Happy lovely springy Easter!

I was delighted to be invited to celebrate Easter with lots of yummy food with friends. The hosts made a turkey AND a ham, and pound cake (with strawberries & whipped cream), coconut cream pie (from a real coconut), rolls, and hot cross buns. What wealth! And then the rest of the guests brought equally delicious offerings: Caesar salad, hot slaw, Waldorf salad, potatoes au gratin, bruschetta with a fava bean topper, biryani, deviled eggs, small cakes that look like deviled eggs, pannacotta... I may well be forgetting something. You know it's a lovely party when you are sent home with a bag of ham - I just had some as a late-night pre-bedtime snack . I hope my dreams aren't TOO weird.

I made beet hummus and served it with blanched sugar snap peas. It was lovely, and tasted great, even though I didn't include the garlic or pepper that the recipe called for. I got distracted! I brought more than half of it home again; I have the feeling I know what lunch group is having this week!

Also: I cooked the beets in a slow cooker. What a revelation! I scrubbed & quartered them, covered them with water, and left them on low overnight. Drain, cool, peel, and you're ready to work with them. So much more satisfying than fussing at them in the oven or on the stovetop for an hour or more.