Easter Brunch 2009 – Rosemount, MN

I got invited to Easter Brunch by KingDavid this year because he found out I wasn’t going back to Illinois to see my family. His parents (whom I’ve known for 20+ years) were going to be in town and were planning a brunch at Jensen’s in Eagan (which I find hilariously apropos, since I would be forgoing the usual Brunch with the Jensens to go to a restaurant called Jensen’s – no relation). KingDavid’s brother and his family would be joining us as well. I had myself all geared up about eating at this place when I got a last minute call that Jensen’s was off and we would be eating at his parent’s house (his parents have a vacation home in Minnesota so they can come visit both sets of grandkids). Something about “price” and something about “you eat too much, tubby” and something about “eat before you get here”. And yes, I’m totally kidding.

I arrived at the agreed upon time at the parent’s house. KingDavid had not arrived yet and he lives about 20 minutes closer than I do. Hung out, met the niece and nephew, drank mimosas and talked about my life in the past couple of years. We eventually gave up on KingDavid and his crew about half an hour after the agreed upon time and started to eat without them. I offered to wait for them and got laughed at. Apparently, half an hour late is still an hour early for the KingDavid family.

Ham, corn soufflé, mashed potatoes, egg casserole with ham and corn flake crumbs, and a little something I was informed was an experiment. KingDavid’s lovely mother likes to whip up things and have a captive audience sample. This time it was a sausage and egg mixture with cinnamon bread mixed in and pecans on the top. And honestly, it wasn’t bad. It seemed that most of the people there were on to this experiment thing and not everyone tried it, but truly, it was pretty good. Weird, but good. Lots of flavors battling in my mouth for dominance.

KingDavid eventually showed up with more food like broccoli-tortellini salad, fruit, and cookies. The broccoli salad was really good, and I’m not usually a cold salad guy. Why was it good, you ask? Bacon makes everything wonderful!!! (And yes, before QueenRachael gets upset, it would have been good anyway.) Their kids are hilarious and cute and while we thought they were playing Wii upstairs in the den, they were reading books.

We watched some of the Masters golf tourney and then KingDavid assembled this kite the grandparents had brought back from Florida. It seemed to be taking a long time, which is odd because KingDavid was a physics whiz kid, so we mocked him a little bit. Then I looked at the directions and stopped mocking. Wow, it might have made MORE sense if they were in Chinese. Seriously advanced kite building here. All sorts of taping and sticking and bending and peeling and inserting (TWSS) and eventually it was complete. We went outside and the proceeded to watch the wind rip part of the kite within the first 3 seconds of use. Nothing a little (or a whole roll of) tape can’t fix, right?

I always love hanging out with KingDavid and his family. They’ve been wonderful for the past 20+ years and continue to be the best support system ever with all of this terrible stuff that happened in February with Gerd. I know Gerd loved them almost as much as I do. Even though I didn’t get to see my immediate family, KingDavid’s family still let me be part of their family which means more to me than I think they realize. Truly, much much more than they realize. It was a rough day, with all the crying I did while no one was around, but I’m glad I’ve got another family up here to lean on.

Top 5 things about Easter brunch
1. Still having a family holiday even though I was away from my family
2. Egg casserole thingy with ham and corn flake crumbs
3. Mimosas should be required at brunch
4. Broccoli-Tortellini salad (with bacon)
5. Watching kids eat pixie sticks and get frustrated because the ends got clogged when they got them wet

Bottom 5 things
1. I really wish KingDavid’s parents could have met Gerd. They would have loved her
2. Holidays without Gerd are excrutiating
3. Kite directions that include more than 2 steps
4. Didn’t get to eat at Jensen’s in Eagan, but still hope to
5. Had to forego the usual Jensen’s brunch