entertaining

april 2003

April means wildflowers (especially bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, pink showy primrose, and phlox) are in bloom very near to my Texas home, so every year I invite two couples for brunch, then we all pile into a minivan and head south. The further we drive, the more profuse the flowers. It's against the law to pick the wildflowers, but it's not against the law to stop occasionally off the road and take a picture.

Brunch is a casual meal with pottery dishes and "fun" things sitting on the table like my cactus salt & peppershaker, and a pottery vase for flowers that's actually shaped like a rooster. Woven placemats and everyday silverware complete the table setting. This is an easy menu to handle with most of the work done the night before. I serve the soup cold, but you could reheat it and serve it hot. You can also make the red onion confit for the frittata, cook the potatoes, and prepare the salsa the night before to cut down on kitchen time the next day. Serve the cantaloupe wedges chilled, with a wedge of lime to squeeze onto the fruit before eating.   Cold Carrot Soup Turkey Sausage Frittata with Tomatillo Salsa Whole Grain Bread Cantaloupe Wedges with Lime Iced Tea (for the recipes, click on the individual recipe above) FTG