Easter Egg-Citement

Almost all of my favorite childhood memories are about the holidays. Growing up, we were on a very tight budget but somehow, once the holidays rolled around, there was always a wonderful celebration with more than enough. Easter was no exception. In the days leading up to Easter, we would color eggs a wide variety of bright and happy colors. My community got in on the action too, hosting the Easter Bunny in the days before Easter so you could snap a picture and maybe snag a little treat too. The town and local businesses would also host a few Easter egg hunts for kids to run and find as many eggs as they could. Finally the big day would arrive. When I woke up on Easter morning, I would rush out of my room to see if the Easter bunny had hopped over to my house and left a few treats. Every year, I was not disappointed. I would have a basket heaping with small toys, candy and Easter eggs filled with jellybeans and other small candies. I remember the Easter holiday and the time leading up to it as being a fun time. As an added bonus, the days were slowly getting longer and the sun was slowly warming up my little corner of the world, making it easier to go and play outside.

I am proud to be able to continue many of these traditions with my own child. My community hosts a number of Easter egg hunts, the eggs are dyed in the weeks before the holiday and, the Easter bunny still makes annual appearances at our house and leaves not only a basket of small goodies and eggs but also a small egg hunt with eggs tucked all around our house just waiting to be found. And of course there is food. What kind of holiday with me would it be without food right? For the past few years, I have been the hostess of Easter dinner which has been a welcome duty. To start out, I serve deviled eggs as an appetizer (to use up all those dyed Easter eggs!) and chips and dip to tide us over until it’s time for the big feast. Our Easter spread includes the usual standbys of ham, rolls, mashed potatoes with gravy and green beans, with other side dishes rotating in and out from year to year. While we give our stomaches time to settle, we will clean up and prep the dessert for serving. One year it was a bunny cake purchased from the grocery store. Last year, I went all fancy and made a chocolate cake topped with a tasty and adorable Peeps garden. It was sweet, easy to make and allowed me to hang in the kitchen with my little guy. I can’t think of a more perfect ending to a holiday, can you?

I hope you and your people have a family, tradition and fun filled Easter!