Do Ahead Easter Menu

It’s Easter week!!!!  This is my favorite holiday!  Without the resurrection, there’s no hope, no eternity in heaven, no joy for today!  But because Christ lives, we have it all!  He lives within m heart, and as a believer, I should celebrate every single day!  I will definitely celebrate on Easter!  We’ll celebrate at church this Sunday as we worship with the Galkin Evangelistic team.  We’re excited about the day/week with them at BCBC!

Let’s talk about the Easter dinner today!  Some of my favorite foods to fix for Easter are already posted here on my blog, so I thought I’d do an Easter Round-Up and share some of my favorite recipes that would make a wonderful Easter dinner, in case you need some suggestions for your menu this coming Sunday!  These aren’t just good recipes, most of them are things that can be made in advance, which will lighten your load on the weekend!

Let’s talk dessert first!  This Coconut Cake has been an Easter tradition for many years at my house.  On the link you’ll find the recipe and my instructions of how to put the cake together easily.  This cake is THE BEST!  It’s worth the effort, and if you do the steps one at a time, a few days in advance, it won’t even be that much effort!

This frozen fruit salad is so delicious and is made ahead of time, which is always a winning recipe in my book!

 

Frozen Fruit Salad

1 can jellied cranberry or cranberry sauce
1 can crushed pineapple, drained

2 bananas chopped in small pieces
1 c. chopped pecans
1 8-oz. container Cool Whip

Place jellied cranberries or cranberry sauce in mixing bowl and using a whisk, break it up well. Add pineapple, banana, and pecans and combine. Fold in Cool Whip.

You can put this in a 9 x 13 dish or make individual servings by placing cupcake papers in cupcake pan and filling with mixture. Freeze. When ready to serve, peel paper of and serve on a piece of leaf lettuce.

Fresh Broccoli Salad is often covered with a heavy dressing, but this one is a lighter version, but every bit as good!  We love it.  It would go well with a ham dinner.  You can mix this together the night before.

• Fresh Broccoli Salad
• 4 cups broccoli florets (about 1 head)
• 1/4 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup (1-inch-thick) slices red bell pepper
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 2 1/2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 center-cut bacon slice, cooked and crumbled (drained)
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

  Preparation
  Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine vinegar, sugar, and oil in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine. Pour vinegar mixture over broccoli mixture; toss gently to coat.

Do-Ahead potatoes are a great time saver on Sunday.  This recipe has been a favorite of ours for about 30 years!

Gourmet Potatoes
6 medium potatoes
2 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 C butter
1 1/2 C sour cream (I used light)
1/3 C chopped onion
1 t. salt
paprika

Peel the potatoes. Leave them whole. Cook in boiling water ’til tender. Cool.
Shred potatoes coarsely. In medium-sized saucepan, melt butter and cheese. Stir ’til melted. Remove from heat; blend in sour cream, onions and salt. Fold in potatoes and pour into a 2 qt. casserole dish.
Sprinkle with paprika on top. Refrigerate overnight. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Lastly, if you need a great do-ahead roll, these are my very favorite.  You make them up to the point of just par-baking them, then pop them in the freezer.  They only require about 10 minutes of baking from their frozen state when you need them!  I make up half of this recipe and keep these rolls on hand for last minute dinners after the holiday meal is over!

This is Lee Drummond’s recipe.  You can find it on this post.

Working on your menu a little at a time this week will cause less stress on Sunday.  It’s all about the Lord Jesus Sunday – so make wise choices this week so you can focus on Him rather than having to fuss with the meal!

Do any of these strike your fancy?  What will you be fixing for Easter dinner?

Lovingly,