Moose Scrambles Easter Egg Hunt

As I was preparing a package of quick chocolate mousse mix to accompany today’s focaccia entree, I was reminded of the moose incident at Cannon Hill Park on Easter weekend. It was quite an event which brought out neighbors and curious onlookers in full force.

We were part of what we thought would be a nice quiet Easter egg hunt. My parish church, St. Augustine, is just up the hill from the park, and the hunt is an annual event for our families.

I arrived early to hide eggs and got caught up in the most unusual sight of a young female moose standing knee-deep in the pond. To our relief, we were reassured by the animal control folks that our site was far enough away from the moose and the egg hunt could proceed.

We hid the eggs, lined up the kids, and let the littlest ones start hunting. Within seconds we became aware that the moose had left the water and was heading our way. Frantically grabbing our children for dear life, we raced for cars, trees and rocks. The moose then veered back to the pond, and the hunting resumed.

But the excitement was not over. Two minutes later, with our attention on our youngest daughter and her joy at finding eggs, the woman in charge bellowed out a warning. “Evacuate! We have to evacuate the park!” she shouted.

Our hunt became a family effort of hurry-up-and-finish, then we dashed for our cars to wait out the moose action.

Mindy the moose, as we called her, never got any Easter eggs but she was most definitely part of a hunt.

Mixed Pepper Focaccia

From “Desperation Dinners!” by Beverly Mills & Alicia Ross (Workman Publishing, 1997).

2 cups frozen green, red and yellow pepper stir-fry mix

1 large (12-inch) prepared pizza crust, such as Boboli

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons prepared minced garlic, or more to taste

1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese, or more to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Microwave the pepper stir-fry mix, uncovered, on High for 2 minutes to defrost.

Meanwhile, place the pizza crust on an ungreased baking sheet. Drizzle the oil, then the garlic over the crust. Use the back of a spoon to spread it over the entire surface.

Remove the peppers from the microwave and place them on several layers of paper towels. Fold the peppers up in the towels and press to squeeze out excess moisture. Sprinkle the peppers and cheese evenly over the crust.

Bake until the bread begins to brown and crisp slightly, about 8 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve at once.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 263 calories, 8 grams fat (24 percent fat calories), 37 grams carbohydrate, 11 grams protein, 8 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 471 milligrams sodium.