Easter dinner

                                           Easter Dinner

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I don't really love all the prep of egg dying and such but I love  the spirit that comes with Easter and all it means. I also love all the food that comes with it. Every year I make a ham and cheesy potatoes. The sides can vary from year to year but this year I think was one of my new favorites especially the rolls. I looked online at several options this year and even tried my first pintrist recipe ever and I didn't have an epic failure :) The only thing that would have made this dinner more special was if my honey was here with us...but we will have many more together after this.

This year as I do every year I buy a pre-sliced ham with a glaze packet. I just follow the package directions. I ended up cooking it in a browning bag left over from Thanksgiving because I ran out of foil of course! But the bag worked great. I pulled it out of the bag the last 10 min and glazed it and baked it a few more mins to set the glaze.

 

 Cheesy Potatoes

30 oz bag of frozen hash browns

1 can crm of mushroom soup

1 small container of sour cream ( or half a big one)

1-2 Tbs grated onion

lots of shredded cheese

salt and pepper

Start by using a fine cheese grater and grate some onion into a large bowl. I like to grate the onion instead of having chunks of onion in the potatoes. You only need a table spoon or so because it is strong with the juice. I have also used dried onion or just left it out all together. Add all the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix together. Pour into a 9X13 pan and cover with foil.

Bake at 350 for 35-45 min if the hash browns are thawed or 45-60 min if they are still frozen. I just put it in the oven with the ham and if the ham cooks at a lower temp just cook the potatoes a little longer. You just want it to be hot and bubbly. I like to take off the foil the last 15 min and add extra cheese on top.

Rosemary Thyme Dinner Rolls

I got this recipe from the Pioneer woman and I added the thyme. These are absolutely amazing!!! I will be making these over and over again...I think I may have eaten 4 this night! I added the link for the step by step. Btw it starts off with frozen rolls!! Sooo easy

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/buttered-rosemary-rolls/

I finished off the meal with a peach cobbler which I got the recipe off pintrist. I just recently signed up and this was my first recipe from there, however I had to change a few things so I guess I really cant stick to a recipe:) 

Peach Cobbler

1 to 1 and a half large cans of sliced peaches drained

2 sticks of butter melted

2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

2 cups milk

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

fresh grated nutmeg

fill the bottom of a 12 in cast iron skillet ( or 9x13 pan) with the sliced peaches. top with melted butter. Sprinkle on the cinnamon and nutmeg.

mix together the other ingredients and pour over the peaches.  Bake at 350 for 30-45 min or until the sides are crispy and the top is firm.

I topped this with fresh whipped cream however my phone died so I didn't get a pic and there was no way I was waiting to eat this. This makes a lot so be sure to have friends over or be prepared for left overs!

Last recipe I will post from Easter is my deviled eggs. Now I like to keep them simple. I planned on making a full dozen but when I opened the carton the kids had eaten some of the eggs so I only made 8 whole eggs so 16 deviled eggs.

Deviled Eggs

8 hard boiled eggs

3-4 Tb mayo

 1-2 tsp spicy mustard

creole seasoning

Separate the egg whites and yokes, then get yourself a cute helper like I had to smash up the yokes with the mayo and mustard.

Fill the eggs with the yoke mixture. I always seem to over fill them so I only ended up with 14 deviled eggs. Sprinkle the tops with creole seasoning. I also had help with that from my helper. A few ended up pretty well seasoned:) 

This was actually a pretty easy dinner to make. I just made it in stages but it didn't require too much prep or standing over a hot stove. I hope you try some of these recipes. Enjoy

Creamy Shrimp Pasta

                                   Creamy Shrimp Pasta

So every so often I like to create new dinners and this is one. So I made this up as I went along tonight and it actually turned out amazing! 

Creamy Shrimp Pasta

20 oz shrimp

1 small onion

1/2 red bell pepper

2 cloves garlic or squeeze garlic

1 bunch of asparagus

1lb pasta

1/4 cup grapefruit juice/ or lemon juice 

8 oz  cream cheese

butter/ olive oil

salt and pepper

red pepper flake

Finely chop onion, bell pepper, and garlic and saute in a mix of butter and olive oil for about 2 min. add salt, pepper, and red pepper flake.

 






wash and cut off woody ends of the asparagus. chop in about 1 inch pieces and add to the pan.

 

Cook about 2-3 min, add juice and then add the shrimp.

 

In all honesty I forgot to buy lemons and grapefruit juice was all I had in the fridge but it worked. It just needs a little acid to help cut the fat. fresh lemons would probably be way better :) Also I didnt realize the shrimp I bought still had the tails on them but it still tastes the same.

 






Cut cream cheese into small pieces and add to the shrimp when it is cooked through.

 

once the cream cheese is mixed in and completely melted add the shrimp and sauce mixture to the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly. I used bow tie pasta because that is the kind my daughter picked out at the store.

 


Im sure I will try this recipe again and mix it up differently and tweak a few things but this is a easy meal to change up the meat or veggies and make new flavors. I hope you enjoy and try new things with this as well!

Sheppard's Pie

                                          Sheppard's Pie 

 

This is a meal that I always have everything on hand. It is quick and easy and always a hit. This meal takes me back to childhood and now its a favorite of all my kids.

Sheppard's Pie

1 lb ground beef

1 onion

2 cans tomato soup

1 can cream mushroom soup

1 can green beans (drained)

mashed potatoes about 5-6 cups

shredded cheese

salt and pepper

Brown the meat with chopped onion and salt and pepper.

drain off any extra fat. add the soup and green beans and mix through.

 

while all this is cooking make mashed potatoes (I used instant this night but if you feel like making homemade its even better but I was going for fast and easy) Pour meat mixture into a 9x13 pan. top with mashed potatoes.

 

 


smooth out the potatoes kinda like your frosting a cake and then load on the cheese!!! Bake at 400 for 20-30 min or until bubbly and the cheese is browned.

Little tip...you may want to put it on a cookie sheet just in case it bubbles over. My hubby and boys love to pour hot sauce on this but I like it just as it is or maybe with a little extra pepper but that's it!!!