Well we tried this year. We really did. But DD just had a minor surgical procedure she's recovering from, DS will be with his wife's mother and I'll be at the ranch. Normally we could make it the following week for Russian Easter but I'll be away for the rodeo that weekend. So now DD is looking to organize a way to get our familly in one place at the end of the month. We'll see.

Nothing because both kids are in Europe and that's my only family, being an only child.

Always roast lamb. Simnel cake after. There'll be some hot cross buns and a fair amount of chocolate around the place too.

We are ham people. Carrot cake is a standard. This year It has to be easy to put in a cooler as we are gathering in my new grand daughter's home to meet her. I am planning Deviled eggs, deviled potatoes, artichoke and green bead casserole with lemon bars for dessert. Mine always want the same menue but since I am bringing it to a different place I decided I could think outside the box a bit. Cheesy potatoes/pineapple casserole/carron cake/7layer salad will just have to wait.

We don't celebrate Easter but for Passover on Wednesday we're having chopped liver appetizer, matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, cornish hens, asperagus, potato kugel, and apple cinnamon cake.

Is carrot cake an Easter thing in general or is it mere coincidence that two people on here are serving it? I can get behind any holiday with carrot cake.

Easter bunny. Rabbits eat carrots (Remember Bugs Bunny). So carrot cake. We no longer dye eggs, but I always make deviled eggs.

I will make potato salad and baked beans. If it doesn't rain something on the grill. If it does probably a hamslice.

My "free" turkey breast from the supermarket, which I only had to spend $400 to get. Easter is usually Thanksgiving redux.

Kendrah,

Carrot cake is often served on Easter. 😀

We'll be having kielbasa, pierogi, mashed potatoes, corn, cucumber salad and if I can find a decent poppy seed roll, that will be dessert. Of course, there's always ice cream.

Six of us. Ham, macaroni salad, asparagus, fruit salad, homemade rolls, deviled eggs and an Aldi Frozen strawberry/rhubarb pie and ice cream. Not worried if grands will like pie. Easter egg hunt after lunch, so they would rather eat chocolate anyway. They are too young to help with a coconut Easter cake this year, so that will wait till next year. Carrot cake sure sounds good though.

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK ”Simnel Cake” I had to look that up - very interesting tradition & wow - lots of marzipan! While reading about the tradition of Simnel Cake I learned about ”Mothering Sunday” - something else that I didn’t know about.

We don’t eat pork/ham that much anymore. Beef either, although our kids have voted on filet mignons and lobster tail for this Easter dinner. They also want my Wild Rice Pilaf, some appetizers, wines and for dessert, Key Lime Pie.

It's not a big holiday for us Probably a small ham, mainly for sandwiches. Typical sides. I might just get a pizza.

Just like any other Sunday dinner...Surf and turf. Probably ribeye and shrimp skewers on the grill. The bonus is we will also have home grown asparagus for the first time this spring. Twice baked potatoes as another side.

I'm making Pancit Bihon for dinner tonight.

I have never heard of carrot cake on Easter but that sounds great. I love carrot cake!

Our usual: ham, sweet potatoes, corn casserole of some sort, fruit salad, and of course deviled eggs. DILs will bring another veggie or maybe noodles. And birthday cake because we have two family birthdays in early April.

Just DH and I here in Florida. I usually do grilled filet mignon but we don't have a BBQ grill here at new house.

We were shopping yesterday at Publix and I saw a slice of Smithfield ham! I bought it.

I'll do mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

I make a raisin sauce for the ham.

Once a year for Easter I make a no-bake cherry cheese pue. DH’s favorite.

I do miss the spiral-glazed ham from years gone by

ETA Kendra I’m with you. Love carrot cake!

We make brunch, so eggs, bacon bacon, croissants, fruit, mimosas. DH can prepare while I am at church, the kids can bring things, and it makes for a nice day.

When my parents were alive we went to one of their clubs for brunch, ooh la la! So lovely, many options, and the fruit and dessert tables were so pretty you didn’t want to disturb them. Cute little cakes and petit fours.

Bpath - I'm intrigued by this food you call 'bacon bacon'. I thought bacon was the perfect food but I'd guess bacon bacon is twice as good! ;-p

I don't know everything that will be served, but my youngest brother and his wife are hosting Easter dinner - they are preparing ham and will have corn and asparagus. My middle sister is bringing salad and homemade raisin sauce and a variety of mustards. I am bringing a homemade cherry pie , vanilla ice cream (store bought) and either homemade easter bread or store bought rolls (depends on how much time I can find.)

Lone Jack, you got that right! Sometimes my gooofy keyboard is correct!

Our DD and SIL are hosting and SIL’s grilling lamb. I’m taking a salad (Greek panzanella) and some kind of lemon dessert…yet to be decided.

It's not a holiday for us. Just like any other day. We'll probably go for a hike then maybe a burger on the grill - if the weather is decent. Otherwise, probably a salad and some sort of protein indoors.

My brother and SIL are having our local family over for his smoked bbq and they are providing their slaw (vinegar based) which is delicious. The rest of us are bringing sides. It’s not a day to worry about carbs too much. I’m taking a pasta salad. Other sides i know about are deviled eggs and baked beans plus a pound cake with fresh fruit.

I don’t care much for ham anymore and rarely eat pork unless it’s a small tenderloin. Same with beef although we have beef more than pork.

My husband never ate much pork until he married into my Jewish family! I imagine ham sandwiches with leftover baked ham are devine.

@Kendrah - he learned to like pork from your Jewish family??? Interesting. Yes - leftover ham sandwiches are delicious, but you can do smoked turkey breast and get a very similar flavor.

funny you should say smoked Jennifer... after looking at the answers, and seeing they're the gamut, daughter's boyfriend wants to show off the skills he's learned since moving here with us, and he'll smoke ribs, wings, and a chuck roast. Yay!

We host and follow my husband's family tradition, we have a fairly large group. Ham, deviled eggs, cream corn, roasted carrots, cheesy potatoes and strawberries. Some years we trade our carrots for asparagus. Dessert changes, this year cheesecake with a choice if sauces, lemon bars and chocolate peanut butter eggs made by a friend of my husband's aunt. I enjoy this meal but I would be up for a change. Would love to switch to brunch which is what my family did, but it works better overall for our guests to come for an early dinner.

Anyone here celebrate "Easter Monday"? Just curious - was in a meeting this morning and our entire European off shore staff have both Good Friday and Easter Monday off as national holidays. I am not a particularly religious person and since the US doesn't allow strictly religious holidays to be national holidays I hadn't thought about this.

This topic reminds me of MarilynSue. I wonder if she’s still with us? I sure did enjoy reading her posts.

While Good Friday is very solemn and Easter Monday is a very joyous holiday, I have never had either one off when I worked. Our schools "celebrate" them in that they are part of their Spring break.

I didn't know they were celebrated so widely in other countries. Learned something new.

@Jennifer Hogan - we lived in NL for several years and the Dutch had both the Monday and the Tuesday after Easter as holidays.

Thanks! We are now having company. I wasn't going to make deviled eggs, but it's such a staple and y'all reminded me, so that'll be the appetizer while we're waiting on my child to get home from work (I asked off, it was granted. She didn't ask off).

Deviled eggs

maybe candied bacon (there's a restaurant in Nashville that is to die for, and they serve these two together)

Ribs

chicken wings

chuck roast

au gratin potatoes

green beans

giant bowl of strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries

rolls

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

coffee

appetizer

" I didn't know they were celebrated so widely in other countries. "

I don't think they're "celebrated" so much as recognized by tradition in official national calendars.

For such national holidays as Ascension Day, Whit Monday, and All Saints' Day that are recognized in many European countries, you're much more likely to find people on tennis courts and hiking trails than in church.

“celebrated” can mean actively observed in a religious or ceremonial way in churches, or more broadly to include social or family traditions, even if they’re not religious. I know a lot of non church goers celebrate Easter at home with families and friends.

All the foods in this thread make me hungry, but I feel lucky I don’t have to prep any dishes, but shop for the ingredients.

The holidays I mentioned are that are part of the national calendars in several countries in Europe do not really, in my experience, have widespread significance or social or family traditions. And certainly little importance for religious reasons for people in this modern era.

I coincidentally had a recent conversation with an Aussie I know. This weekend is part of a four day national holiday. Certainly pivoting off of Easter, for which some have family traditions and some don't. But Good Friday and Easter Monday make it a 4 day weekend in summer and it's "observed" by many as would be expected - going camping, taking a beach holiday for several days, planned outdoor activities, etc.

It's not currently summer anywhere on the planet Elmer.

When I was in Manila back in the early 90s I went with some locals to a Dia de le muerte (day of the dead) celebration at a cemetary. I believe it was on October 30th.

My friend lives near Brisbane. The daily highs are forecast to be 80°-87° over the next 7 days. According to a search I just did right now. I didn't think it necessary to question or second guess what the local told me about this weekend but it seems you did.

There are popular beach, surfing and vacation spots along the coast both north and south of Brisbane. The larger one is the Gold Coast a bit to the south. It looks a bit like Waikiki, tall hotel buildings and lots of other places. Plenty of VRBOs and lower rise accomodations. It attracts vacationers from the larger cities to the south, year-round.

It's beautiful there, I recommend you go. The world is bigger than what there is to see in KC.

" I didn't know they were celebrated so widely in other countries. Learned something new." Easter, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday , Easter Monday--all very Catholic traditions. One can assume the many countries that are historically Catholic countries are honoring and celebrating these High Holy Days. The misinterpretation of the USA constitution has sterilized our celebrating them. It's very typical to find public school systems that have found a way to not have school on Easter Monday and or Good Friday without claiming it's due to these holy days--but it is!

Getting back to food…

I disagree HU-787167202. Yes, I know they are Catholic traditions. I am Catholic. What I didn't realize was the extent of celebrating these days in so many other countries. While I know that these days are celebrated in other countries, I personally don't know how they celebrate (i.e. taking extra days and go on vacation vs. going to church and having family over for dinner). Even public school systems have Catholic students and the schools take this time as their spring break.

After reading all these menus, im definitely making deviled eggs.

those are not my deviled eggs in the picture. Mine will be far sloppier. But they'll still be great for popping into my mouth!

I posted last night about the four day weekend over Easter which we have here. Good Friday and Easter Monday are national holidays. (Bank Holidays). My post has been disappeared. Possibly because I mentioned the low incidence of church going at Easter? Anyway. Lamb is commonly eaten. As too are hot cross buns and Easter eggs.

Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays in Canada, as well.

Public holidays for 2026

• New Year – Thursday, January 1, 2026
• Good Friday – Friday, April 3, 2026
• Easter Monday – Monday, April 6, 2026
• Victoria Day – Monday, May 18, 2026
• Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day – Wednesday, June 24, 2026 (Quebec only)
• Canada Day – Wednesday, July 1, 2026
• Civic Holiday – Monday, August 3, 2026 (excluding Quebec)
• Labour Day – Monday, September 7, 2026
• National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Wednesday, September 30, 2026
• Thanksgiving Day – Monday, October 12, 2026
• Remembrance Day – Wednesday, November 11, 2026
• Christmas Day – Friday, December 25, 2026
• Boxing Day – Saturday, December 26, 2026

I envision eggs filled with potatoes and some sort of filling? What about potatoes filled with egg fillings and topped with candy bacon!?

I really don't care about holidays that are not separated from church and state. That's a foundation of the US Constitution. Skip it if that's what you want to talk about.

Feel free to talk about your menu for the renewal of the Earth, or Easter, which is a celebration of that!

Sheesh, I was just following the conversation. 🤷‍♀️

Saturday we’re having grilled steaks, jacket potatoes, broccoli salad, sauteed mushrooms, and S e x in a Pan for dessert. Nothing special. Just enjoying our guests.

Do you have Hot Cross Buns in the US? Sold everywhere here in the UK, often from early January! As Good Friday is a Bank (national) Holiday, which not so many years ago meant all the shops were closed. We children were sent to the bakers early in the morning to pick up a pre-ordered bag of Hot X buns. These days, while offices, banks 'places of business' are closed life seems to go on as normal but with too many cars on the road as folk try to get away for a few days thinking/hoping for some early warmth and sunshine.

Adding, 'though the UK hasn't been a Catholic country since the Reformation we still follow many of the 'old' traditions and until recently when the Govt changed the holiday of Whitsun (ie Pentecost) to become the 'Late Spring Holiday' most of these days-off- work had a basis in religion . . . although Church attendance seems to be well down now.

The Italian relations always send us a Colomba.

And I make a Simnel cake.

floral your cakes are lovely!

Company's about to arrive, and we are about to put the final touches on all that are in the oven, or on the grill.

But the appetizer is ready and being nibbled. Pretty tasty bacon! One does not experiment with deviled eggs too much when it comes to Easter 😉