Happy Easter!

We had a wonderful weekend of Easter goodness.  B's parents were in town and it was lovely as always to see them.  I got to make pizza dough, and brioche dough, and a whole wheat boule for bread making.  I also roasted a duck for the first time and crockpotted a passable chicken.  My mil gifted me with a BRAND NEW set of cookware!  It doesn't get any better than that.  I no longer have to haul out the stockpot to make maccheezz because my other pot was dirty.  Yes, Until this weekend I only had two pots.  It worked.  Sorta.  The easter bunny was great to the girls and they had a wonderful time decorating easter eggs.  Gramma brought little easter egg cakes and we frosted and decorated those for dessert.  We all had a blast with that.  I sense a new tradition. 

I've been practicing more faithfully, which is excellent because this concert is going to kick my arse if I don't.  Tchaik 6 is not to be trifled with, and I really need to get a reliable reed working before rehearsal this week.  I feel more confident when I practice, and I'm getting in at LEAST one session a week on top of rehearsal, and more usually two.  That feels really good. 

Running is going ok, its been raining and cruddy all last week, and that really really made it hard to run, but I did last weekend, but not Easter weekend, so I'd like to go twice this week.  I'm thinking tomorrow and Wednesday.  Not ideal to go two days in a row, but those are my best options this week.

Things are starting to grow in my garden!  I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.  No really.  B is sick to death of me running out to the garden to check my four pea plants.  Just ask him.  Oh, wait no, I checked today and I'm up to six, two more sprouted.  So there.  Six pea plants.  SIX.  and I have a basil plant from the grocery store in my kitchen window, along with mystery seeds that Boo came home with from preschool today.

As far as preserving and baking news goes, well, there were the breads mentioned above, and a slew of cupcakes and attendant frosting.  God I love frosting.  Yum.  Buttercream take me away.  Though much as I love frosting and cake and sweets, I'm getting done with them.  I'm ready for produce from the garden.  I'm ready for salads for dinner.  I'm ready for runner beans and peas.   I did do a lovely batch of strawberry jam since my local grocery store had an insane sale on strawberries last week.  I literally bought 12 pounds of strawberries.   We ate six.  I'm not kidding.  And um, I was NOT the main devourer this time.  Maus should by all rights be red by now.  But three pounds went into a lovely basic strawberry jam.  It suffered from fruit float pretty badly, but that doesn't affect the taste or keeping qualities of the jam, just the asthetics.  The remaining three pounds were sliced and frozen and then bagged in one pound portions for use in the winter when berries are far too expensive and taste like red cardboard to boot.  I also made a batch of garlicky dill pickles from my favorite preserving blog Food in Jars. We haven't cracked those open yet, but they should be good.  Yum and garlicky, and since my kids eat pickles almost as voraciously as they eat berries, that recipe will come in handy.  And hey look!  I made a pretty link! 

Suki is settling in nicely, still puppyish, but understandably so, and within reason.  Right now she's curled up at my feet snoring and dreaming twitchy puppy dreams.  And she's still not as cute as my kids.  It's pretty amazing. 

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!  We sure did.