I am looking for some easy Easter Dinner ideas. We will be hosting and there will be 7 adults, one 2 year old, and my 11 month old. I am having custom PRK eye surgery on Friday, so I am looking for yummy yet easy recipe's that my husband can easily make ahead of time on Saturday (except for the meat as he can put that in the oven on Sunday morning).
Thanks!!
We are having an Easter BBQ - smoked beef brisket, grilled chicken, corn on the cobb, potato salad, baked beans, and strawberry cake with cream cheese icing.
If I hadn't been asked to do a bbq I would probably put a big roast, potatos and carrots in the crockpot, and made mashed potoatos, green salad and the strawberry cake.
Spiral cut ham, baked potatoes, broiled veggies (spray with olive oil-Pam, put on a foil lined cookie sheet and stick in the oven on the highest rack. Sprinkle with salt & dill, serve. It's a good time of year for asparagus but also works well with zucchini, carrots, even frozen corn. ;o) Ask family who are coming to bring deserts. DONE.
We are in a similar situation - my mom has been recieivn hospice care at my home (in her apartment), my MIL is coming from the nursing home where she lives, as are one of my brothers and one of my sisters and their families. But the twist is that we will be away until Saturday afternoon since the kids are on vacation this week and we really, really, really need a small get-away change of scenery after a crazy winter. So that's our menu. Simple is good.
How about a potluck, unless your husband really likes to cook? If he can do the meat and one veggie side, have one couple bring dessert and the other couple bring a salad or something. Most people want to help.
My go-to Easter recipe is lamb with goat cheese and spinach. Just one log of goat cheese (the chevre in the foil) mixed with one pack of thawed frozen spinach, add salt and pepper to taste, smear on the butterflied leg of lamb, roll and bake until done. Super easy!! Make the sides green beans with toasted almonds on the side so your child can eat it, and ask for help with the rest. Have fun!
PRK takes longer to recover so I doubt you will want to cook. Look at Catering ideas and certainly solicit these other adults to bring something to pass. Do you enjoy ham? Pick one up. Also, here's a recipe for an easy potato bake
1 bag hashbrowns
1 stick of margarine
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
8 oz of sour cream
1 package of shredded cheese (reserve 1/2 package for topping)
Mix all together and throw it in a pan and bake on 350 for at least an hour. Take the rest of the shredded cheese and the last 10 minutes of baking top the potato bake with it.
I have a similar size group coming and I don't have your medical issue, but I am getting a Honey Baked Ham as someone else suggested and making au gratin potatoes and roasted asparagus. I am having others bring salad, green beans and dessert. Maybe you can ask some of your guests to bring something? You didn't ask for advice on the PRK surgery, but my husband had it done in August and September. The first eye was a piece of cake, but the second one was uncomfortable for a few days. You probably won't feel much like helping with clean up on Sunday so I hope your husband can do that too or you can recruit some of the guests to help. Happy Easter and good luck with the surgery.
We're having it at our house this year. Five adults, 1 3.5 year old and 1 1.5 year old. We're having a pre-ordered sliced ham, rolls, green bean casserole, hash brown casserole and some dessert my mom is bringing!
Honey Baked Ham -- doesn't even have to be heated!! Now they even sell premade frozen sides.
Considering your situation, I say be as easy on yourself as possible!!
We have a lamb tradition for easter.... this year we're doing gyros. Super easy... one buys the meat strips frozen (fully cooked) by the pound and then you just heat them up and add to greek pita with tzatziki, & toppings.
For the greek pitas, you just buy them, put a few drops of olive oil in a saute pan and reheat them. Stack them in tinfoil and keep warm in the oven with your meat.
Serve everything family style.
Potluck! You do the meat and everyone else can bring something. You don't have that many people, so there's no reason why everyone can't bring a few things. We always do potluck at my family gatherings and it always works out nicely.
I would BBQ. All the sides for a BBQ can be made a day or two in advance and are super easy. Most of them are cold so no heating up if you don't want to. We usually have potato salad, fruit salad, corn muffins, macaroni salad, cheese/meat plate, a jello dish. Hot items we have are meat for bbq, corn, and beans.
