Happy Easter! Xristos Voskrese!

Khram Spasa Na Krovi (The Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood), Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Good morning, friends! Some of you might be wondering why I'm wishing you a Happy Easter! ...that was a week ago, Veronica... But today is actually Orthodox Easter, and being a Russian Orthodox Christian, it's a holy day I've loved since my childhood days. We don't have Easter bunnies in Russia... I'm still a bit confused as to why bunnies bring eggs here, though I do thing bunnies are absolutely adorable animals. While our life in the U.S. has certainly Americanized us in many ways, we have done a pretty good job at holding onto the core Russian traditions, Orthodox holidays included.

We welcomed Easter the way we have been doing for as long as I can remember... The first thing we say when seeing another person is Xristos Voskrese! (Christ Has Risen!), to which the other person responds Voistino Voskrese! (Indeed He Has Risen!). Then we exchange three kisses on the cheeks (Fun Fact: Russians always do three, never two kisses, whether it's a holiday or not).

And once everyone has awaken, we sit down for a family breakfast: Kulich (Russian Easter Bread) and hard-boiled eggs.

We color our eggs on Clean Thursday (the Thursday before Easter), and to avoid all the artificial coloring, we have always used onion peel to color our eggs golden to rich burgundy colors (the final color varies from year to year, I guess depending on how long the eggs stay in the water and on the type of onion used).

The Kulich we actually make up to a week in advance. It's one of those breads that tastes better the longer it stands! What goes inside also varies from year to year... This year we used raisins and almonds. We've also done various dried fruits and chocolate chips in the past. You really can't go wrong! It's a very forgiving recipe! This year, I decorated our Kulich with chocolate. Another favorite is the simple confectioner's sugar frosting. Sprinkles is always a must. :)

With a cup of coffee or Earl Grey in hand, we have thus welcomed another Easter at our home!

Xristos Voskrese! Voisteno Voskrese!

Happy Sunday, my friends!

P.S.  Clearly, I'm quite fashionably late this time with announcing the winners of the past two giveaways...

Barney Butter goes to... MK! (I can't help but immediately reminisce of my childhood Mary-Kate and Ashley obsession when I see "MK" lol)

Al Dente Pasta goes to... Ivey! (What a pretty name! Of course, I'm thinking Beyonce's baby, Blue Ivy... Oh Veronica...)

Congrats to the winners! Please check your inboxes and respond to my email within 48 hours!

Thanks so much to everyone who has entered. I love old and new visitors on my blog, and hope you continue to stop by!