I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!
Since having Tad, traveling home for holidays has been tough given that the drive home to North Carolina is no easy task with an infant and dog in tow. He did great on our trip back in February, but I was worried we wouldn’t be able to fit everyone in the car with all the stuff! Staying home in Alexandria has given us the chance to create some of our own family traditions. For me, those traditions mainly focus on activities that I grew up with associating with major holidays (trimming the tree, a special Easter outfit, etc.). For Ted, it means a meal.
The Easter Bunny stopped by our house and left a basket for Tad with new playsuits (here and here), an Easter bottle, and books including an old classic, Peter Cottontail, and a new favorite, I Love You Night and Day. Since I can’t sing, I found a recording of Peter Cottontail to help me read it to him last night, and Ted and I took turns reading I Love You Night and Day. It’s the sweetest!
After changing out of our church clothes, Ted started whipping up a classic Easter feast complete with glazed ham, green bean casserole, and sweet potato soufflé. We like to add a bit of bourbon to the glaze kit that comes with the ham, and I insist on sweet potato soufflé at Thanksgiving and Easter. Below is the recipe that my Mom’s family has been making for years from an old church cookbook.
Sweet Potato Soufflé
Mix together 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, 1 cup white sugar (I reduce to half), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 1/3 tablespoons melted margarine (we use Kerrygold Irish butter instead), 2 eggs, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour mixture into a baking dish.
Chop together 1 cup light brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1 cup chopped pecans, 2 1/3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted, and 2 cup of shredded coconut. Sprinkle over the sweet potato mixture and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.
I always love hearing about other family traditions. Do you do anything special to celebrate Easter?
xo,
Kristen
Peonies & Prosecco 