Good morning my dear readers…today is Good Friday and it is a beautiful day here in my part of the country. I was in the Supermarket yesterday and there were beautiful white tulips in bloom! Be still my heart….you see, that is the only way we are able to have fresh tulips …they have to be shipped stemmed or in pre-planted in pots, never to be planted in the warm soil of SW Florida. They are so beautiful. I just couldn’t resist! The purity of white….perfect for Good Friday!
Yesterday, I showed you my menu for our Easter Dinner and I promised recipes.
First I want to talk ham. I debated between Glazed Ham and Lamb Chops and I really love both…but I went with our tradition and bought a bone-in Ham from the Honey Baked Ham Shop. My mouth is already watering as I can imagine not only our Easter Dinner…but the wonderful left over ham for sandwiches and don’t forget the bone for a big pot of Ham and Beans! Endless possibilities! My recipe is below, printable as always.
To go along with the Ham glazed with brown sugar and honey are Potatoes Au Gratin’. Perhaps you are wondering what the difference is between Scalloped Potatoes and Au Gratin’ Potatoes. It is simple really. Cheese! Yep, Scalloped potatoes are a milk based potato dish. The potatoes are usually sliced very thinly, although what technically makes it ‘scalloped‘ is the milk base. Au Gratin’ on the other hand is any dish that is topped with cheese and/or bread crumbs and layered with bits of butter and is baked until brown and crispy. Over the years, cooks have added cheese to their scalloped potatoes making them a “gratin”. My recipe is below, printable of course.
The next dish is candied carrots! Come on, it is Easter and the bunny always has carrots! This recipe is easily made in a skillet on top of your range top. Carrots with their tops on, Dark brown sugar, a bit of butter and molasses make wonderful caramelized carrots in just minutes. The something a little different is to “fry the carrot tops” in a little grapeseed oil (you can find it at your supermarket) and arrange on a plate. Such a pretty presentation. The recipe can be found at the bottom of this post.
Next, is puff pastry and asparagus! Another quick and easy recipe. Again the presentation is so pretty with the asparagus spears laying on a bed of Gruyere cheese and sour cream, nestled on lightly browned puff pastry. Don’t really need a recipe for this one, but the handy dandy printable recipe is below.
You can’t have Easter without Deviled eggs! Come on…you just can’t, can you? These deviled eggs are made with bacon and pickle relish. Quite a bit different than Grandma’s Deviled eggs but they really are good. The Captain tells me to always double the eggs when making this recipe….see the recipe below.
Homemade Dinner Rolls don’t really need a step by step recipe as I like to use the frozen balls of dough from the bag of Rhoades Dinner Rolls. Just set them out in the early morning and they will rise to perfection by the time you are ready to pop them into the oven. Who can resist the smell of homemade bread in the oven?
Finally, the Carrot Cake Torte. This is 3 layers of absolute moistness thanks to the crushed pineapple in the batter! Add the cream cheese frosting and music is playing everywhere. Did you know that the Groom’s cake at our wedding was Carrot Cake, (the Captain’s favorite) and made by my beautiful, Only daughter? My recipe is below…I will have to ask Only Daughter for her recipe, because it was absolutely delish too!
Oh, one more thing….have you ever had Pineapple Casserole? I posted this Southern recipe a couple years ago and I think it is one of the best casseroles to make for a special dinner or just anytime. If you would care to see that recipe…check it out at the link below.
Broadway Palm Pineapple Casserole
OK, and so without further ado…..below are all the recipes!
Have a great and wonderfully Blessed day!
- 1 ham (about 8-10 pounds)
- 1 1/2 ups of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of honey
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- You might have to adjust your oven racks, depending on the size of your ham....I use a shallow roasting pan with a rack. Remove package wrap and rinse the ham under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the Ham on the rack in your roasting pan. *Cover with foil and bake according to the package directions which is usually about 1 hour and 30 minutes if your ham is pre-cooked or smoked. The formula for baking your ham is usually about 20 minutes per pound.
- While your ham is baking, combine the brown sugar and honey in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has dissolved.
- Pour the brown sugar glaze over the ham (reserving some for serving) and continue baking the ham for another hour, basting at least twice with the drippings in the pan. Check for doneness by inserting a meat thermometer into a meaty spot (not into fat or touching the bone) the thermometer should register about 160 degrees
- For the last 15 minutes of baking, place the ham under the broiler to caramelize the glaze. Watch carefully so the sugar in the glaze does not burn. Remove the ham from the oven and allow the ham to sit for at least 15 minutes before slicing to allow the juices to set.
- *If you prefer to stud your ham with whole cloves, score the ham with a sharp knife on the diagonal and place a clove into the top or middle of the diamond squares. Just remember to take them out before serving, biting down into a clove is not a good idea for your guests dental work. 😉 You could also place slices of pineapple on your ham about half way through the cooking process.
- A great thing about a cooked ham is that you can serve it hot or warm. Just tent with aluminum foil until ready to serve. Do not hold the ham for longer than an hour or so.
- 4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean (these are the "white" potatoes or "gold" potatoes)
- 2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened
- 1 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Whole Milk
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- A sprinkle of rosemary (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- Spray the bottom of your baking dish with baking spray or use butter
- Slice the potatoes and leave as is if that is your preference OR you can then cut slices into fourths.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
- Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes. Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes more, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. Add the grated cheese, bread crumbs and a sprinkling of rosemary to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving!
- Sometimes there is confusion as to the difference between Scalloped potatoes and Potatoes Au-gratin' and that is because sometimes cooks make the same dish. Scalloped potatoes are a milk based potato dish and the potatoes are usually sliced very thinly... although what technically makes it 'scalloped' is the milk base, with no cheese added.
- Au Gratin' potatoes are made the same way as scalloped potatoes, many times the potatoes are cubed or chunked... BUT the potatoes are topped with cheese and/or bread crumbs and layered with bits of butter.
- Many vegetables are made into a Gratin' by adding cheese and bread crumbs.
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds carrots with tops, all similar size and thickness, peeled and halved lengthwise, 1/3 cup tops, halved, set aside for later
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Heat oil in a large skillet (I use cast iron) over medium heat.
- Add carrots and season with salt and pepper; stir with a wooden spoon to coat each carrot with oil.
- Let the carrots cook for about 3 minutes, then add brown sugar and molasses; make sure you coat all the carrots
- Cook until carrots are tender and sauce is thick, about 5 to 8 minutes (you may have to add 1/2 to 1 cup water as necessary to prevent sugar from burning)
- In a separate smaller skillet, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high heat. Add the carrot tops you cut off and cook until crisp. Be very careful if your tops have a bit of moisture in them as the grease will spatter. This will only take about 30-60 seconds as you want the greens to be bright green...not brown fried.
- Transfer the tops to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- To the pan of carrots, add butter and rosemary; cooking until the butter is melted. Remove rosemary and discard.
- Transfer carrots to a serving dish and carefully place the tops at the tops of the carrots and serve.
- This is such a pretty presentation and the grapeseed oil is perfect because of the heating point.
- 1 # fresh asparagus
- 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or salt to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- On a lightly floured counter top, roll puff pastry to about 16 X 10 rectangle
- Using a sharp knife...trim un even edges and score the dough 1 inch in from the edges to mark a rectangle. Pierce the the dough with a fork inside the scored edges and bake for about 10 minutes until lightly brown
- Cool the pastry slightly and brush the inside of the rectangle with the sour cream
- Sprinkle the sour cream with shredded gruyere cheese
- Trim asparagus spears to fit inside the rectangle and place on the cheese alternating the ends and tips
- Drizzle with olive oil (extra virgin), salt and pepper
- Bake 10-15 minutes or until spears are tender
- Cut into squares for serving
- You can substitute the sour cream with another type of shredded cheese....alternating with the Gruyere.
- 12 hard-cooked eggs
- 1/3 cup Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise)
- 1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Boil, Peel and Half eggs, removing the yolks to a small bowl
- Mash the yolks with a fork and add in the bacon, onion, mustard and sweet pickle relish
- Place the mixture into a baggie and cut off the end corner
- Pipe the filling into each egg half and sprinkle with paprika
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Dash of ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups grated carrots
- 1 (19 ounce) can crushed pineapple, well drained
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel (zest)
- Buttercream Icing (if desired, either make your own or buy already prepared in your supermarket. This icing is for the decor of carrots on the top of the cake)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in medium bowl; set aside.
- Beat eggs and oil in large bowl with wire whisk until well blended, gradually add granulated sugar, mixing until blended.
- Add flour mixture, carrots, pineapple and walnuts; mix well. Pour into 3 greased and floured 9 inch layer pans
- Bake 50-60 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool about 10 minutes and loosen from sides of pan with spatula or knife and gently remove cakes. Cool the layers completely on wire rack.
- Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl with electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add powdered sugar, juice and peel, beating until well blended after each addition. Place first layer on a cake plate and spread cream cheese frosting onto the layer, repeat with the other layers and finally spread the frosting on top of cake and onto the sides.
- If making the tiny carrots: Tint buttercream in orange and green to make small carrots for the top, if desired
- Gently press chopped pecans onto the side of the cake about 1 inch from the bottom only (optional)
Never thought of frying carrot tops. Sounds interesting. Will give it a go.
yes, it is really neat because they turn a brighter green….but be careful as they will “spatter” and “spit” a bit….I used grapeseed oil. thanks for stopping by