Happy Easter

We're having Easter dinner with our good friends tomorrow and I'm making a version of this cake.    Doesn't it look like spring?  The recipe is for a coconut lemon cake with lemon curd filling, but since Paul will be eating this with us I'm making a chocolate cake and since we're at 5,000 feet and I haven't mastered high attitude baking, I'm using a cake mix with high altitude instructions.   I think I'll use the meringue icing that the recipe calls for minus the coconut extract.   

The really important part is that icing is flecked with a cocoa/water mix so it looks like a speckled egg.  And that the base is lined with malted Easter eggs.  I'm looking forward to giving this a try!  

We did have our snow the other day, about 4 inches which has now all melted away.  It was nice and sunny today so Ben & I got lower patio ready for the warm weather by sweeping it off and adding an indoor/outdoor rug from World Market.  It really brightened up the area, don't you think?  This was originally a hot tub pad and we thought seriously about putting a tub out there.  But for now we are going to use it as a sitting area at night to watch the stars.  There aren't any trees or houses in the way of a good view of the night sky from here.

Our next round of wet, cold weather is due the end of the week.  Meanwhile, we are living it up.  I'm heading out to the grill right now to grill up some asparagus, peppers, and lobster tails.   Life is pretty good when the weather is great!  Wishing everyone a Happy Easter!