Spring is in the Air...Finally !

We are very thankful to all of you who prayed for rain to ease the drought and glad you were able to stop praying this weekend so we can all enjoy the results ! Last week I was pelted with tiny snowballs as I loaded the van for an event and this week I'm surrounded by YELLOW !!!!  As I drive along there are vast seas of Daffodils and mounds of  Forsythia everywhere .I can't stop myself from walking barefoot in the carpet of tender , soft grass... moist ground pushing up between my toes.. feeling the cold ground on my feet and the warm sun on my back.The sound of Robins and Flickers and Wrens singing their sweet songs and doing their Spring dances.
        My nephew and his fiancee have moved across from Lincoln Park and the location of the Green Market . I'm chomping at the bit... waiting for it to open so that I can do my part to  support small farmers and cheesemakers. I can't wait to walk among the stalls piled high with the first offerings of Spring. Radishes in a myriad of colors and shapes. Asparagus skinny and fat, pale green,dark green and white. Chives and green onions.Tender young greens coaxed along in hotboxes and greenhouses. Cheese made from the milk of goats who have been eating tender spring grass. When I look at the produce I visualize  the farmers, weeks before,dropping tiny seeds into moss boxes... peering at them daily,waiting for dots of green to interrupt the months of brown,brown,brown !!  These farmers aren't just sharing their produce with us but the joy and miracle of turning a miniscule brown fleck into something beautiful, large and tasty.
   With all of this in mind I have some menu suggestions featuring these springtime newcomers :
                                     Traditional Radish Finger Sandwiches
                                     Chive Finger Sandwiches
                                     Crostini topped with Asparagus,Lemon Aoli and Chives
                                     Bacon and Chive Scones
                                     Lemon Meltaway Linzer Shaped Cookies filled with Lemon filling
                                     Lemon Mini Cheesecakes topped with a Strawberry

I look forward to meeting with you and bringing Springtime to your upcoming event !