Happy Easter!

St. Peter and St. John running to the empty tomb

 For the past few years I've been able to go to the Holy Thursday mass, the Good Friday service and the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, and they are so beautiful and such a fitting end to the struggles of Lent. 

Today was beautiful and sunny after a cloudy beginning, and gradually rose up into the fifties. We had a late breakfast around noon, since that was the only time we could, and then I got started on the dinner, while hoping we'd have enough appetite for it. For a long time, I've had lamb chops on Easter, since we like them and Jesus assuredly ate lamb on Passover. No ham! :D  Anyway, we've been having lamb more often lately and I thought it really didn't matter what we had, as long as it was a special dinner. I started collecting ideas on Pinterest but then thanks to Libby, I was perusing the British Country Living (I feel like I mention that magazine a lot here), and in the March issue was a recipe for a chicken dish with lots of tarragon, cream and some white wine. That caught my attention, and I decided to make it. 

There was a problem, though. It wanted you to spatchcock the chicken and I'd never done it. I didn't want to try. But I was afraid it would mess up the cooking time, and maybe delay the dinner, or even cause the sauce to dry up because I'd be cooking it longer. Then I thought of just getting a cut-up chicken - it should cook at a similar rate. Well, it was such a delicious recipe, that if you have that magazine, I urge you to try it, and especially if you want to impress someone with little effort, try it.

I was supposed to salt it well and leave on the counter for an hour, but I forgot that part until it was time to get going. And I skipped the salting because it was an Empire kosher chicken and I think they soak them in a salt brine first - we bought one many years ago and I didn't season it at all and it was very nice just plain. So, I skipped that part. Then, you lay the pieces on nine cloves of garlic and run the meat all over with plenty of olive oil, and roast at 465 F for half an hour, at which time it should be a little brown. Turn the heat down to 350 and take it out for a moment. Pour a glass of white wine all around the chicken and pour a mixture over it, consisting of 250 ml of heavy cream with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard, plenty of tarragon in it and some salt and pepper. Roast for forty minutes, or perhaps a little longer. (I don't like slimy chicken, and this was just past the slimy stage, but fine. Still, next time I'll leave it in longer.) Then let it rest with foil over for fifteen minutes. I can't tell you how delicious this tasted. I served it with some frozen green beans, but the very thin ones that are so lovely, with some sea salt, butter and herbs de Provence, and some small, multi-colored tomatoes with Trader Joe's Green Goddess dressing, and I sure want to see if anyone online has a recipe for making that dressing. There were some wheat crackers on the side.

I am sure it could also be made with coconut milk if you don't want dairy. 

While I was working, windows were open and I realized a mocking bird was singing nearby. He was in our neighbors hedge near the road, working very hard on his concert. I appreciated it. 

This idea was in the same magazine as the recipe, I think. 

Later, at sunset, Daisy came running into my room to look intently out the window. I wondered what she saw. It was a rabbit, just sitting there, grooming himself. I told her it was the Easter Bunny.

Christ yesterday and today,
the beginning and the end,
 all time belongs to him and all the ages.

My favorite resurrection painting, I think.