Don’t Stop Believin’
March 29, 2013
Posted By: Bozemama
Mmmmmm . . . Nigella's Easter egg nest cake is a family tradition and foolfproof crowd-pleaser
This Sunday is Easter and, if history repeats itself, my kids will be bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and on the lookout for the Bunny starting around 8 a.m. That’s right. My kids still believe in the Easter Bunny; you got a problem with that? Somehow, 13-year-old Hermione and nine-year-old Charlie figured out quickly and early in their young lives that – in our family – we believe. Big time. They understand that not believing would be risky (possibly fatal), could be considered treason by unseen powerful forces and might lead to torture by the revocation of Peeps.
Just to be clear: We don’t believe in one specific God, we believe in Santa, nature, fairies, dragons, magic, leprechauns and, like I said, the Easter Bunny. We are kind of fantastical agnostic pagans, and – while we may offend the more traditionally religious – it seems to be working well for us. (Feel free to follow up with me in 20 years to see whether Hermione has entered a convent or Charlie has become Hindu.) We still leave cookies and carrots for Santa and his reindeer; and never once has my savvy, sagacious teen even dared to question the existence of the jolly fat man in red.
Eggs dyed the natural way and photographed by Krista Sampson
We also believe in crafting and eating, so Easter is an awesome excuse for us to overeat and splatter dye all over the kitchen walls. I start out feeling like Martha Stewart and end up looking like the Joker in Batman (“ Is it the scars? You want to know how I got ‘em? ”) That doesn’t stop me from trying though. Last year wasn’t so bad, actually. We made these delicate eggs by wrapping balloons with yarn dipped yarn in starch. They were beautiful on our table and the cats enjoyed them immensely. I think tomorrow we’ll attempt these naturally dyed eggs from last year’s Montana Parent and then turn them what will probably look like tie-dyed Deviled eggs for Easter dinner.
Eggs made by wrapping ballons in starched yarn and letting it dry
Ah, dinner. We most definitely believe in dinner, celebrating the bounty of spring and, of course, heavy drinking. We delight in our family and gather around a comforting and delicious meal of Prosecco, lamb, wine, fresh greens topped off with Nigella’s knockout-foolproof Easter egg nest cake and, of course, more Prosecco. (Hey, I wonder what would happen if you tried soaking a Peep in Prosecco? Hmmm . . . I’ll get back to you.)
But the best part of Easter for me as a Mama is the special time I get to spend scooping the dog/deer/cat/goose/bear poop that’s been accumulating under the snow in the yard for the last five months so that our egg hunt doesn’t spawn a raging E. coli outbreak. (I did this yesterday and am hoping for rain today so that any residual fecal shmear is washed away and has no chance of contaminating the Cadbury). This all helps to set the bucolic scene in which Charlie and Hermione end up bludgeoning each other in the frenzied fight for the most eggs. This yearly ritual almost always ends in tears and is only rectified when enough chocolate has been ingested to render both children dazed, euphoric and oblivious to their war wounds. Happy times.
These gorgeous goodies from La Chatelaine should soothe post-egg hunt nerves
Oh, dear readers, we wish you a beautiful Easter weekend filled with love, family, hope, faith and Peeps. And one more thing: Don’t forget to sniff those brown nuggets in little Peewee’s basket before popping them into your mouth. Trust me -- I learned this the hard way.
Kisses,
Bozemama
