A Proper Easter Dinner and Some Sweet, Sweet Memories

A Proper Easter Dinner and Some Sweet, Sweet Memories

I can still see my great uncle Bill standing over a large wooden bowl mixing up a massive Caesar salad.  Tiny Oregon bay shrimp and our favorite dressing.  Extra lemon and croutons on mine, please.  I’m 10 years old and it’s my favorite thing ever to watch him mix that salad up.  It’s Easter Sunday.  Grey hair and big glasses, hugs for days, and a big “Oh, I love you, Danny.”  I love my great uncle Bill.  Egg hunts and a new dress and Easter dinner at my Gramma Gloria’s house.  The nostalgia of our childhood is a powerful thing.  I think back on this time often in the spring, and I can’t help but smile.  I felt like a princess in my new dress.  Church seemed so much more special on Easter.  Even as a child, I knew the significance. 

I have been anticipating this Easter holiday for months.  Growing up, my mom would get my sister and me a new dress for church, and I can remember putting it on and feeling brand new and special.  I can’t help but think that’s really what it’s all about.  Jesus came and died specifically for our sins, so that we might live a new life.  Something brand new.  The thought of our savior’s love and sacrifice for us during this special time means that we get a chance at a happy life, an abundant life filled with joy.  Not without trial or pain, but fresh and beautiful nonetheless.  This spring, everything feels different to me.  We are anticipating a new baby to arrive at the end of summer and finishing Kindergarten with our boy.  It’s been a sweet season, a season of trials and triumph; a season of trust, new endeavors, calm rest, real family time, and growth.  The winter was long and cold, but with spring, and especially Easter time, comes the promise of new life. 

My prayer for you and your family during this sweet time is that you spend more time together, less time worrying.  More time at family dinner and less time scrambling just to get by.  If we let it, life can run us.  We often forget we call the shots.  I hope you call in some quiet rest into your life and really take in all this spring has to offer.  Cherry blossoms and the first cut grass of the season.  Crocuses and tulips and sugar snap peas.  Jesus died that we might live abundantly.  By golly, I’m gonna LIVE!!!  This pretty darn simple spin on Easter supper is one of my favorites — old favorites with some deliciously tasty twists.  Go ahead and make every bit of it. 

I purchased all of these ingredients at Fred Meyer.  There are seemingly dozens of grocery stores near where I live, and honestly, I do every bit of my shopping there because they have the best of everything and everything I need.  Thanks, Fred Meyer!

Easter Potatoes

Makes a 9×13 casserole
Prep time 15minutes
Cook time 50 minutes

8-10 medium Yukon gold potatoes
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
8 ounces soft cream cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup crumbled feta, plus 2 tablespoons set aside
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill, plus 2 tablespoons set aside

1. Boil potatoes in a large pot of salted water 15-20 minutes until knife tender but not completely cooked through. Drain, rinse, and set aside to cool.   

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large sauce or sauté pan, cook onions in butter over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes until garlic is tender.   

3. Add cream cheese. Add salt and pepper. Once cream cheese is melted, add cream and milk. Cook 1-2 minutes, stirring often until everything begins to come together.    

4. Sprinkle flour over the mixture. Stir to combine. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add 3/4 cup feta and 1/2 cup fresh dill. Stir to incorporate.   

5. Slice or dice potatoes, whichever you prefer. Lay them in a 9×13 pan.  

6. Pour hot cream cheese mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining feta. Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes until the top begins to turn a light golden brown. Once potatoes are cooked perfectly, remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining fresh dill.  A squeeze of lemon to finish the dish is lovely but optional. Enjoy! 

Herby Peas

Serves 4-6
Prep time
Cook time

6 thick cut slices of bacon, chopped
2 medium shallots, diced
3 cups thawed frozen peas
1/2 cup torn mint
1/2 cup chopped chives
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
4 cups baby spinach
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown bacon and shallots until crisp. Add peas.   

2. Stir to deglaze the pan with the moisture from the peas. Once peas are hot, add all herbs and stir gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.   

3. Immediately pour peas, herbs, and bacon fat over spinach in a serving dish. Add lemon juice. Gently toss and serve. Enjoy! 

Balsamic & Dijon Baked Ham

Makes 1 8-pound ham
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 2-3 hours, depending on ham weight

Balsamic & dijon glaze

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cracked pepper

Ham

1 bone-in smoked ham, spiral cut preferred (I used an 8-pound ham)

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix glaze ingredients. 

2. Place ham in a roaster and pour 2 cups water in the bottom. Cover tightly with foil. Bake ham according to package or 15 minutes per pound.  

3. During the last hour, pour half the glaze over the ham.  

4. During the last 15 minutes, pour the remaining glaze over the ham. Then bake uncovered to brown the glaze. Serve and enjoy! 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.