7 Pounds of Lamb for two people? That's my kind of Easter!

No we didn't expect more than the two of us. Seven pounds of lamb is the right amount for a young couple. And I like a nice leg of lamb when it's all prepared and cooked medium rare. Especially when we got some garlic cheesy mashed potatoes with goat cheese and a Turkish spinach side dish. For dessert? Chocolate canolis. Yeah, it matches. Don't question that we're taking from several different cultures to make one awesome meal. And wine. Booyah on that.

I do miss my family on Easter. We were never really religious but our Easter traditions were awesome. Wake up, pick apart the Easter basket. Have a nice brunch with sparkling cider (always a must for holidays), relax a little then we'd get sent upstairs so my parents could hide 40 colored, hard boiled eggs in five different rooms. They'd spend about 1 hour doing this and had to keep a cheat sheet so no eggs were left behind (happened one year, baaaaaad smell). They put a lot of effort into it and even with five kids looking it would take us about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to find them all. Always a fun memory even when we got a little competitive.

Then we'd head off to one of my uncle's houses to have a nice dinner with the family, usually my dad's side of the family. We'd get the big ol buffet going, eat, play cards and just catch up. As you get older and set traditions of your own you wonder how much you can pull from your childhood into your adult life. I know some things you gotta let go, I mean I'd kill an Easter egg hunt now! Still, I really liked playing cards because it was so social. And the brunch in the morning with the immediate family and then dinner with the in laws or extended family. These little traditions bring out the importance of the holidays. You connect with your family, and not just those immediately around you. Whether or not you're a believer or if this is even your religions holiday, if the country you live in honors it then it becomes your own. Just like Jewish families have a tradition of going to Chinese restaurants on Christmas, we all end up celebrating the holidays that are a part of the culture of the country we live in. We celebrate either directly or indirectly, regardless the spirit is there. Because every holiday that is spiritual or patriotic in nature boils down to the simplest things: love, family, friends, community.

Happy Easter everyone!