Happy Easter. Yeah I’m Jewish, but every holiday in my life is about food, not religion, so you better believe I celebrate all of them, especially when it’s all about baskets of chocolate. (See also: Valentines Day)
For whatever reason, I’m thinking of Easter/Passovers past, starting with mine. I got my philosophy about food from my mother, which is basically Food is Love. We didn’t go to synagogue on Passover or have a sedar, but we had rich, cheesy kugels (I know, I know) brisket cooked in ginger ale (I can already see I’m going to have to do a separate post about food in the sixties) and on Easter, my mother would bake a ridiculous multilayer coconut cake with marshmallow icing.
I just had another crazy memory. Back in the dark ages, when I was in elementary school, on the last week of school leading up to Easter and spring break, we made Easter bonnets. Our teachers would send home a supply list: Paper plates, ribbons, jelly beans, Peeps...and we’d turn them into rather spectacular millinery, which we’d proudly wear in an Easter “parade” in the schoolyard.
As a budding foodie, I freaking loved making those bonnets.
I could just see Julie and Eric wearing paper plates on their heads and marching around outside.
Oh wait, what am I saying, yes I can 😎
I’m not gonna go into it, but for the most part, my childhood memories of holidays are not good. My mom thought they meant family, my father thought they meant Oh awesome, I can lock myself in my bedroom and get wasted. There was always a lot of yelling. From the time I was a kid, I vowed if I ever had a family of my own, It would be the exact opposite for my children.
Which brings me to my next memory, and it’s a good one. Young’s Candies.
For the kids’ entire childhood, we were lucky enough to have an old school candy store in the neighborhood where they made amazing chocolate on site. Every year, Gary and I would make up spectacular custom baskets. Eric loved anything peanut butter. Julie loved solid chocolate eggs. Easter mornings were like Hanukkah/Christmas around here, but then again, so was every holiday.
I guess I am especially feeling the loneliness of quarantine today, but okay, I’m also realistic. Eric lives in Nashville and Julie lives in Seattle. I doubt we’d be sitting here, ripping apart our respective baskets and sharing a breakfast of candy this morning, anyway.
I’m here to tell you that over ten years in, empty nest syndrome never gets any easier.
But yeah, yeah, there are certain perks.
I told Gary not to buy me any Easter chocolate this year. He’s still asleep upstairs.
I really hope he didn’t listen to me.
Ugh, what am I saying. There’s still macaroons in the house.
Mmmm...macaroons. I just realized we covered both holidays with that one.
Omg, they are amazing with a hot cup of coffee. And with that, I’m off to have eight more.
Happy Easter!
