April is all about waking up.

The mother bear, who will spend another year

With her cubs, stretches, opens her eyes, and

Tumbles out of hibernation with her hungry

Babies toddling behind. The snow has melted,

And the river is cold, clean, and teeming with salmon.

The bees buzz through the bluebells, the yellow daffodils,

The sweet-scented hyacinths and violets, bluer than the sky.

 Honey in the comb gleams in golden sunlight.

 

Gardeners who have spent the winter plowing through a pile

Of library books, lurch off the couch in ecstasy as they spy

The moist, green tips of spring onions, and they know the time

For lettuce, peas, carrots and spinach has come. Like Peter

Rabbit, a gardener cannot hold her joy in check. And like the

Mother bear, she breathes the precious scent of spring air

As all the Earth grows verdant again.

 

In April, Earth’s energy reaches a level of exuberance that takes your breath away. Every living thing wakes up, and spring’s doings start happening again. Human beings become more energetic in this season also. We clean the house, plant the garden, make our menus for Easter dinner and the Passover Seder. And we plan ahead for all the tea parties, baby showers, graduations, birthdays and weddings marked on our calendars.  

 

In the fruit orchard,

White butterflies float from the

Limes to the mangoes.

 

 

 

 

 

My father, Patrick Murdock’s birthday was in April. Always an energetic person, he became almost frenetic in April when everything turned green and the gentle spring rain transformed the brown hills to magical shades of transparent veridian. He would place a chair in the back yard or hike up into the foothills with his painter’s tablet and his acrylics or watercolors in his hands and create his plein air pictures of apricot trees in bloom, yellow mustard and golden California poppies gracing the landscape.

 

In the brisk spring wind,

The shadows of bamboo and

Palms startle the dog.

 

 

 

 

 

My dad was not the only painter, poet, musician or cultural transformer to be born in the month of April. Famous European April-born artists include Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte, William Wordsworth and Hans Christian Anderson, all whom have brought enduring beauty and delight into our lives.

In the damp spring dawn,

Gray clouds drape the sky and wrap

The blue plumbago.

 

 

 

 

 

April-born Americans who have left their stamp on the vibrant and ever-evolving American culture include the writer Washington Irving, the poet Maya Angelou, John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club and father of the National Park System, Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee University, novelist Harper Lee, and the famous band leader, Dule Ellington, a pioneer of the big band and jazz era.

 

In the farm café,

A gecko watches the guests

Eat vegan curry.

 

 

 

 

 

From the perspective of American History, The Revolutionary War (1775), the Inauguration of President George Washington (1789), and the Founding of the United States Library of Congress (1800) all took place in April. This year, the Christian Holy Week begins on Monday, April 14 and culminates with Easter on April 20.  Traditional Christians will continue to celebrate the Easter Season until the Feast of Pentecost on June 8. In 2025, Passover will begin before sundown on April 12 and end after nightfall on April 20. Secular days of commemoration that will take place this April include World Health Day on April 7, Earth Day on April 22, and yes, International Carrot Day on April 4. To help you celebrate International Carrot Day, I am happy to include a delicious recipe for Wild Rice and Carrot Soup at the end of this blog. I am also sharing a beautiful recipe for Easter Cheese Torte for your family’s Easter gathering this year.

 

The Easter Lily,

Scented white and gold, opens

On Holy Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Rice and Carrot Soup

Adapted from Live Eat Learn at https://www.liveeatlearn.com/wild-rice-soup/

My husband Wayne has recently started teaching himself to cook. With a background in engineering, he values tools and equipment, and has purchased a pressure cooker, an air fryer and a variety of kitchen gadgets to facilitate his progress in the kitchen. Wayne also has an interest in healthy eating and has joined me (with no nagging on my part) in a meat-free diet. He found this absolutely delicious soup recipe online, with Sarah Bond listed as the author. Since my website co-author, Kathleen has started a campaign to share soup recipes, I am recommending this soup, packed with spring vegetables, for her collection. Since this recipe includes butter, we cannot really call it vegan, as it is listed online and recommended for diabetic, gluten-free, Halal, Hindu, and low lactose diets. Please note that although it is referred to as gluten-free, this recipe does contain flour. But those of you who are not committed to a plant-based diet should feel free to add a little heavy cream or a few chunks of ham or sausage to include more protein and intensify the already deep, rich umami flavor. Wayne made this luscious vegetable soup in his Insta-Pot and cooked the wild rice separately in our trusty electric rice cooker. However, if you prefer to cook old school, you can just make the entire recipe in your stock pot.

• 1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 cups diced carrots (about 3 carrots)
• 2 cups diced celery (about 4 stalks)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth,) divided and warmed
• 8 ounces sliced button mushrooms
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 (13-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk or substitute 1 cup half and half
• Warmed crusty bread for serving

Special Equipment: electric rice cooker or medium saucepan with a lid, Insta-Pot pressure cooker or stockpot with lid, wooden spoon, ladle, 4 large soup bowls for serving

Makes: 4 generous servings

1. Cook the wild rice in an electric rice cooker (or medium saucepan with a lid) according to package instructions using broth instead of water in a ratio of about 1 cup of wild rice to 2 cups of broth.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the diced carrots, celery, onion and garlic and stir often with a wooden spoon until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and stir until melted. Sprinkle the ¼ cup flour evenly over the butter and vegetable mixture and stir until all the ingredients are evenly coated.
4. Stir in the remaining 4 cups of warm broth, sliced mushrooms, bay leaves and poultry seasoning. Stir and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Cover, turn the heat down to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Stir the cooked rice and the coconut milk (or half and half) into the soup and stir uncovered until the soup is hot. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into soup bowls and serve hot with crusty bread. Refrigerate any leftovers.

 

On Easter, the old

Folks eat a cheese torte, fragrant

With candied orange.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Cheese Torte

Adapted from Gourmet’s Best Desserts

This rich, dense and delicious cake, filled with ricotta cheese, eggs and candied fruits, is a traditional European Easter dessert. The word torte is derived from the German word for cake and usually describes a rich round pastry, often filled with cream, fruit, nuts or jam and originating from the German and Austrian culinary traditions. Gourmet’s version of this Easter specialty is described as follows: “An unusual combination, the ricotta filling of this cheesecake is made with cream of farina and is studded with candied fruits. We suspect this cake to be of Italian origin, designed to end the Lenten period.” Indeed, there are recipes online for several Italian Easter Ricotta Tarts, such as Pastiera Napoletana, that resemble Gourmet’s version. Apparently, this iconic Italian Easter Cake, containing large amounts of eggs and cheese, which were forbidden during the Season of Lent, dates back to the Sixteenth Century in the area of San Gregorio Armeno. This is an elegant, historic recipe that requires a variety of ingredients and patience in the kitchen, but it will make your Easter extra special.

I love candied fruits, especially candied orange peel, and have included a section in The Tea Book on our website, “In Defense of Fruitcake,” in which I provide instructions for making candied orange peel and other candied fruits at home. However, I am well aware that many contemporary foodies dislike candied fruits based on the nasty amount of high-fructose corn syrup contained in many commercial versions. If you want to make this lovely Easter Cheese Torte for your family this year but do not like candied fruits, feel free to substitute raisins, sweetened dried cranberries or even toasted sliced almonds for the candied fruit.

 

A sailboat rests in

The golden tide before the

Sun sets on Easter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the Crust:

• 1 package of Pillsbury’s Refrigerated Pie Crusts (2 rolls of crust)
• ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest mixed with
• ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• Kitchen spray for the pan

 

For the Filling:

Special Equipment: 9-inch springform pan, wire cooling rack, 1-quart measuring cup for scalding milk in the microwave, hand-held electric mixer, rubber spatula, medium sized saucepan, 2 large mixing bowls, baking sheet, sieve, off-set spatula, cake pedestal or decorative platter for serving.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F to bake pastry shell

Reduce oven to 375 Degrees F to bake torte

Serves: 12-16 small servings

1. Bake the pastry shell: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Remove one pouch of rolled pastry dough from the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Spray the 9-inch springform pan lightly with kitchen spray. Remove the rolled pastry from the package and gently unroll it. Place the pastry crust into the pan and press it firmly against the side and bottom of the pan. Sprinkle the mixture of lemon zest and sugar over the top of the crust and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Remove the pan to a wire cooling rack and reduce the oven temperature to 375 Degrees F.
2. Make the filling: Scald 1 1/3 cups of milk in a 1-quart glass measuring cup in the microwave. Bring the salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Sprinkle the cream of farina over the boiling water and simmer the mixture, stirring with a heat-proof spatula for 4 minutes. Stir in the scalded milk, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Remove the second roll of Pie Crust from the refrigerator to come to room temperature.
3. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with 1/3 cup of sugar until the mixture falls in a ribbon when the beater is lifted, about 4 minutes. Add the ricotta, the candied orange peel (or raisins,) honey, vanilla and grated lemon peel. Stir in the farina mixture until well incorporated.
4. In another large mixing bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks and fold them into the ricotta mixture with the rubber spatula. Remove the second roll of pie crust from the wrapper, roll it out gently and cut it into strips 1 inch wide.
5. Pour the ricotta filling over the baked and cooled crust in the springform pan. Arrange the dough strips over the filling in a lattice pattern, pressing the ends of the strips against the sides of the pan. Place the torte on a baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven at 375 Degrees F for 1 hour and 10 minutes until the filling is set.
6. Turn off the heat and allow the torte to cool in the oven for at least two hours or overnight. Before serving, sprinkle the top of the torte with powdered sugar through a sieve, remove the sides of the springform pan and transfer the torte to a cake pedestal or decorative platter with an offset spatula and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.