Your Head Trucker is delighted to report that daily temps in Texas are now bumping up against the 80-degree mark, and thanks be to God for that. I am still a little shell-shocked by that Deep Freeze we had in February, so I welcome every advance of the mercury now.
We had a lovely Easter feast that M.P. worked three days and nights preparing - and since which I have been working the same length of time to get all the pots and pans washed up and put away. M.P. has been shopping for weeks, picking up a sale on this and a sale on that as he makes his regular rounds of the grocery stores, so he had plenty to cook for the big day, and we still have plenty to eat - though he is taking a lot of it for his work lunches each weekday. He also last weekend found some flowers on sale at ridiculous clearance prices, so those added their natural beauty to our table.
We didn't take many pics of the food - our age is telling on us - we nowadays are more eager to eat when dinner is ready than to shuffle around taking pictures of it. But just for the record, here are some snaps we did take.
For Easter, we like to set what is for us a simple white table, with a few pastel shades here and there. Notice the little basket of chocolates M.P. whimsically provided at left.
Appetizers were our favorite deviled eggs, at right, and M.P.'s new creation: chicken puffs (pureed chicken parts in homemade cream-puff shells, heated just long enough to have a delicate crunch when you bite into them).
The soup course was a hot, deliciously flavored chicken consomme with just one great BIG crouton - made from Texas toast, of course.
I realize this picture cannot adequately convey the wonderful aromas and tastes of our dinner, so you will just have to imagine: from 6 o'clock, fall-apart tender roast lamb (marinated for 3 days in wine and herbs); steamed asparagus with parmesan cheese topping; stuffed yellow squash; luscious potatoes Anna; and a big, fluffy butter bun that M.P. makes as he does cinammon rolls, but without cinnamon, and much less sugar; and in the center, a sort of fruit-salad parfait, creamy and sweet. It was all mighty fine eating - I tell you what, boys.
For dessert, M.P. repeated his triumph of last year with another angelic offering of lemon mousse, so delightful, so delicious - just de-wonderful! And to wash it down we enjoyed a pot of our favorite pecan praline coffee, carefully hoarded for the occasion. Oh my, that was a happy ending indeed.
No matter how cold and dark the winter, spring always returns to bring light and warmth - and hope - to the hearts of men. There's a lesson in that, if we have eyes to see it. I hope all my truckbuddies are enjoying fine spring weather and good spirits now. God bless you all.
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