An After Easter Egg Hunt

My nephew, Mitch, had the great idea of getting the cousins together for an Easter egg hunt this past Sunday evening. Two cousins thought they were too old to participate and another had to work. The rest lined up by the garage door waiting for Aunt Maria to give instructions.
Kassie, Brady and Ashton listen as Aunt Maria reminds them to leave some eggs for the younger children.


Joey and Kaden work together to fill their baskets.

Here they are, looking to see what they got.
Before the egg hunt we had a meal together: ham and chicken salad, Barbecue, hot dogs, veggie tray with dip, chips and dip, baked bean casserole, fruit salad, frog eye salad, deviled eggs and too many desserts to list! Always plenty of food at a Wagner get together!

Thanks for having us Tim and Maria!

Grandma Wagner's Chocolate Covered Coconut Easter Eggs

One of my most fond memories of Easter, and of my paternal grandmother, are the chocolate covered coconut Easter eggs she used to make. Before I begin to tell my story, you have to first know how much I dislike coconut. Eating ranks as one of my top all time favorite things to do. There is very little I won't eat, in fact I can only think of two things -- anchovies and coconut. I can still remember the first time I bit into one of Grandma Wagner's coconut eggs. I was probably eight or nine years old. I thought, "This can't possibly be coconut." I kept taking bite after bite wondering where the coconut was! One Easter Grandma gave me my very own card box full of her delicious eggs. I couldn't believe they were all for ME! She probably gave an equal amount to each of my brothers, but I don't remember. I savored every bite of those eggs. With the Easter season upon us, I couldn't help but reminisce about Grandma's eggs. (Grandma passed away just over 24 years ago.) I decided to email my Aunt Anna, Grandma's daughter, for the recipe. Much to my delight, Aunt Anna remembered just how they were made and let me in on the family secret! She was right when she said they are simple to make, but not easy! I have a blister from the time and effort it took removing the fresh coconut meat from the shell! After forming the eggs (Kassie helped with this step) it took three days for them to dry. This morning I did the finishing step of dipping them into bittersweet chocolate. (Sorry Dottie, no milk chocolate here!) I'm so thankful Aunt Anna remembered how they were made so I could relive a part of my past. Grandma, if there are computers in heaven and you're reading my blog, thanks for starting this delicious Wagner family tradition that I plan on continuing!