This Easter was the first holiday without my mom.  Although it was tough one, family traditions seemed to help comfort us with shared memories from Easter mornings past.

This year, each little sub-family had so many other things going on that we were separated on Easter Sunday itself.  Instead, on Saturday, we celebrated my nephew’s 9th birthday along with an early Easter party at the YMCA followed by a low key meal shared together afterward.  My sister is a fantastic cook who can put most people to shame.  So when she asked me to make my homemade mac and cheese, I was more than thrilled that she would want my dish to accompany her delicious concoctions!  It was a beautifully sunny day to share with family and friends…the kind of day that my mom loved.  Each year, she spent many hours gathering the perfect gifts for each grandchild’s Easter basket.  Rather then letting the tradition go, we modified it just a little.  Each godparent put together a basket for their godchild.  I had a blast choosing the perfect superhero bucket, PJs (a grandma special), candies, and a few Aunt KK originals like a new toothbrush, a jump rope, and some silly putty!  A HUGE Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup made my godson the happiest kid on the block.  I’m pretty sure that he had never even seen Silly Putty before…can you even believe that?!?!

Easter itself was a bit more low key.  My sisters spent the day with their little families since we were all together the day before.  I put together a simple brunch for my brothers, dad, husband, uncle, and our dear family friend at my dad’s house.  Of course, the famous party potatoes were on the menu along with a variation of my aunt’s stuffed French toast, a delicious eggs Benedict casserole, deviled eggs, fresh fruit, and Grandma O’s cream cheese coffee cake.  It is truly the PERFECT cake.  It is dense enough to enjoy as breakfast with a bold cup of coffee but light enough to add to brunch as a dessert.  It was one of my mom’s favorite treats…I must have made it a half dozen times in the weeks she was home recovering from her operations.  Now, those of you that know me, know that I am NO BAKER!  I actually despise baking.  It is too technical and leaves no room for error.  I prefer the freedom cooking offers me…a little of this and a little of that and a meal is served.  However, at the request of my mom, I made it a couple years ago.  It’s since been one of the few baked goods I have mastered.  I did make just a one tweak to it over the last few years…nothing that changes the perfect consistency of the cake, but just enough to make it my own.  I have to say, my mom loved my addition but always insisted that it needed the icing.  I never did add the icing preferring the buttery cinnamon strudel to shine on its own but feel free to add it for an extra sweet kick.  No fancy ingredients needed for this one.  I usually have pretty much everything on hand in the pantry and fridge.

As I sit and plan my Monday off {including a couple of surprises to help celebrate my husband’s birthday tonight} I am enjoying a slice of cream cheese coffee cake and a cup of tea enjoyed Mom’s way…with a little milk and sugar.  I am flooded with memories of past Easter mornings hunting for the SIX dozen brightly colored eggs (a dozen for each kid), ham glazed with 7-up, and of course Grandma O’s coffee cake.  Adding something so familiar made this holiday a little less bitter and an bit more sweet.

As for my husband’s birthday today, he asked if I could possibly recreate a meal we had our first Valentine’s Day together.  He had surprised me with a weekend full of fun activities to celebrate Valentine’s Day, my birthday, and our first anniversary.  At Drury Lane, before enjoying a super fun performance of Monty Python, I ordered braised short ribs with mushroom ragu over gnocchi.  I am making an attempt at this meal with complex flavors.  I am using this recipe from Bobby Flay as a base to build in the other flavors we both remember.  If all turns out, I’ll try to post the recipe with my additions soon.