I waited until the last minute to throw together the menu and was afraid I would not be able to acquire my choice ingredients. I got up early on Saturday to visit the University District Farmers Market in search of a local ham to be the centerpiece of the meal. One vendor politely told me they had already ran out, and another looked at me like I had two heads. I felt defeated and a bit intimidated through the process, but I did manage to pick up a sack of potatoes from Alden Farms, some chives from an unmarked flower stand, and a tub of Fromage from Mt. Townsend Creamery.

I found my local ham at the Metropolitan Market, made by Hempler’s in Ferndale, WA. I also picked up milk from Twin Brook Creamery, some green beans (a staple at Lybecker family gatherings), and parmesan cheese. A few more items were contributed by my amazing mom-in-law and here is how the menu came together:

Mt. Townsend Creamery Fromage with Oregon Hazelnuts and Orange Zest
served with Eat Local camelina crackers

Mom’s Whole Wheat Bread
made with Twin Brook Creamery milk and Bluebird Grains cracked emmer

Bok Choy Salad
with green onions, chow mein noodles, slivered almonds, and soy sauce vinaigrette

Alden Farms Mashed Potatoes
with locally grown chives

Sautéed Green Beans
with fresh lemon juice, slivered almonds, and parmesan cheese

Hempler’s Slow Cooked Ham
with Rockridge Orchards spiced apple cider, stone ground mustard, and honey

Grand Central Bakery Coconut Cake
with vanilla bean ice cream

I felt the pressure to please everyone with dinner, but I relaxed the day of and had fun with it.  The meal received plenty of thumbs up and my husband’s mom even called me the Rockstar of Easter! I call that a glowing success.

In year’s past I have made bread rolls from scratch using my Mom’s Whole Wheat Bread recipe and I was asked to contribute the same this year. Knowing I could not source all of the ingredients from the state, I felt I had to make one more dish.

I wandered the West Seattle Farmer’s Market with my husband contemplating what to make. “Does your family like swiss chard? What if we do a fruit and cheese plate? How about glazed carrots?” The answers I got were, “Nope. Nah. Uh uh.”

We finally settled on a salmon spread served with locally made crackers. The ingredients – Fromage cheese from Mt. Townsend Creamery, rosemary from Stoney Plains Organic Farm, and salmon from the Loki Fish Company. After we made the purchases, my doubt began to take back over. The salmon wasn’t technically from Washington State; it was caught in Alaska. I was beginning to think I failed the challenge.

Discouraged, but determined to complete the dish that was decided, I moved on to the bread. Surprisingly, instead of dwelling on the fact that it was not a local dish, I saw this recipe as an opportunity to incorporate local ingredients. I added Bluebird Grains’ cracked emmer to the recipe and the liquid mixture contained milk from Twin Brook Creamery. I was feeling positive… until I killed the yeast.

I was working way too quickly and not measuring temperatures diligently. I poured the liquid into the bowl with the whole wheat flour and yeast when it was twice as warm as it should have been. Steam rose up from the mixture, but I was hopeful. I kneaded the dough and left it on the counter to rise.

But it didn’t. I formed the un-risen dough into small round balls and crossed my fingers they would miraculously rise up for the second round. They didn’t. The bread had failed.

We showed up at grandparents’ doorstep with unleavened bread and the salmon spread.

My mother-in-law thought they were both delicious, the brother-in-law went back for seconds, and our family friend raved over the round little bread balls. I wanted to share my accomplishments of incorporating local ingredients. I wanted to wave from my boat saying, “Look at me, look at me. I may have failed, but I certainly tried.” But I didn’t have time to take pride; there were turkey, mashed potatoes, and grandma’s dressing to be devoured.