Easter and a Picnic

Tabitha is so small - of course she doesn't know what Easter is, nor does she eat chocolate yet (save the odd bite of chocolate cake once or twice).  For her, the best part of Easter is having a long weekend - more days to spend with mummy AND daddy!

I am not really a chocolate or lolly eater (I used to give my lolly bags from birthday parties to my mother when I came home), so we don't go in for the all-out chocolate festivities here.  When I was small, I used to receive one 'big' egg (in reality, only the size of my hand), and several small eggs, hidden around the house, which were to be shared with my parents and any guests.  I always felt that this was plenty - in fact, mum used to have to throw out most of the previous year's eggs each March, in preparation for the coming Easter!  Like I said, not a big chocolate or lolly eater.

Tabitha did receive a small chocolate bunny on a stick this morning - she can have a little go with that after dinner, and I'm sure The Daddy will happily finish off the rest.  The Daddy received a nice gold bunny and egg.  For me, three little caramel-filled bunnies.  In the past, The Daddy has bought me enormous bunnies from Koko Black - I love them, but I have never managed to eat more than the ears.

This morning, we all sat and had breakfast together - hot cross buns and some nice tea:

Last night (Easter Eve?), we went to dinner at our friends' house.  They have two gorgeous little twin girls - it was lovely watching Tabitha play with the 'big girls' (the twins and my sister).

Here are the Big Girls eating their dinner - did you ever see three cuter little bunnies?

Tabitha ate her dinner at the table with the grown ups - some delicious chicken and mushroom risotto, garlic bread, green salad and cheesecake.

Today, for lunch, I packed up a picnic (roast chicken rolls, cheesecake, Thai chicken balls and some potato croquettes - nothing fancy, as my dad says, 'let's not try to recreate a restaurant in a park') and we went into the Royal Botanical Gardens to have a picnic lunch with my parents, sister, Grandfather, aunt Annette and her boyfriend Jaicome.

It was the most glorious day for a picnic!  Bright blue skies, lots of sunshine, no wind - we chose a spot on a grassy bank, overlooking the sparkling lake and with a lovely view of Melbourne's city skyline.

My sister had these fabulous little bunny ears - they are on two hair clips, so cute:

It was nice to lay around in the sunshine, enjoy a glass of Champagne, and cuddle Tabitha in her funny little apricot velvet tracksuit - it makes her feel like a cuddly teddy bear.

This is how I like to make roast chicken rolls:  roast a free range chicken with some sage, onion, bacon and breadcrumb or rice stuffing.  Shred the meat, and shred pieces of the crispy skin.  Butter a large, soft roll, then spread generously one one side with green tomato pickles and seeded mustard, and on the other side with whole egg mayonnaise and mashed avocado.  Pile on chicken meat, some of the stuffing, some pieces of crispy, salty skin, and finish with a slice of cheese.

My sister is a fabulous babysitter / playmate for Tabitha - the two of them crawled and played all over the grass for hours.  Tabby managed to get quite the momentum, crawling down hill!

Tabitha really had a brilliant day - surrounded by family, free range on soft grass as far as her eyes could see, she was free to really roam around and play without fear of getting into danger.

We managed to pin my sister's bunny ear clips onto my grandfather.  He took it with good humor.

When we got home, Tabitha went down for her afternoon nap, and The Daddy, myself, and both cats, Pudding and Possum, all went to bed for a sleep too!

I hope that everyone had a nice relaxing Easter weekend.  Here in Australia, we are lucky to have a five day long weekend - Good Friday, Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday (which is also Anzac Day) and then the Anzac Day public holiday on Tuesday.

Tomorrow, I will post the recipe for my cheesecake.  It is a baked cheesecake, and is incredibly silky and smooth, as it is cooked for a long time, at moderate heat, in a waterbath.