of the bunny!
The table was set and just waiting for family. We had a simple meal at about 1:00 pm. We ate inside as the weather decided to settle for blustery rainshowers. Every once in awhile the sunshine would tease us all. Can you see Marial one of the Farm Dogs looking through the window? I think she can smell the ham!
Shrimp was just the right shade of pink and red to get things started for the Easter lunch. The sauce was made with ketchup and creamy horseradish and a few slices of green garlic chopped up fine. Shrimp always make a meal feel like a party to me!
Here is the famous O'Brien's Pasture Raised Pork. It is slow smoked ham with a hint of maple syrup and brown sugar. We are savoring the left overs in sandwiches and for dinner.
Home grown applesauce went very well with the ham. We will need to triple the amount of applesauce made last year. There are many applesauce fans around here and once a jar is open and the taste of the apples are in the air, it is hard to slow down!
Next, there was brie cheese slices with radish chunks. It was light, refreshing, and the Easter Eggs radishes have such pretty pink, red, and purple colors they are very hard to resist.
Pasta salad with purple broccoli which turns green when it is cooked, radishes, peas, cheese, and gluten free pasta. Tuscan Italian Dressing makes all the difference with this salad.
One of the favorite dishes at lunch was the mixed greens and new potatoes. This dish had green garlic, leeks, and new potatoes all tossed together and roasted in a cast iron skillet. There was also pink raspberry lemonade for everyone.
We were so thankful to have The Brownies over for an Easter Celebration! Luckily we don't have to wait for a holiday to celebrate...Each new day offers so many blessings in large and small ways ~
These are singing apple trees! The duet is full of bees wildly pollinating and honey making. The tree on the left produces beautiful Golden Delicious apples, my personal favorite for fresh eating, and the tree on the right is a Gala Apple tree.
Here are the pretty pinks and whites on the blooms and the buds. These trees smell wonderful right now!
The trees are literally humming with at least 15 different varieties of bees and wasps and hornets. Look closely and you will see a honey bee.
This is Her Majesty! This old apple tree must be as old as the house, some 80 years. The apple tree produces a branch or two of Yellow Translucent apple and Red Gravenstein. The tree looks small only next to the very old walnut trees. We made the majority of our applesauce and pie filling from these two varieties this year.
The lilac tree is now in full bloom and the sharp sweet scent fills the air across the farm. This tree is 12 years old and Tim prunes and shapes it every year to make it more of a tree than a bush.
Bearded Iris in the pretty purple blue grow along the rock garden at one corner of the farm. The old heirloom variety bloom before the newer hybrid irises.
Finally, there are some geraniums in the planter on the front porch. They still need protection from the frosty cold nights. The sign above the flowers at the front door says "Cead Mile Failte" written in the Gaelic. It sounds like "cade millyah faltche to you" and one hundred thousand welcomes to you, too ~
