It's been a bumpy ride these last few weeks, and when things get bumpy, I tend not to blog here. Things are beginning to slow down and I hope to be back to making new items for my shop very soon.
In the meantime? Birdsnest cupcakes!
There are five family traditions in my immediate family (parents and brother):
Everyone gets together for each other's birthdays and when the birthday girl/boy cuts the cake, everyone attending the birthday has to scream at the top of their lungs the moment the knife hits the bottom of the first cut. It's for good luck.
Then there is "Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit", which is what we say first thing on the first day of each month. That was taught to me by Ms. Kitty Graves (yes, that was hear real name). Ms. Graves was my 3rd grade teacher and ever since I was 8 years old, we've continued this tradition. If I wake up early, I will call my mom and yell "RABBIT RABBIT RABBIT!" before she has time to say "hello?" so she remembers to say it. I'm sure she really appreciates that wake-up. My dad merely texts it to me.
Now on to the handmade traditions:
Thanksgiving is a traditional American meal: potatoes, yams, turnips, greenbeans, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce. Traditionally, I make the cornbread and pumpkin pies. In the last two years, I've also added pumpkin Arroz con Leche and ginger pumpkin bread to the menu. My mom began the tradition of handing each dinner attendee 5 kernels of unpopped popping corn, we each go around the table and name 5 things we are thankful for. It's pretty sweet, my brother pretends to hate it.
Christmas is our traditional Puerto Rican meal: Pernil, yuca malanga, avocado salad...I make flan and coconut pudding.
Now, last Sunday was Easter. Normally, we have Easter dinner. My brother was unable to make it for the first year ever. He's knee-deep in a 20-page paper and is also beginning his thesis. I ended up meeting my parents for brunch at Le Monde, and as much as I enjoyed it, I hope our tradition continues to be a) one that includes the entire family and b) a home-cooked meal. I wanted to keep up my end of the bargain, so after meeting my family, I came home to my roommate and made Irish Soda Bread and birdsnest cupcakes.
The only reason I make Irish Soda Bread on Easter is because I couldn't find a recipe for hot-cross buns that I liked, but my Irish Soda Bread has a big cross on the top of it (to help it rise and bake). Birdsnest cupcakes? Well, 5 or 6 years ago they started out as cookies that were way too fancy. My family doesn't care if things are fancy, and these cookies too HOURS! Complete w/ chocolate ganache and everything. So I decided on making cupcakes, toasting coconut for the "nest" and adding chocolate eggs (Cadbury Mini Eggs work well) on top.
So last Easter Sunday night, Adeline helped me make 24 birds-nest cupcakes, and watched as I taught her how to make Irish Soda Bread. It was fun. And although I miss my brother to pieces, it was nice to be able to come home to my own apartment and my little apartment family of Adeline and Psyche D. Cat.
<3 Always,
--Taina
