Easter dinner menu

[Connie of Trenton]

Just wondering what type of foods you all have on your Easter dinner menu?

 

[bianca]

Definitely ham and mashed potatoes. Lots of veggies. Must make the requisite deviled eggs for the kids. Dessert is our traditional caramel dumplings and pavlova.

 

[kaddjr]

I'm not sure what we are going to be doing. Easter and our anniversary are the same day this year.

 

[Connie of Trenton]

bianca- could you pass along the caramel dumplings and pavlova (never heard of that!) recipe?

 

[TN Traveler]

We are going to my cousin's house. There will be 30-40 of us counting kids. We'll have the usual, traditional foods---ham, potato casserole, baked beans, fried corn, green bean casserole, 2 or 3 different salads, sweet potatoes, (fried if I bring them), deviled eggs and of course more desserts than any one could possibly eat in 4 meals much less 1!!!
Karen

 

[Connie of Trenton]

Wow I am always reading about new foods on here I've not heard of...fried corn and fried sweet potatoes! I had sweet potatoes fries on our last Disney cruise that were good. Also I like baked sweet potatoes. Yum this is making me hungry.

 

[TN Traveler]

Fried corn and fried sweet potatoes are "Southern" foods. Some folks call Fried Corn, boiled corn or Creamed Corn. Very easy to make. Easiest in the summer--take fresh corn--I prefer Peaches and Cream or Silver Queen. Cut it off the cob and put in large electric skillet. Add enough water to cover the corn, stick of butter, salt, pepper to taste, pinch to TBSP sugar and boil in skillet until done. Some folks add flour and milk to thicken it but I don't. Stir occasionally and make sure there is plenty of water in it to keep the corn from sticking to the skillet.

Fried Sweet potatoes is something I never heard of until I maried my husband. I never liked sweet potatoes any way shape or form but tried this at my MIL's and adapted to my own tastes. Wash and peel 5 or 6 large sweet potatoes. Slice like potato chips but fairly thick. In an electric skillet
add at least 2 cups water then the sliced sweet potatoes, a stick of butter and at least 1 cup of sugar. I'm not sure of these measurements b/c I do this by sight -- I have a 1 cup scoop in my sugar canister and use at least 1 scoop up to 2 depending on number of potatoes. Cook until tender stirring frequently and keeping potatoes in plenty of water. You must stir the potatoes or they will stick to your skillet. When done they will be like carmalized potatoes. The more you make this, the more you adapt it to your own tastes and can adjust ingredients to what you & your familiy likes.

As you can see in both of these dishes there is alot of butter and sugar!! I even add a pinch of sugar to my spaghetti sauce! Oh, and butter is the same as margarine; whatever you use is fine.

Good luck! Karen

 

[babylisa4]

We always have ham (either spiral cut or the kind you make with cloves, cherries and pineapple.) My mom used to take hard boiled eggs and take the shell off and let them marinade in pickled beet juice. The egg turns red like the juice. I don't remember really eating these- I think the older people did but they looked neat.

 

[mickeymousemom]

Golly all this food sounds SOOOOO good! We have no plans yet...but now I have ideas...and I do believe its time for fried corn season! i do just as the above poster stated(though for me, fired corn and creamed corn are 2 totally different things)...I put fresh or frozen corn in a big skillet and add water and salt til its nice and tender and the water has cooked way down. I then add lota of butter, a couple tablespoons of sugar and some good ol' bacon grease(pork fat rules)....Dh and I both grew up with this and we have it alot in the summer! Now I can't wait for Easter.

 

[TN Traveler]

MickeyMouseMom--My mom has made her fried corn w/bacon grease like that too but called it Squaw Corn. Why? NO CLUE!!

Isn't it neat to hear all the different traditions from different parts of the country? My mom is from Indiana and my Dad is from here in Nashville. Mom brought all kinds of different ideas on foods when she and Daddy got married. Mom had the hardest time learning Southern accents for one but also the different foods. Mom tells the funniest story about my grandmother talking about "Iced Potatoes" She had no clue what Mamaw was talking about but soon realized she was saying "Irish Potatoes"!! Mom thought it was another weird Southern dish and everyone ate cold potatoes!!
Then she had to learn the difference between "Creamed Potatoes" and "Mashed Potatoes".

My In-laws are true Southerns....roots can be traced back 5 generations..
so it was different for me when DH and I got married. I had never heard of fried sweet potatoes, "pickled" beets; we had always called them just beets, having fried corn for breakfast, pinto, or white beans at EVERY MEAL, bread AT EVERY MEAL and alot of other traditions I didn't know anything about. Even though my Dad and his family is from TN, my mom's Indiana roots was a big influence on our upbringing. We seldom had pinto beans and had bread served only once a week w/a meal and NEVER have had corn at breakfast!! BUT we almost always had a salad of some sort w/our meal and to this day, I've never eaten a tossed salad at my MILs unless I made it and brought it.

Karen

 

[Connie of Trenton]

mickeymousemom you mentioned using bacon grease for the corn dish...I remember as a kid my mom used bacon grease for our popcorn instead of butter. It does add a special flavor to food. Of couse mom also still uses lard for her pie crust and thats yummy as well.

 

[Laurajean1014]

I'll be having south African food - Jiko style

 

[Swimnoid]

We would usually have a ham. I'm not a big ham fan but I like to have one for Easter. This year though we are having prime rib since I have one in the freezer. And probably roast potatoes and maybe asparagus.....and deviled eggs of course!!

 

[ksjayhawks]

We are going to the neighbors. This year instead of ham she is doing a pork loin. I will take the coleslaw recipe withthe ramien noodles, deviled eggs, and a dessert of some kind. Not sure what others will bring. We have done this for 4 years now, and there is always a ton of food!

 

[StitchIsOurHero]

Then she had to learn the difference between "Creamed Potatoes" and "Mashed Potatoes".

This is such a southern thing! My mom makes "creamed potatoes", and if you like the "mashed" ones better, you have to make them yourself! I, of course, would be the rebel who likes the "mashed" potatoes!

 

[TN Traveler]

Stitch--I remember my grandmother's "creamed" potatoes. I don't care for them -- prefer mashed. My grandmother died in Feb '69 when I was only 8 yrs old but to this day I still remember her sweet tea and chocolate pie. Oh my gosh!!! Both soooo good. Her tea was so sweet it was like drinking syrup! I like sweet tea but not THAT sweet! I laught at myself and say I like my tea like I like my man, sweet, strong and a twist of lemon to make him just a little bit sassy!
Karen

 

[Connie of Trenton]

Whats the difference in mashed potatoes and creamed potatoes? My family likes mashed potato casserole.

 

[TN Traveler]

Mashed potatoes are thicker, not as much milk. Creamed potatoes are really
thin....lots of milk. My grandmother's was so thin you could have sucked them up in a straw!!

 

[Connie of Trenton]

thanks for the insight...might try sometime just for fun!

 

[Grumpy's Wife]

What am I thinking...no ham here. We are having BBQ chicken, potato salad, baked beans, garlic bread and salad. Oh yea, can't forget dessert. Turtle Cheesecake. I'm gaining weight just thinking about it.