Sometimes you can't change your core, who you are deep, down in the unseen parts of yourself. I learned this a couple of entrees and six side dishes into dinner. Today is Easter Sunday and an unusually quiet one. The regular souls weren't around the first part of the day, so no need for soul food, right?
I tried to talk myself into grabbing some brisket from the local barbecue spot, tossing a salad and considering it a complete Sunday without open windows, breezes flowing through the house, and the smell of all things high in calories and taste. This was a tradition every Sunday, and especially on Easter, but I've been on a quest of 'firsts' the past several months, and this was going to be my first Easter that I didn't cook my way into the this-will-make-you-slap-yo-mama hall of fame.
By one o'clock I was going through withdrawal; I mean pacing the floor trying to talk myself out of frying chicken, roasting vegetables, making the dressing, baking cobblers or brewing tea. Less than an hour later, I was waddling in with a month's worth of trash bags. Yes, I repurpose my grocery bags to line wastebaskets and hang on door knobs around the house. You can never have enough trash collection points in the home, especially with little people.
I couldn't let the kiddos come home and miss out on the over-the-top, entirely too much food to consume Easters that I grew up loving. It's who I am deep down in my insides. I can't deny that. My preference would be to have these raised windows and wonderful smells filling my farmhouse - my place on a long stretch of country road and a wheat field for a back yard, a wraparound porch, and a hammock since we're dreaming. Well, the farmhouse would be my second home after the beach house. Might as well dream big, and a girl can cook anywhere.
As I chopped, seasoned and marinated, I decided now was the perfect time to spice up the old tradition to create a legacy that my kids will forever remember. I prepared two dinners - the traditional Sunday feast and tacos! The house smelled wonderful; the kids thought it was the best, and I had Monday's and Tuesday's dinners covered. My oldest, the tall, thin one who can eat his weight in food, almost caught the spirit when he discovered he could have tacos with his Sunday feast. I guess all this food goes to his feet, but he's on this 'second dinner' kick where just a few hours after a full supper, this kiddo says he's ready for another dinner, a second one if you will. [insert side-eye]
I'm not sure how my grandmothers would take to the two-dinner Easter, but it sure makes for an efficient way to meal prep and it's a memory borne of a new family tradition. Next Easter, the second entree to dinner may be altogether different from the tacos, but it will be a nice way to add a little flavor to the tried and true tradition that will always be part of my core. I want to keep our family traditions going, and adding a new entree here and there certainly doesn't change it, it just gives it a little more flavor. Maybe next year we'll be spicing up Easter dinner from the beach house.