My hrudka is ready, it's almost time to bake the pascha

In Carpatho-Rusyn homes both here in North America and in the European homeland, last-minute Easter preparations are underway.

My chrin is ready, eggs have been cooked and dyed, and the hrudka spent much of today hanging from a kitchen cabinet door, its rich whey draining into a bowl.

I'll use that sweet, eggy liquid in my pascha, just as my mother did. I'm not much of a baker. But at Christmas and Easter, I do what I can.

The ham and sausage are the easy parts, and I picked up an butter lamb from my neighborhood grocery store.

There isn't a meal I look forward to more than that first bite of our Easter  delicacies, which comes after church on Sunday morning.

If you're still putting together your Easter meal -- or preparing a basket for blessing, the Cleveland Chapter of the Carpatho-Rusyn Society has prepared a simple brochure explaining our Rusyn Paschal traditions.