Easter Monday

• Just because a recipe calls for it doesn't mean you have to use it (I hate cilantro but love parsley)
• Do not ever believe the number of servings because it makes a big difference on who you are feeding
• Good cooking does not have to be or should it be difficult
• Not everything has to be made from scratch
• Great ideas come from food magazines but be daring and change them up
• Cooking for family and friends is good for the soul

  

 

Yesterday was Easter Sunday so now we are thoroughly stuffed with any food that we had given up for Lent.  It actually seems to me that on Easter you more than make up for whatever you deprived yourself of. for forty days.  Then there are all the sweets that called to you from your child's Easter basket.  How much fun is it to bite off the ears from those chocolate bunnies?  I think Easter is more about food than even Thanksgiving and that's saying something.

I feel like I have a food hangover and it's been 24 hours since the feasting began.  I wouldn't have a food hangover if I hadn't found it necessary to sample all of the appetizers and the five courses.  And I do mean sample.  If I had had what people consider serving sizes of all this food I would be in the hospital in a food induced coma.

Everyone knows of this great indulgence at Easter and as a result the amount of food that is prepared is overinflated as the host or hostess lives in fear that something might run out.  What could be more embarrassing than having an empty serving plate?  Better to have 50 pounds of leftovers.  

 

There also happened to be a well stocked bar, with delicious Sangria, vodka, wine, Jack Daniel's, beer and a great punch for the kids.  My niece wanted to play bartender and my husband was more than happy to teach her how to make "three fingers of Jack Daniel's."  I can't wait to hear about how well that went over in school,

 

Oh, did I forget to mention the sweet table?  You can't imagine a sweet that wasn't there.  The table was actually groaning from the weight.  Cheesecake, cookies, Easter pie, pineapple upside down cake, turtles, peeps, and white and chocolate cake frosted chicks.   There had to be 4 million calories sitting there.

As we were getting ready to leave my friend's son told me there rally wasn't that much left over.  I told him that was because he gave everyone a 12 pound bag of food to take home.

In case you still have some leftovers

Ham Salad

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup pickle relish ( I use 1/2 dill and 1/2 sweet)

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 pounds ham diced

1 small bell pepper diced (color of your choice)

2 stalks celery diced

salt to taste (be careful as the ham is salty)

2 hard boiled eggs diced.

Mix together and serve on your favorite bread.

And for all those hard boiled eggs you have colored that  are now sitting around with nothing to do

Egg Salad

8 hard boiled eggs chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon yellow mustard (or if you like it with a little kick 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder)

2 Tablespoons chopped green onion

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon paprika

Optional :  Capers and/or chopped green olives

 

And you can add a can of tuna and call it tuna salad.

Mix together and serve on your favorite bread.