April 4, 2025 • 22 mins
Easter dinner may not be as hyped up as other famous holiday feasts, but there are a few ways to make it feel special. In this episode, I dig into a gameplan for planning your whole Easter meal to make sure your covered.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hi everybody. I'm Kelsey Nixon and this is Kitchen Prescription,
the podcast you listen to when you don't know what
to make for dinner. Today is episode one hundred and
twenty two on my Easter Menu. The Easter holiday was
super early last year and it's almost a full month
later this year, and I'm not complaining. Is it gives
us personally some space in between our spring break and
(00:26):
a few family birthdays. But last year I was kind
of taken off guard and I wasn't a very good
Easter planner. And so this year, I'm trying to get
ahead of some things and get a good plan in
place so that we can fit in all of the
traditions that we love so much around this holiday. So
I'm excited to break all of that down for you.
In addition to sharing the menu, I plan to serve
and also cover a few hosting tips if you also
(00:48):
happen to be hosting like I am. So that's what
we have going on for today, But first, let's discuss
a few recipes you could throw on your meal plan
for the week, because despite holidays and visitors and spring break,
we still have to eat every day. So this is
what I'm making first up, my Mediterranean chicken sturfry. This
might be a top ten recipe for me, and you
(01:10):
maybe haven't even heard me talk about it that much
because I don't talk about it for some reason. And
I think it's because you fall in and out of
the habits of making the recipes that you love. But
this recipe is so good. It is a obviously a
Mediterranean take on a chicken sturfry. So it's got veggies, peppers,
and onions. It's got chicken that is marinated in a
(01:32):
yogurt based marinade that's got my favorite Greek seasoning in it,
with a little bit of lemon and some dill. I
like to serve it over farrow and it is so flavorful.
My almost thirteen year old son exclaimed, because I made
this last week, that it is the best chicken he's
ever eaten. And if you live with a thirteen year old,
you know how hard it is to get any sort
(01:53):
of compliment to come out of them. And when he
said that, I was like sold. It's it's going in
the regular rotation. So I need chicken stir fry so healthy,
so delicious. It looks as good as it tastes. It's
really a winter If you haven't made it, try that one.
Also on my plan are my turkey avocado milk sandwiches.
This is a sandwich inspired one of my favorite local restaurants.
(02:16):
It's actually a breakfast place, but I am a savory
breakfast girl, and so it is the most delicious sandwich
that has like this crispy coating on the outside of
parmesan cheese and it's layered with turkey and avocado and
this really delicious sauce and is just the perfect sandwich.
And I kind of feel like, is the weather starting
(02:37):
to turn, we can start to do a few more sandwiches,
wraps and things like that. And then finally, this is
a five ingredient really easy recipe. It's my persudo wrapped
chicken with green beans. You simply wrap a chicken cutlet
or a thinly sliced chicken breast in a thin layer
of pershuto, You pan fry it, you add some green
(02:58):
beans with some lemon, You serve it alongside potatoes or
rice or pasta, and it is delicious. It's kind of
just a very with a few small tweaks. It's like
an updated take on a very classic weeknight dinner of chicken,
some sort of green vegetable, and some sort of starch,
but by wrapping the chicken in prostudo. It's so good.
(03:18):
It's so good. All right. There are your recipes for
the week. You can find and print them all in
Recipe Club individually, or in our weekly meal plan with
an easy to follow shopping list that's always broken down
by recipe. These three recipes are all recipes that I
like and make often enough during this season that they
have got a permanent spot in my recipe binder, especially
(03:39):
that Mediterranean chicken stofry. I love being able to cook
from a printed copy and like to bypass the distraction
that inevitably comes when I look for a recipe on
my phone, on Pinterest or on Instagram. So if you're
also wanting a system to get your printed recipes organized,
give yourself the gift of ordering one of our recipe binders.
(04:00):
If you order now, you'll likely get it in time
for our Recipe Binder workshop next week on April ninth,
where I am planning to walk you through my own
binder and offer up my best tips for getting yours
set up. Okay, let's jump into the back half of
the podcast and discuss what I'm making for Easter dinner.
(04:24):
When it comes to food holidays, I wouldn't say that
Easter comes out on top. Now. Don't get me wrong.
I love a good Easter dinner, But I'm just saying
that other holidays tend to get more food, love or
more attention. But as a result, you may be asking
yourself what am I supposed to make for Easter dinner?
You may not have those tried and true recipes that
go along with your Thanksgiving or your Christmas dinners. So
(04:46):
we're going to get into it, along with a couple
of general tips for hosting. Let's start there. So before
you even think about the menu, I'd suggest asking yourself
a few questions to help inform what you're planning to make. So,
first of all, who's coming are you hosting? Are you
going somewhere else? Have you been meaning to invite friends
(05:06):
or family but you just haven't done it yet. Get
your plans set and in place. Even my plans have
shifted in the past day or so, and so now
is a good time to get your ducks in a row.
When it comes to the group, I'm very excited. My
parents are coming this year. My daughter Nora is in
a production of Cinderella the day before, and my son's
(05:26):
in a baseball tournament that day. So we are going
to have a fun family weekend of doing stuff to
kind of celebrate our kids and then having this great
Easter dinner. And I think we're also going to invite
some additional extended family that lives in the area. And
so I'm still just nailing down how many people and
exactly like what time and the details. But now's the
(05:48):
time to do that. After you know who's coming and
where the actual meal will be hosted, and I know
mine's being hosted at my house this year, map out
your menu and delegate. No one expects one person to
make and plan the whole meal, so whether you find
yourself as the host or the guest, lean into delegation.
For example, my mom is coming from out of state
(06:11):
and she likes to contribute it, and she will absolutely
help me cook the meal. But it is interesting to think, like, Okay,
is there anything that I could ask her to bring
that really just takes something off my plate? And I
actually already thought of it. There's these lemon cookies that
are so delicious that she gets in Utah, and I thought,
I'm going to ask her to bring some of those
(06:31):
and that can just be kind of something to help
support dessert for our Easter dinner and she'll feel like
she's contributing and I will get to eat these delicious
lemon cookies that I love so much. But before you delegate,
you might want to map out the menu. So before
we jump to the lemon cookies, can you tell I'm
excited Now that you know how many people you have,
you should have an idea of how much food you'll
(06:52):
actually need. This is somewhat obvious, but for the sake
of providing a formula, you'll want a protein, a bread,
a potato. And I wouldn't always say that on Easter
you need a bread and a potato, a few veggie
based sides, and a dessert or two. Maybe a drink
and an appetizer is nice. So with that formula in mine,
(07:12):
here's what my personal menu is looking like this year,
and hopefully it gives you some ideas. Always, always I
take a break from protein and I delegate it to
Honey Baked Tam the company Honey Baked Tam On Easter
just like my mother taught me. I have yet no
one makes a better ham than honey baked Tam. I
don't know what to tell you, guys. I love home
(07:33):
cooked food as much as anybody, but for whatever reason,
ham is just ham, and whatever honey baked ham does
to it, it tastes delicious. So my mom used to
always order ham, and I have followed suit, and I
give myself a break from planning a big elaborate protein.
I let them do it and I focus on making
(07:54):
delicious sides. So that is what I'm planning to do.
I will say, if you are going to order through
Honey Baked Haam, you can early and you can even
pick up a few days in advance and just keep
it in your fridge. I think it you'll have to
check it's something like four to seven days in the fridge,
but do that in advance. Kind of get it out
of the way and order your ham. Now, let's talk
(08:14):
about an appetizer, no question, deviled eggs with candy bacon.
This is one of the first recipes I ever made
on my show on Cooking Channel and Food Network called
Kelsey's Essentials. It's super popular, I think because of the
candied bacon. But I just had somebody in the recipe
club this week chime in with a review and say,
oh my gosh, I forgot about these. They are so good.
(08:37):
My favorite devil dyg recipe by far. But if there's
any time to make devil eggs, now's the time. Now,
it's the time. Okay, So we've got our appetizer there,
let's talk about a roll or bread. So my sister
in law, Betsy is known for these famous dinner roles,
and I have a Parker House role that I like.
I like Betsy's rolls, but I made the Parker Whole
(08:57):
House rolls for Thanksgiving this year, and you know, those
Betsy's rolls are famous for a reason. I'm going back
to the Betsy's roles. They're so good, so so good,
and I love that they're a family recipe and you
like time and these nuts and they like beautiful. Anyways,
that's what we're gonna. We're gonna Betsy's famous dinner roles
for our potato. I like doing scalloped potatoes a gratan.
(09:19):
You could also do mashed potatoes. If you're from Utah
like I am, you could do funeral potatoes, which is
a very funny concoction of hash banns and cornflakes that
just hits the spot. Don't kno gonna tell you try it.
In fact, that does sound delicious. I have not had
funeral potatoes in years, but scaloped potatoes are on our menu.
(09:41):
I love these honey glazed carrots with pistachios, and we
top them with a little bit of crumbled goat cheese.
I get the actual carrots at Trader Joe's. It's this
heirloom variety. So they are really colorful and really pretty.
They're orange and purple and yellow, and they almost always
have them, but they I actually happen this time of year,
(10:01):
and I wrote they're almost their baby. They're mini and
so I can roast them whole with that delicious honey
glaze on top, and they are so good. I hear
a lot that people this is on people's standard Easter
menu year after year. In fact, if you only make
one thing, you should maybe make this. It's they are
that good, or maybe the devil leggs. The devil leggs
(10:23):
are also incredible. Okay, another couple of veggies to discuss.
I'm either going to do my pickle asparagus where I
get the thin, really pencil thin asparagus, and I make
a strong shallot vineigrette and I put it on the
day before and I kind of let it pickle and
all it does is, you know, asparagus kind is kind
(10:43):
of woody, and the acidity in the vineigrette just kind
of softens that a little bit, and it makes it
really tangy and delicious. So up against some of these
richer flavors in your Easter lineup, like the potatoes and
the ham, it's just perfect. It's delicious. That is a
recipe I first learned how to make when I was
(11:06):
on a reality show on Food Network years ago called
Food Network Star. And for anyone who has been following
me for literally twenty years and watched that show, that
is a recipe I got from someone on the show
named Lisa Garza. Blast from the past. Anyways, pickled asparagus.
It's delicious. If I don't make the pickle asparagus, I'll
do the Harry Covert almondiner. The Haircott Verts is what
(11:30):
it looks like as it's spelled, but basically French green
beans with some delicious like finely chopped almonds on top
with lemon shallatt comes together in a skillet really quick.
It's bright, it's green, it's springy, it's yummy. Then for desserts,
I'm going to make a sheet pan carrot cake. I
kind of always do that. Something about a sheet pancake
(11:51):
just feels a lot more manageable to me than a
layered cake. And my mom's bringing the lemon cookies. For drink,
we will do I like to do freshly squeezed lemonade
on Easter, so if I can pull it off, I'm
gonna make that happen. And then my husband's family has
a tradition of making this drink called slush for holidays,
(12:12):
and that tradition is kind of carried through and now
my kids they want slush at every holiday dinner, which
is so fun. You basically take cranberry juice, pineapple juice,
you freeze it and then you scrape it so it's slushy,
and you pour either ginger ale or sprite or something
like that over the top. It's fans drink. My kids
love it. So that's what I'm making. That's how me
(12:35):
menu feels very manageable. We will have a huge group.
It will probably be between seven and ten people, which
feels very manageable. So I should be able to do
just one or maybe one and a half recipes of
each of those things and have enough food. But it's
gonna be great. I'm really looking forward to it. If
you're hosting, my best suggestion is to make things that
(12:56):
are the most challenging to travel with. Now that often
includes the primary protein, so for Easter, that might be
the ham or prime rib or maybe even lamb. And
anything that should be served warm, like critical to be
served warm. So if you're hosting, those are the two
things that I almost always assume responsibility for. Now, you're
(13:18):
probably maybe thinking that the main dish is pretty obvious,
so let's dig into this whole warm dish thing just
a bit. So if you've ever hosted and had someone
show up and say, hey, can I use your oven
to heat this up? Or can I use the stove
for this and you're not expecting it, I can kind
of throw you for a loop, especially if the rest
of the meal is ready to go and someone needs
(13:39):
to bake something off, You've got to wait for the
oven to preheat and so forth. So I just suggest
you plan to pull together all of the hot things,
be in charge of those to avoid those scenarios. So
like if you were going to do a salad, in fact,
it's not on my menu this year, but I'm a
wonderful irugular salad with pickled veggies and a green Goddess dressing.
I also have a lemon basil and chickpea pasta salad
(14:01):
that's great with Easter. Those things can be cold, they
can be made in advance, and someone can bring those
and it's so much easier. Baked off desserts super easy
for someone to bring. But I don't know salad, sides, appetizers, desserts, drinks,
those are the types of things. Now, you might be
a guest attending Easter and maybe you're known for your
scalped potatoes. Maybe it's a family recipe. Great, but if
(14:23):
you think you need an oven for anything once you
arrive to the house, just send a quick text in
advance letting them know. It's just a nice thing to
do and a great way to kind of just make
sure no one's taken off guard, because if you are
known for something that's warm, we want you to bring it.
Just let us know. But really, for guests, things like salad, sides, appetizers, desserts, drinks.
Those are all all types of things I think are
(14:45):
best to ask guests to bring. And I just want
to offer another reminder to not be afraid to ask.
No one expects you to cook the entire meal, start
to finish. Don't be afraid of delegation. It'll make the
meal better because you won't be so overwhelmed. And I
love the idea of people bringing stuff that they want
to make that they're known for, so lots of times
(15:06):
I'll ask that as well, like is there a dish
you grew up having at Easter or is there a
dish that you always have at your Easter table? If so,
bring that all right, So we've been talking about the host,
but let's put ourselves in the position of the guests.
So if you are a guest and you're attending and
you haven't been asked to bring something yet, I'd suggest
proactively reaching out now and saying, Hey, what can I
(15:27):
bring to contribute? If you have something you always look
forward to on Easter, like I mentioned, definitely offer to
bring that, maybe a family tradition or a recipe, but
it's always nice to offer to bring something. Let's step
back into the hosting role. If you're hosting, I suggest
thinking about having some sort of box or bag to
send leftovers home in, especially if you don't want all
(15:48):
of those leftovers. I like having the brown takeout boxes.
That's what I tend to use most, but order those
now so that you're not scrambling at the last minute.
Speaking of lefto I can't record an episode about Easter
and not mentioned my honey baked ham and Swiss sliders
as one of my favorite leftover recipes. In fact, I
(16:10):
always make sure I order a ham big enough that
I know I'm gonna have extra ham so that we
can make those the day or two after Easter. They
are so good and my kids love them. Finally, if
you're a guest attending at someone else's home, I think
it's always nice to just offer a reminder to step
in and help with the dishes, or step in into
(16:31):
help clean up, even if they don't ask you to
or don't or don't start or initiate cleanup. I think
it's just a nice thing to do, all right. So
there's a few tips for pulling your Easter menu together
and things to think about. Whether you are a guest
at Easter this year, or you are hosting for Easter
this year. I hope it is a wonderful spring meal
(16:53):
that is delicious and memory making. All right, Finally, let's
finish with the weekly Gimme five. These are five things
that made my life easier or more enjoyable this week.
And we've got a bit of an Easter theme going
on because I, like I said at the top of
the episode, I am trying to get ahead of some
things so that Easter feels easy breezy this year. So
first up, the egg Mazing. This is the easiest way
(17:17):
to decorate Easter eggs without the mess. We had one
for it went for at least five years, but it
died last year, and so I just ordered another one
that you've seen them before. You put the egg in it,
it spins, you can use markers instead of die and
my kids think it is the greatest thing in the world.
So but order it now, because I remember I went
(17:38):
to go order one last year when ours was on
the fritz, and yeah, it was not going to get
there in time. So check that out. And we all
know that eggs are sky high when it comes to
price right now, So I ordered some plastic eggs for decorating. Now,
not like shiny plastic eggs, they're more like matt but
they can be used with this egg amazing thing. And
(17:59):
they also can be used with traditional dye. If you
want to dye eggs sealed fashioned way, you can get
like thirty for twelve dollars, And that way you're not
worried about spending money on eggs that are gonna be
hard boiled and potentially not eaten, because that might happen
at my house. My family does not love hard boiled
eggs enough that even when we're doing that, I hate wasting.
(18:23):
So this way we can decorate those plastic eggs, and
then I can just store them with our Easter decorations
and we can pull them out as a decoration for
years to come. Speaking of decorations, I also ordered these
really set of three gold Easter bunnies. My girls are
so excited about the holidays right now. They are five
and eight, and when we pulled out our decorations last weekend,
(18:47):
they were like, they were so excited about the eggs, like,
where are the bunnies? We have no bunnies. So I
jumped on Amazon. I found a set for fifteen dollars.
It just got here. It's such great quality and it
definitely feels like an heirloom decoration that we can pull
out year after year and it's gonna last. Okay, eggs
double decker cooker for those of you who want to
(19:09):
cook actual eggs and actually really want to have your
delicious hard boiled eggs, or if you are making the
devil leggs with the candied bacon. This is one of
those small appliances in my kitchen that I actually do
use quite often, especially this time of year and especially
anytime I'm making these deviled eggs. The brand is Dash,
(19:29):
and they are known for making awesome egg cookers, but
I like the double decker one because you can make
I think you can make nine at a time, and
it's so much easier than pulling my instant pot out.
I don't have to set a timer. I just put
the eggs in, I push the button, and it does
its thing. So if you are in the market for
an egg cooker, I recommend the double decker Dash option.
(19:51):
And then finally I ordered some Easter Sunday dresses for
me and my girls. I have been having such good
luck with J cru Factory lately. Kids are tricky, right,
They are hard on clothes, and I am trying to
find and kind of make note of the best places
where we get enough quality that it lasts. You know
(20:13):
that they aren't putting holes in the knees of the leggings,
and the clothes are lasting through however long they'll be
wearing them, So I'm not aftering replace them, but I'm
not spending too much either, and J Crew Factory seems
to be the perfect spot for that. So I grabbed
Easter Sunday dresses for both of the girls. I'm actually
going to stick them in their Easter baskets so it
feels exciting for them to get them and put them on.
(20:36):
And I just checked the dresses I got are already
even more on zale I. Literally we're talking about like
twenty dollars dresses and they're so cute. So if you
haven't popped over to Ja Creu Factory recently, especially for kids' clothes,
I highly recommend it. All Right, that's it for today.
You guys, make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so
that you never miss an episode. This podcast is meant
(20:57):
to be a quick twenty to thirty minute listen while
you map about your own meals for the week. Listening
to a podcast while I meal plan has always been
part of my own simple dinner system, so I try
to put out something that's a really good fit for
that each week. Next week we're gonna be having kitchen
office hours, which really just means I'm going to answer
your questions. I'll answer your questions from Instagram or my newsletter,
(21:18):
and if you would like to submit a question before them,
you can send me a DM on Instagram and there's
a chance I'll answer it. I always try and do
a weekend Q and A where I answer questions about
cooking and all things having to do with the kitchen,
so that's another place you can keep an eye out
for submitting your question. Remember to subscribe to this podcast
so that the episodes automatically pop up for you. Thank
(21:40):
you so much for listening today. I'm so glad you're here.
Until next time, happy cooking. I'm Kelsey and I look
forward to chatting with you all next week. Thanks
Hi everybody. I'm Kelsey Nixon and this is Kitchen Prescription,
the podcast you listen to when you don't know what
to make for dinner. Today is episode one hundred and
twenty two on my Easter Menu. The Easter holiday was
super early last year and it's almost a full month
later this year, and I'm not complaining. Is it gives
us personally some space in between our spring break and
(00:26):
a few family birthdays. But last year I was kind
of taken off guard and I wasn't a very good
Easter planner. And so this year, I'm trying to get
ahead of some things and get a good plan in
place so that we can fit in all of the
traditions that we love so much around this holiday. So
I'm excited to break all of that down for you.
In addition to sharing the menu, I plan to serve
and also cover a few hosting tips if you also
(00:48):
happen to be hosting like I am. So that's what
we have going on for today, But first, let's discuss
a few recipes you could throw on your meal plan
for the week, because despite holidays and visitors and spring break,
we still have to eat every day. So this is
what I'm making first up, my Mediterranean chicken sturfry. This
might be a top ten recipe for me, and you
(01:10):
maybe haven't even heard me talk about it that much
because I don't talk about it for some reason. And
I think it's because you fall in and out of
the habits of making the recipes that you love. But
this recipe is so good. It is a obviously a
Mediterranean take on a chicken sturfry. So it's got veggies, peppers,
and onions. It's got chicken that is marinated in a
(01:32):
yogurt based marinade that's got my favorite Greek seasoning in it,
with a little bit of lemon and some dill. I
like to serve it over farrow and it is so flavorful.
My almost thirteen year old son exclaimed, because I made
this last week, that it is the best chicken he's
ever eaten. And if you live with a thirteen year old,
you know how hard it is to get any sort
(01:53):
of compliment to come out of them. And when he
said that, I was like sold. It's it's going in
the regular rotation. So I need chicken stir fry so healthy,
so delicious. It looks as good as it tastes. It's
really a winter If you haven't made it, try that one.
Also on my plan are my turkey avocado milk sandwiches.
This is a sandwich inspired one of my favorite local restaurants.
(02:16):
It's actually a breakfast place, but I am a savory
breakfast girl, and so it is the most delicious sandwich
that has like this crispy coating on the outside of
parmesan cheese and it's layered with turkey and avocado and
this really delicious sauce and is just the perfect sandwich.
And I kind of feel like, is the weather starting
(02:37):
to turn, we can start to do a few more sandwiches,
wraps and things like that. And then finally, this is
a five ingredient really easy recipe. It's my persudo wrapped
chicken with green beans. You simply wrap a chicken cutlet
or a thinly sliced chicken breast in a thin layer
of pershuto, You pan fry it, you add some green
(02:58):
beans with some lemon, You serve it alongside potatoes or
rice or pasta, and it is delicious. It's kind of
just a very with a few small tweaks. It's like
an updated take on a very classic weeknight dinner of chicken,
some sort of green vegetable, and some sort of starch,
but by wrapping the chicken in prostudo. It's so good.
(03:18):
It's so good. All right. There are your recipes for
the week. You can find and print them all in
Recipe Club individually, or in our weekly meal plan with
an easy to follow shopping list that's always broken down
by recipe. These three recipes are all recipes that I
like and make often enough during this season that they
have got a permanent spot in my recipe binder, especially
(03:39):
that Mediterranean chicken stofry. I love being able to cook
from a printed copy and like to bypass the distraction
that inevitably comes when I look for a recipe on
my phone, on Pinterest or on Instagram. So if you're
also wanting a system to get your printed recipes organized,
give yourself the gift of ordering one of our recipe binders.
(04:00):
If you order now, you'll likely get it in time
for our Recipe Binder workshop next week on April ninth,
where I am planning to walk you through my own
binder and offer up my best tips for getting yours
set up. Okay, let's jump into the back half of
the podcast and discuss what I'm making for Easter dinner.
(04:24):
When it comes to food holidays, I wouldn't say that
Easter comes out on top. Now. Don't get me wrong.
I love a good Easter dinner, But I'm just saying
that other holidays tend to get more food, love or
more attention. But as a result, you may be asking
yourself what am I supposed to make for Easter dinner?
You may not have those tried and true recipes that
go along with your Thanksgiving or your Christmas dinners. So
(04:46):
we're going to get into it, along with a couple
of general tips for hosting. Let's start there. So before
you even think about the menu, I'd suggest asking yourself
a few questions to help inform what you're planning to make. So,
first of all, who's coming are you hosting? Are you
going somewhere else? Have you been meaning to invite friends
(05:06):
or family but you just haven't done it yet. Get
your plans set and in place. Even my plans have
shifted in the past day or so, and so now
is a good time to get your ducks in a row.
When it comes to the group, I'm very excited. My
parents are coming this year. My daughter Nora is in
a production of Cinderella the day before, and my son's
(05:26):
in a baseball tournament that day. So we are going
to have a fun family weekend of doing stuff to
kind of celebrate our kids and then having this great
Easter dinner. And I think we're also going to invite
some additional extended family that lives in the area. And
so I'm still just nailing down how many people and
exactly like what time and the details. But now's the
(05:48):
time to do that. After you know who's coming and
where the actual meal will be hosted, and I know
mine's being hosted at my house this year, map out
your menu and delegate. No one expects one person to
make and plan the whole meal, so whether you find
yourself as the host or the guest, lean into delegation.
For example, my mom is coming from out of state
(06:11):
and she likes to contribute it, and she will absolutely
help me cook the meal. But it is interesting to think, like, Okay,
is there anything that I could ask her to bring
that really just takes something off my plate? And I
actually already thought of it. There's these lemon cookies that
are so delicious that she gets in Utah, and I thought,
I'm going to ask her to bring some of those
(06:31):
and that can just be kind of something to help
support dessert for our Easter dinner and she'll feel like
she's contributing and I will get to eat these delicious
lemon cookies that I love so much. But before you delegate,
you might want to map out the menu. So before
we jump to the lemon cookies, can you tell I'm
excited Now that you know how many people you have,
you should have an idea of how much food you'll
(06:52):
actually need. This is somewhat obvious, but for the sake
of providing a formula, you'll want a protein, a bread,
a potato. And I wouldn't always say that on Easter
you need a bread and a potato, a few veggie
based sides, and a dessert or two. Maybe a drink
and an appetizer is nice. So with that formula in mine,
(07:12):
here's what my personal menu is looking like this year,
and hopefully it gives you some ideas. Always, always I
take a break from protein and I delegate it to
Honey Baked Tam the company Honey Baked Tam On Easter
just like my mother taught me. I have yet no
one makes a better ham than honey baked Tam. I
don't know what to tell you, guys. I love home
(07:33):
cooked food as much as anybody, but for whatever reason,
ham is just ham, and whatever honey baked ham does
to it, it tastes delicious. So my mom used to
always order ham, and I have followed suit, and I
give myself a break from planning a big elaborate protein.
I let them do it and I focus on making
(07:54):
delicious sides. So that is what I'm planning to do.
I will say, if you are going to order through
Honey Baked Haam, you can early and you can even
pick up a few days in advance and just keep
it in your fridge. I think it you'll have to
check it's something like four to seven days in the fridge,
but do that in advance. Kind of get it out
of the way and order your ham. Now, let's talk
(08:14):
about an appetizer, no question, deviled eggs with candy bacon.
This is one of the first recipes I ever made
on my show on Cooking Channel and Food Network called
Kelsey's Essentials. It's super popular, I think because of the
candied bacon. But I just had somebody in the recipe
club this week chime in with a review and say,
oh my gosh, I forgot about these. They are so good.
(08:37):
My favorite devil dyg recipe by far. But if there's
any time to make devil eggs, now's the time. Now,
it's the time. Okay, So we've got our appetizer there,
let's talk about a roll or bread. So my sister
in law, Betsy is known for these famous dinner roles,
and I have a Parker House role that I like.
I like Betsy's rolls, but I made the Parker Whole
(08:57):
House rolls for Thanksgiving this year, and you know, those
Betsy's rolls are famous for a reason. I'm going back
to the Betsy's roles. They're so good, so so good,
and I love that they're a family recipe and you
like time and these nuts and they like beautiful. Anyways,
that's what we're gonna. We're gonna Betsy's famous dinner roles
for our potato. I like doing scalloped potatoes a gratan.
(09:19):
You could also do mashed potatoes. If you're from Utah
like I am, you could do funeral potatoes, which is
a very funny concoction of hash banns and cornflakes that
just hits the spot. Don't kno gonna tell you try it.
In fact, that does sound delicious. I have not had
funeral potatoes in years, but scaloped potatoes are on our menu.
(09:41):
I love these honey glazed carrots with pistachios, and we
top them with a little bit of crumbled goat cheese.
I get the actual carrots at Trader Joe's. It's this
heirloom variety. So they are really colorful and really pretty.
They're orange and purple and yellow, and they almost always
have them, but they I actually happen this time of year,
(10:01):
and I wrote they're almost their baby. They're mini and
so I can roast them whole with that delicious honey
glaze on top, and they are so good. I hear
a lot that people this is on people's standard Easter
menu year after year. In fact, if you only make
one thing, you should maybe make this. It's they are
that good, or maybe the devil leggs. The devil leggs
(10:23):
are also incredible. Okay, another couple of veggies to discuss.
I'm either going to do my pickle asparagus where I
get the thin, really pencil thin asparagus, and I make
a strong shallot vineigrette and I put it on the
day before and I kind of let it pickle and
all it does is, you know, asparagus kind is kind
(10:43):
of woody, and the acidity in the vineigrette just kind
of softens that a little bit, and it makes it
really tangy and delicious. So up against some of these
richer flavors in your Easter lineup, like the potatoes and
the ham, it's just perfect. It's delicious. That is a
recipe I first learned how to make when I was
(11:06):
on a reality show on Food Network years ago called
Food Network Star. And for anyone who has been following
me for literally twenty years and watched that show, that
is a recipe I got from someone on the show
named Lisa Garza. Blast from the past. Anyways, pickled asparagus.
It's delicious. If I don't make the pickle asparagus, I'll
do the Harry Covert almondiner. The Haircott Verts is what
(11:30):
it looks like as it's spelled, but basically French green
beans with some delicious like finely chopped almonds on top
with lemon shallatt comes together in a skillet really quick.
It's bright, it's green, it's springy, it's yummy. Then for desserts,
I'm going to make a sheet pan carrot cake. I
kind of always do that. Something about a sheet pancake
(11:51):
just feels a lot more manageable to me than a
layered cake. And my mom's bringing the lemon cookies. For drink,
we will do I like to do freshly squeezed lemonade
on Easter, so if I can pull it off, I'm
gonna make that happen. And then my husband's family has
a tradition of making this drink called slush for holidays,
(12:12):
and that tradition is kind of carried through and now
my kids they want slush at every holiday dinner, which
is so fun. You basically take cranberry juice, pineapple juice,
you freeze it and then you scrape it so it's slushy,
and you pour either ginger ale or sprite or something
like that over the top. It's fans drink. My kids
love it. So that's what I'm making. That's how me
(12:35):
menu feels very manageable. We will have a huge group.
It will probably be between seven and ten people, which
feels very manageable. So I should be able to do
just one or maybe one and a half recipes of
each of those things and have enough food. But it's
gonna be great. I'm really looking forward to it. If
you're hosting, my best suggestion is to make things that
(12:56):
are the most challenging to travel with. Now that often
includes the primary protein, so for Easter, that might be
the ham or prime rib or maybe even lamb. And
anything that should be served warm, like critical to be
served warm. So if you're hosting, those are the two
things that I almost always assume responsibility for. Now, you're
(13:18):
probably maybe thinking that the main dish is pretty obvious,
so let's dig into this whole warm dish thing just
a bit. So if you've ever hosted and had someone
show up and say, hey, can I use your oven
to heat this up? Or can I use the stove
for this and you're not expecting it, I can kind
of throw you for a loop, especially if the rest
of the meal is ready to go and someone needs
(13:39):
to bake something off, You've got to wait for the
oven to preheat and so forth. So I just suggest
you plan to pull together all of the hot things,
be in charge of those to avoid those scenarios. So
like if you were going to do a salad, in fact,
it's not on my menu this year, but I'm a
wonderful irugular salad with pickled veggies and a green Goddess dressing.
I also have a lemon basil and chickpea pasta salad
(14:01):
that's great with Easter. Those things can be cold, they
can be made in advance, and someone can bring those
and it's so much easier. Baked off desserts super easy
for someone to bring. But I don't know salad, sides, appetizers, desserts, drinks,
those are the types of things. Now, you might be
a guest attending Easter and maybe you're known for your
scalped potatoes. Maybe it's a family recipe. Great, but if
(14:23):
you think you need an oven for anything once you
arrive to the house, just send a quick text in
advance letting them know. It's just a nice thing to
do and a great way to kind of just make
sure no one's taken off guard, because if you are
known for something that's warm, we want you to bring it.
Just let us know. But really, for guests, things like salad, sides, appetizers, desserts, drinks.
Those are all all types of things I think are
(14:45):
best to ask guests to bring. And I just want
to offer another reminder to not be afraid to ask.
No one expects you to cook the entire meal, start
to finish. Don't be afraid of delegation. It'll make the
meal better because you won't be so overwhelmed. And I
love the idea of people bringing stuff that they want
to make that they're known for, so lots of times
(15:06):
I'll ask that as well, like is there a dish
you grew up having at Easter or is there a
dish that you always have at your Easter table? If so,
bring that all right, So we've been talking about the host,
but let's put ourselves in the position of the guests.
So if you are a guest and you're attending and
you haven't been asked to bring something yet, I'd suggest
proactively reaching out now and saying, Hey, what can I
(15:27):
bring to contribute? If you have something you always look
forward to on Easter, like I mentioned, definitely offer to
bring that, maybe a family tradition or a recipe, but
it's always nice to offer to bring something. Let's step
back into the hosting role. If you're hosting, I suggest
thinking about having some sort of box or bag to
send leftovers home in, especially if you don't want all
(15:48):
of those leftovers. I like having the brown takeout boxes.
That's what I tend to use most, but order those
now so that you're not scrambling at the last minute.
Speaking of lefto I can't record an episode about Easter
and not mentioned my honey baked ham and Swiss sliders
as one of my favorite leftover recipes. In fact, I
(16:10):
always make sure I order a ham big enough that
I know I'm gonna have extra ham so that we
can make those the day or two after Easter. They
are so good and my kids love them. Finally, if
you're a guest attending at someone else's home, I think
it's always nice to just offer a reminder to step
in and help with the dishes, or step in into
(16:31):
help clean up, even if they don't ask you to
or don't or don't start or initiate cleanup. I think
it's just a nice thing to do, all right. So
there's a few tips for pulling your Easter menu together
and things to think about. Whether you are a guest
at Easter this year, or you are hosting for Easter
this year. I hope it is a wonderful spring meal
(16:53):
that is delicious and memory making. All right, Finally, let's
finish with the weekly Gimme five. These are five things
that made my life easier or more enjoyable this week.
And we've got a bit of an Easter theme going
on because I, like I said at the top of
the episode, I am trying to get ahead of some
things so that Easter feels easy breezy this year. So
first up, the egg Mazing. This is the easiest way
(17:17):
to decorate Easter eggs without the mess. We had one
for it went for at least five years, but it
died last year, and so I just ordered another one
that you've seen them before. You put the egg in it,
it spins, you can use markers instead of die and
my kids think it is the greatest thing in the world.
So but order it now, because I remember I went
(17:38):
to go order one last year when ours was on
the fritz, and yeah, it was not going to get
there in time. So check that out. And we all
know that eggs are sky high when it comes to
price right now, So I ordered some plastic eggs for decorating. Now,
not like shiny plastic eggs, they're more like matt but
they can be used with this egg amazing thing. And
(17:59):
they also can be used with traditional dye. If you
want to dye eggs sealed fashioned way, you can get
like thirty for twelve dollars, And that way you're not
worried about spending money on eggs that are gonna be
hard boiled and potentially not eaten, because that might happen
at my house. My family does not love hard boiled
eggs enough that even when we're doing that, I hate wasting.
(18:23):
So this way we can decorate those plastic eggs, and
then I can just store them with our Easter decorations
and we can pull them out as a decoration for
years to come. Speaking of decorations, I also ordered these
really set of three gold Easter bunnies. My girls are
so excited about the holidays right now. They are five
and eight, and when we pulled out our decorations last weekend,
(18:47):
they were like, they were so excited about the eggs, like,
where are the bunnies? We have no bunnies. So I
jumped on Amazon. I found a set for fifteen dollars.
It just got here. It's such great quality and it
definitely feels like an heirloom decoration that we can pull
out year after year and it's gonna last. Okay, eggs
double decker cooker for those of you who want to
(19:09):
cook actual eggs and actually really want to have your
delicious hard boiled eggs, or if you are making the
devil leggs with the candied bacon. This is one of
those small appliances in my kitchen that I actually do
use quite often, especially this time of year and especially
anytime I'm making these deviled eggs. The brand is Dash,
(19:29):
and they are known for making awesome egg cookers, but
I like the double decker one because you can make
I think you can make nine at a time, and
it's so much easier than pulling my instant pot out.
I don't have to set a timer. I just put
the eggs in, I push the button, and it does
its thing. So if you are in the market for
an egg cooker, I recommend the double decker Dash option.
(19:51):
And then finally I ordered some Easter Sunday dresses for
me and my girls. I have been having such good
luck with J cru Factory lately. Kids are tricky, right,
They are hard on clothes, and I am trying to
find and kind of make note of the best places
where we get enough quality that it lasts. You know
(20:13):
that they aren't putting holes in the knees of the leggings,
and the clothes are lasting through however long they'll be
wearing them, So I'm not aftering replace them, but I'm
not spending too much either, and J Crew Factory seems
to be the perfect spot for that. So I grabbed
Easter Sunday dresses for both of the girls. I'm actually
going to stick them in their Easter baskets so it
feels exciting for them to get them and put them on.
(20:36):
And I just checked the dresses I got are already
even more on zale I. Literally we're talking about like
twenty dollars dresses and they're so cute. So if you
haven't popped over to Ja Creu Factory recently, especially for kids' clothes,
I highly recommend it. All Right, that's it for today.
You guys, make sure you're subscribed to the podcast so
that you never miss an episode. This podcast is meant
(20:57):
to be a quick twenty to thirty minute listen while
you map about your own meals for the week. Listening
to a podcast while I meal plan has always been
part of my own simple dinner system, so I try
to put out something that's a really good fit for
that each week. Next week we're gonna be having kitchen
office hours, which really just means I'm going to answer
your questions. I'll answer your questions from Instagram or my newsletter,
(21:18):
and if you would like to submit a question before them,
you can send me a DM on Instagram and there's
a chance I'll answer it. I always try and do
a weekend Q and A where I answer questions about
cooking and all things having to do with the kitchen,
so that's another place you can keep an eye out
for submitting your question. Remember to subscribe to this podcast
so that the episodes automatically pop up for you. Thank
(21:40):
you so much for listening today. I'm so glad you're here.
Until next time, happy cooking. I'm Kelsey and I look
forward to chatting with you all next week. Thanks
Host
Kelsey Nixon
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