Our Celebration Dinner

I managed to pull off the house cleaning and a fabulous feast for eight wonderful friends.  We had all the traditional Seder dishes that included 2 types of haroseth.  A guest made a delicious version using a 15 year-old Late Bottled Vintage Port and golden raisins, it tasted like apple pie.  The chicken soup Sid made was great but my matzo balls were tasty sinkers.  I continued a new tradition for us that began years ago when I couldn't get out to get Matzo crackers.  I grew up in New Mexico, so I made tortillas on the fly that wintry night years ago and it was so popular that people now demand them.  The main meal consisted of brisket, noodle kugal (both delicious recipes from my mother-in-law), roast asparagus and stewed prunes.  Dessert was my deadly Chocolate Oblivion Torte and home-made macaroons.
I must take a moment here to complain about what is happening to the foods in this nation.  Okay, I searched the grocery store for prunes.  I finally found them and grabbed a bag real quick because the boy stocking the shelves was in the way.  I didn't bother to read beyond prunes.  Sid ate one late at night and didn't want to tell me anything was strange.  I mentioned that I needed to get orange juice to simmer the prunes in and Sid started laughing-really hard.  When he caught his breath, he informed that I purchased orange flavored prunes.  Now, what is up with that?  Why do we do that?  When did foods stop being what they are - simple, natural, one ingredient?  I'm sorry, but it just drives me crazy.  I'm not saying I don't love my Hickory Smoked Almonds or other flavored foods, but sometimes I think it gets taken too far. 
Now, it is on to quilting today while the boys blacksmith.  Last weekend, along with everything else, I did the emergency quilt and a Pineneedle Block of the month.  Today's quilt is a beautiful sampler for a client.  We have a salmon party to go to this afternoon.  I love spring in the mountains when we all burst out of hibernation and start catching up on fun.