I have a couple of bone-in chicken breasts so I'll roast them. I have a couple of yams which I bought quite some time ago and I have the fixings for a yam casserole.

georgysmom mentioned making carrot cake cupcakes so I think I'll find a recipe for those and make some for dessert.

It's just me and DH this year. No kids or their partners? Why - because we're in social isolation and practicing social distancing and if it saves the lives of people then I'm all in. (literally - I'm all in)

phoggie - that's a lot for that small of a town! you stay isolated and stay safe.

I'll eat something that day. whatever I feel up to fixing. if I go to the store before then I might pick up a few slices of pizza and have one of those. I'm going to try to go tomorrow, but if it's busy I most likely won't go in. If it isn't then I'll get a few things I'm running out of and would need for next week. I checked online for W pick up but they're out of the things I need or it says 'in store'. I'll go to our smaller locally owned grocery. otherwise, who knows? I have food here but haven't felt up to cooking much. If my BIL cooks (at their house) they might drop some of it by here. They often do that for holidays if I'm not up to going there. This is one I should stay away from 'there'. BIL and nephew are still working out there in the world.

Easter is peak for COVID-19, so no thanks on gathering with anyone or curbside. Sure, I could see my family as they live close by. I'm not staying home because any government says to. Logic causes me to. I take the advice of medical personnel about medical issues.

I might make chicken a l'orange or chicken piccata. Something citrus. 'sides, like I said before, I celebrate Easter everyday. The death is far more important than His birth. I have been celebrating spring by planting and enjoying seedlings.

Bought a ham on sale a month ago, so we'll have that, and mac and cheese, layered salad and buns (which are mainly made for ham sandwiches the day after.) Angel

Food cake with lemon curd, frosted with whipped cream. A scaled back version of our usually much bigger celebration. Usually have 12-15, but this year will be my DH, DD and I (we all live together.) If the weather is nice, which it just may be, thinking that maybe my daughter who doesn't live with us could come if we ate on our large deck, 6 feet apart. Still would have to figure out the serving of her meal though.

Has anyone had trouble getting strawberries? I usually make strawberry shortcake for my family on Easter.

Rather than what I really want to say, I think instead this post should demonstrate my good judgement and self-control.

No strawberry shortages here.

I get strawberries and blueberries every week.

It will just be the two of us so it will be something I cook. I don’t like ham, so it won’t be anything along those lines.

If I survive this storm that just blew in, I'll be at work on Sunday. I'm probably going to make some curry tomorrow and will freeze most of it for lunch meals at work. Will also make a salad because I have so much salad makings right now and need to eat them up before they go bad.

Will just be us here, but with four kids 12 and under, that's plenty of mouthes to feed so we will be having a small turkey (just put in the fridge to start thawing), potatoes, dinner rolls, steamed broccoli and, of course eggs. Finished hard boiling the eggs today so that we can dye them tomorrow.

We will have our Easter egg hunt on Sunday and then use the eggs for snacking and, of course making deviled eggs out of them.

There is nothing quite as fun as the Easter deviled eggs when some of the colors stay on the whites of the eggs!

We almost never make a dessert as everyone is quite content to snack on all the Easter candy so I am not planning a dessert.

Btw, my parents live next door but we won't be spending the day together, we have chosen to do our part and maintain distance for the past 3 and a half weeks.

Of course it will be just the two of us. I bought a spiral ham today on our absolutely needed trip to the grocery / pharmacy. I picked up some sweet potatoes for myself, he does not like them. I bought fresh Brussel sprouts we both like them. Vine grown tomatoes and a cucumber and Avocado, I will make a salad with them and some sweet onions. I always cook rice and make gravy from the ham drippings. I bought the stuff to make a peach dump cake. I don't know what else might find its way into the menu. That's plenty for me. Glad to have ham leftovers and a ham bone for soup or beans.

Sorry (not sorry) I have to ask. For those who have invited people (even family) to dinner are the invitees actually going to accept the invite and attend?

Just DH and I here, we’ll have a big family and friends party when we feel comfortable enough knowing that the health of those we love won’t be jeopardized. Because it’s just the 2 of us, we’re still discussing the menu. I have a grocery delivery tomorrow that I can still add to.

When I was growing up, Easter was about going to church but the part I remember is the new dress, coat, shoes, and hat I got every year. As an adult, Easter has been about the children--the Easter baskets, egg coloring and egg hunt, making cards, etc. When the kids grew up, Easter became a time to gather with their families, with more emphasis on traditional Easter foods than I'd previously seen.

This year it's just me, myself, and I. I don't plan to make anything special to eat, but I hope I saved plastic Easter eggs from last year so I can put several coins in each and hide them outdoors around my house, which is my tradition with my grandsons. Then I can watch them through the windows.

Talked to a friend and she usually has the family over for holidays, but this year, she's doing all the cooking and will leave packages at the doorsteps of her family members, most of whom live in the same town. They're Italian so it includes lasagne as well as lamb and side dishes.

Maddie, I wouldn't call my daughter and granddaughters company or guests. They are coming for Easter. My kids and grands can come anytime they want to. They don't need an invite, or to call. They know how to get in. This is their home as well as ours and I will not treat them as some kind of lepers and we don't want to be treated as one either.

If they do not live with you in the same house 24/7 then they ARE guests, family or not!! I fail to see why this is so hard for some of us to understand.

And FTL, if you are old enough to have grandchildren, then you yourself should be taking extra precautions and not flaunting the very basic suggestions being made almost universally. You are putting yourself and your family at risk at the very least. But it appears you don't care.......... Thankfully, I am glad such a selfish attitude seems to be a minority view.

can't fix stupid!

It's been weeks of the same from some people.

Like most of you, dinner alone here. All of my family is practicing social distancing now. We don't go to each other's houses - actually wouldn't dream of doing so at this time in our history. None of us even had to discuss it. Each of us knew it is the thing to do in order to slow this terrible virus. I just cannot understand why so many people don't understand. It is really extremely simple to understand.

I am preparing a small ham, green beans, pineapple beets, scalloped corn, dinner rolls, and a lemon cake. At first I was not going to do so, but decided that it would be good for my soul to worship and cook as usual, but alone. Will have lots of leftovers to put in the freezer. And am actually looking forward to having a festive meal.

Everyone arrives Friday after work after 3hr drives so it will be late.

AND

At first it was going to be just hubby and I, but DD and her two girls are coming.

You're supposed to be practicing social distancing. Why are you having guests?

Maddie asked and I told her. Frankly I don't give a rats a__ what anyone else thinks. What I think is selfish and stupid is exposing some delivery person who has to make a living , just so you can stay a prisoner in your house so you can keep shoving the food in your mouth he HAS to deliver. If your not high risk put on your mask, take some alcohol wipes and do it yourself.

We take care of our own around here and help each other out in time of need. We don't hide under rocks panicking and say every man for himself or have someone else do our dirty work.

As Justine 1 said......."can't fix stupid!"

There is just no justification for that attitude. None! Whatsoever!!

function- taking care of your own has NOTHING to do with having children and grandchildren come to your house unnecessarily for a holiday celebration.

Now is not the time. EVERYONE is supposed to be social distancing, you can't just make exceptions for family members, just because you share DNA doesn't mean you share germs and immune systems.

As Justine 1 said......."can't fix stupid!"

Totally irresponsible.

I am so worried that function has it and doesn't know, and will pass it on to someone who can't survive it. Their own. That would be the worst. Godforbid it happens. Truly. It breaks my heart that it could happen. Please don't!

We all know the risks. We can just as well get it from the trip to the store. Who do you think takes care of my daughters kids when she was at work and they were sick for the past few years. Who do you think watches her girls every weekend when she was working. Who do you think watches her girls so she can go to the grocery store. And I would be there in a minute to help if one of them got the coronavirus. As I said we take care of our own and don't live in fear of would of, could of. If she didn't want to come that would be fine also.

Maybe the difference is our city and surrounding areas main industry is heath care. We knew how to wash our hands before this mess started and take precautions. Maybe that is why so far we don't have the major outbreaks as other cities. As I said we take care of our own. We are not sheep, have the self serving attitudes or treat our own as lepers.

For the first time ever we won't be having the traditional Easter dinner and no-one is coming. So DS and family understand completely since DH has COPD. I finally got him to ask if he could work at home and he started this week. I told them all that when this thing is over we will celebrate with a belated Easter traditional dinner or a BBQ if that's what they want, doesn't matter. I might go and try to find something just to throw on the grill Sunday for the two of us, I never bought a ham because it takes up too much room and then I made the decision about no company and we don't need to be eating an entire ham for the next month.

As for the argument this has raised, I have to be honest, when it first started I couldn't understand all the quarantining and distancing and masking, etc. I thought it should just be let to run it's course like any other virus and the really sick ones could be treated as they normally would be. But complete panic set in and shut down everything to the point that the really sick ones (like DH would probably get for instance) have a difficult time being seen by their physicians, they don't even want anyone in their office if they are sick. So if he gets this it could take too long to get medicines and treatment. He was told 2 years ago that if he gets any kind of respiratory bug he has to be seen right away, not to wait. This scenario makes that impossible. If the whole world had not panicked we would be treating this no different than any other seasonal bug except that there's no "vaccine" for this one yet. In 2009-2010 in the U.S. alone, over 60,000,000 people got the swine flu, over a quarter of a million wound up hospitalized for it, over 12,000 died, and most of the worst hit were children. Where was the panic then??? These are hard facts, not made up. So everyone has the right to have their own opinion on this and I'm not going to berate anyone for thinking differently about it, things are bad enough already that we don't need to go to war over it. We just need to be kind to each other for having to go through this disaster and hope and pray for an end to it soon.

Boris Johnson of the UK has spent the past few days in the ICU in London. I saw a news clip where he boasted about shaking the hands of people who had been diagnosed with coronavirus, and dismissed the seriousness of the virus.

The people I feel badly for are those who do everything right, protect themselves and others, and then somehow contract it.

If people don't want to follow the requests to protect themselves and others, and want to flaunt their selfish disregard, then whatever happens to them, happens. I don't feel badly for Boris Johnson so that same feeling extends to others with that same cavalier attitude.

KT folks, function doesn't care about anyone else but herself. We need to just stop trying to get through. Even words like "stupid" don't faze her. Save your energy for the people who are really trying to protect themselves and others. No one is going to make a dent in function's cavalier and selfish attitude. Like she said, she's only concerned about "her own." She doesn't care about anyone else and the possibility of spreading it to a vulnerable person.

She wouldn't care if she spread it to you because you're not one of her own.

And ritaweeda, I guess you've missed all the discussion about how COVID-19 is not the same as the regular flu, and can't be led to just run its course. The panic stems from hospitals being overrun with people who can't breathe and need to be put on ventilators. The regular flu doesn't create that situation in as many numbers as we're seeing with COVID-19.

Excellent video clip zinnia. Very clear explanation about why COVID-19 is different from the regular flu and swine flu.

“Maddie, I wouldn't call my daughter and granddaughters company or guests. They are coming for Easter. My kids and grands can come anytime they want to. They don't need an invite, or to call. They know how to get in. This is their home as well as ours and I will not treat them as some kind of lepers and we don't want to be treated as one either.”

Really? May I ask —Where do you live? are your kids and grandkids ok with not Staying at Home?

And why do you think your family is protected from infecting other people when they leave your party because you are “family”?

“ As I said we take care of our own and don't live in fear of would of, could of. If she didn't want to come that would be fine also.”

Excellent! Take care of your own. Please don’t breath the same air as the public, and please don’t use the 1st responders as a resource if needed. Because you take care of your own...

" If the whole world had not panicked we would be treating this no
different than any other seasonal bug except that there's no "vaccine"
for this one yet."

@ritaweed: The whole world did not panic. Once the whole world realized what this thing is, they reacted in a responsible way by practicing self-isolation.

I have a friend who is a teacher in Korea who has been going through this since December. They have not been allowed to leave homes, period! Just this week, for the first time in 4 months, they have been allowed to go outside for brief periods of time practicing safe-distancing. Everyone has worn masks since December, and the virus is finally flatlining.

A seasonal bug does not kill over 15,000 people (US) in 2.5 months.

Interesting visualization. Not that it will change minds.

https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/1812248/

I am rather surprised to not hear more about picnics in the back yard...small groups, out side keeping their distance....risk all depends on exposure, saturation in your area, if you and yours have been sheltering in place well, if you work or not etc.

“I am rather surprised to not hear more about picnics in the back yard...small groups, out side keeping their distance....risk all depends on exposure, saturation in your area, if you and yours have been sheltering in place well, if you work or not etc. “

For who are taking “Stay at Home” seriously, we are not asking for family members to come for a celebration because that would negate the ”Stay at Home” policy. Plus, a picnic in the backyard might mean a buffet/sharing meal??? And exactly where are all the guests going to use the bathroom, or wash their hands? Stay at Home!! Or not.

Well I'm glad that some of you can get all the "fixin's for your Easter meals. Down here in S Florida it's like the zombie apocalypse and very hit and miss at the store. Couldn't even get baking potatoes!!

Luckily, already had a ham steak and it's just the 2 of us. We are reclusive by choice as hubby has several, chronic medical issues. I agree this is not the time to be hosting.

I wouldn't consider exposing my kids or gkids or friends to something that could possibly be deadly and that I could be a carrier of as 'taking care of my own'. and if they were carriers and gave it to me, then possibly I wouldn't be around to see them in the future. all for 1 day!

my sister lives about 5 min down the road from me but I won't go there. we are both older and have compromised systems. either of us could be a carrier (as could her dh and son) and not know it. we've missed holidays together before because one of us was sick otherwise. we'd rather spend 1 holiday alone so we can spend time together in the near future. 1 holiday alone is not the end of the world, but it could be for someone if they're exposed to this virus. we just had 2 older men die from it over the weekend. 1 in his 70s and 1 in the 80s. Their families won't be having a happy family gathering on Easter.

It's just DH and I for Easter this year since DS and family moved out east. We have missed going out for restaurant meals with social distancing now in place, so we have ordered take-out meals from a restaurant, curbside service. Any food not cooked by either of us will taste so good for a change!

There will just be the four of us. I won't even get to see my daughter. I know we will get through this but that really bothers me.

We will have a traditional turkey that my nephew will cook. We will have yams carrots and potatoes on the side. Probably a french onion soup to start and to finish I have pumpkin so I will probably make pumpkin squares.

I feel like we already have so taken so many chances that I won't take another chance. My family members who don't live here must stay away and I must a stay away from them.

I have to go off to work as I am working for a frontline person but I have very restricted physical contact with them. We meet at a distance and their dog comes and runs to me I put my leash on their dog. When the dog runs back to them at the end of the 2 hour walk they wash the collar off that I have touched.

I wear gloves and I sanitize those gloves the same as I would my hands and I also sanitize my face mask. In other words before during and after the walk I am constantly sanitizing myself. I sanitize my hands and face and also my cell phone. My clothes and mask are changed after every walk. I have five masks and I use a HEPA filter in the middle.

Of course I also have my husband and son and nephew to be concerned about so maybe that is making me be even more paranoid than others.

I cannot believe how many people don't have masks or gloves and casually brush by people. Don't they know that asymptomatic people can be like pig pen only invisible with virus spewing forth from their every breath and word!

I try to make myself look as contagious as possible. I hold my gloved hand to my face and turn a my back to people who are too close. I act as if they are the zombies in the Brad Pitt movie.

Back to Easter dinner. I have no idea. Let's see, I have tonight, tomorrow and Saturday figured out. We could easily be eating leftovers on Easter. Storms are predicted, so I won't be in a cooking mood anyways.

I'm going to have a video meal of lamb chops with a bing cherry sauce, asparagus, mashed potatoes. A spring salad first tho, with a couple deviled eggs. Dessert will be banana pudding.

What i will probably have is a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup

People believe they're the exception... until they're not.

We have been exposed to the virus, so we are staying home, of course, which we have been doing anyway since our state's order. We have groceries delivered but the delivery people do not come in contact with us or even near our front door. We are having (I think) a steak, potatoes au gratin, roasted vegetables and brownies for dessert.

Nothing will stop this virus. The point is to slow its spread so our healthcare system and those working toward a vaccine can catch up. If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.

ETA I hope everyone has a peaceful and safe Easter Sunday, no matter who you're with.

I had a small ham I bought at Costco last month, and last Sunday we cooked it. We had split pea and ham soup last night from the last of the leftovers ;0)

I'm not sure what we'll cook for Easter. We don't have a traditional meal for that day, we've eaten Easter dinner out, meeting from three directions to include my mother for the last many years. Of course that won't work this year, I'm just hoping Mom understands why we're not with her. With some dementia, some days she understands what's going on and why we can't come in to her facility or take her out - other days she does not understand (although will after we've talked on the phone for a while).

I have a prime rib, if the weather will allow for the gas grill outside, maybe that.

No one on either side of our families is planning on gathering. We are trying to do our part to slow the spread. I'm determined no one I know is going to acquire this virus, from our new nephew just 6 weeks old all the way up to my mother at 93. We aren't enjoying this, but we are committed.

Healthcare workers are working without proper protection to save people. They are isolating themselves from their own families.

You only have to stay home and not add to their heartbreaking workload. Is that really too much to ask?

Healthcare workers are actually dying because they are dedicated to saving lives, even when they aren’t provided the proper supplies to keep them safe. You are only being asked to isolate at home.

Here’s some humor because KT doesn’t know me and I hate for you think I’m humorless. Please, y’all? Let’s do this!

https://twitter.com/officialjld/status/1247919405054324737?s=21

This is the first year DH and I will spend Easter alone. We have always hosted brunch for our kids, my parents, brother and his family who all live close by. We have not seen each other since early March, with the exception of my parents who are in their late 80's. I do their grocery shopping, sanitize everything a few times before delivery, gloved/masked and leave it on their porch. We look at each other through the window and blow kisses.

The weather is supposed to be sunny and warm on Easter, so we are planning on grilling.