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La Cucina di Betty: Hosting an Easter dinner
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Anonymous user Tue Mar 20, 2007 13:19:18 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments The Easter season is upon us –– a time to embrace spring as well as family.
Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays to celebrate and host because every Easter elicits my childhood memories as well as those I have created for my children.
Easter brings out the kid in all of us. The week prior to Easter you tend to find yourself having a few jelly beans for breakfast and some foil-covered chocolates for lunch,  and let’s not forget the once-a-year treat of Peeps — those cute little yellow chicks made of marshmallow and sugar. It seems that no matter how old you are, you just can’t resist helping the kids with the egg dyeing and getting involved in the hunt itself. My children and their cousins range in age from 17 to 26, but they still request a plastic egg hunt. Gone are the days of filling eggs with chocolate candies and jelly beans. Now those eggs are filled with money, gift cards and lotto tickets. I guess this tradition will live on until they have children of their own.
If weather permits, serve your Easter meal outside this year. Kids (and adults) would rather be outside where lots of activities can be planned to keep them busy –– and build up a hearty Easter appetite. In addition to the egg hunt, introduce them to some of the games of your past, like badminton, croquet, and one that is re-emerging: Bocce ball. 
Outdoor activities are nice, but food plays an even more significant part in the Easter celebration. Throughout the years, many families, my own included, have served traditional recipes, but as our families have changed over time, our menus have changed, also.
Growing up, the entrée was always roasted leg of lamb, ham, or grilled beef.  We had roasted rabbit one year –– what a faux pas!  We kids thought it was the Easter Bunny’s little brother or sister. Roasted rabbit was never invited back on the menu.
Side dishes for Easter are pretty simple. It seems like asparagus always wins out as the vegetable for our Easter dinner because it is plentiful and affordable.
The following is a simple way to prepare fresh asparagus: Trim off about an inch from the bottom. Wash it well and drain it on a paper towel. When you have removed your ham or leg of lamb from the oven, turn the heat up to 400 degrees. Spread the asparagus out on a jelly roll pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Put them in the oven and cook just until the spears start to wilt. You may want to go and move them around a bit with a spatula a couple of times during the cooking process — about 15 to 20 minutes.  
For a starch, baby red potatoes are nice this time of year. Purchase small ones, wash and leave whole. Put them in a big pot and cover them with water. Bring them to a boil, and when the water boils, turn them down a notch or two and continue boiling until they are soft (to test for doneness, puncture them with a knife). Drain the potatoes, then toss them with butter, salt, pepper, and some fresh parsley. It can’t get any easier than that.
A nice dessert can be fresh strawberries served over a slice of angel food cake with fresh whipped cream. Betty Crocker packages an angel food cake that is simple to bake and everyone seems to love it. Fresh strawberries are plentiful and sweet around Easter, or you may opt for a medley of fresh fruit.
But remember, everyone loves to nibble on Easter candies, so have a few bowls set out. Easter without a chocolate egg from See’s? I don’t think so. You can also find a Hippy Hop Bunny Cake recipe at: www.razzledazzlerecipes.com. This cake is always a big hit with the kids and a great activity –– let them do the decorating. 
For those of you who like to entertain but don’t want to cook, have a potluck and let your family and friends chip in with the menu. Be organized and delegate and you will be surprised how successful  — and stress-free — your day will be.

Scalloped pineapple
A great side dish to any Easter brunch or dinner.
• 1 cube margarine
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1⁄2 cup evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 6 slices sandwich bread, cubed
Cream the sugar, eggs, and butter, then add the remaining ingredients. Place in a buttered oblong baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the top is brown. Serves six.

Party potatoes
A simple dish that can be made two or three days in advance and refrigerated.
• 6 potatoes, boiled in their skins
• 1⁄2 cube butter
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 pint sour cream
• 3⁄4 cup green onions, chopped
• 1 1⁄2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 1⁄2 cup bread crumbs mixed with 2 table-
   spoons butter
• Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Boil potatoes until tender; let cool, then peel and dice potatoes coarsely. Thoroughly mix all ingredients together then salt and pepper to taste. Put into a buttered baking dish. Top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake uncovered for one hour. Serves 10 to 12.
 
Ham with pineapple glaze
Ham is always an Easter favorite, this year why not jazz it up with this pineapple glaze? The best way to serve this ham glaze is to set it next to your sliced ham and let your guests serve themselves, or perhaps you want to put it on your ham the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon mustard (dry or prepared)
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks
In a saucepan, melt the butter, add brown sugar and mix well. Drain juice from pineapple and set pineapple aside. Mix pineapple juice with mustard and cornstarch; add to the sugar mixture. Stir until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add pineapple to the mixture, and cook sauce over medium heat until it begins to thicken, about eight minutes. Serves six.
Note: To bake a fully-cooked 6- to 7-pound ham half, allow the ham to sit at room temperature for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours before baking. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and bake at 325 degrees, uncovered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 140 degrees — about 15 minutes per pound.

Rosemary garlic roasted leg of lamb
This is my favorite way to serve leg of lamb, especially at Easter. This lamb dish is easy and full of flavor. The pan drippings also make a great gravy by just adding beef stock and flour to thicken.
• 6-pound leg of lamb
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 8 garlic cloves with skin attached
• 1/4 cup minced fresh rosemary
• Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Place meat on a rack in a shallow pan, fat side up. Mix together remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Spread rosemary-garlic mixture over lamb. Let lamb sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to season. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place lamb in oven and roast, basting every 30 minutes with pan juices until a meat thermometer reaches 145 degrees, about two to two and a half hours. Let the meat rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Serves six to eight.

Williamsburg orange cake
A lovely orange cake to celebrate Easter. To add a little flair, decorate the top with orange jelly beans.
• 2 1⁄2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 cup shortening
• 1 1⁄2 cups buttermilk
• 1⁄2 cup butter, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round layer pans. Mix first six ingredients in large mixer bowl on medium speed until shortening has been cut into the flour mixture. Mix in the remaining ingredients on high for three minutes, occasionally scraping the bowl. Pour into pans.
Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. When cool, frost with Williamsburg butter frosting.
 
Williamsburg Butter Frosting
• 3⁄4 cup butter, softened
• 6 1⁄4 cups powdered sugar
• 5 to 6 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons grated orange peel
Mix butter and powdered sugar. Beat in orange juice as needed for desired consistency and orange peel. Beat until frosting becomes fluffy.

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