Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Easter Dinner in the South

In the South, the Sunday midday meal is dinner, especially on a holiday as important as Easter. So, this Sunday, DH (dear husband) and I will sit down to Easter Sunday Dinner with a beautiful spring tablecloth and Mama's "good" china. I just might even get out the "good" silver. Any special occasion  dinner is worthy of both being brought out! Here's the menu.....

Baked Ham
Roasted Asparagus
Green Bean Bundles
Sour Cream Dill Potato Salad
Stuffed Eggs ( you cannot call them Deviled Eggs on Easter!!)
Pineapple Casserole
Crescent Rolls
 Cream Cheese Poundcake with fresh Strawberries and whipped cream


Many of the recipes can be prepared ahead or at least partially prepped. Here are some suggestions:
  • Start with dessert and bake the pound cake a few days ahead.  Cream Cheese Poundcakes get better as they "age". 
  • Make the rolls several days ahead and freeze them.
  • Make the potato salad and stuffed eggs the day before and refrigerate (both will be better the next day when flavors blend). 
  • Bake the Pineapple Casserole the day before and serve it at room temperature. 
  • Slice the strawberries and whip the cream early in the morning. Take the rolls from the freezer.
  • "Bake" the ham in the crock pot and you have freed up the oven and kept the kitchen cool!
  • Green Bean Bundles and asparagus can roast together.
  •  Bake the rolls.

Now, for the recipes??? Ok, someone is going to call me out on it, but I did NOT include recipes for Stuffed Eggs or Baked Ham. Those are just TOO easy! If you really need them, comment or email me!! 



Cream Cheese Poundcake
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup margarine, softened (not diet margarine, it has too much water)
1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanill extract (I add 1/2 teaspoon almond extract)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 10-inch tube pan or 4 (4x8-inch) loaf pans.

Cream butter, margarine and cream cheese in large bowl of electric mixer. Gradually add sugar; beat until light and fluffy (very light yellow color)about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition. Add flour to creamed mixture, beat just until flour is no longer visable. Stir in vanilla.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hr and 30 minutes (tube pan) or 1 hr and 10 minutes (small loaf pans). Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Store in airtight container or wrap with foil.




REFRIGERATOR CRESCENT ROLLS

Yield: 3 dozen rolls

6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 pkgs yeast
2 cups water
1/3 cup butter flavor shortening*
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs

Measure 2 1/2 cups of the flour into a large mixer bowl. Add yeast; blend.
Combine water, shortening, sugar, and salt in a pan or microwave safe bowl. Heat until warm (120°-130°F), stirring constantly.
Add liquids to flour-yeast mixture. Add eggs. Beat 1 minute at low speed. Scrape down dough from sides of bowl. Beat 3 more minutes at high speed.
Switch to the dough hook, on low speed gradually add the remaining flour, add more or less as necessary flour to form a soft dough. Scrape down dough from sides of bowl.
Cover bowl first with wax paper, then with aluminum foil. Refrigerate no more than 3 days for best results. Punch down dough every 30 minutes for the first few hours until it is chilled, then once a day.
When ready to make rolls, divide the dough in to thirds. Refrigerator remaining dough until ready to shape.
To shape crescent rolls: Roll 1/3 of the dough into a 10-inch circle. Cut into 12 pie-shaped pieces. Brush with melted butter. Roll each piece of dough from the wide side toward the point, stretching the dough slightly as it is rolled. Place on baking sheet a little apart; curve ends.
Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
Bake dinner rolls on baking sheet 10 to 20 minutes, depending on size, in preheated 400°F oven.
Remove from pan and set on rack; brush with butter.

Notes:
These are great for make ahead. Shape the rolls, place on a cookie sheet, freeze than place in freezer bag. When ready to use them, remove from freezer 5 hrs ahead of serving time. Place on baking sheets. Cover with cloth and set in warm place to rise.

*Can substitute half or all butter

Sour Cream Potato Salad
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 ½ teaspoons celery seeds
1 teaspoon salt
8 medium size red potatoes (about 5 pounds)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup chopped parsley
½ teaspoon dill weed

Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, celery seeds and salt. Set aside. Boil potatoes (with peel on) until fork tender. Drain water off and cool. Scrape skin off potatoes (or leave on, if you like). Cut potatoes into cubes. Combine potatoes, onion, parsley, and dill in a large bowl. Stir in dressing. Cover and refrigerate or serve immediately.


Green Bean Bundles
2 cans whole green beans
bacon, uncooked
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste

Wrap 8 to 10 green beans in a bundle with 1/3 strip of bacon. (Secure with toothpick, if necessary.) Place bundles in a 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over bundles. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. (Or cook immediately.) Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.



Pineapple Casserole
4 cups bread cubes
1 (20-oz.) can pineapple chunks
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
½ cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss bread cubes with pineapple. Place in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish. Combine eggs, sugar and butter, pour over bread mixture. Bake 30 minutes. Yield: 8 servings.