No recipes yet but I'm cooking this year. I've ordered a crown pork roast & that's about as far as I've gotten. My GD always wants me to make scalloped potatoes but I'd rather make a rice pilaf (maybe, I'll make both). After that, I'm clueless. Need to start thinking about the menu! I especially want something new & different for dessert.

/tricia

No recipes yet here either. I just found out this morning that I was having it. My SIL was supposed to, but she just backed out of it. I was so looking forward to have someone else have one of the holidays for a change. Oh well, I am sure I will come up with something, as usual.

Linda

Can't decide myself.

I just got through St. Pat's Day, so not even thinking of Easter. Isn't that over 4 weeks away, April 12th. I never plan that far in advance so have no idea what we will be having.
Clare

Our family is in such a rut when it comes to holiday menus.
We haven't decided yet who's having Easter. BUT....where ever it is, there will be leg of lamb. If it's at my house, there will be creamed new potatoes with dill and a side dish of peas and home made angelfood cake either with strawberries or lemon curd....
AND.... bunny buns!!!!
If it's ar Becky's, it will be leg of lamb, green beans and oven roasted potatoes.....and bunny buns

No ham ever ever for Easter, no roast beef for Christmas....you you don't dare to omit the oysters at Thanksgiving nor the cranberry jezabel, never omit those blasted bunny buns, originally made to please a 2 year old.
Linda C

These are the "givens" every year, the rest is changeable:

Breakfast: Pepperoni and Eggs with mozzarella

Dinner:

Hommade manicotti with meat sauce (meatballs, sausage, chicken and ribs)

Ham

Italian Easter Bread

Same old same old here.......

Baked ham
Scalloped potatoes (I use Sharon CB's recipe, we love them!)
My cheater Baked beans ...we also love them!
Backed Baby Carrots with Horseradish Crumbs
Roast turkey
Mashed potatoes
Stuffing
Gravy
Cauliflower/Brocolli and cheese sauce
Cole Slaw
Home made rolls
Pickle tray made up of homemade dills, pickled beets, bread and butters and sweet pickles
Deviled eggs..lots of them
Dessert...whatever someone else wants to bring !

Scalloped Potatos

potatoes
onions
flour
butter
Milk
Packaged Onion Soup Mix

Thinly slice raw potato into ovals and arrange on bottom of casserole dish. Then, thinly slice raw onion into semicircles or arcs and scatter them over the potato. Grind some pepper and dot some butter over that. Continue again with a layer of potato, pepper, butter, onion and finish with potato....or continue layering according to the number of servings you need.

Prepare a white sauce in a saucepan, starting with a butter and flour roux, add milk slowly until you have a medium white sauce. Then add one or two tablespoons of dry packaged onion soup mix....I use Knorr.....and stir that in, when all is blended and sauce is ready, pour it over the potato-onion mixture until just covering and put it in a 350F oven for an hour or until potatoes feel soft when a knife is inserted and top is golden. These are the best!

SharonCb

Cheater Baked Beans

...so good and soooo easy! Don't worry the kids won't spot the limas!

1 Can kidney beans drained
1 Can lima beans drained
2 Can Brown Beans
1 1/2 Cup of chili sauce
2 Tbl brown sugar
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbl molasses
3 Slices bacon cut in half

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a medium baking dish, mix kidney beans,lima beans, brown beans, chili sauce, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and molasses. Top with bacon. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until thick and bubbly.

Baked Baby Carrot Gratin With Horseradish Crumbs

2 Lb fresh baby carrots

Veloute Sauce
2 Tbl butter
1 small onion finely chopped
3 Tbl flour
2 1/2 Cup vegetable or chicken stock
2 Tsp lemon juice
1 Tsp Dijon mustard

Crumb Topping

1 Cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 Cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbl Horseradish squeezed dry
2 Tsp fresh thyme
1/4 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp pepper
2 Tbl butter melted

Preheat oven to 375.

Butter a 8 1/2 X 12 gratin dish or a 7 X 11 baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook carrots for about 8 minutes until cooked but still crisp. Drain and spread out in the prepared dish.

While carrots are cooking make sauce. Melt butter in a medium pan over medium heat. Add onion, cook until soft, Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in stock. Return to the heat and cook until mixture thickens and boils. Add lemon juice and mustard. Drain through a fine sieve, pour over top of carrots.

Combine ingredients for the crumbs and scatter over the carrots. Bake for 20 minutes, until sauce bubbles and crumbs are golden. OR cover and refrigerate until needed. Bake cold gratin for 35 to 40 minutes.

Oh mercy, I don't know yet. I have a turkey breast in the freezer, that's what I'd like to have. Elery loves lamb but no one else in the family will eat it at all. David would rather have ham, so would Ashley. Amanda would eat turkey along with me, LOL. I'll end up with at least two out of the three.

Plain green beans because the Monkey Princess and I like those, everyone else wants green bean casserole. Sweet potatoes, but I like mine plain and everyone else likes them with brown sugar and marshmallows. I like scalloped potatoes, everyone else likes them au gratin.

Are you seeing a recurring theme here? (grin) I'd like plain roasted turkey with some fresh green beans (or better yet, creamed spinach), a savory baked potato and/or plain scalloped potatoes. Everyone else would rather have ham, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole and au gratin potatoes.

Yeah, we go through this every year. I mostly lose because I can cook the other things for myself anytime, but I'm cooking Easter for FAMILY.

I'll make homemade rolls using Sol's honey rolls recipe or Grandma's old dinner roll recipe and dessert is still up for grabs. I'd like a multi layer coconut cake but I'm the only one that likes coconut. Elery doesn't eat sweets, David likes banana cream pie and everyone else wants chocolate. Oh yeah, it's the family tradition. (grin) I make 'em all and send home leftovers, take anything the family won't eat to the office and make Elery take the leftover lamb home with him.

Annie

Our traditional Easter dinner is antipasto salad, home made ravioli with meatballs, sausage and bracciola, stuffed artichokes and stuffed mushrooms. Sometimes we have Pizzagaina too - not sure of the spelling on that! It's a savory pie made with ricotta and provolone, salami, proscuitto and other hams. It's very rich and very salty. Sweet ricotta pie and Italian cookies for dessert. I don't have recipes right now, but could get them if anyone's interested.

Lisa

Lisa, I'd love to see the recipes!

Yes, Easter will be here soon and I need to start getting my things I will need for our dinner. So far I think we will be having
baked ham
oven fried chicken
mashed potatoes
chicken noodles
green beans with bacon and onion
corn
peas
candied sweet potatoes
deviled eggs
baked beans
cole slaw
home made yeast rolls
black raspberry pie
peach pie
Jello salad
zucchini cake
and anything else I think of I want to make.

All the gals pitch in and bring things too so we always have a big meal. It is served buffet style with two big tables set up. Food and salad are served on my big island in my kitchen, drinks on my Seller's cabinet and desserts in the dining room on my buffet.

I have to go boxes and everyone is always told to take as much leftovers as they wish.

These sound interesting - I think my kids will enjoy making them....... not sure about the rest of the meal tho.

Alexa

********************************************************
Resurrection Rolls

Another fabulous object lesson to do with your children at Easter time. This one is a little better suited for younger children.

Crescent rolls
Melted Butter
Large Marshmallows
Cinnamon
Sugar

Give each child a triangle of crescent rolls. The crescent roll represents the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in. Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus. Have him dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming. Then dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar. This represents the spices used to anoint the body. Then wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the crescent roll (not like a typical crescent roll up...but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside). This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.
Place in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes. The oven represents the tomb--pretend like it was three days! When the rolls have cooled slightly, the children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN! The marshmallow has melted and the crescent roll is puffed up, but empty

OMG after 26 years of marriage my MIL is finally letting me host one holiday dinner. I had originally planned on ham and maybe rack of lamb (DH loves it). Now my SIL wants plain chicken as well so I've added that to the list. DD is making her famous potato casserole and a marble cheesecake and the SIL's are bringing desserts. We'll have a medley of baby veggies and??? Looks like we'll have about 16 for dinner.

Alexa....I have tried several times with the ressurection rolls....but I used my home made recipe for the roll dough...
and let me tell you....if you don't get the roll well sealed around that marshmallow, it makes an awful mess! Burned sugar all over the baking pan and it will ruin other rolls in the pan as well.
So...if you make them, seal them well, bake on parchment.....and separate your rolls widely in the pan!
Linda C

So far I know we will be having Fresh Ham, Roasted Sauerkraut,Mashed Potato,Creamed Spinache and my SIL will make a roasted Turkey...Definately will make LindaC Carrot Cake. Still pondering appetizers..One will probably be Clams Casino and the other stuffed mushrooms. Last year we had Oysters and it was a nightmare for me... shucking I almost killed myself several times LOL! I have approx 25 coming.

The day before Easter we are having our annual Easter Egg hunt. I hide over 800 plastic eggs and the kids go crazy. This year we are expecting 59 children and 50-60 adults. Fun fun day! Everyone gets a prize! After hunting eggs we have a lunch of hot dogs with chili and all the fixings, potato salad, chips, chicken nuggets, cupcakes and punch.

I don't think I'll cook this year on Easter. I may stay in bed all day...

LOL, RiverRat, I want to come to YOUR house for Easter, that sounds like a ton of fun.

I do remember, however, spraining my ankle one year during the Easter Egg hunt. In my family it's a full contact sport! (grin)

Annie

I'll be at Disney World for my first time ever. I will be with my husband, it's his second time but it has been a while. Anyone have any reccomendations? Just kidding! Sigh, I will have to live vicariously through all of you and make a ham dinner when I get home.

Im sure Disney will have a beautiful Easter Parade. I seen my brother last night ...he mentioned the Oysters for Easter...I said no way...The shucking last year was a nightmare...never again. My fish monger closes at 7 on Saturday so him doing for me is not an option. Not only did I almost kill myself 3 times I found it to be very frustrating work...Not Christian like to be cursing at Oysters in the kitchen on Easter morning!