Easter

 

My recall of Easter growing up is a mixed bag. It is not my favorite holiday but there are some fond memories, and many of those are around food.

My mother did nothing but cook and go to church for the entire week before Easter. Oh, and clean the house until it sparkled.  All the food had to be prepared by Saturday so that the priest could come to our house and bless the food which would be set out on an embroidered tablecloth on the dining room table. This is a Ukrainian tradition.

 

Ours was very similar to this but with a plain white top.

My mother made this bread, braided Paska.

Sometimes she also made these in cleaned soup cans.

There was always kilbasa. My grandfather made his own so store bought was never the same.

A baked ham -- Harrington's since there smoke house was down the street.

Butter was molded in a bowl and decorated with an imprinted design.

Grated beets mixed with horseradish

Dyed hard boiled eggs decorated with a wax resist, of course.

And this molded cheese dessert, Pashka.

Do I carry on any of this? No. My mother would be exhausted by Sunday. She would come home from church and go to bed for a nap that pretty much lasted the rest of the day. We would often have all this delicious food without her.

When my kids were growing up, we mostly had Easter dinner with my in-laws, so Kevin and Amy have experience of Easter food entirely. I never nurtured a tradition of my own. Although I wouldn't mind tasting Pashka again.

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