Easter 2024 was the first big get-together in a while. As always, we enjoyed plenty of good food!
We had some other family gatherings planned in February and March, but both times we were all taken down with gnarly illnesses and had to cancel. So Easter was the first shindig in a good while.
I was still a little under the weather before Easter, so the Easter bunny wasn’t as on top of things as last year. We didn’t do Easter baskets, but the grandmas made up for it with chocolate bunnies, spring coloring books, and some snacks. I did get the kids each a box of mini Robin Eggs, and we got them a seesaw for the yard, sooo. Still not a bad Easter for them.
Somehow our menu for Easter slowly morphed into a replica of Thanksgiving 2023. It was still delicious though, and it was also just fun to be together.
The Food
- Salisbury steak – This is a great main dish for times when you want to make things ahead and maybe need some wiggle room for when everything is served. Some meat dishes can get overcooked or dried out. Not a worry with Salisbury steak. Kevin just got a Blackstone griddle, so he used it to brown the patties and sauté the mushrooms. It’s a fun new toy.
- Shepherd’s pie (vegan) – We made this recipe up on the fly, and it turned out very tasty. I used some accidentally-overcooked white beans in the gravy, and it made for a nice savory filling.
- Pecan crumble-topped sweet potatoes This is about where we took a very Thanksgiving turn. But our menu needed a bold orange accent, and this was perfect.
- Mashed potatoes Kevin made some last-minute mashed potatoes to go with the Salisbury steak. We need to nail a favorite potato dish for holidays.
- Decked out salad – This was probably my favorite part of the meal. There were candied nuts, won ton strips, sliced apples, and more. Truly a decked-out salad.
- Rolls – Mom brought Rhodes rolls baked in muffin tins, which turned out cute.
- Deviled eggs – My cousin’s girlfriend made deviled eggs that looked like little chicks peeping out of their eggs. Dinner followed with a discussion about the proper way to boil eggs.
- Jell-o eggs – Mom made an assortment of Jell-O eggs using molds we’ve had since we were little kids. They’re super fun, and the kids enjoyed them.
- Layered lemon dessert – This recipe is coming, I promise. We made it first for Mom’s birthday, then for Easter. I need to make it again and get some decent pictures. It’s just so, so good. There’s a Golden Oreo crust, real whipped cream, cream cheese, and lemon pudding. It screams Taste of Home from the early 2000’s, but it’s just.. so good.
- Lemonade – My cousin and his girlfriend brought this. It’s becoming tradition since they furnished the beverages for Christmas and NYE last year.
The Fun
- Coloring eggs – We colored eggs the day before Easter, and since the kids are really into crafts and simple science experiments, we opted for something a little more interactive than the usual PAAS kits. The tutorial for painting the eggs with baking soda and vinegar can be found here. The blue and green paints seemed to dominate.
- Egg hunt – Growing up we only hunted for plastic eggs, but after the last two years of finding broken plastic Easter eggs all over the house well into November, I was totally over it. Kevin and his mom hid the real eggs they colored all over the back yard and the kids had a blast finding them. And then the eggs went out to the compost. We were going to save them and eat them (they weren’t outside long and it was petty cool), but the kids were pretty aggressively throwing them in their buckets. Lots of casualties.
- Grandma visiting – Kevin’s mom visited for the weekend, and the kids kept her hopping the whole time she was here.
- Hiding eggs – Hunting for eggs wasn’t the only fun part; Kevin and his mom seemed to have a pretty grand time trying to find the most clever hiding places for the Easter eggs.
Next Year
- Easter egg science experiments – As much as I love the variety of glitter unicorn rainbow dinosaur egg dying kits, the kids just had so much more fun painting the eggs and using their pipettes (we have this science kit) to pour the vinegar on them. Next year we may try the shaving cream eggs, or some other interactive egg coloring activity.
- Easter baskets, but mostly clothes – Having just had a baby and endured a cold that lingered for weeks, I was not on my A-game this Easter. Next year I might do Easter baskets again, but stick with mostly spring and summer clothes and shoes for the kids. The grandmas can be in charge of the chocolate and fun stuff.
- Different menu than Thanksgiving – I mean Easter is a good 4-5 months after Thanksgiving, but we can do better. Next year we might have some brand new dishes on the menu!