Easter Dinner??

[larussel03]

I did a search and didn''t find a recent topic on this, so hopefully this isn''t a duplicate.

So, I''m hosting easter dinner for some friends and FI...what do you cook for easter? What''s not super difficult but good? I''m not a great cook, so it can''t be too too hard!!

What are you all doing for Easter, if anything?

 

[Dee*Jay]

Sweetpea, when I was growing up my grandmother always made a ham. It's the kind of thing that you put in a pan, dump some ginger ale over, and cook for several hours. Then VOILA -- Dinner! (Actually, I'm sure there's a *little* more to it than that, but not much, LOL.)

Some mashed potatoes and a vegetable, a nice salad and some bread, a dessert or two and your all set!

What time should I be there?

As for what the happy hubby and I are doing this year, I have no idea. I'm sure he'll whip up something delish.

 

[lovelylulu]

a roast chicken is always a hit (unless you''re feeding veggies). grill/roast some asparagus for a side. yum!

 

[KimberlyH]

Ham and scaloped potatoes have been a family staple for Easter dinner for years. My mom hates to cook, this is one of the few dishes she enjoys making. My parents are gonig to be on vacation this year, so J and I are going to spend the day with my cousins in Laguna Niguel. I have no idea what we''re having. I do know I''m in charge of fruit salad, yum!

 

[Mara]

we typically go to my parents house and everyone brings a few things. this year i am doing a green salad (with sliced red delicious apples, bleu cheese and dijon vinaigrette); some sort of veggie dish...i am torn between doing a fresh asapargus with carmelized onions in a type of vinaigrette or doing a green bean dish with wild mushrooms and lemon; and deviled eggs which are famous in our family but i am thinking of mixing it up this time and putting something new into the recipe...my latest williams sonoma or something had a crab and bacon deviled egg recipe that looked yummy that i thought i might try. or even just adding bacon to my regular recipe would switch up the taste significantly. i was thinking of making some sort of dessert as i have been collecting a ton of lower-calorie and fat dessert recipes and i am dying to try something like a blueberry cheesecake made 1/2 fat/calorie but the recipes always call for like 12 servings and it''s only me and greg...so now is a great time to try something like that, but i don''t know if i will have the time. so i figure i''ll get the stuff and see how timing works out. the other 3 dishes i have to bring, the dessert would be a bonus. my mom is a a dessert queen so she''ll have some decadent cake and pastries from some french bakery probably but if i can find the time i''d love to contribute something else healthy lol. typically i end up practically rolling out of my parents house after a big gathering!!

there are a ton of recipes online right now on food sites for easter dinners and brunches...check out www.epicurious.com for specialty kind of items, and also www.kraftfoods.com had a few easter menus listed, and i like them because they use their own brand ingredients (so you are familiar with kraft and you know your store has it easily kinda thing) and all their recipes have nutritional values for them. and they had some yummy looking stuff.

 

[njc]

My family has flown the coup on us this year, so I am making dinner for DH and I and a few close friends who are unable to go home.

I will be making a natural ham (i want to say organic, but I dont think thats right... its not perserved the way normal hams are with the nitrates and what not)
Some sort of fish that has yet to be determined since DH has stopped eating pork
Deviled eggs (my fam tadition)
Potato Salad (my fam...)
Spinach Cassarole (DH fam...)
Baked Pinapple (DH fam...)
And I''m not sure about dessert... have an awesome recipe for a strawberry margarita pie.

Friends will be bringing a nice spinach salad and few other sides. I''m really excited... I am breaking out the china and everything!!!

Hams are easy to bake... pretty much just pop it in the oven. Some come with glazes, but I never think they need them, so I dont use them. You can buy some already done from some grocery stores and all you will need to do is warm it up. Fish is nice and easy. Lamb is another choice (cooked on the grill would be great!). Beef tenerloin? I say make something you enjoy cooking and eating... start your own traditions!

 

[Miranda]

We are going to my sister''s house on Saturday and having ham, green bean cass., pineapple cass., mac and cheese (homemade of course), salad, rolls and lemon cake with fresh berries for dessert. I love Easter food. It''s realitively easy and yummy! On Sunday the inlaws are coming over and they want *sigh* ''something diferent for Easter this year...Let''s have Mexican food'' they say. OK, EVERY YEAR we have something different for Easter!!!!! And every year that something different is Mexican food. I want to shout, "IT''S NOT DIFFERENT ANYMORE!!!!!!!" Whatev...I will accomodate them because it makes them happy and we will be having ham at my sis''s house on Sat. So, they are bringing tamales from a great restaurant in their city. I''ll make salad, spanish rice, beans with green chilies, probably salsa and chips...I''m not sure what else. I''m feeling a little unmotivated for the bunny visit this year.

 

[Cehrabehra]

lamb lamb succulent lamb!!! I love lamb!!! We always had lamb on easter and I plan to continue this! usually leg of lamb but eventually when I feel like I have mega money to blow, I plan to move to a crown! (a circle made from rack of lamb) wooooo!!! $$$$$$ LOL And usually baby red potatoes and asparagus....

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 4/6/2007 11:20:26 AM
Author: Mara

there are a ton of recipes online right now on food sites for easter dinners and brunches...check out www.epicurious.com for specialty kind of items,

I love love love epicurious!!!! I find good things on foodtv.com too but epicurious is my long time favorite!

 

[AmberWaves]

SDL, I used to work at Honeybaked. As a vegetarian. Yeah, that was pretty dumb! Of course, I had to quit the day someone had formed the foil into a spout and it poured ham/glaze juice down the front of my apron/shirt. Not cool!! One year they found out some of the workers had been selling ham out the back of the store! Can you believe that? It was really funny.

 

[Kaleigh]

We are going to my MIL''s and she is serving lamb. I love lamb, so am really looking foward to it. Ham is great too, with scalloped potatoes, and green beans. But I am off the hook this year so yay!!!

 

[NYCsparkle]

we also do ham with veggies and mashed potatos...we also have lasagna, eggplant parm and stuffed mushrooms---can you say big italian dinner..lol...anyways my greenbeans are always a hit........fresh green beans boiled...when done take out of the pot and put a tbsp. of evoo and some crushed garlic in the pot. cook til slightly browned add green beans and add a few tbsp of sauce, salt and pepper....mix and serve.

 

[crown1]

hi njc. i think it is called a fresh ham.

we sometimes do ham and sometimes pork tenderloin with homemade barbecue sauce. i never mind mixing it up and trying something different. beef tenderloin would be nice. lots of different salad variations, deviled eggs, potatoes or rice, broccoli with cheese sauce. so many combos. you are making me hungry.

 

[aljdewey]

We''re actually not doing an "easter" dinner, per se.

My folks were due to come down to celebrate hubby''s b-day on St. Pat''s day, but they were both terribly sick AND we got a huge snow storm that weekend anyway. So, we rescheduled their visit for this weekend, and they are taking us out to dinner tonight for his b-day.

We decided instead to do a brunch tomorrow.....that will put them back on the road home at a more reasonable hour (while it''s still plenty light out, etc). I''m doing a baked creme caramel french toast, plenty of fresh fruit, scrambled eggs and sausage.

 

[ljmorgan]

Tomorrow I am making a ham, I am going to do the honey glazing myself... easy and soooo delicious. You mix up honey, dark corn syrup, brown sugar, and baste while it''s in the oven. I was thinking garlic mashed potatoes would be delicious with the sweet ham, I''ll probably through in a gratuitous vegetable like asparagus, and then some rolls or biscuits. Yum!

 

[firebirdgold]

I am currently making a Greek Sunday Chicken Casserole. It''s the first time so I don''t know how it''ll turn out. It''s chicken, olive oil, tomatoes, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, and egg noodles.
As a side we''re having asparagus (sp?) with lemon, white wine vinager, and olive oil.
For desert we''re having sorbet made from random fresh-squeezed fruits whipped up in the ice cream maker.

 

[zoebartlett]

My mom used to cook when my sister was home and the four of us (and occasionally guests) were celebrating. Now, my sister lives across the country and has not been home for Easter in forever and so it''s just my parents, my boyfriend, and I (we live about 25 minutes from my parents). We''ve gone out to dinner the past few years. Today we went to a local restaurant that was serving a 3 course Easter dinner where we could choose between a bunch of appetizers, dinners, and desserts.

For my appetizer I had roasted garlic, warm brie, and tomato chutney on toasted bread similar to Melba Toast. My boyfriend has smoked salmon. Both were delicious! For dinner, I had wood grilled (?) salmon with fingerling potatoes and artichokes. My boyfriend had baked ham and potatoes. For dessert, I had a warm espresso and chocolate lava cake (very small portion, which was good since it was so rich), and my boyfriend had pineapple upside down cake. Everything was excellent!!

 

[ephemery1]

We were at the beach for an extended Easter weekend... so I had lots of good meals, all seafood... mmmmm!!

Then this morning we had Easter brunch at a gorgeous hotel on the boardwalk... yummy buffet with lots of good things... I filled up on the raw bar, lamb w/mint sauce, and carved beef tenderloin in particular. OK, hungry again...