Easy Easter Menu

"Christ the Lord is risen to-day,"
Sons of men and angels say.
Raise your joys and triumphs high;
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply.
~ Charles Wesley

Easter is the most pivotal of Christian holidays. It is an annual time for the faithful to celebrate the life, death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Many choose to celebrate by gathering with friends and family to fellowship over a warm meal. With a bit of planning, this meal can come together quickly and leave minimal work for the cook on 

Easter Sunday.

Easy Baked Ham

1 fully cooked 7- to 8-lb spiral-sliced bone-in half-ham

Glaze ingredients:
1 cup melted butter
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup honey

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Line a roasting pan with foil. Spray foil generously with cooking spray.
Combine glaze ingredients.
Place ham in roasting pan and brush on some of the glaze.
Cover loosely with foil.
Bake ham according to package directions, brushing on more glaze halfway through baking time.
Serve the ham with remaining glaze to drizzle over slices.

Green Beans with Bacon

You can boil the bean the day before serving and refrigerate until adding to bacon and butter mixture the next day. Or, you can use 2 large cans of green beans.

3 tablespoons butter
8 slices bacon, diced
2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in 1-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
A bit of sugar (optional)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add bacon. Fry bacon until crispy; set aside.
Bring a pot of water to a boil; add beans.
Boil for around 15 minutes, or until desired doneness is reached. Drain beans.
Add green beans to the skillet with bacon and butter.
Toss until green beans are well coated.
Add salt, pepper and sugar, if using.
Heat through.

Smashed Parmesan Potatoes

Washing and scrubbing the potatoes on Saturday will help facilitate getting these on the table quickly on Easter Sunday.
Play around with the ingredients until you find the combination your family likes best! I usually go light on the butter, allowing the flavor of the potatoes to come through.

Russet Potatoes, 1 large potato per person

Cube unpeeled potatoes into 1 - 1 ½ inch pieces.
Boil potatoes until tender; drain.
Smash with a hand-held potato “smasher,” leaving nice ¼ -inch pieces of the potatoes.
Gently add a combination of these ingredients to taste:
salt
white pepper
freshly chopped or dried parsley
grated Parmesan cheese
butter
half and half and/or milk

Sweet and Buttery Baby Carrots

1 pound bag baby carrots
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

Cook carrots in a large pot of boiling water until tender.
Reserving about ¼ cup of liquid, drain carrots and set aside.
Return reserved liquid to sauce pan and add butter and brown sugar.
Simmer and stir until butter melts and sauce is smooth.
Return carrots to the pan; gently toss to coat well.
Cover, and let sit for a few minutes to allow flavors to mingle.

Super Strawberry Salad

Make this on Saturday and refrigerate until ready to serve on Easter Sunday.

1 cup boiling water
2 small boxes strawberry Jell-o
1 can strawberry pie filling
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix all above ingredients and place in refrigerator to congeal.

Topping:
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 c. sour cream
1 c. sugar

Combine topping ingredients with and electric mixer. Spread on top of congealed salad.

Garnish:
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)

Sprinkle pecans over topping. Keep salad refrigerated until ready to serve.

Peppery White Cheddar Biscuits

Make these ahead of time and pop them in the freezer.

4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter, slightly softened
1-1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
2 - 3 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
1 ½ cups milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray; set aside.
Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add cheese and pepper; mix well.
Make a well in center of flour mixture.
Pour milk into well; stir until just moistened.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Gently knead dough a few strokes.
Divide dough in half.
Pat each half into a 6-inch square, about 1 inch thick.
With a sharp knife, cut dough into 2-inch squares.
Place squares onto prepared baking sheet.
Brush tops of biscuits with melted butter.
Sprinkle with a bit of coarse ground pepper, if you like.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes about 1½ dozen biscuits.

To Make Ahead:
Once you’ve cut your dough into squares, place squares on wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Cover cookie sheet with plastic wrap and place in freezer.
When completely frozen, remove biscuits from cookie sheet and place inside a zippered plastic bag.
When ready to cook, bake according to baking directions, increasing cooking time to about 20 - 25 minutes.

Brown Sugar Bundt Cake
Make this on Saturday to serve on Easter Sunday!