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| Easter Dinner |
by Valerie de ArmasSpring is in the air and thoughts of the Easter Bunny are upon us. I have come up with a traditional Easter dinner for you to enjoy. It’s been years since my family has had one. Maybe it’s time to get back into the tradition. The menu: Glazed Ham Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Green Bean Casserole Coconut Cake The décor: Festive paper plates, napkins, tableware, etc. Stuffed bunny centerpiece Easter Egg Place cards Glazed Ham 5-6 lb. cooked ham 24 whole cloves ½ c. brown sugar 2 Tbsp. dry mustard Score the fat surface of the ham and place a clove in each intersecting cut. Combine brown sugar and dry mustard. Sprinkle on ham. Cook at 325 for 1-1 ½ hours. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy Make it special by making real mashed potatoes. 6-8 large potatoes 2-3 Tbsp. butter ¼ c milk salt and pepper to taste Peel potatoes and cut into chunks. Cook in boiling water 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Use an electric mixer on low speed to mash. Add butter, salt and pepper. Gradually add milk while continuing to mix. (Hint: If you heat the milk, it will make your potatoes fluffier) Green Bean Casserole 2 cans French style green beans 1 can cream of mushroom soup 2 Tbsp. sour cream ½ c milk 1 ½ small cans French Fried onions Mix together all ingredients except for ½ can of the onions. Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle ½ small can of onions on top of casserole. Bake 5 more minutes. Coconut Cake 2 c self-rising flour ½ tsp. baking soda ½ c shortening 1 ¾ c sugar 1 tsp. Vanilla 4 egg whites 1 ½ c buttermilk Grease and lightly flour a rectangular baking pan. Stir together flour and baking soda. In a large mixing bowl, beat shortening with an electric mixer on high for 1 minute. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Add egg whites and mix well. Add ¾ c buttermilk and mix well. Add half of dry mixture a little at a time, mixing well on low after each addition. Add the remaining buttermilk and mix well. Add the remaining dry mixture a little at a time, mixing well on low after each addition. Pour batter into baking pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Let cake cool before frosting. Coconut Frosting 1/2 c shortening 1 tsp. Vanilla 2 c powdered sugar 1-2 Tbsp. milk ½ c flaked coconut Beat shortening and vanilla with electric mixer on medium for 1 minute. Add powdered sugar and milk slowly while continuing to mix. Stir in coconut. Frost cooled cake. For the décor, I’ll use paper items with a spring or Easter theme. PartiesPlus has a JackRabbit theme and a Spring Bouquet theme available. These will provide a very festive atmosphere with the added advantage of saving clean up time! I’m going to borrow my daughter’s stuffed bunny from last year and use it as a simple but appropriate centerpiece. I’ll add a little pastel confetti that the children will enjoy making. I’m also going to enlist the children’s help with the place cards. I’ll help the children boil eggs and decorate them and we’ll write each guest’s name on an egg. Each egg will be placed on a small amount of Easter grass above the guest’s plate. The key to having a successful dinner like this is to make sure everyone in the family gets involved. Everyone from the youngest to the oldest can help in some way. Traditions are important to everyone, let’s keep them alive and fun and growing. |
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About the Author: Valerie de Armas is a work at home mom of 3 who enjoys cooking and family traditions. She has her own business, PartiesPlus, providing themed party supplies, costumes, favors and more for her customers. |
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Let's Get Cooking!
