If you celebrate Easter, what’s on the menu? How are you celebrating?
I’m hosting this year- BIL and SIL, my parents, DH’s grandmother, and me, DH, and our 5 and 3 year old. Serving ham and figuring out the rest...
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Oo good one! I'm going to go scroll Pinterest and Yummly (recovering from a procedure). We just got a new grill. Main dish will be on there. We're focused on simple and easy, which may include more elaborate dishes that can be prepared ahead.
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I have a tough idea on the menu, but I’m trying to streamline because I know my kids will be all over me as usual, making cooking much less peaceful than it could be. Right now I have:
Spiral ham, probably with an apricot mustard glaze
Mashed potatoes
Macaroni and cheese *carb redundancy but my dad doesn’t like Mac and cheese and my kids don’t like potatoes
Carrots (some kind of glazed, honey or maple)
Brussels sprouts (roasted probably but concerned about oven space/ temperature with the ham)
Salad and rollsDessert I want to make a lemon tart I saw on Smitten kitchen. And some kind of cake with whipped cream and berries. Maybe some storebought cupcakes for the kids/ my dad.
How can I cut things or make them ahead??
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@SweetCaroline: DH started grilling the turkey for thanksgiving and it’s awesome! I HATE cooking turkey and it takes up the whole oven. Now he spatchcocks it the night before and grills it and I do all the sides inside. It works out great and I think tastes really good. You don’t get the drippings for gravy but I can’t make gravy anyway.
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@Foodnerd81: Unless you're married to your mashed potato recipe (and even if you are), Pioneer Woman has a make ahead mashed potato recipe. You can probably make them as you usually do and then she does them with butter before placing in the oven. I always place a cold glass pan in a cold oven when I have a choice, or at least let the pan warm up some.
Lemon tart can be made the day before, right? Same with salad dressing, if you're making your own.
Good tip on Turkey on the grill! It actually reminded me...we have a smoker too. We might enjoy some smoked chicken.
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We are going to my in laws. It's the first time in five years we won't be celebrating alone. I'm both excited and sad - it was kind of fun to make our own traditions. No idea what my MIL will make but fully expect it will be all unhealthy. She doesn't know how to make a vegetable without covering it in butter or cheese.
@Foodnerd81: Mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese are both easy to make ahead and bake day of. Or to get one thing out of the oven you could make either of those in the crockpot.
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@SweetCaroline: I’ve been looking at make ahead potatoes and they seem very rich. I’m already mixing the brussel sprouts gratin because I feel like everything is too heavy. Maybe carrots in the slow cooker though.
And yes will make or buy desserts a day ahead for sure. But even the day before- my kids are still going to be under foot. Even better that’s our school vacation week
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These make ahead potatoes sound delicious, but two cups of cream! I’m not trying to be super healthy or anything but at some point it’s all too rich.
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/creamy-make-ahead-mashed-potatoes.html -
Hot spinach salad with bacon dressing
Peach and reisling glazed ham
Cheese puffs
Roasted or glazed carrots
Vanilla buttermilk cake with raspberry jam and whipped cream cheese frosting.The spinach salad gets made stove top and if I glaze the carrots they will as well. The cheese puffs can share oven space with the ham. We only get a 3lb ham since it's just 3 adults and E and I can only eat so much ham as leftovers.
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@Foodnerd81: you are a much better person than I. We used to do more extravagant meals but since DD was born we look for simple ways to make the meal special. My mom and I just landed on "fancy" burgers (stuffed, potentially, with a variety of toppings outside of ketchup & mustard). Then we'll have picnic sides, I'm for sure making some sort of street corn salad. Probably roasted fingerling potatoes. Of course a veggie like roasted fresh green beans or asparagus.
I'm tempted to make mini individual serving trifles for both sides of family. I made them for DDs birthday and everyone went nuts. They were easy.
I agree about the taters being rich. I think though, you can make them however you make them, toss them in an oven proof pan and warm them up the next day. Honestly though, with oven space in demand you may just peel them the day before and put them in your boiling pan covered with water the day before.
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We're having honey baked ham (courtesy of my mil who invited herself for Easter. I will be almost 38 weeks pregnant and am not happy. Praying I don't go into labor while they're here)
Biscuits and gravy
Hash brown casserole of some kind
Carrots
Brussel sprouts or asparagus
Well likely do some sort of fruit assemblage tooWe're doing brunch time so it's sorta weird mix of breakfast and lunch items
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@SweetCaroline: well, in a previous life I *liked* cooking and planning meals like this. It’s just a lot less fun with the kids under my feet. I am trying not to be annoyed that my dad is as picky and opinionated at my 5 and 3 year old though! I also really want a dual oven when we renovate our kitchen one day! My mom will I’m sure be willing to take over on the mashed potatoes- just have to make sure she doesn’t have that second glass of wine first
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@Foodnerd81: why aren't the other people in the house making sure the kids stay out of your hair?! That's the rule at my house. If I'm cooking and my husband is home he's in charge of our lo unless she's directly helping with something I'm making
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@MamaBear87: good question, and a frequent source of arguments! If it’s nice and people can take them outside it’s fine. If inside they tend to gravitate to me...
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@Foodnerd81: that would so not fly with me. I'd push that one for sure
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We’re following what has become a tradition in our family and getting a whole lot of takeout from a nearby barbecue place.
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@erinbaderin: this is by far the best way to do any occasion!
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We host my parents, in laws, BIL, SIL and DH's great aunt. Here's what I have so far:
Honeybaked ham
Chrissy Teigan's everything bagel bake (can be made the night before)
Mac n Cheese (I am going to try Ina's recipe. Would love to say the carb redundancy is for the kids but really I am in my 3rd trimester and GIVE ME ALL OF THE CARBS)
TBD veggie
Simple salad and rolls
TBD dessert@Foodnerd81: I try to avoid cooking the day of as much as I can. Really only the mac n cheese needs to be made that day (I think). The bagel bake is put together the night before. I outsource a few dishes so my in laws will bring the veggie, my SIL the dessert and my parents the salad and rolls and bloody marys.
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@LadyDi: I always do the ina garten recipe for holidays and it’s SO good. I also make it the day before and just bake the day of. And I use regular panko breadcrumbs instead of making my own and skip the tomatoes because they don’t sound that great to me and lots of my picky eaters wouldn’t like them. It’s my favorite.
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@Foodnerd81: So, based on your username this may be an appalling suggestion haha but I used to make mashed potatoes from scratch all the time and now I just don’t have the time or interest with kids. But the Simply Potatoes in the refrigerated prepared foods section in the grocery store are pretty good and that’s all I do now. You can microwave them but I prefer the oven with some salt and butter.
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@Foodnerd81: it’s nice that you think about what people want. I don’t have the mental or emotional availability for that. Last year I made ham and asparagus and rolls, mil brought cheese potatoes. They walked in and said - we don’t eat ham. So mil,fil, and sil only ate rolls and potatoes. My children are better eaters. Anyways just another vote for easy/simple or whatever appeals to you. Ham doesn’t need to be “cooked” just warmed so what about doing that in a nesco or slow cooker to free up oven space?
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@Jennibenni: hahaha I definitely used to turn up my nose at anything but from scratch mashed potatoes. But since kids, I’ve even made them from the dry flakes in a pouch
I’ve had the prepared tub of sweet potatoes and they are pretty good. It’s definitely an option.
I was looking at a ham recipe/ method that calls for really low temp for a while then raise the temp at the end for the glaze, which should work for baking the Mac and cheese and Brussels sprouts. Then carrots in the slow cooker and mashed potatoes on the stove top (or microwave...).
@gotkimchi: I did a ham in the slow cooker once and was unimpressed. I don’t know if I just didn’t do it well but it was too greasy or something. Not worth it since the oven method isn’t too hard, just slow.
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Hosting Passover this year! No ham (
) but really excited to host since we had a very new baby on a Thanksgiving (usually that’s my holiday.)
Decided to do a Spring themed, Passover-friendly menu.Antipasto/cheeseboard with matzah
Grapefruit/pineapple margaritasBoston lettuce/apple/blue cheese salad
rack of lamb on the grill
snap peas with radish and fennel
Oven roasted potatoes -
Usually a restaurant with the in laws. I miss having dinner with my family growing up! I’m drooling over everyone’s menus!
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@Foodnerd81: Ooo, this is great, I would much rather prefer to make it the day before.. Do you do anything different when you do that or add more liquid? I was definitely also planning on skipping the tomatoes and just using panko. No one has time for homemade bread crumbs, Ina.
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@lioneyes: mmm rack of lamb is so good when done right. I’ve tried a couple of times but it was never good enough to justify the price- now I let others do it
@LadyDi: I don’t think so- but I do add the breadcrumbs right before baking, hold off on those. It’s so rich that I don’t think it suffers at all waiting overnight. If it’s cold you’ll probably have to cook it a little bit longer.
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@Foodnerd81: is anyone other than the kids really going to eat the mac n cheese? If mostly not, one quick short cut would be to buy this pre-made. My butcher and small specialty grocery store both do a ready made, fresh-not frozen Mac that is like upmarket stouffers (ha). It doesn’t require much bake time since it’s not frozen - I’ve even microwaved it in a pinch when we bought it for my kids and the ovens were occupied with adult food. I’m a food snob, and it was a great compromise between frozen kid-friendly stuff and my homemade truffle Mac and cheese that is too frou frou for the kids.
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@PinkElephant: yes! Only my dad won’t eat it. It’s actually more the mashed potatoes that person specific (dad). And truth be told I want both and have a hard time deciding between them anyway. The kids would prefer Annie’s. But that’s a good point- there’s a grocery near by that has a good premade Mac and cheese that the kids do like ok.
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So, I kinda sort of forgot that Easter is a “food” holiday until this post and a bunch of brunch events popped up in my Easter things to do search. Oh how times have changed...! Anyway, I doubt I’ll be cooking and just find my way over to Cheesecake Factory for brunch and their celebration birthday-inspired cheesecake since it’s LO’s birthday.
I will likely make some deviled eggs just because though. Maybe a pimento cheese one and a faux Cubano with diced ham & dill pickle.
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@foodnerd81 DH is just going to grill it (not too well done!) but we’ve never made it before! Usually do brisket for Passover but it’s so late this year and it will probably be warm out so I really wanted a lighter, more seasonal menu.
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We have the same menu every year.
Ham
Mac n Cheese
Rolls
2 kinds of veggies (one usually in a creamy cheese sauce)
Sometimes a salad if my SIL comesI always bring a spinach and artichoke dip that I fill up on b/c the rest of the food is just ok.
I'm not saying it's great but it's tradition.....
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Oooh love all the menu ideas. I'm still firming up ours but so far this is what I have planned. We host an egg hunt brunch for our friends/kids every year (this will be our 5th year!) and it's gone from 3 familes to about 20 people. Easter dinner will be just our family at home so we can make whatever we want. I try to make things ahead/easy as possible for parties.
Brunch:
Quiches (2) - ham and cheddar and asparagus gruyere
Fruit salad
Veggie patch (crudite and ranch dip)
Possibly roasted potatoes or other starch/veg/side
Mini blueberry muffins
Pineapple upside down cakeFor family dinner:
Beef tenderloin
Roasted new potatoes
Brussel sprout gratin (?) or another creamy veg side
Rolls -
@gotkimchi: how did your husband not tell you his family doesn’t eat ham?!
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@Foodnerd81: great question. . He said he didn’t know but also “I guess we never ate it” so basically you’re typical man answer
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@gotkimchi: 🤦♀️
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Chiming in now since we just set the menu.
honey glazed spiral ham
bacon and blue brussel sprouts
creamy au gratin potatoes
homemade sweet and regular rolls
deviled eggs
carrot cake for dessert -
I used to call Easter the salad holiday in my family:
chicken salad
green salad
fruit salad
Jello salad
pasta saladthis year we are also having broccoli salad
also:
deviled eggs
dill dip
baked lunch meat-and-Swiss cheese sandwichesFor dessert, we will have:
coconut cake
peanut butter truffles
whatever else shows upAs you can tell, my family leans heavily into make-ahead foods for this particular celebration.
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