Have you heard? Easter is this Sunday…Bring on the chocolate rabbit!

Growing up I had it easy. I would wake up Easter morning to find that a chocolate filled basket had waltzed into my room and was waiting for me next to the bed. There were no hunts, no agonizing wait to consume incredibly large amounts of sugar, just the sweet flavor of bunny ears before breakfast.

Now that I am a parent (and because I’m evil and it’s too much fun to see them sweat) I like to make my kids work for it. My favorite form of torture is the Pence Farm Treasure hunt. This isn’t your usual “Egg Hunt” my friend.

Our house sits on a lot that is just under an acre and a quarter. I hide clues for the kids in color coded plastic eggs all over the property. Each kid has their own color, and each egg has a clue to where the next easter egg is hidden. Chances are, that clue you find will send you all the way to the other side of the property from where you found it. It’s a lot of running and it gets the blood pumping y’all.

The eggs can be anywhere: In the chicken coop with the real ones, in the fruit orchard under the apple tree, in the garden with the potatoes or in Rocket Dog’s House with the pile of stolen socks from the laundry. The first rule of the treasure hunt is that there are no rules.

By the time the kids are done, they are sweaty and tired, and my husband and I have enjoyed at least one cup of coffee in relative peace and quiet…which, frankly, may be real reason we do the treasure hunt.

Enjoy your Easter Sunday everyone! And if you are looking for an easy dish for brunch, check out the recipe for Asparagus Bread Pudding Layered with Fontina. It is another one of my favorites from my classes at Tante Marie in San Francisco.  Read more…