An Easter Feaster

Such a special time on the calendar! A time for reflection and to think about the REAL meaning of Easter and to also spend some quality time with family celebrating.

The boys were very excited to wake up Easter morning and discover that the Bunny had come. Everyone has different egg hunt traditions. Ours is that the Bunny just leaves oodles of eggs all around the house and they go searching! Liam is a complete pro and to say that our hunt this year lasted 5 minutes would be an overstatement! He had his apprentice Ben in quick succession and it was done in a quick bunny hop!

Happy with some of their loot! Already chocolate filled little boys!

It was an egg bonanza!

Along with my gorgeous hubby, these are the reasons why I live, breathe and smile and laugh! My little men!

Noah even indulged in chocolate - the chocolate custard kind and like any wannabe chocolate fanatic - he was licking his lips for more! L.O.V.E

Then it was onto the Easter Feaster part of the day!

We had a late lunch/early dinner this year to accommodate all and autumn is my favourite time to cook! The menu was a dream to think about and it was a lovely change to concentrate on some savoury cooking!

The savoury menu -

Seasoned prawns and crispy wonton salad with caramelised pumpkin, asparagus and grapefruit compote

Slow cooked french style lamb shanks

accompanied by potato, parsnip and leek mash and steamed parmesan greens

The salad - y.u.m.m.o! The perfect entree to wet the appetite - light to eat and packed full of flavour!

If I told you how delicious this was - you would immediately start licking the screen! Slow cooked french style lamb shanks!

When I say slow cooked, I mean slow cooked - 4.5 hours! The meat fell off that bone and was mopped up with the most delicious red wine infused sauce ...........mmmmmm heaven!

You knew there would be dessert!
Decided to do a dessert buffet and am happy with the results but with the appropriate backdrop (not that my family photo is not gorgeous) this would've popped a lot more!

The treats though were scrummy!

Dessert buffet menu:

Lemon, blueberry cake filled with lemon curd and zesty lemon cream cheese frosting

Lemony lemon tart

Callebaut chocolate pots with chantilly cream and salted toffee

Cake pops

Homemade rocky road with toasted hazelnuts

With the early departure of the sun, the lighting was not the best - but the taste was!

Chocolate pots, hazelnut rocky road and special Easter treats for my little baby and my beautiful nieces!

Cake pops - leftover chocolate mud cake has never tasted soooo good!

Lemony lemon tart - I love the rustic look of this tart and that pastry melted on the fork!

I am addicted to food blogs (no great surprise!) and while trolling these beautiful sites, I found this cake on one of my favourite sites, Sweetapolita! Being the citrus freak I am, I needed to try this and Easter was the perfect chance. This cake was divine and soooo lemony and moist! The nicest part was making my icing nice and rustic! Such a nice change from going crazy about making everything perfect!

Some special treats for my nieces! The two most beautiful little girls in the world and I needed to spoil them! They each got a pink gingham case with the cutest ceramic tea set inside as well as those gorgeous Morgan and Finch bunnies, pink spotty egg cups as well as little easter buckets with bunnies on the side.

(my sons only like cake with no icing! hence the cupcakes just plain!)

Happy Easter to all and may the day have been filled with lots of good food, sweet treats and even sweeter moments with the beautiful people in our lives!

Jacki xx