Carla's Last Minute Easter Menu

So, did Easter sneak up on you too? I mean, the warning signs are always there: the appearance of Cadbury Mini Eggs and tulips, people giving up candy for lent, pretty pastel dresses showing up in all the stores and catalogs.  Still, since the date falls so early this year, it's no wonder you (like ME) kind of forgot about it.

I have a BIG immediate family: three sisters and assorted brothers-in law, plus four nieces and three nephews.  If we all get together without any guests (which we do quite often), there are 14 people to cook for.  This calls for some adjustments: the only "traditional" meal we cook anymore is Thanksgiving, probably because the kids are off the next day and most of the adults end up taking the day off of work.  After YEARS of a traditional Christmas meal (which was essentially Thanksgiving Volume 2), we started to go for Traditional MEXICAN Christmas.  This means that some time during late November and early December we get together and make dozens of tamales, steam them and freeze them for our big Christmas meal.  YUM.

Easter is a BIG holiday, but since we ALSO all attend different churches (not because we don't LIKE to go together- we span three different technical religions) it's MUCH harder to prepare a meal.  Throw in the fact that we all have to go to work and school the next day and... we're having enchiladas.  We're ok with this.

I'm still dreaming of a tastier, more classic meal full of spring flavors though.  Maybe these will make it onto the table of my fellow last-minute cooks!

My first choices were actually lamp chops and asparagus, just as Alyssa posted earlier in the week!  I heartily recommend those recipes too.

For a quick, but ridiculously tasty start, prepare these Pan Roasted Brined Pork Chops:

image from bonappetit.com

For two tasty sides, my recommendation is a Dill Pickle Potato Salad (make TONS extra for work lunches throughout the week- guaranteed to make you a happy camper) and a batch of Parmesan Coated Cauliflower:

images from tasteofhome.com and bonappetit.com

Finally, use the surprise ingredient in these Lemon-Cream Cheese Cupcakes for a moist dessert full of spring flavor:

Have a very Happy Easter, friends!

Alyssa's No-Fuss Easter Menu

It’s just the two of us for Easter this year, so I’m going to make a slightly simpler meal than I normally would.  Usually I would pull out all the stops and make a traditional Italian feast with anise-kissed Easter bread (an ancient family recipe), wedding soup with homemade parmesan/egg croutons, and herb-crusted pork tenderloin.  But I don’t really want to deal with the dishes involved in something so elaborate!

Instead, here’s what I have planned:

1. Rosemary Lamb Chops with Balsamic Syrup recipe from Gourmet.  But I’ll omit the swiss chard, since the Hubby doesn’t care for greens! (image from Epicurious.com)

2. Roasted Asparagus, since it’s a favorite in our house and it positively screams “spring!”  This Bon Appetit recipe with a balsamic drizzle looks good, although 18-20 minutes seems like a long time to roast asparagus if you like it crisp-tender.  (image from Epicurious.com)

3. Fresh baguette from our local bakery to soak up all of those yummy lamb and balsamic juices.

4. Vanilla ice cream and macerated strawberries for dessert.

5.  And if I’m feeling really ambitious, I LOVE deviled eggs.  But they’re an awful lot of work, so I’m not sure if they’ll make it on the menu this year!  This Bon Appetit recipe uses one of my favorite spices, chipotle.  But it probably won’t pair well with the rest of the meal, so maybe I'll save that recipe for another time and go more traditional for Easter. (image from Epicurious.com) 

What's on your menu this year?