we set a very casual table this year. so much stuff going on around the house on the weekends, we really didn't have time to sit still for holidays that neither of us really celebrate. (i like bunny plates though. and the nod to passover is over to the right with the haroset and horseradish, and the sephardic eggs, which i have been making at eastertime for longer than i have been wed to a jew.)
these are the first flowers we picked from the garden this year.
there was a time in my life when i was very adamant about not wanting to grow tulips, even though they are widely known as my favorite flower. but something about them growing up out of the ground just looks icky to me. this is an experiment, growing them, and i don't know how i feel yet. i think this cultivar is called "queen of the night" but i wish it were blacker.
as many of you have already heard, this easter was a lesson in one thing: anise extract and anise oil are NOT the same thing by a long shot. anise oil is MUCH stronger, and anise oil is what i used in the cookies, and yes, it was something of a problem. now i know. why didn't i know before? other people did.