Mi Familia

Due to the pandemic, families have been unable to associate with one another. I did not do our usual this year’s Valentine’s Day. I did send them Valentine’s cards with money for my grandkids to go to the dollar store so they could buy what they wanted from the whole store. I would always take them to the dollar store when I visit them let them to let them buy anything, they wanted with a limit of 5 items for each of them. They are young enough to enjoy that treat. It thrills me too see them get excited. I missed seeing those wide eyes and big smiles.

So again, for Easter, we did not gather. I missed the whole event. Still under strict restrictions. On Easter, we all get together and prepare all sorts of goodies and main courses. For example, glazed mustard sweet Ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet yams in marshmallow cream. I use heavy cream whipped from the carton, homemade kind, you need to get that recipe, if you want it contact me. It’s so good. Especially when it is still quite warm. Corn or if available corn on the cob, cooked and placed on the grill and charred. Sometimes placed on chopped sticks for an easy to hold grip and can’t get away cob. We eat our corn with Mexican fine queso fresco cheese, parmesan powered cheese, mayonnaise or sour cream, to spread on the corn cob and roll it in the powered cheeses, sprinkled with Tapatio sauce or powered cayenne pepper. OMG! So good!

My daughter-in-law makes the best Italian macaroni and cheese. The kids just love it! By the end of our celebration time, it’s gone. Lots and lots food. Chicken legs and thighs cooked in Mexican chili sauce, Mexican fried rice, and wouldn’t freshly homemade corn tortillas be a huge treat! Too much work. So, we just warm them up store bought ones. Yes… I know, not the same. We then bow our heads and give thanks for the opportunity for all of us gathered together demostrando our love for one another and how joyful is that?

After enjoying food feast, Nana has prepared a game. Mothers have prepared confetti eggs, colored them and normally we’ve prepared like 6 to 10 dozen egg cartons worth of them. At home or at Nanas house, we have shelled eggs we have carefully removed the egg from inside, rinsed them, let them dry, after you have accumulated as many eggs as you want, they are colored by the grandkids, Nana makes a party for the kids and Grandkids of all ages.  More food, this party is prepared before the Easter celebration. The eggs are drawn upon, pictures, kids draw flowers on them, any design the kids or adults joining us would like to draw on them or design them. Kids and adults can keep or take home only one egg if they choose to. Later after all of them are done and dried, Magically, you will see them on Easter, sealed from the top with tissue paper, upside down displayed inside opened egg cartons.

We would all grab what we wanted and discreetly and gently break them on people’s heads. Some of us have no hair on our heads and so it hurts more, I would request that everyone break egg in hand before hitting it on head. Breaking an egg on an individual represents your blessings. The colorful confetti are the many blessings bestowed upon you by that individual. So only break the egg on those who you love. What a colorful mess that was to clean. We’d see confetti on the lawn for months, rain would wash it away. I loved and now miss with all my heart, the laughter of the children and the adults running around trying to catch each other to break the confetti egg on each other. This was always a special time for me.  I miss this part of Easter so much. Sometimes I would make pinatas in shape is eggs, a baby chick, or other Easter characters. This was so much fun too! Both children and adults would give it a couple of hits and down came the candy. I would try to make it hard to break. But someone strong enough would break it. Then after someone would crack it, I’d have a smaller child hit it open. So much fun!

Before everyone left, I would give everyone, children and adults, an Easter goodie bag. This would be another thing I would have to stay up and do a day before because I put fruit in it and keep it fresh.  I would have to keep the tangerines fresh and separated from the peanuts, otherwise the peanuts would pick up the moisture from the fruit and become soggy. So, I would have to prepare them a day ahead of time. I would buy salty peanuts, the kids liked them better than the non-salty ones. When my Grandkids where little they would suck off the salt from the peanuts and place them back in the package. It was cute then, now they eat the peanuts too and we laugh about it.  I would also buy candy and little surprises and place them in the goodie bags. This is a tradition my Mother used to do for us when we were little. She would surprise us on Easter Sunday morning with tin baskets full of goodies, we’d all get ready for church and go to the Easter egg hunt after church with our tin baskets in hand.  My Mother would make every holiday special for us. My Mother also explained what these goodies represented blessed blessings from God. The Oranges, I used tangerines, they represented health, the peanuts represented wealth, the candies represented sweet surprises in life. The little surprises represented offspring. “SURPRISE” your pregnant! I would place stuffed animals in the bags. Back in the day, offspring was always welcomed to couples… In fact, one year I did not make goodie bags and the adults missed them and mentioned it to me, they missed my goodie bags. So, I continue to make them. They were still delivered this year even though we could not gather together. I am saddened to hear that the COVID 19 is going to last until people stop spreading this disease. I thank my creator that no one in my family has caught this Virus. I pray for everyone on earth to be protected and for the healing needed to put an end to this pandemic.