BY: JESSICA BEUKER
Springtime means that Easter is coming up, and Easter means the whole family will soon be together, gathered around a table of food for Easter Dinner. If you are a guest, you fortunately have the way job of simply showing up, mingling, eating and then leaving. But if you are a host, or a helper to the host, your job is slightly more difficult.
Hosting Easter dinner means cooking for handfuls or people, entertaining your guests and trying to enjoy yourself all at the same time. A lot of plates will be spinning, and you will have to do your best not to drop any of them.
The dinner itself is probably the most stressful part of Easter. Not only is preparing, cooking and serving a meal incredibly laborious and time-consuming, but it also requires you to meet the needs of all of your guests. And that can include your vegan niece, your gluten-sensitive aunt, and your super picky son. It’s best to have a well-rounded dinner with a little something for everyone, in addition of course to the main dishes.
One easy way to do this is with a potluck, where everyone chips in and brings a different dish. But if you are dead set on hosting the meal yourself, then at least let us help you by sharing some of our best dinner ideas for a wonderful country Easter.
1. Ham with Apple Raisin Sauce
Ham is a classic Easter staple, and this is a great way to update and modernize a classic dish, without going to crazy. Instead of boring old pineapple, the apple raisin sauce adds a little sweet and a little spice to an already savoury dish.
Get the recipe here.
2. Corn Pudding
Another modernization of a classic dish. Corn pudding combines two very popular country dinner staples, and brings them together in one unique and delicious side dish. Mixing corn with sugar, eggs, sour cream and muffin mix, gives it a light, fluffy and subtly sweet taste that’s perfect for your country Easter dinner.
Get the recipe here.
3. Glazed Orange Carrots
Another delicious side dish, glazed orange carrots combine the crunch and density of a carrot, with a refreshing citrusy flavour. It seriously can’t be beat.
Get the recipe here.
4. Strawberry Slab Pie
Nothing beats grandma’s classic strawberry pie recipe, but this is a very close second. Featuring a homemade buttery piecrust with juicy fresh strawberries (bonus if you can grab them straight from the garden). This is a dessert that everyone will be making room for.
Get the recipe here.
5. Rosemary-Infused Honey Sidecars
Last, but certainly not least, your guests will need something to sip on, especially after indulging in all of this delicious food. A twist on a traditional sidecar, which combines cognac, orange liqueur and lemon juice, this drink adds honey and a sprig of fresh rosemary to balance out the sweetness. For your guests who might be underage, or who do not drink alcohol, whip up a simple sparkling punch.
Get the recipe here.
