Easter Bonnets

Easter 1962.  We were at my maternal grandparents house.  Gathered for food and fun.  Lindsey was eleven and one can tell by her expression she is not happy to be participating.  She was way over the notion of ankle socks and Easter egg hunts.  The boys are looking dapper in there slacks and blazers.  Guy is sporting a bow tie which I think looks especially nice. 

Caroline has all the makings of an Easter doll; hat, gloves, and natty little handbag.  I doubt that my mother could have kept us in an Easter hat.  Mike is the baby and he is in, ofcourse, all white.  We are sporting those terrible pixie hair styles. A hat might have covered our terrible hair styles.   Mother always told us it was just too much to do up three sets of pig or pony tails.  With a brood of five I can certainly understand that. 

The weather around Easter is so unpredictable.  Lindsey and I  have jackets but Paula and Caroline must be freezing.  As I have shopped and looked at all the adorable Easter frocks available today for female children I have observed the dresses are still being made without sleeves or with short sleeves.  Today you are offered a tiny sweater to complete the Easter outfit.  Tiny sweaters are a good idea so that the female tot doesn't freeze. 

I certainly do not believe that those horrible, little nylon anklets helped protect us from the chill in any way.  They may have looked sweet with those patent leather maryjanes,  but we all hated them and could not wait to become old enough to dump them.  I am sure as soon as photos were made we, like Lindsey, got rid of them and had the blisters on our heels at the end of the day to prove it.  

I searched high and low for photos of any of us wearing Easter Bonnets.  I think they fell out of fashion in the 1960's.  Such a shame.  I am sure Katy remembers my forcing hats on her on Easter but somehow they never made it into a photo.  I love a good hat.  I wear them often.  I find myself wearing my hats mostly at the pool or the beach.  Sometimes I throw caution to the wind and just sport one around town. Hats make me feel more feminine somehow.  I seem to carry myself a little taller.     Sometimes a good hat is difficult to find.  Easter is the perfect occasion to don a new hat.  Hats seem to be more prolific in the stores today.  I hope that forecast that more women will be wearing hats.  I recently treated myself to three new hats and I am having a difficult time deciding which to wear on Easter this year.  All you saints out there rest assured  that I will be seated in the back so as not to block your view.  Maybe some of you can suggest which hat would work best. 

This white hat is simple.  I have a bucket head so all my hats tend to have a wide brim.  I have a simple shift with blue and green print that this would be perfect with.  I have never owned a white hat so I feel quite brave about this one.

This Italian natural straw hat has a very dramatic brim.  I see this with a simple linen ensemble.  I fear the brim would interfere with communion so I will possibly save this one for a hot summer day when I am too lazy  to spend 45 minutes with the blow dryer.  Linen slacks and a loose tunic would work just fine on a hot summer day .

This Italian straw is sophisticated, yet fun at the same time.  Simple black suit or sheath with black heels and pearls would complete the picture here.  The brim is not so intrusive as to cause an accident at the communion rail. 

I am so looking forward to the spring and summer hat season.  Easter seems to be the beginning of new life and a new season in many ways. If we are lucky, Easter day will be sunny and warm.   I will be out and about wearing my hats all spring and summer.    Don't think I will wear the anklets as I don't think they will work with my pumps and pearls.

Sassy's Chicken Salad

Sassy was famous for her chicken salad.  Those who enjoyed it wanted to be on the list so they could receive a quart when she next cooked it up.  Her rule:  If you don't return my quart jar (glass), you are off the list.  Unfortunately, she did not leave a recipe.  If one asked her for the recipe she would give you a list of ingredients and then you were on your own.  Katy spent several days with Sassy watching her and she has the recipe down.  She,like mother, cannot tell you amounts, only the ingredients.

Today Lindsey and I tried to duplicate the recipe.  I was cooking for a friend who is off her feet for eight weeks.  The menu:  Homemade Pimento Cheese, Homemade Carrot Cake, and Sassy's Homemade Chicken Salad.  I was grating carrots at 7:00 am for the cake.  Thought it would be cute to use my six inch cake pans.  I have decided that few families can eat a regular size layer cake and besides the little cakes are just too cute.  I carefully prepared the pans, made the batter and placed them in the oven.  Quickly, I discovered I had neglected to add the four cups of carrots I had risen so early to grate.  I jerked the cakes out and added the carrots. I had to wash the cute pans, dry them and regrease and flour.   Whew!

 On to the homemade pimento cheese.  This recipe requires three kinds of cheese, so out with the food
processor.  At this time I put my chicken breasts on to cook.  I was so preoccupied with other prep that I somehow missed the smoke billowing from the oven. I had neglected to adjust  the recipe for those cute little pans and the batter overflow was burning on the oven elements.  I decided to let them cook unless I saw flames as I knew time would not allow me to bake another scratch cake.  Thankfully, the weather is temperate today so I opened the door to let in some fresh air so that  I could breathe.

All the while I am washing dishes as I go.  I just can't stand dirty things about me when I cook.  Pimento cheese is done. As both pimento cheese and chicken salad require hand mashing,  their is much hand washing going on in between.   I move on to draining and cooling the chicken.  At this point I think it safe to remove cakes to cool.  They look a little strange with the centers saggy and sad but I am thinking the homemade pineapple, cream cheese frosting will hide the damage.  Back to the chicken salad.  Chicken is cool so I set about to process it.  Ofcourse, the processor bowl had to be washed and dried from the pimento escapade.

Lindsey arrives to help and bring the celery that I forgot to pick up at the store.  Eggs are boiling.  We wash, clean and cut celery.  All the ingredients are to be processed separately or as Katy says one will end up with chicken salad pate'.  Lindsey and I are both nervous as we have never attempted Sassy's Chicken Salad.
We are at a critical point.  We have processed:  boiled eggs, chicken, pecans, celery.  I am afraid there are not enough eggs.  Lindsey says it looks fine to her.  We move on to the most critical point.  The additon of mayonaise and Durkees.  The amount of Durkees is critical and I am working on borrowed time as I have a 12:00 p.m. hair appointment.  I am certainly willing to spend a morning cooking for a friend but not at the expense of a missed hair appointment.  We add amounts, taste test and add more or not.  As I have a cold, I must depend on Lindsey to give the final decision.  She concludes it is a success and I am on my way to clean up the kitchen and make that hair appointment.

The cute little cakes were saved by the frosting.  Lindsey said frosting was yummy as she was licking the bowl, so I pray my disaster goes unnoticed.

Needless to say I was completely exhausted when I arrived at the hairdresser's salon.

Sassy's Chicken Salad

Chicken Breasts:  cooked and shredded
Boiled eggs
Celery:  Not too much
Sweet Relish:  just a plop
Pecans:  Whatever you have
Mayonaise:  A glug, glug
Durkees:  A glug

Process each ingredient separately so you don't have chicken pate' in the end.  Mix ingredients and hope for the best.

This is as was told to me.  Good luck.