JOYOUS EASTER LUNCH 2016

Easter this year is coming early!  Easter Sunday will be March 27, 2016.  Here's a perfect spring meal that is filling and comforting.  Perfect for those who have worked up an appetite during an egg hunt!

Easter Dinner

Deviled eggs

Aretha Franklin Baked Ham

Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Sweet Potatoes

Soul Food Potato Salad

Fresh Steamed Asparagus

Jiffy Corn Muffins

Flo’s Millionaire Pie

Deviled eggs are always best with a bit of spice to liven them up! 

DEVILED EGGS

12 eggs hard boiled & peeled

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sweet relish

1/4 cup onions, finely diced

½ Tablespoon mustard

1 drop of Tabasco

1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay or Seasoning salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Paprika

Slice the eggs vertically and place yolks in a large bowl.   Mash up the yolks. Stir in the mayo, relish, dill, onions, mustard, Tabasco, seasoning salt, black pepper, & garlic powder.  Pipe or spoon the yolk mixture into the eggs. Sprinkle with paprika.  Chill until cold and serve.

This is hands down the Best baked ham I have ever tried!  It certainly earns my RESPECT J

ARETHA FRANKLIN HAM

1 (12 -14 lb) fully cooked bone-in ham

whole cloves

1 (16 ounce) box light brown sugar

3 tablespoons yellow mustard

1 (8 ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained

1 (12 ounce) ginger ale (golden is best if you can find it ( but pale is ok too)

1 (20 ounce) can pineapple rings

baker's coconut (to garnish) (optional)

  

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Using a paring knife, score the ham, creating a diamond pattern. Insert cloves into the corners of each diamond.  Place the ham on a rack set in a 12 x 15-inch roasting pan. Cover loosely with foil, and bake until ham appears juicy, about 30 minutes.  Place brown sugar and mustard in a medium bowl, and stir to combine.  Gradually add ginger ale to brown sugar mixture until a pourable consistency is achieved; you may not need the whole can.  Remove ham from oven and remove foil. Pour brown sugar mixture over ham. Make sure you coat the sides too.  Cover ham with foil, return to oven, and cook for 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes.  Remove foil for last 20 minutes.  Remove ham from oven.  Arrange pineapple rings and maraschino cherries in a docorative pattern on ham, securing them with toothpicks.  Baste the fruit.  Bake ham until fruit is heated through, 7 to 10 minutes.  Sprinkle ham with coconut garnish, if desired

  

I think if I ever left this dish off a holiday menu there would be a major revolt in our family!

DEBORAH’S MACARONI & CHEESE

10 ounces elbow macaroni

1 (8 ounce) packages shredded sharp cheddar cheese ( 2cups)

1 (8 ounce) packages Velveeta cheese, pasteurized processed cheese, cut up

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

3 eggs, slightly beaten

2 (10 3/4 ounce) cans condensed cheddar cheese soup

1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper ( white if you have it)

  

Let cheeses and butter stand at room temperature.  Cook macaroni according to package directions until almost al dente'.Drain macaroni and transfer to a large bowl.  Add 1 cup shredded cheese and Velveeta cubes to hot pasta and stir gently til cheeses start to melt.  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, soup, salt and pepper.  Stir this mixture into the cooked macaroni mixture.  Transfer half into a 13x9 sprayed baking dish.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.  Top with remaining macaroni mixture.  Bake covered at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Uncover.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.  Return to oven and bake 15 minutes more until cheese is melted and bubbly brown.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving to meld flavors.

 Sweet potatoes and ham just go together like Bert & Ernie, I can’t imagine one without the other!

SWEET POTATOES

1 (40 ounce) can bruce cut yams, drained

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 egg, beaten

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 (16 ounce) bag miniature marshmallows

Butter 1 quart baking dish.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mash yams in a large bowl and add brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, egg, and melted butter.  Mix well.  Place 1/2 mixture in baking dish.  Top with a layer of marshmallows, then add remaining mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with remaining marshmallows.  Bake for another 10 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned.

This potato salad is the best and easiest recipe you can find!

SOUL FOOD POTATO SALAD

7 large potatoes, boiled & peeled

7 eggs, hard-boiled & peeled

2 cups mayonnaise

1 3⁄4 cups minced onions

3⁄4 cup sweet pickle relish

3 -4 celery ribs, diced

1 teaspoon celery seed(optional)

1⁄2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

fresh ground pepper

paprika

Slice potatoes into a large serving bowl.  Coarsely chop eggs with the potatoes.  In a small mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients.  Pour dressing over potatoes and eggs, stir gently to coat all.  Garnish with slices of hard boiled eggs and a dusting of paprika. Serve chilled.

  

This recipe was given to me by a wonderful woman I worked with that is now passed away.  She made this almost every holiday.  It is really decadent and delicious!

FLO’S MILLIONAIRE PIE

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup pecans

halved maraschino cherries (drained and patted dry) (to taste)

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple

1 (8 ounce) container Cool Whip

2 graham cracker pie crusts

Mix all ingredients together.  Fill pie crusts.  Refrigerate 1 hour or more.