In the spirit of Easter coming up in the next few weeks, I started getting a hankering for a family favorite of mine: kielbasa (“kalby”) and hard boiled eggs.

Is this just as obvious and easy as it sounds?  Pretty much, yeah.  But it’s tradition!

Food in general is a tradition in my family; typically a visit to my Grandma’s means we plan our day’s activities according to when the next meal will be.  I always remember a mixture of kalby and chopped hard boiled eggs sitting in a tupperware container in the fridge, always available for a between-meal munch.  Or post-meal.  Or midnight snack. >.>

I hadn’t realized that Grandma did anything more with the kielbasa other than chop it up and toss it with the eggs until my dad mentioned it to me offhand just last year.  When I asked her the other day, I got even more details, though no specific measurements.  Apparently Grandma’s always boiled them previously in apricot nectar, something I didn’t even realize existed, water, and brown sugar!  I’m not sure I have the exact proportions just right, but I could definitely taste the subtle difference in the kielbasa before and after; afterwords there was a hint of sweetness that hadn’t previously existed.  Plus, if you let the eggs and kielbasa sit overnight the eggs get slightly sweet as well – double bonus.

Another easy-peasy recipe, but one that holds specific Easter-time meaning for me.  ^_^

Grandma G’s Kielbasa & Hard Boiled Eggs

Ingredients:

• 1 lb kielbasa
• 3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
• 11 oz apricot nectar (2x 5.5oz cans)
• 1 cup water
• 3 tbsp brown sugar

Instructions:

1. Chop the kielbasa into wheels.
2. Put water, apricot nectar, water, brown sugar, and kielbasa in a pot.
3. Boil kielbasa for ~5 minutes.
4. Drain the kielbasa.
5. Gently toss together the kielbasa and hard boiled eggs.
6. Serve with horseradish, mustard, and/or beets (mustard is my favorite).