table setting - easter brunch

This post (which is now a combination of three) has been sitting in my folder for weeks now, so long it seemed ridiculous to even consider posting it. I feel like it's taken us that long to really settle into a routine. At least enough of one for me to have a few minutes to sit and actually publish it. So despite being way too late, I'm posting it anyway. At least it'll be here to look back on next year. This year was a very different kind of Easter. being home in isolation and away from family, but we made the most of it, and I tried my best to keep things familiar.

 I don't make Easter baskets for all of the boys, but I do put something small together for the littlest ones. This year I had a few things put away in my gift trunk which came in very handy! I had a few little Beatrix Potter books I had picked up at an antique shop this past summer, a local-made (back in Ontario) whale lacing toy that hadn't arrived in time for Christmas and a couple little animals for the boys' farm set that were on clearance. I tucked them all in a basket I had found at the dollar store last summer and painted, and tied it together with reused ribbon from Christmas.

(The real reason I put an Easter basket together for them is actually for the enjoyment of gathering items and the putting them all together in the way I find most beautiful. Even if it means hand cutting kraft paper because I'm out of crinkle filler.)

The older boys had to make due with cash in a pretty box thanks to delayed shipping times and not being able to leave the house. They really didn't mind one bit.

 Coming up with a table setting was a challenge this year. I didn't have flowers available, or anything to prune in the garden even remotely close to blooming. But after browsing all the back Easter issues of Living magazine, I was confident I could make the most of what I had. I was inspired to Kim of @ingleepartyof5, who made these charming little crackers for her table. I had some of Jenny's wrapping paper left, from Everyday Occasions, so I decide instead of wrapping little trinkets, which I didn't have, I would make them into my own version of resurrection eggs. Each one had a few little bits of the Easter story inside, which we used as we talked about it later at dinner.

As for the actual setting, the blue hydrangea prints paired well with the rest of the table, which was quite simple.

For the centerpiece, I decided to weave together some branches we gathered by the river. They became a sort of nest and I then wove bits of pussy willow throughout it.

I made my usual hot cross bun recipe, which is a favourite of mine. The recipe is Martha Stewart's which you can find here.

*  baking notes  *

I use significantly less nutmeg, roughly 1/4 tsp instead of the 3/4 tsp called for. I also substitute the currents for chocolate chips. I enjoy making them in square cake pans so they are much more densely packed together and rise really high. For the crosses, I make a small batch of buttercream icing and pipe crosses on top for a bit of added sweetness.

For the place settings, I added a little tiny chocolate rabbit to the cracker. They stood in antique tins with a little crinkled paper. The boys loved them.

The eggs that we had tried to dye naturally worked perfectly in the centerpiece. I especially loved how the colour of the eggs matched the pussy willow buds perfectly.

The boys requested a big buffet breakfast. So we had little wafflles with cream and mini stacks of pancakes (both of these had been made earlier in the week, and then put aside to warm the morning of, which kept things a lot easier for me!). I also made sugared bacon and breakfast sausage and a frittata.

We had an egg hunt, a tradition for us after listening to our service, and then enjoyed tea in the afternoon.

The boys loved having tea. I made little tea sandwiches that they would enjoy - PB and J roll ups and honey triangles, as well as tuna and egg salad. We also had warm scones with cream and strawberry jam, and a few simple little cakes. They really do enjoy the whole ordeal, which you may not expect from boys. But their appreciation of it makes the extra fuss of putting it together worth it.

I had planned to finish the day with a glazed ham - also another tradition - but we had eaten enough and I didn't feel like making a whole meal. So I didn't.

And that I think was the beauty of the weekend. There weren't any real set plans, we just enjoyed things as we felt up to them.

In the end, I made the ham the next night, which was so much more enjoyable. I could take my time preparing it, and we even ate virtually with my in-laws!

I hope you all enjoyed a lovely Easter despite the very different circumstances.