Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking

I celebrate holidays for the party part of it, not for the religious affiliation. I do appreciate the religious aspects of each holiday but I’m not necessarily an active participant. Ancestrally, I am half Jewish and half Christian - more specifically, an Italian Catholic - making me a pizza bagel if you will. 

All Images by Kirsten Valentini

Celebration-wise, I am Christmas-Chanukkah-Passover-Easter-and-Purim-for-the-Hamantaschen. I like these holidays because I like traditions that surround them. I love a Fraser fir in December, its scent filling the house and its lights welcoming you into the home. I’ve been known to spin a dreidel every once in a while and light the menorah with my sister (it’s Curious George themed and really quite adorable) while reading the Hebrew off the back of the candle box. 

And when springtime rolled around, we had an Easter Egg Hunt (okay, we still do and it still brings me endless amounts of joy) and we attended a friend’s seder. What I love most about the classic springtime holidays is really the food, closely followed by the scavenger hunt aspect of both Passover and Easter - afikomen and eggs! 

This meal is a subtle ode to Easter and Passover. It is not meant to be religious in celebration, rather just my representation of my two sides. For this brunch, I’ve made eggs Benedict sans ham on potato latkes, asparagus with lemon zest and coconut macaroons. My table - despite the inclusion of bunnies - is just a celebration of springtime.

A little fun etiquette fact: “Asparagus is eaten with the fingers, unless stalks are too long.” Walter Hoving (1989), Tiffany’s Table Manners for Teenagers, 70.

Image via Tiffany’s Table Mannners for Teenagers