Ruining Easter with German brunch

My friend Lino posted a photo on Facebook of his delicious-looking Filipino Easter:

It made me feel a little guilty about the German feast that I had prepared, and my lack of actually writing about, much less ruining, Mom's recipes. But it turns out I am also talented at ruining Mom's idea of what a meal should be. For instance, our German Easter brunch was seriously lacking of anything of nutritional value.

At the very top, we've got an Austrian Amadeus cheese, which reminded me of one of my favorite German cheeses, Butterkaese. Just below it on the left is Brie de Nangine, which actually relates more to a wine-tasting trip a year ago that introduced me to this earthy, soft deliciousness. Continuing counter-clockwise, you've got your liverwurst, Mortadella and Emmantaler.

And to the left is the reason I even considered making this brunch. Earlier this year, a new cafe opened that I now pass daily on my commute. With an uber-German name like Kaffeeklatsch, I just had to look it up. And lo and behold, I saw photos and descriptions of German treats I've been missing for a decade, especially their Sourdough Rye with Sunflower Seeds. So I stopped by a couple of times to quench my thirst, but it just made me thirstier for German food. So I dove in and started planning an Easter of gluttony.

The only things I spent any time on were even more carbs: German Potato Salad and homemade pretzels. And not shown is the main course, the Weisswurst, whose main ingredient I will not name out of shame. But it tastes soooo good with Hefeweizen and my homemade pretzels!

OK, I gotta be honest. It wasn't completely devoid of nutrition. Mom actually brought a salad, which everybody just picked at, and Stephen and Koshare brought one delicious fruit salad, and another one in honor of Dad that is also delicious ... but in another way (fruit cocktail and Cool Whip, I kid you not).

Feast we did on Easter. Sorry, Mom, if I ruined another holiday!

Welcome spring with morel quiche

Even if Nicole does make fun of me for getting Sunset magazine and says it reminds her of her mother, I can't help but like reading it. Besides, I don't want it to go the wayside like Gourmet did last year, and the only way to keep that from happening is to buy the print edition.

If I'd just let the Internet work its magic, I probably never would have stumbled across this recipe for Asparagus and Morel Quiche that was part of Sunset's Easter package. However, as scrumptious as it all looked, I think I'll have to pass on the Baked Ham with Meyer Lemon-Spice Glaze because there is just no way I'm squeezing five of those tiny little lemons.

It would have made a lovely Easter meal, though. Quiche is always an Easter hit around our house, even if it is crustless like the one we had over the weekend. I am simply not a fan of crust. But this one I would definitely make again. Ten tbsp. butter, 1-1/2 c. flour and an egg, you just can't go wrong with a recipe like that.

Happy yummy Easter!

As much as I miss the paycheck, there are definitely some bonuses to my new un-schedule, such as not working Sundays.

It's been a while since the family has gathered to celebrate Easter together, but we had the pleasure this weekend of spending the holiday at my brother's new house, and even better that his roommate made an uncooked ham that was sweet and savory, juice and delicious.

I brought a few necessary side dishes, including the above Baked Spinach and Gruyere, shown at right uncooked. I've made this for a few holiday occasions, and it's always a hit. It's basically a quiche without the crust, but I think it's just as delicious and a lot easier to make.

My favorite part of the meal, though was the dessert. No, the photo at left is not just a simple potted plant -- it's a delicious twist on cookies and cream. I don't mind eating a little dirt if it's actually crumbled cookies, especially when mixed with vanilla pudding.

Worms, not so bad either. I'd like to say that Koshare assured us the pot and trowel weren't simply taken from her gardening shed and quickly rinsed off, but we got nothing of the sort. A little mystery never hurt anybody.