The Chocolate Easter Eggs

This morning as we were walking out the door for a walk, we were greeted by a small package on our doorstep. We immediately knew who it was from. Our neighbor who lives next door to us in our condo building always spreads holiday cheer. And because this is Easter weekend, we got a box of chocolates. They weren’t the usual kind of chocolates, but a small egg carton that was filled with four - almost real sized - tin foiled covered eggs. They are made by Favorina and the official name is chocolate egg dippers with milk crème. And they come with two spoons. So after breakfast/brunch my husband asked if we should try them. I usually have one chocolate Hershey kiss after dinner in the evening. But since he is a chocolate lover he couldn’t let these eggs sit until later. So I unwrapped the foil and stuck the spoon in the top and broke off the tip. Inside there was a crème that filled most of the egg. My husband tried the treat. He said it was “ok.” I tried a small bit and found it much too sugary. But it isn’t the taste that matters. It’s such a sweet gesture to have a neighbor that thinks enough to remember us on the holiday. Happy Easter! 

The Thoughtful Neighbor

You really don’t get to choose your neighbors. For the most part we had really great neighbors when we lived in the Midwest. We still keep in touch with our next door neighbors from there. When we moved to Capitol Hill in DC we lived in a tiny condo with forty units. Some of the neighbors were very strange, while others were fairly reasonable. It was a highly mobile bunch with a lot of renters who really didn’t care about the building. We didn’t get very close to many of them. Now that we live in northern Virginia we are located in another condo. Unfortunately due to the pandemic we haven’t really had the opportunity to meet many of them. On top of that, a lot of them downsized from the surrounding neighborhood and already knew each other. Most are lawyers and business types that we don’t have much in common with. So we are lucky to have a really nice neighbor next door to us. We met her when we first moved in and saw her regularly when she walked her dog. Then we started to get holiday greetings left by our door shortly thereafter. Yesterday was one of those occasions. My husband found a small bag outside of our door. We knew who it was from immediately. When we opened it there was a lovely box of chocolates and a Christmas card. It is such a thoughtful gesture. When her pooch passed away a year or so ago I painted a digital art portrait of Gus as a way to show our appreciation for her. It sure makes a difference when you have decent neighbors. We know how it feels when that isn’t the case. Thanks Pat! 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

It’s nice to be remembered - not just on Valentine’s Day, but any day. But since it’s Valentine’s Day we received three special notes and treats. One was from our condo social committee. They spent a lot of time baking cookies and then assembling small packages of the cookies, along with a Hershey kiss and candy heart and placed them on the door handle. Our next door neighbor never forgets to leave a sweet treat by our door for every holiday. And then we received a text from my mom’s neighbor/caregiver who took such good care of my mom until the end. She and her husband now live in my mom’s home. It was a gift my mom left for them for being so kind. So it’s a good day to celebrate the people in our lives. A little chocolate and cookie goes a long way. But the more important thing is having people around that are so nice. 

The Easter Bunny Strikes

My parents had one big Easter basket and we each had our own. Those were the days when everyone would go shopping for the finest in spring fashion - including a hat, gloves and spring coat. In New England, spring was so welcomed. Growing up in Florida we still celebrated Easter, but the baskets disappeared - and we grew up! My husband and I received an Easter treat from our wonderful neighbor. Yesterday when we opened the door there was a gift sitting next to it. Inside was a chocolate Easter bunny and a small bag of jelly beans. This isn’t the first time this has happened. Christmas and Valentine’s Day were also highlighted with tasty candies and treats. It’s just the thought of it that is so touching. We don’t know many of our neighbors because we just moved to northern Virginia two years ago and haven’t really seen anyone this past year with all the restrictions and common space closures. The board meetings are virtually held where we used to meet in the lovely sitting area. Maybe one of these days we will be able to actually spend time with some of our neighbors. In the meantime it’s nice to know there are still such nice folks around. 

Candy, Chocolate, Cookies and Apples?

I’m not sure how he does it, but my husband is a sugar monster. He drinks his coffee and tea with several sugar cubes. The kitchen cupboard is full of his favorite treats. There are chocolate chip cookies and other assorted types along with Werther candies. Candies are kept in his pockets and in the car. The refrigerator bin is filled with candy bars and Hershey kisses. The only chocolate I have is one Hershey kiss after dinner. My favorite dessert is angel food cake. The funny thing is that every evening we have fruit for a snack. The healthy fruit off sets the negative sugar. So we always have to have at least eight to ten Granny Smith apples stocked. The supple of apples dictates when we go to the grocery store. Along with the apples we always have mandarin oranges and seasonal fruit like watermelon or nectarines when they are in season. My husband’s blood sugar is always normal, whereas mine hovers close to and a little beyond the maximum range. I like to think it’s because of the hypertensive controlling meds I’ve been on for most of my life and nothing to do with what I eat. These days it’s worth having something that’s pleasant. So in this case it’s candy, cookies, and chocolate - mixed in with a bit of fruit. 

Making Chocolate Lecture at the Library of Congress

We’ve gone to the Library of Congress lectures many times. Before I retired, I would meet my husband and we would go to primarily Middle Eastern programs in the beautiful Jefferson Building over my lunch break. Since I retired, we still go to programs, but at a more leisurely pace. Last week we attended a presentation about Spain and the Eastern US. It was difficult to understand because of the Spanish accents and innuendo, but more because no one ever uses a microphone. Yesterday we went to see a program about making chocolate. That is a subject near and dear to my husband. For the same reason I was very disappointed. The speakers acted quite casual in their approach, didn’t use the microphone - again, and they were essentially selling their products on their website. I’m not sure that is such a great idea. What surprises me the most is that this is the Library of Congress! I would expect a certain amount of reasonable preparedness, and meeting standards for such things. The Library tapes all of these presentations. I think this is one I would avoid. In all the events we have attended - which are many - I think there are two that were memorable. One was about the making of the Shahnameh book with a very enthusiastic artist/ author who used a variety of visual aids and another author who wrote about the Presidents, as fathers, and their children. It’s pretty sad when lecturers read to you, don’t use microphones, have no visual options, and are very boring. We always hope the next one will be better. Luckily for us all it takes is a two block walk down the street to get to our destination. It might be a bit more irritating otherwise. 

Polska and Mrs. T's Pierogi and Chocolate

Mrs. T's pierogi come from Pennsylvania and Polska pierogi come from California. We always liked Mrs. T's - especially the potato with feta and spinach. My husband also adds onions to the mix and they are delicious! Of course, nothing could ever replace my mom's original hand made and time consuming pierogi that we always had at Christmas. But while we were at Safeway, I noticed another brand called Polska foods. The saurkraut, cabbage, and mushroom item looked quite promising - and it was. My husband added a bit of ham bits to that mix. Because they were so good, we got another package along with the potato and cheese version. Why am I dreaming of pierogi? Today, we went out to lunch with a good friend who just returned from a trip to Poland, Italy and England. And she brought with her a Polish chocolate/orange treat as a keepsake for us. Because it is written in Polish, I can't read the brand. All I can say is that they too were delicious. It's hard to believe Polish was my first language. That sure didn't last very long. But the craving to eat polish food luckily never disappeared. Thank goodness for frozen food because it's tough to find a polish restaurant here in DC. Milwaukee and Chicago were much different - but we don't live there anymore. 

Charbennel & Walker

Two of our friends had birthdays in January. We usually have dinner together to celebrate. This year, a couple of us were under the weather in January so the get together had to be postponed. We couldn't go without bringing along an edible treat of some kind. So my husband and I scoured several places until we came upon just the right thing. We found some delightful chocolate treats - one with the box shaped as a pink purse from Charbennel & Walker, and the other a tiny bookcase filled with books - but I don't remember the name except it was French. The tiny purse had chocolate shoes with very high heels and the library was filled with unusual tasty variations, including bacon! Lucky for us these birthday gifts became dessert after dinner. It's not often one can share the presents one gives to someone else. But in this case it was well received!