Sunday, April 19, 2009

My delicious Easter dinner!


So, I have discovered due to the "kid" in me, I LOVE to celebrate the holidays and make them memorable. I did some research and prepared a fairly traditional Easter dinner. The participants in this meal told me that it was "....delicious. One of the best meals I've had in a long time!" That made me feel great. So, I'm going to share these recipes due to request, and also just for your viewing pleasure. They are easy and delicious. Let me know how YOUR meal goes.

Oh, and look at my CUTE placemats!



This is the Easter punch that Steve's mom made for him growing up, so I gave it a try. She also makes Fruit Pizza. I didn't get a picture of that, but it was delicious. Let me know if you want the recipe. It's yummy; I put blackberries, fresh pineapple and strawberries on it!

Recipes below:

Ham with Pineapple-Orange Dijon Glaze

Serves 10

1 bone-in ham
1 1/4 C brown sugar
1/3 C pineapple juice
1/3 C orange juice
1/3 C honey
2 T orange zest
2 T Dijon mustard
1/4 t ground cloves

Place ham in a roasting pan, bake at 325 degrees for two hours. Meanwhile, stir remaining ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 10 minutes. When ham has baked two hours, brush the ham with the glaze, continue doing so every 10 minutes while baking for another 30 minutes.

Easter Punch

Equal parts pineapple juice and 7-Up
Sliced bananas
Frozen raspberries
Pineapple sherbet (I used orange-pineapple sorbet and it was yummy!)

Asparagus with Thyme

Serves 4

1 clove garlic, halved
1 1/2 lbs. asparagus spears
2 t olive oil
1/4 t dried thyme (I used fresh)
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the cut sides of the garlic over a 9 X 13 inch baking dish, place garlic in dish. Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Add asparagus to dish, drizzle with oil. Sprikle asparagus with thyme and salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Toss gently and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring once.

Scalloped Potato Gratin

1 1/2 C heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 t ground nutmeg
Butter
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled (I didn't peel) and cut into 1/8 in. thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg. While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake uncovered, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.

P.S. SLACKERS!!! No one has posted in forever...get on the ball!