The Elf Blog

The Date of Easter

This may be a little late, but I like my holidays to fit the seasons.  The Fourth of July should be hot and sunny.  Halloween should be crisp and cool.  Christmas should be cold and, preferably, snowy.  Easter should be spring-like, with sunny skies, flowering trees, and a hint of warmth in the air.

Unfortunately, because Easter was so early this year, it just doesn't feel like spring yet.  In some places, it was snowing last week. 

That leads to some comments on why Easter was so early and why Easter and Passoer are so far apart this year.  Usually, Easter and Passover are close together. In fact, for Orthodox Christians, they are always linked. For other Christians, Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring. This year, the spring equinox was on March 20th and the full moon was the 21st, so the 23rd was the first Sunday, making it Easter. Because of the role the equinox plays, the key determinant of the date is the sun. The Jewish calendar is lunar in orientation, which explains why things get out of sync periodically since a lunar month and a solar month differ in length.

Easter won't be this early again for 100 years.  Next year, spring will be in full force when Easter arrives!

A Last-Minute Easter Treat

For those who want something simple to do with kids, you can make a huge bunny shaped sugar cookie with refrigerated dough, canned frosting, and candy decorations.

You'll need a very large baking sheet. I've had some luck with a foil covered pizza stone. You can also stretch foil over two cookie sheets, but that requires coordination.

You just take the tube of dough and slice it in half. The first half you roll into a ball and then press it out into a circle to make the face. Divide the second half into two and shape the ears. Press the ears onto the top of the circle.

Bake it at 350 for 10-12 minutes and then check to see if it's done. It usually takes a bit longer to bake because it's one big cookie. After it's cooled, frost and make a bunny face using licorice, jelly beans, or other candy decorations.

Easter Brunch

Today is my prep day for the Easter brunch tomorrow.  The centerpiece will be a lovely ham that I bought glazed and fully cooked to make things easy.  It will be accompanied by homemade sticky buns, pasta salad, green salad, deviled eggs, and two kinds of quiche (spinach and roasted red pepper and asparagus).  We'll have some chocolate for a finish plus coffee, tea, and mimosas to drink.

I stopped by the farmer's market today and was really disappointed.  The new peas didn't look very new.  There were no interesting salad greens.  And the red peppers were from Mexico.  I don't need to travel and pay premium prices to get ordinary produce.

I've finished most of my advance prep work, so now, I can rest until tomorrow morning.

The Three Days

As the sun set tonight, Catholics begin the celebration of the Triduum (literally, three days, measured from sunset to sunset and concluding Sunday evening.

These are the holiest days of the Church year, recalling Jesus' Last Supper, Crucifixion, Death, Burial, and Resurrection. 

These are days of quiet reflection and solemn ritual that focus on the essentials of our lives:  service, sacrificial laove, and the hope of new life.

Blessings.

Easter Festivities

It's time to finalize your Easter plans:

• Decide on a menu for brunch or dinner.  If you plan to eat out, make your reservations.
• Make your grocery list.  If possible, try to get some of the produce at a farm stand or farmer's market.
• Decide on the contents of any Easter baskets you plan to give and purchase any missing contents.
• Develop your schedule for the weekend.  Make sure you allow time for religious services as well as dying eggs, hiding eggs, and hunting eggs in addition to cooking and preparing for guests.
• Easter is the quintessential spring holiday.  Bring flowers and green plants into your home and, if the weather allows, open the windows to let fresh air in.