Easter is this Sunday and we trust that you’re already well-prepared with an absolutely heavenly meal plan to serve to your visiting Holiday guests, yes? No? You haven’t figured out what to make? Well, no worries. Read on and we’ll share some of our favorite, quick-n-easy Easter meal ideas that you can do yourself.



Recipe and photo courtesy of allrecipes.com.

BRUNCH

Let’s start with a hearty brunch; we’ll do Southern-style biscuits and sausage gravy with scrambled eggs. This breakfast/lunch combination will stave off mid-day hunger until it’s time for the main course. This 15-minute recipe comes courtesy of allrecipes.com.

First, you’ll need your ingredients:

• 1 (16 ounce) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits
• 1 (9.6 ounce) package Jimmy Dean® Original Hearty Pork Sausage Crumbles
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 ½ cups milk
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bake biscuits according to the package directions.
2. As the biscuits are baking, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked (be sure to stir frequently). Stir in flour and then gradually add milk. Cook until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens, stir constantly. Lower heat to medium-low, let simmer for 2 minutes and continue to stir constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Split the biscuits in half. Place 2 halves per plate and top with about a ⅓ cup of gravy.

Serves 8 (or 4 really hungry adults).



Recipe and photo courtesy of incredibleegg.org.

For scrambled eggs, we’ll use the basic recipe from incredibleegg.org.

You will need:

• 4 eggs
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• (salt and pepper, as desired)

Directions:

1. Beat eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until blended. Mixture should be a consistent light yellow throughout; no visible separation of the egg white, yolk, and milk.
2. Heat butter in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot (don’t let the butter burn off). Pour in your egg/milk mixture and let sit. As the eggs begin to cook and solidify, gently pull the eggs across the skillet with a spatula. Large, soft curds should appear.
3. Continue to pull, lift, and fold the eggs while cooking. One the eggs have thickened and no longer appear runny, remove from heat and serve immediately.

Serves 2. Double up or repeat the recipe if serving more people.

(PROTIP: Sprinkle some cheddar or pepper jack cheese on top of the eggs while still hot for an extra “kick” of flavor.)

Recipe and photo courtesy of pillsbury.com.

DINNER

So now that brunch has been taken care of and the mid-day appetites have been subsided, time to work on that Easter dinner feast. The traditional Easter dinner is some variation of the honey ham but on some occasions, we had a roast turkey or full chicken dinner. One year, the family forewent the cooking and just ordered take-out Chinese. Don’t worry, we won’t be doing that this year. Let’s stick to the essentials and go with a honey-baked ham recipe from Pillsbury. But before we do that, let’s begin with side dishes.

So, what are some good side dishes to serve with honey-baked ham? Think “Spring”. You can do a Spring vegetable salad with lots of crisp, fresh greens. A bacon and egg potato salad, in case you haven’t had your fill of bacon and hard-boiled Easter eggs. There’s a creamy baby carrot soup (Get it? Carrots? EASTER bunny?) and the classic Holiday fallback, green bean casserole. Any of these would be ideal choices, but for that ‘stick-to-your-ribs’-type of heartiness, let’s do creamy cheddar garlic mashed potatoes from iheartrecipes.com.



Recipe and photo courtesy of iheartrecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 5 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (Or, leave the skins on. They’re good for you!)
• 2 tablespoon salted butter
• ½ teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup half and half
• ⅔ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• enough water to boil the potatoes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Boil the potatoes until they’re tender, then drain.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a pan and melt it over medium heat on the stove.
3. Once your butter is melted, add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add the potatoes to the pan and mash. You can do this by hand, or with an electric whisk for a perfectly-even and consistent mash.
5. Pour in ½ cup of half and half, stir the potatoes, then add in the rest. Keep stirring until the potatoes have a smooth and creamy texture.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Yes, keep stirring.
7. Sprinkle in your shredded cheese and fold over. The heat from the cooked mashed potatoes will melt the cheese. Stir a few more times for even cheese distribution and…
8. ...Serve!

(PROTIP: Garnish with sliced scallions or crispy fried onions for added zing!)

See? Not too time-consuming and not too much elbow grease was needed to pull that off. Now, we’re ready for the main course!

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 pound fully-cooked smoked bone-in ham
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast 12 to 16 minutes per pound. If you’re using a cooking thermometer, insert thermometer into the thickest part of the ham. When the thermometer reads 120°F, the ham is ready to come out of the oven.
2. Remove the ham from the oven. Pour the drippings from the pan into a measuring cup (you can choose to discard or save to add to your glaze, but more on that in a little bit). Lightly cut the fat surface of the ham in uniform diamond shapes.
3. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the honey, brown sugar, and the Dijon mustard. You can choose to add some of the pan drippings if you wish. Brush the mixture onto the ham and place uncovered back in the oven to roast for another 20 minutes or until the cooking thermometer reads 135°F. Cover the ham with aluminum foil and let stand for approximately 10 minutes or until the thermometer reads 140°F.
4. Place the ham face-down on a carving board. Use a sharp carving knife to cut the ham in half, right alongside the bone.
5. Now, place the boneless side of the ham fat side up and cut thin slices. Cut the remaining slices from the bone-in portion and be sure to cut away from the bone.

(PROTIP: The diamond-shape cross-hatch cuts help the ham soak in as much of the glaze as possible. Also, try adding a tart and zesty fruit juice to the glaze for an extra shot of flavor. A dash of orange juice or lemon juice adds to the sweetness of the honey and brown sugar. You can also try lemon-lime soda to enhance the tangy sweet and sour bite.)

Success! Break out your finest flatware and dinnerware place settings, set the table, wake everyone up from their afternoon naps, and dinner is served! You and your dining guests are about to embark on a gastronomical journey of tastes, scents, and textures. Heavy cheesy garlic mashed potatoes and juicy, succulent honey-baked ham (don’t forget those aforementioned side dish ideas from a few paragraphs ago). Take the time to savor the aromas and intricate individual flavors in each bite. You need not be a Michelin star-winning master chef or host a gimmicky, cooking-based game show on cable TV in order to make great food. You can do it and we at Our Pampered Home will be with you every step of the way to help you execute that perfect recipe. So, sit back, reward yourself for a job well done, and enjoy your Easter dinner!

...But, what about dessert?

Good call! What’s a feast without a proper dessert? Being that it’s Easter and that your family and friends have traveled long and far to join you for the Holiday, let’s shy away from store-bought sweets and go with something a bit more appropriate—like Betty Crocker’s Easter carrot cake.



Recipe and photo courtesy of bettycrocker.com.

DESSERT

Cake Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups shredded carrots (5 medium)
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 to 3 teaspoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• (Nutmeg or shredded coconut or chocolate, if desired)

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of one 13” X 9” pan or two 8” or 9” round pans with shortening. Lightly flour. In a large mixing bowl, add the granulated sugar, oil, and eggs and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for about 30 seconds or until fully blended. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, 1 teaspoon vanilla and the salt; beat on low speed 1 minute. Stir in carrots and nuts. Pour into pan(s).
2. For the 13” X 9” pan, bake for 40 to 45 minutes (round pans, 30 to 35 minutes). To test, use a toothpick and stick in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, your cake is ready but hold off on the toothpick test until the cooking time is over or close to being over; you don’t want a collapsed cake or for it to take extra long because it hasn’t had enough time in ambient heat. Cool the 13” X 9” pan on a cooling rack (round pans take 10 minutes). Remove cake from pan to cooling rack and let sit for 1 hour.
3. In the medium bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, butter, milk, and vanilla with an electric mixer on low until the mixture is smooth. Gradually add and beat powdered sugar—1 CUP AT A TIME—on low speed until the mixture is spreadable. Frost the cake or, for round cakes, layer one cake on top of the other with frosting and then frost both cakes together on their outside surfaces. If you have nutmeg, shredded coconut or shredded chocolate, you can sprinkle on top of the frosting. Store in the refrigerator until serving time.

Congratulations! You’ve just served a full Easter meal. We knew you could do it. All you needed was a little bit of a starting point, which is the purpose for these blogs; to help inspire and nurture your natural creative instincts.

For the very best in professional quality cookware, bakeware, decorative table and place settings, and everything you need for a memorable meal party with relatives and loved ones, shop Our Pampered Home.