Easter is one of my favorite holidays of the year. I love that it’s spring and (hopefully) warm and sunny and pretty. I love that our family gets together to celebrate the day with some of our closest friends (these days, the children outnumber the adults!). My favorite part of the day, though, is the celebration of our risen Lord and Savior. He is alive - hallelujah and amen!
And, I must admit, I do also enjoy the food (and desserts!) that are associated with Easter. Big surprise, huh?!? So when the Grace Graffiti girls asked me to do another guest post about an Easter meal I was thrilled and jumped at the chance. It gave me an opportunity to pull out a couple of my favorite side dish recipes and try a couple of new recipes, too.
And, I must admit, I do also enjoy the food (and desserts!) that are associated with Easter. Big surprise, huh?!? So when the Grace Graffiti girls asked me to do another guest post about an Easter meal I was thrilled and jumped at the chance. It gave me an opportunity to pull out a couple of my favorite side dish recipes and try a couple of new recipes, too.
I made this meal for one of our weekly Thursday night meals with the Akins family and it received rave reviews all around (their words and Patrick’s, not my own!).
This meal is perfect for a small Easter family gathering, and would feed 8 to 10 people. The flavors are great and go well together. It’s also an easy meal that doesn’t take a ton of time or effort to make. The Twice-Baked Potato Casserole can be put together on Saturday and popped in the fridge overnight. The asparagus takes 10 minutes - total - to make, and the pork tenderloin took five minutes to prep before I put it in the oven.
Patrick and I liked the pork loin so much that it’s going on my baby girl Nora’s first birthday party menu! I’ve also asked the Easter Bunny to put a double oven in my Easter basket …
This meal is perfect for a small Easter family gathering, and would feed 8 to 10 people. The flavors are great and go well together. It’s also an easy meal that doesn’t take a ton of time or effort to make. The Twice-Baked Potato Casserole can be put together on Saturday and popped in the fridge overnight. The asparagus takes 10 minutes - total - to make, and the pork tenderloin took five minutes to prep before I put it in the oven.
Patrick and I liked the pork loin so much that it’s going on my baby girl Nora’s first birthday party menu! I’ve also asked the Easter Bunny to put a double oven in my Easter basket …
Herb-Crusted Pork Loin
Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen
One 4-pound boneless pork loin, with fat left on
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the pork loin on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all of the meat and fat. Roast the pork for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees and roast for an additional hour. Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees, remove the roast from the oven. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests. Serves 10-12.
Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen
One 4-pound boneless pork loin, with fat left on
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 teaspoons minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the pork loin on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl. With your fingers, massage the mixture onto the pork loin, covering all of the meat and fat. Roast the pork for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 425 degrees and roast for an additional hour. Test for doneness using an instant-read thermometer. When the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees, remove the roast from the oven. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests. Serves 10-12.
Twice-Baked Potato Casserole
Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen
8 medium baking potatoes, about 4 pounds
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped chives, for garnish
6 sliced bacon, cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pierce the potatoes and place on a baking pan. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until very soft. Peel and mash the potatoes in a large bowl with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Add the cream cheese, butter, 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, and the sour cream. Stir well. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and stir again. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Place the potatoes into the dish. The casserole may now be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to bake. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the potatoes for 30 to 35 minutes, until hot. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole and return to the oven for about 5 minutes, until the cheese melts. Garnish with the chopped chives and crumbled bacon before serving. Serves 10-12.
Recipe Courtesy of Paula Deen
8 medium baking potatoes, about 4 pounds
One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup chopped chives, for garnish
6 sliced bacon, cooked crisp, drained, and crumbled, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pierce the potatoes and place on a baking pan. Bake the potatoes for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until very soft. Peel and mash the potatoes in a large bowl with a potato masher or the back of a fork. Add the cream cheese, butter, 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, and the sour cream. Stir well. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and stir again. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Place the potatoes into the dish. The casserole may now be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated until ready to bake. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the potatoes for 30 to 35 minutes, until hot. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup Cheddar cheese over the top of the casserole and return to the oven for about 5 minutes, until the cheese melts. Garnish with the chopped chives and crumbled bacon before serving. Serves 10-12.
Oven-roasted asparagus
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living
3 pounds fresh asparagus*
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted*
Wash and dry asparagus. Snap off and discard tough ends; place asparagus on a lightly greased baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or to desired degree of tenderness. Transfer to a serving dish; sprinkle with almonds. Makes 8-10 servings.
Dinner Rolls
Recipe courtesy of your grocer's freezer
Purchase a bag of Sister Schubert's Yeast Rolls. Bake according to package directions. Eat and enjoy.
(Really, with Sister Schubert's available, why on earth would I ever make homemade rolls??)
Recipe courtesy of Southern Living
3 pounds fresh asparagus*
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted*
Wash and dry asparagus. Snap off and discard tough ends; place asparagus on a lightly greased baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or to desired degree of tenderness. Transfer to a serving dish; sprinkle with almonds. Makes 8-10 servings.
Dinner Rolls
Recipe courtesy of your grocer's freezer
Purchase a bag of Sister Schubert's Yeast Rolls. Bake according to package directions. Eat and enjoy.
(Really, with Sister Schubert's available, why on earth would I ever make homemade rolls??)
Carrot Cake
Recipe courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 by 13-inch cake pan with vegetable oil spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and sugars together in a large bowl until frothy and the sugar is mostly dissolved, about 1 minute. While whisking, slowly add the oil until the mixture is thoroughly combined and emulsified, about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the carrots.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Run a paring knife around the perimeter of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack, peel off the parchment, then invert the cake again onto a serving platter.
This cake can be made as a sheet cake, a layer cake, cupcakes or even a bundt cake. The only difference is the baking time. If making a layer cake, though, you’ll need to use a classic frosting because the cream cheese frosting isn’t stiff enough. A bundt cake could be dressed up with a Cream Cheese Glaze or a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Baking time adjustments: for two 8-inch cake layers, reduce the baking time to 25-30 minutes. For a bundt cake, increase the baking time to about 55 minutes. For 24 cupcakes, reduce the baking time to 30 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
Process the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla in a food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to process until smooth, about 10 seconds, scraping down the bowl and blades as needed. (I used my hand mixer instead of a food processor and it worked fine.)
Recipe courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
1 pound carrots, peeled and grated
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 by 13-inch cake pan with vegetable oil spray, then line the bottom with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt together in a large bowl and set aside.
Whisk the eggs and sugars together in a large bowl until frothy and the sugar is mostly dissolved, about 1 minute. While whisking, slowly add the oil until the mixture is thoroughly combined and emulsified, about 1 minute. Whisk in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the carrots.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs attached, 35-40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Run a paring knife around the perimeter of the pan, invert the cake onto the rack, peel off the parchment, then invert the cake again onto a serving platter.
This cake can be made as a sheet cake, a layer cake, cupcakes or even a bundt cake. The only difference is the baking time. If making a layer cake, though, you’ll need to use a classic frosting because the cream cheese frosting isn’t stiff enough. A bundt cake could be dressed up with a Cream Cheese Glaze or a dusting of confectioners’ sugar. Baking time adjustments: for two 8-inch cake layers, reduce the baking time to 25-30 minutes. For a bundt cake, increase the baking time to about 55 minutes. For 24 cupcakes, reduce the baking time to 30 minutes.
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
Process the cream cheese, butter, sour cream and vanilla in a food processor until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the confectioners’ sugar and continue to process until smooth, about 10 seconds, scraping down the bowl and blades as needed. (I used my hand mixer instead of a food processor and it worked fine.)
Happy Easter!
