Photo added after-the-fact of the green bean and caramelized onion dish at Easter brunch.
Things have been really busy lately.
In addition to my part-time gig teaching Cooking Matters with DHS, I’ve done quite a bit of catering with a friend lately, among other smaller paying gigs. I’m also working full-tilt on the Food Blogger Bake Sale, and somehow I got involved in my 20th class reunion planning.
All that to say, this year’s Easter feast is NOT going to be fancy. At least by my standards.
As my catering friend said earlier this week, you get to a point you just have to get over yourself. He was referring to catering; we were preparing a pasta-and-salad lunch for a large, very high-profile group of people. For a smaller group, my friend might have made every single thing from scratch, on-site. But when things get crazy (or large-scale), you have to get over what you know you can do and just make something high-quality but simple.
I’m working most of today (Friday) and all day Saturday. Church all morning on Sunday. So, no time for an elaborate feast. I chose several items that could employ my favorite “Blanch, Shock and Awe” technique, which I did last night (Thursday) and parked in the fridge. I even bought (gasp) prepared ham, pre-baked rolls and packaged gluten-free cake mix. Ugh! That one still smarts.
There will still be plenty of handiwork tonight and Sunday afternoon to soak some love into the meal. But, as I discovered that Thanksgiving a while back, the most important part is where we all sit together as a family.
Ison Family Easter Menu
- Half bone-in Honeybaked Ham
- Green Beans with Caramelized Onions and Almonds
- Roasted Asparagus with Dry Salami
- Crash Hot Potatoes
- Store-Bought Dinner Rolls
- Mom’s Sweet Potato Casserole (she’s bringing)
- MIL’s Famous Banana Pudding (she’s bringing)
- Gluten-Free Lemon Raspberry Cake
Last night, I blanched and shocked the green beans and asparagus, and I wrapped the asparagus with the salami. I boiled the potatoes and shocked them as well. All those are in the fridge, ready for final steps on Sunday.
The two recipes from other sources, the green beans and potatoes, I will probably personalize a bit with things on hand. We’ll see.
And the cake… I’ll bake tonight and see how it goes. Not sure when the frosting business is going to happen.
What are you making for Easter brunch/lunch/dinner?
