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Matzo Ball and Meatball Soup, Macaroons, and Malbec

Spring is upon us, as are the religious holidays of Easter and Passover.  We decided we'd give Matzo Ball soup a try.  I'm not Jewish, so it was news to me that leavened bread was forbidden during Passover.  What I find hilarious, however, is that Matzo meal is essentially unleavened crackers (water and wheat flour, baked before it can rise) that is ground back into something resembling flour.  Then, suddenly, you can put baking soda or baking powder into it, and get fluffy, puffy Matzo Balls in your soup, and everything is kosher!  Well, kind of.  Apparently there are eastern-european Jews who think it's okay, and other Jews who don't.

Anywho... the soup was good.  I can see where it fits into the spectrum of comfort foods.  We added little beef meatballs to ours for some body, and it seemed to work out well.

The macaroons were sublime.  I have eaten store-bought macaroons before, and they were okay.  But to eat them fresh from the oven, all light and puffy, is another thing entirely.  The texture was amazing.  Mary did a great job.

We added a little bit of Argentinian Malbec (Xploriador), and things were rosy.  Well, at least until the morning, when the sulfites in the wine gave me a headache.