At the start of spring, the whole world seems to be bursting with tiny, irresistible signs of new life: green leaves sprouting from branches, fuzzy kittens popping up in my Facebook feed, and tender, sweet new potatoes making their brief annual appearance at the market. They may not last long, but when preparing ingredients this fresh and fleeting, the upside is that you don't have to do much to make them stand out. Simply boiled and tossed with fresh herbs and anchovy-flecked butter, new potatoes are a savory, soul-satisfying way to celebrate spring.

For me -- and for many Southerners, I presume -- Easter is the first real mark of spring. We dress our houses and tables (and even ourselves) to impress, pulling out all the stops from the freshest flowers to the fanciest flatware. We join together to celebrate a time of joy, renewal, and life. And then we eat! Here's a look back at my own Easter weekend celebration, with a recipe for a classic Southern ham, warm and glossy with a mustard glaze.

Have you decorated any eggs for Easter yet? You can dye them naturally or paint them with watercolors, but if you're looking for something a little out of the ordinary, look to these clever, modern takes. (How cute are those fruity eggs?)

Robin's eggs are such a lovely hue and a happy sign of spring. With a certain "egg-centric" holiday fast approaching, why not take a robin's egg dessert to family dinner? Or, just make one for something special to enjoy at home, in honor of Easter or in honor of Spring. Here are some desserts that take the robin's egg theme and run with it:

Like every large family, the faces around our holiday table have changed over the years. Faces we loved are gone, and there are new faces that bring us joy. In the last few years, our table has changed a lot, and I'm finally ready to be more organized about it, which is not my strong suit, but you have to grow up some time, right? Easter dinner will be in my dining room — and kitchen, and living room — this year and I'm ready, more or less, thanks to the help of plenty of loved ones. (Okay, I'm not really ready, but I've been eating plenty of Jordan almonds and making lists!)

It's that Easter egg-dying time of the year! I grew up using store-bought colored dye pellets that we dropped into bowls of water and vinegar, with wild and lurid results. This mild trauma has lead me down the path of natural dyes, which have come a long way from their murky, muddy hippie days. Read on for a roundup of sources for fun, innovative ways to dye and decorate eggs without all the chemicals.
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I'm a sucker for an unfussy cake, the kind of cake that you can whip up in an hour or less without any extra trips to the grocery store, one that is special enough to serve to guests, but homey enough to not need a special occasion at all. This fragrant lemon cake — scattered with juicy blueberries and dolloped with soft lemon cream — is the perfect unfussy cake, just the thing to bring to a last-minute spring dinner party or to snack on with afternoon tea.

Crunchy on the outside, chewy in the middle, a good coconut macaroon is an irresistible thing. It's also a particular favorite for people observing Passover and those who avoid gluten. As long as you have some shredded coconut stashed away in your cupboard and a few eggs that you don't mind cracking, a batch of sweet macaroons can be yours in less than a half an hour.

If you're looking for an untraditional centerpiece for your Easter table, then this 'paint' palette made up of an array of pastel macarons is perfect. All you need to recreate it yourself is a wood paint palette, macarons of varying colors, and a little buttercream to use as the "glue."

Spring is definitely in the air, and it's right about now that the idea of entertaining starts to have appeal again. After all, we need to remind each other what we look like without scarves covering our faces. The first get-together of spring needs a special dessert to mark the occasion, don't you think? A fluffy cake or a parfait with billowy whipped cream, something with crunchy nuts and topped with a drizzle of honey. Here are 15 recipes that we think will do the job admirably.