This past weekend was golden, sparkling, and crisp.  The temperature is hanging onto the last whispers of winter and was sweetly chilly with bluebird skies and strong sunlight.  Chris and I headed up to Connecticut on Saturday to celebrate Easter first with my family, then his on Sunday.  We clinked glasses with family and friends…

and enjoyed the fresh blossoms after a long winter’s nap…

The men hovered around the television screen during the late afternoon rumbling and grumbling about the golf game and most certainly wishing they were down in Augusta, Georgia with Fred Couples and Phil Mickelson.

My cousin Katie dressed her sweet girls in the most gorgeous Easter dresses ever.

The dogs were in great spirits, tails wagging, and ready to be back outside…

We feasted on all sorts of traditional Easter brunch treats over the weekend.  It would come as no surprise that we had lamb both at my house and at my boyfriend’s.  My Mom loves lamb, but doesn’t make it often due to the fact that none of her children care for it.  I’ve recently bucked the trend a bit by gradually introducing lamb to my palate.  Little by little, my taste buds have evolved and I’m starting to enjoy this musky animal.  My Mom baked her lamb and Chris’s Dad grilled theirs on an outdoor charcoal grill.  The thing I decided was that I definitively liked the lamb at Chris’s house better, not because my Mom’s wasn’t delicious, but I think that my taste buds are not quite developed enough for oven baked lamb.  It’s not to say that one day I will like lamb prepared in many different ways and appreciate its gamy flavor, but for now I like it charred and smoky on an outdoor grill.  The photo below is my Mom’s oven baked lamb (recipe below) and unfortunately I did not capture a photo of the grilled lamb, but it was interesting to compare the two.

Holidays always make me feel so blessed to have such abundance.  Happy Easter and congrats to Bubba Watson!