First, a shout out to a reader, Coleen, who called and left me a voicemail concerning my brownie column, from the Nov. 12, 2016 edition: As a writer, it is always great to hear from my readers! Coleen says they truly were the best brownies her family had ever tasted when she made them. Cool thing is, you can use our app just like I do to go back to that edition of The Post and pull up the recipe whenever you need it! Maybe it is time to add brownies to my Easter traditions! That feature is something so easy to use and really unlike anything around. Check it out, there are some good recipes in my column over the past year.

Speaking of Easter traditions, next Sunday, April 16, is Easter! Many families have very special Easter traditions. This column of course is all about the food and dining aspect of those traditions.

Most of us spend time on Easter with family. For some, it could start with a wonderful Easter brunch after church. Many of our ads in this weekʼs Post talk about brunches. And if you use our app to view the dining section, you can go directly to their websites with a simple touch on your smart phone or tablet screen.

Fortunately for us, we have most of the great Easter brunch locations as advertisers: The Galaxy in Wadsworth (with The Easter Bunny), Corkscrew Saloon in Medina (reserve now), Main Street Cafe on Medina Square (unlimited Champagne brunch option), The Granite Grill at Shale Creek Golf Club (brunch with a view), Rustic Hills Country Club (open to the public), and many more. Some, like Timber Lodge, feature Prime Rib, full menu, and other specials.

That brings us to another Easter tradition: Easter dinner. What are you having for Easter dinner (or going to)? Rack of lamb? The special Easter ham like those provided by The Sausage Shoppe? Or will there be the northeast Ohio tradition of kielbasa on your Easter dinner table?

Brunch and dinner are certainly mainstay Easter traditions, but what about the pastries? Hot Cross Buns have always been the “go to” for special Easter pastries. And if you lived in Cincinnati for any period of time, then the famous “schnecken” that I have written about in the past is certainly at the top of the list. (Dec. 17, 2016)

Virginia Bakery used to have lines out the door the week before Easter so people could secure their loaves of schnecken! Or just get great doughnuts and take the easy way out.

I talked about looking for the best doughnut shops in last weekʼs column. We visited one at Ohio State University last Saturday: Buckeye Donuts. The best doughnut we had was the maple frosted cream stick with bacon on top. Have any doughnut or doughnut shops you would like to tell me about? Drop me a line.

Okay, time for me to get to my favorite part of Easter traditions, the only tradition that really matters to me as it involves family, fun, and competition. The great Gerhard Easter Egg Cracking Contest! I wrote about this last year, and yes, I am writing about it again. Why? Because it is just so much fun. If you are one of those families, like mine, that still dyes Easter eggs even though the kids are now teens, then this is a tradition you need to adopt. Here is a summary of the contest:

When you tap the points of two hard boiled eggs together, one will always crack, and one will not. Never, ever, do both eggs crack (assuming reasonable contact speeds.) I am sure if you went all “Myth Buster” on this theory, and shot them out of egg cannons, well, you get what I am saying. The egg that does not crack is the winner and fights the next challenger. This goes on and on until one egg remains.

Here is how it works: one person “the holder” holds an egg, pointy side exposed, and the other person, “the striker,” “taps” the pointy side of their egg to the “holder’s” egg, on the point. Point to point. They then check to see which one cracked. One rule to note: you can not use the round side of the egg once the pointy side is cracked. No cheating.

Light tapping only is the rule. May the best egg win! Good luck!