Willie Wonka

This time of year, I am always reminded of Willie Wonka- chocolate and golden eggs for Easter...all of that.  I guess it must have been shown during this time when I was growing up, which I find ironic since the movie specifically says it's after Easter.

ahh, well

I have found that in my old age, I really:

1. Miss the egg hunt- my dad and mom got really into the hiding aspect when we were growing up, including hiding eggs inside of furniture and whatnot.  It was a great challenge that prepared me for video gaming later in life (i.e the "Easter Eggs")

2. I really don't like chocolate.  I find this also interesting and wonder if I'm broke somehow because I am a woman who really doesn't like chocolate.  I was making almond bark for my husband out of dark chocolate and found the smell so intense that it nearly made me gag.

Does this mean that I have enough stimulation of those neural receptors that the chocolate-brain response is just too much?  It makes one wonder.

But you'd think that this time of year I would just choose another sweet treat.  I used to really love chickie peeps.  But I'm definitely one of the many that feel that they need to be "cured"-

in other words, you stab the plastic wrap with a knife or fork (fork is definitely best for even air distribution) and you let them sit and basically dry out for about 1-2 weeks, depending on taste and the local relative humidity (in California, this was overnight, but in Minnesota, this is definitely longer).

But I find now, to my sadness, that even chickie peeps are too sweet for me now.  Perhaps it was the flirtation with campfire chickie peeps that turned me off from them (hey, a hot sugar burn on your finger can be a real deterrent).  Perhaps it's just my old age since science has shown a decrease for liking sugary foods as you age and an increase in liking bitter things (which I find disturbing since most bitter foods are rotten...).

Either way, I find that I'm at a perdicament with candy and eggs for Easter Sunday this year.  My daughter is 1, so technically old enough for an egg hunt.  We've even let her practice opening the plastic eggs for the past month (to her glee).

But I think that 1 is too young for candy.

I KNOW.  And I'm an American- what am I thinking?  My mother tells me (horror) stories about how my paternal grandmother used to feed me M&Ms at my daughter's age.

o_O

Even if I wanted to break down and put some candy in the eggs, you can't just buy a handful of candy- you have to buy a bag- which means that the candy is pretty much just sitting in your kitchen waiting for someone to come along and eat it.

But what do you put in the eggs for a 1 year old if you don't put in candy?  I can see small change for older kids, but what for younger kids?

I guess I'll let you know when I find out.  It is kind of shame, though, because I was SO looking forward to the Willie Wonka experience for my daughter.