7: Easter Foods

Okay, so Easter was more than a week ago. A week and a day, to be exact. And, I was going to write this a week ago and then... Harry Kalas died. It was a shock to the system and it's what prevented me from writing on Monday. And then I got busy with other stuff. Here I am a week later, still thinking about Easter food. Easter food is important to my family, just as important as Thanksgiving and Christmas and just as distinctive. My favorites: 

1. Hot cross buns. Delicious. My mom makes them every year for Easter breakfast. It's a sweet dough, with raisins and candied orange pieces. And topped with icing in crosses across the bun.

2. Hard boiled eggs. One of my favorite foods in general, but dyed? That much better. And Easter-y!

3. Cadbury eggs. There's something about scarcity that makes things taste better and Cadbury eggs definitely fall in that category. I mean, chocolate and sweet filling is a winning combination anyway, but that much better wrapped in tin foil and magically appearing in springtime. 

4. Reese's peanut butter eggs. Peanut butter cups made better--more peanut butter!

5. Angelfood cake. Light, served with lemon curd. Another Easter-only classic. It's actually one that I don't think I'd like very much if it were available year-round, but at Easter it's a favorite. 

6. Lamb. Classic Easter meat, along with salmon and ham. But, salmon is a year-round thing for me and I don't really like ham. So, lamb it is!

7. Chicken salad. It has grapes and curry and peanuts and have absolutely no idea why it appears at Eastertime, but I don't fight the awesome. And I take as much of it in leftovers as possible. 

2: Things of a Ridiculous Nature

Life is full of random events. It's what keeps things interesting. Sometimes what happens, though, isn't just random. It's just plain ridiculous.

1. Yesterday, I set off the smoke detector while boiling water. Seriously, just a pot of water. There must've been something spilled on the burner. I'll admit I wasn't paying the closest attention to the water, since, well, I thought it would be hard to burn. All of a sudden, I turned around and the whole burner was smoky. Seconds later, the beeping of the smoke detector. But, the water was boiling, so I guess it wasn't a complete failure.

2. The Phillies starting pitching this season is giving me an ulcer. We're supposed to have a kick-ass starting rotation. I'd like to meet those players, because they haven't been around much so far. At least we'll always have last season.

5: Mood Lifters

I've been in sort of a funk lately, for some unknown reason. It's not work (which is not great, but really not funk-worthy, either); it's not family or friends. So, I dunno. It's springtime, the daffodils (my favorite flower) are blooming, it's light out so I can go running in the evenings. I've decided that it's time to be in a better mood, so I've been thinking about good things, that make me smile/feel proud/optimistic. They are:

1. Having favorite restaurant. I love food, I like going out to eat well enough--but I can't eat out too often, it gets on my nerves. So, I've always had restaurants that I like and some that I liked better than others, but I've never had a favorite. That place that you'd go to all the time. The place that always springs to mind when trying to decide where to go. Now I do. There's a new Thai food place a couple of blocks from me and it is awesome. I totally love it. And, I like that I now have a favorite restaurant.

2. Taking a half day. I had carryover vacation time that was set to expire at the end of the month, so I've started making plans for it. And I had a random half day left, so I decided to take it today. For no good reason, just because it was a Thursday and I could. Let me tell you, it was pretty amazing. I slept in (well, for me it was sleeping in), I got some laundry and dishes done. I watched TV. And then, I went to work for a little bit. It was good to have some me-time, though. And not a weekend, that's different. Just time that was totally mine.

3. Cookies for dinner. I didn't know what I felt like eating tonight, so I was scrounging around the kitchen. I wasn't too hungry, but definitely wanted something to eat. Checked the cabinets. Eh, could make pasta. Looked in the fridge, nothing too exciting there. Opened the freezer. Bingo! An open box of Thin Mints. So, my dinner? A sleeve of Girl Scout cookies.

4. Buying fun, but necessary, things. I've been training for a 5K in just over a week. My running sneakers are a couple of years old at this point. Still more than serviceable, but I was starting to get a tingly feeling in my left foot when I run. So, I decided to get a new pair of running shoes. I went to my local running store at lunchtime. It's always kind of a treat to go in there, I think. I like just telling the person what I want (running shoes, good, but not excessive, arch support, size 9) and they just bring out a couple pair, I try 'em on, pick the ones I like. There's less pressure to pick one off the wall, but I still have options. And I did need a new pair, so it was totally over the top to spend way too much money on new sneakers. I also got a new pair of shorts, but it's not quite warm enough for them yet. Still, I'll be totally prepared when it is.

5. Wandering around the grocery store. I needed milk Tuesday night (I had a cereal-less morning on Tuesday and it was tragic. Talk about starting the day on the wrong foot. I was not a happy camper.), so I went to the grocery store. And it was packed. Long lines, etc. All I really needed was milk, but I was going to be forced to stand in line for forever. Instead, I wandered around the grocery store, which I love. And, I remembered that I needed tahini (sesame seed paste, for making hummus), so I wandered around and finally found that (in the produce section, which seems to be the home of all things I can't find elsewhere (last time it was wonton wrappers)). Then I just spent time wending my way through the isles. By the time I was bored, all I had in my basket was milk, tahini and flour, so it wasn't like I went to excess, but the lines died down and I wasn't frustrated by standing still, instead I was amused by walking around. It was a great compromise, since I wasn't in a hurry.