The Week Before Easter

Our days at home have been arranged to include time on the patio at the end of the work day. We've watched the trees go from their winter dormancy to that glorious light green that looks especially lovely with the blue sky forming the background.

Birds are chirping and travelling in pairs. Love is in the air.

At times I envy them for going about their business without the cloud of a pandemic hanging over their heads.

Speaking of clouds, they were fantastically fluffy last night.

Like many of you I have been working at using things in the pantry, fridge and freezer before resorting to a grocery expedition.

I do have a habit of not finishing the jar of yeast before the expiration date as evidenced by the above photo :(.

Now, I do know that there is a way to test your yeast to see if it's still active. Not wanting to bother figuring that out I decided to just try making a loaf of bread yesterday. I figured the finished product would answer the question for me.

To rise or not to rise... that is the question :).

I'm thinking the result proves the yeast is still active.

For all of you who bake beautiful loaves, I know it isn't the prettiest. A bit lopsided. Ha!!

The important thing is that it tasted good as my morning toast.

So, it looks like I will be pumping out bread and rolls until that yeast is gone.

Yesterday our temps reached 85 degrees which is warm even for us. I was hoping to be able to cut a bouquet of tulips for the Easter table. Looks like that won't be happening as they are now just about done. Glad I had a little photo session last weekend when they were looking their best.

When I look down the side of the house I noticed the azaleas blooming just past the tulips. I can just picture the Easter Bunny hopping down the trail. Word has it that he is an essential worker this year. ; D.

🌷🌷🌷

I do hope that you are all staying well and managing to keep your spirits up.

If you will be celebrating Easter I'd be interested to know what you've got planned. We've decided to support our neighborhood restaurant. They are offering a complete dinner as take-out. On the menu is: