Easter Chez Mom

My mother had us all over for Easter lunch. Won’t you come in?

The windows were open, the sun was bright, and she had cleverly raided her yard for decor. (My mother: the original source of all Rose family creativity.) On the front door: cat’s claw vines that she trimmed from the fence and wound into a wreath.

Flowering vines found their way into vases, and my Mom let them stay long and wild. Genius.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chocolate bunnies are totally deserving of elegant display (and totally cute). Go, Mom.

My Dad brought a carrot harvest from his garden, which we turned into decor. (And then ate — raw. His carrots tastelike soil and sun.)

Scarlett — my niece and favorite Easter egg, decorated the lawn in a white tutu and beret. (Her mother is brave.)

Very brave — the whole family dressed in white (and went home unscathed).

I wore black linen. I am boring. (But Ty in white linen? Yes, please.)

Baby Taylor, with eyes the color of the sky, and his Papa — my dad. I like a man with the gumption to wear pink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below: my Mom and Kenny. Everybody likes Kenny. (He was a basketball star in France, long before the days of Tony Parker, which my nephews are going to think is SUPER cool as soon as they figure it out.)

For lunch: sandwiches and salads. My mother — and her daughters — are devotees of pretty food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were deviled eggs,yes, but my Mom made them look like hatching chicks. The kids were pleased (and me, too).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dessert, a Pop Cake — a glory of my family and the ’80s. And my Easter gift to you is the oh-so-easy instructions, straight from the recipe box my mother got for her wedding.

Pop Cake

Bake a boxed white cake in a 9-by-13pan according to package instructions. Let cool one hour. Poke cake all over with a skewer. You want the holes to be about a centimeter apart. If you have a serving fork with large tines, use that to save time.

Dissolve one small package strawberry Jell-O in one cup of boiling water. Add one cup of strawberry soda, like Crush. Stir. Slowly pour mixture over cake, making sure to distribute evenly. Let sit at least two hours, or overnight.

To frost the cake (cake must be completely cool, so I do this at the very end): make a large package of vanilla pudding. Add two cups of Cool Whip. Spread over cake, and serve with fresh strawberries.

Happy spring.

By |2010-04-18T02:56:54-07:00April 18th, 2010|Parties|1 Comment

My Mom’s Halloween Bash

Would you care for a creepy cookie, my sweet? (The best recipe for witches’ fingers  is here — trust me. I’ve tested for five years.  Roll them almost pencil thin between your fingers to create ridged spheres of dough that bake up just like this.)

A sweet potato pumpkin patch. (Mashed sweet potatoes + pretzel sticks +cilantro leaves = very smug appetizer.) Merci, Martha. Delish.

My mother and I had this conversation three days before the party:

Me: MOM! Martha made marshmallows into ghosts, using sprinkles for eyes and everything! They were so cute, but ugh. The work.

Mom: Why don’t you just go buy Peeps?

God Bless Peeps. (Pre-made brownie bites from Safeway + Barefoot Contessa recipe cream cheese frosting + Peep ghost attached with toothpick. So easy.)

Use a piping bag to turn mashed potatoes into ghosts, Martha-style. The eyes are black sesame seeds. (We so used instant mashed potatoes for this.)

Fancy a little Frankenstein for dessert? Use melted chocolate and a paintbrush to create scary faces inside plastic cups. Fill with vanilla pudding tinted green. Top with crushed chocolate-filled Oreos.

Scarlett the ladybug, Aunt Jaimee the witch, and the mother, my sister Kapri, who took all of the food pictures you’re enjoying this day.

My nieces Kaustin and Scarlett, both wearing wings:

The Haunted Hunger Hole: Feast if you Dare

If you look too closely at the Haunted Hunger Hole, you might discover things that will make you never want to eat again.

It’s beef jerky. My mother’s wave of disgusting brilliance. The worst part? By the end of the night, this tray was empty. Happy Halloween! (Behold, Mr. Rome, in Curious George glory.)

By |2009-11-01T03:34:09-07:00November 1st, 2009|Parties|1 Comment

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