Food coma. Uuuuuuhhhhhhh

If I'm going to die of food coma, let Janice McMillan be my Dr. Kevorkian.

Janice and Hugh were having an Easter lunch for friends and family, which was morphed into a wake of sorts for two trees on the McMillan property, including possibly the most important tree on their property -- the one popping up through their second story deck (well, they have a daylight basement on a tilted lot). My family has seen the McMillan's house, this will come as sad news.

Well, the tree hasn't been completely removed. It looks like a "view obstructor," according to Hugh, who was reluctant to let the whole tree go right away but agreed to let the part most likely to bring the whole thing crashing down -- the top -- go. Really, it looked sad.

Anyway, it was pretty entertaining to watch the crew climb the tree and use chainsaws and stuff.

But to the menu. It started simply with an apertif of sparkling wine with sliced strawberries. A viognier complimented the table, which was set with a fresh fruit salad with cantaloupe, banana, strawberries, nectarines, pinapple, apple, blueberry and blackberry and I may be missing something there. A broccoli salad, which had teensily chopped fresh broc with bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds and possibly other stuff I was not as passionate about as the bacon and sunflower seeds, dressed in a sweet slightly creamy white sauce followed. Then there was the quiche. Bacon (too much is never enough) and asparagus in a thin creamy egg custard over one of Janice's impeccable crusts. I don't know how she makes pastry so good. It was a little bit chewy, a little bit flaky. I know, chewy isn't the word of choice for pastry. But it worked. Sheri, who made the fruit salad, brought whole wheat, homemade rolls.

For dessert, there was strawberry shortcake. Then I told Cameron that if you put Peeps in the microwave they blow up. So we started with one and before we knew it we were making Peep rings and towers and watching them get big and gooshy and poofy. Cameron, who is in fifth grade, was freaking out. We must have gone through thirty Peeps. And we weren't eating them. I mean, Peeps are kind of gross. We just tumped them in the trash, which at first seemed altogether too decadent, but Sheri, Cameron's mom, reckoned that was a superior use to actually eating the damn things. Smart, that Sheri.

If you haven't ever microwaved a Peep or four or five, I can't recommend it enough. It's not Janice's fine but simple meal, but it's satisfying in a whole different way.

Callie and Cameron's Peeps ala Micro-onde

One Peep
microwave safe plate

Place Peep on microwave safe plate. Place in mircowave, heat for 30 second on high. Watch through view window.

Recipe can be doubled or more easily; do not underestimate blow up ability of Peeps with small plate for three or more Peeps. If three or more Peeps are cooking, increase time to one minute.

Remove Peeps with care, they make the plate hot! And sticky!