So… Easter happened.
Easter has never been a HUGE holiday for me. However, we do the stuff. We bake the sugar cookies, we make the classmate Easter treats, we decorate, we leave a note for the Easter Bunny and carrots of course, we do the egg hunt, the Girls get all their spring/summer needs in Easter presents displayed all down the couch and we do a great big ham dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, and Papa.
Some years we go extra BIG and do the Easter Train in Summerland and the Egg Hunt at LocoLanding.
This year we did not go big. We didn’t even go medium. We went small. Extra small.
I had more time to dedicate to the holiday, but I didn’t. I knew weeks in advance when Easter was but I didn’t do any early shopping. I didn’t even get my poop in a group to do online shopping in time for the holiday!
I just wasn’t feeling it. That is bad. I feel bad. I feel like this was a hard holiday for the Girls and I could have done crafts, baked cookies and made treats for our friends to be delivered at a safe social distance. But I didn’t. It’s not like we didn’t have the time. But, I didn’t. They will remember this holiday as the one they were quarantined in the house because of a deadly disease AND the 1 where Mom dropped the ball 😞.
SBean lost her tooth so the Tooth Fairy must have crossed paths with The Easter Bunny who brought LOTS of candy. Waaaaay more candy than ever before, we think he was making up for the fact that the couch wasn’t full of spring gifts from Mom and Dad. The Girls didn’t even write a letter or leave out carrots.
We were unable to have dinner with the Grandparents but both sets tried their best to make it special for the Girls 💕.
Papa and J made a Egg Hunt outside and the Girls had to figure out a clue using magnetic phases and then find giant Easter Eggs. Using wonderful social distancing, we visited in the backyard. They put in the effort to make it special for the Girls 💕.
Ninja took the Girls to visit my Mom and then up to see his parents. They went for a walk together and found a geocache nearby. Grandma and Grandpa gave them chocolate bunnies and cute colouring sheets for later. They tried and did what they could to make the holiday special for the Girls 💕.
I have no excuses. I have nothing but regret and disappointment in myself. Easter usually isn’t a big deal for me but this year, it was harder than usual.
It was hard because I haven’t been alone in a month. I haven’t been out much either. My Sis and family was supposed to be here next weekend but that has obviously been cancelled. I miss my Mom. A lot. I have PMS. I am unmotivated, anxious and I don’t have a lot of patience.
Not excuses. I am just trying to wrap my head around how I could have let Easter 2020 just pass by without much fanfare. I think I was experiencing grief. I think I feel a loss of what I pictured our first holiday would be like in our new home. I don’t know.
The Kids had a great Easter though! They wrote about their wonderful weekend in their journals. Apparently all that stuff we usually do, that I am devastated that I didn’t get done, wasn’t even missed this year. They were happy with loads of candy, a quiet day with family, seeing both sets of Grandparents and eating a delicious home cooked dinner with just the 4 of us.
I have wonderful kids. I am so lucky to have them. I also have an amazing husband. He took the Girls out for a bit, brought me home a Starbucks, visited my Mom and tried to make the day as normal as possible for all of us. We cooked dinner together and shared a nice bottle of wine and it was, nice. It was unrushed, simple and stress free.
It was a different kind of holiday for us. The 1st one in our new home. It was quiet and I guess special in it’s own way 💛.
I am very lucky 💕.
We decided to do a savoury ham this year instead of a sweet ham. My FIL and my BIL make delicious honeyed hams with pineapple and all those traditional flavours that we love so much. Being that it was just the 4 of us we chose a more spicy ham using cinnamon, cloves, bay and bourbon. It was deliciously different! We also made potato hash with kielbasa, Steamed veggies with easy cheese sauce, my MIL’s famous baked beans and a mix of kube, cheese and pickles!
Kielbasa and Potatoes Recipe
Adapted from Mom Foodie
small ring of kielbasa sauasage
4 potatoes, medium sized
1/2 Vidalia onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Preheat skillet on med-high heat.
Cut the kielbasa sausage into slices, and drop in the heated pan. Stir while frying.
Once the sausage has browned for approximately 6 minutes, scoop it out and put aside. Make sure to leave grease in the pan.
Dump the chopped potatoes into the hot skillet with the kielbasa grease. Add the paprika, salt and oregano. Stir to coat in the fat and reduce the burner to medium to medium-low. Cover.
Brown the potatoes for 13 minutes, stirring regularly.
Add the onions and garlic. Cook for about 12 minutes. Covered, but stirring regularly.
Once the potatoes have softened and onions are cooked add the kielbasa back into the pan mix in and all cook for 4 minutes.
My MIL’s Bestest Baked Beans
Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
My Mom used to drizzle cheese sauce on my broccoli to get me to eat it. I don’t have to do that with my kids or myself anymore BUT, I still love cheese sauce. This is so easy, it is made in the microwave and takes just a few minutes plus it’s creamy and delicious!
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup cheese, grated
In a microwave bowl melt the butter until frothy, add the flour, garlic powder, mustard, and salt and whisk.
Adapted from Food and Wine
1 4lb ham, at room temperature
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tablespoon fennel seeds
1/4 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 cinnamon stick
4 garlic cloves
1/4 inch piece of fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon honey
Preheat the oven (we used the BBQ) to 325°. Place the ham in a large roasting pan and add 1 cup of water. Stick the ham with all the cloves.
Cover the pan with foil and bake the ham for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, basting occasionally with any accumulated juices, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 120°.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the sugar with 2 tablespoons of water and cook over moderately high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until a lightly golden caramel forms, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and quickly add the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, and orange zest; let sit for about 20 seconds, until fragrant. Carefully add the bourbon, soy sauce and honey. Return the glaze to a simmer and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Remove the foil and brush the ham with the glaze. Roast for 30 minutes longer, glazing every 10 minutes, until the top is lightly caramelized. Transfer the ham to a platter and let rest for 15 minutes. Skim the fat from the pan juices and transfer them to a bowl. Serve the ham with the pan juices.
