<p>For those of you who will be cooking at home…</p>
<p>Easter is my holiday to host. I try to be part traditional, part not - meaning I like to try new things. We often have a turkey breast and then my SIL does sausage and sauerkraut (weird combo, I know) . Sometimes a veggie lasagna thrown in there. For some reason this family of mine has the need for 2 or 3 main dishes. Sigh. </p>
<p>Anyway, I’m just blanking out on creating a menu for this Easter, about 10 days away. How about you post your planned menu here for me to snarf ideas from?! (and those of you going out to eat, don’t make me jealous!!!)</p>
<p>My mother’s side of the family expects leg of lamb, mint jelly, roasted small red potato, and stringbeans. This is the meal that my grandmother and mother and now I cook every Easter. My MIL side of the family want lasagna. So, for the past 30 years, except last year, I have been cooking both! I too would like to do something different. Last year, we were in Florida and my DS “cooked” Easter. He went to the local supermarket, bought a couple of roasted chickens, grilled asparagus and made white baked potato. All the old folks loved him and the meal. Maybe we should just go back to Florida!</p>
<p>Not cooking at home per se, but I will be participating in preparing the meal that we have every year. Recently, on some holidays I have spent the night before at my parents’ house because the preparations begin well into the day prior. </p>
<p>Easter and Christmas every year is the following menu:</p>
<p>Shank portion ham, roasted all day with pineapple and cloves
A healthy sized pot of holubky (halupska, gowumpkis, whatever you call it)
Macaroni salad
Deviled eggs
Mashed potatoes </p>
<p>Recently my mother has also sometimes added a turkey breast, gravy, and asparagus. Since this meal became family tradition, the kids have added two spouses and four children into the mix. :)</p>
<p>I’m completely stumped too. My D is returning to college on Easter Sunday late in the day. Not that that matters, but I am completely out of ideas.</p>
<p>ECmother, I think the leg of lamb with mint jelly sounds perfect! I have never hosted Easter as my SIL owns that one. She always serves a beef tenderloin roast with horse radish sauce. Sides are usually a salad, au gratin potatoes, glazed carrots and for the kids broccoli with a cheese sauce. Our family brings dessert and a couple of good bottles of wine. Everyone seems happy with the menu.</p>
<p>This year we will have crown roast of pork, as it always looks festive! I am thinking of have a decorated Dairy Queen cake for dessert, as we have many happy memories of those when the kids were growing up.</p>
<p>My sister has always said that we are obligated to have some sort of pork on Easter, since Christians are one of the only major religions who consume pork.</p>
<p>Grilled lamb chops (oddly, the best lamb chops I have found ever are at costco)
with a spicy mint sauce I stole from a bobby flay chicken recipe:
1 1/2 cups tightly packed fresh mint leaves
3/4 cup tightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 serrano chiles, grilled, peeled, chopped
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup olive oil
Water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
(I put the solids in the cuisinart and drizzle in the olive oil. Some years I don’t need water, just depends)</p>
<p>steamed cauliflower tossed in a bit of butter and a lot of fresh chives</p>
<p>saffron rice with mushrooms and shallots</p>
<p>salad vinagrette</p>
<p>For dessert: strawberry short cake (my daughters make the short cake and the ice cream with vanilla beans since they were kids.)</p>
<p>I am also hosting my dh side of the family for easter…there will be 24 of us! All the families are contributing, so we having been cordinating the meal through text and email. Thankfully I will have lots of help, since my dh usually does most of the cooking and will definately contribute Easter as well. </p>
<p>We will have lunch after church and our meal is:</p>
<p>Glazed Ham with pineapple
Scalloped Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Baked Beans withbacon & green & yellow peppers
Spinach salad with mandrian orange dressing and toasted almonds
Deviled Eggs
Pasta Salad
Broccoli Salad with raisins
Steamed Asparagus
Homeade wheat rolls
Melon for dessert</p>
<p>We go to my mother’s house for Easter. Many times in recent years we have had to leave on Easter to get back for work. So my mother started making the Easter meal a brunch instead so we could get on the road. It now works out well because the college students need to leave that day, even if I don’t need to. </p>
<p>I much prefer the brunch because I’m not a fan of lamb, her traditional Easter dinner. And my 2 Ds are vegetarians. The food is great and can be almost anything…breakfast casseroles, sausage, bacon, potatoes, salads, fruit salad, breads, muffins, bagels. Love it!</p>
<p>Ha- posted this this morning then got busy at work and afterwards so totally forgot I posted this! Glad to see some responses. </p>
<p>No one besides my husband care for ham so that’s out. Brunch is out because some of the family comes from about an hour out of town and they will have a church service in the morning. (Brunch would be WONDERFUL!). Heck, I’d be happy with devised eggs, a couple of sides and some desserts!</p>
<p>I have to say the lamb chops sound intriguing but I would have no idea how to do them - grilling - do you marinade or rub them with anything??? I am not the best “big hunk of meat” cook - though I did think of doing a good beef roast recipe I have. </p>
<p>Keep the ideas coming! Including any not too difficult but delicious dessert ideas!!!</p>
<p>When my younger son is home we have rack of lamb from Julia Child’s How to Cook. Sides vary on who is there, but would probably include mashed potatoes and pan roasted asparagus with hollandaise sauce. Some sort of mostly green salad. For dessert we’d have apple pie probably. I haven’t thought about this year - good chance will celebrate with neighbors.</p>
<p>abasket you don’t need to do much for lamb - it’s good marinated with olive oil, lemon and rosemary. Grilling is good, or just cook them in a cast iron pan.</p>
<p>Harvestmoon - we have gone the brunch routine in the past and it makes for a very simple affair (though there is some late night stress putting together all those egg bake dishes and getting your fruit ready). All the banana breads and muffins can be purchased and the mimosas are so tasty:p</p>
<p>abasket - how do you prepare your turkey breast. I have given up on them because they always turn out dry.</p>
<p>I would marinate the lamb chops, more like “dress them” in a bit of olive oil, some garlic, and I really favor thyme and oregano on lamb chops. But in this case, I might just do the garlic and a bit of garlic. Salt and Pepper.</p>
<p>Really great lamb chops are grilled and then tossed in the vinagrette afterwards.</p>
<p>so, if I wasn’t using the mint sauce, I would grill them and then toss them in an emulsion of 3 parts lemon juice to one part olive oil, along with thyme oregano and garlic, salt, pepper. Then serve.</p>
<p>a nice orzo pasta salad with greek olives can be nice with this.</p>
<p>But, I’m not sure it as eastery.</p>
<p>I do know I now am making that for dinner tommorrow night, though.</p>
<p>This is our traditional family Easter meal:</p>
<p>Spiral Cut Ham ( ie Honey Baked or Carrando)
Cheesy Potatoe Casserole
Pineapple Slices ( fresh cut)
Green Beans
Glazed Carrots (I wing the “glaze” - use a little bit of oj, some butter, brown sugar)
Rolls (A variety)
Pies (A Variety to include pecan pie and my favorite Swedish Apple Pie)
Chocolate Trifle (depending on how large a group we have)</p>
We often have a turkey breast and then my SIL does sausage and sauerkraut (weird combo, I know) . Sometimes a veggie lasagna thrown in there. For some reason this family of mine has the need for 2 or 3 main dishes. Sigh. </p>