Are y'all ready for Easter?

[Murfreesboro]

I expect they'll be better than that artsy crafty thing I described above.

[Andybev01]

I bought two after easter chocolate bunnies today.

[Murfreesboro]

The grocery store we frequent was cleared out of Easter candies by Easter afternoon. However, I did snag an Easter lily with five unopened buds for $1.40 on Easter Monday.

[Andybev01]

And...cue my allergies.

[Murfreesboro]

Aww, through the internet, Andy?

I attended choir practice at church tonight for the first time since Easter. There were only five of us who showed up, out of thirteen. Everybody else, including my husband, was out sick. Allergies are brutal in April around here, and allergies set you up for respiratory infections.

[Andybev01]

(Knocks on wood) even when I was a smoker I didn't suffer from respiratory issues.

I drove past a field of 4-5' tall ragweed today and it was probably psychosomatic but I sneezed pretty hard despite the fact that my car has HEPA filtration in the cabin.

Your choir situation sounds like an opening scene from 'The Stand' where King described the rapid de-population of humans on the outset of the flu.

[Murfreesboro]

Lol. Well, I hope it doesn't get as bad as that.

Around here, I think of ragweed as an autumnal thing. Spring pollens for us are trees and flowers. Fall pollens are grasses and weeds. Either one can be really tough, but in recent years I think the spring allergies have been worse.

My husband's sister was seriously ill with allergies in her childhood. It affected where the family chose to live as well as her diet, because even today she cannot eat a whole host of foods. No milk, no eggs, no potatoes, no chicken. I don't know how she even cooks.

[Andybev01]

I use all four of those ingredients on a regular basis, and I would be sad to not be able to.

[Murfreesboro]

Yes, in her adulthood my daughter, who resembles her aunt, seems to have been developing dietary sensitivities similar to those of her aunt. When we have baked potatoes, she eats sweet potatoes. She still eats cheese, but she has to watch out about eggs and chicken. Now, both she and her aunt are fine with turkey.

My daughter says she wants to eat a Mediterranean diet. She thinks much of that would agree with her. Clean and fresh.

[Andybev01]

A sweet (white, not orange/yam) potato is certainly better than a russet any day.

I brush the skin with olive oil and sprinkle it with kosher salt and paprika before baking.

Delicious.

[Murfreesboro]

My daughter likes hers with butter and cinnamon, but I bet she'd like a good olive oil, too.

[Andybev01]

It is lower in fat and darn tasty.

Peanut oil is good as well.

[Murfreesboro]

I don't think I've ever bought peanut oil, though I believe I've heard it's good for cooking at high temps. Certainly I like peanuts.

[Andybev01]

It makes the tastiest French fries.

[Murfreesboro]

My husband is all into the air fryer now. We haven't had anything deep fried in longer than I can count. I guess it's better for our health, but not for our taste buds.