Planning Your Easter Menu

As the Easter holiday approaches, you might be starting to think of planning your dinner menu for Easter Sunday. Whether you'll be sharing your holiday in an intimate setting with a small group of family and friends, or you'll be playing host to a large crew of your nearest and dearest, it's important to start planning early! Follow these simple tips to have a holiday to remember!

Evaluate Your Guest List

The first step towards success in planning your Easter menu is to evaluate the people who will be attending your dinner. Think about how many you will invite - and then pare that down to how many will actual attend. Numbers are everything - your menu can be drastically different based on if it's for 4 people or if its for 14.

Next, think about exactly who will be attending. Do they have any strong likes or dislikes regarding either main dishes or side dishes? Are there any foods their diets will not permit? Are there any food allergies you should consider? It would be embarrassing to serve a main dish that your favorite Aunt Sally can't consume when a little careful pre-planning could avoid that situation.

Write Your Preliminary Menu

Make a list of everything you are planning to serve as main dishes, side dishes, pre-dinner appetizers and desserts. Next, thinking about how many will be eating at your Easter dinner, assign quantities to each type of food, to cover enough portions for all of your guests. Finally, split all of your quantities in half - it is a well-known fact that cooks overcook for holidays and make enough food to feed the 1^st Infantry instead of their immediate family. Even if you cut all of your portions in half, you'll likely have enough left for leftovers for the week following Easter.

Foods to Consider

When cooks begin evaluating their main dishes for Easter dinner, it seems that the first idea that always comes up is ham. While ham is a delicious dish no matter the time of year, consider branching out and preparing a meal of turkey, chicken, or even a roast. Some cooks even prefer dishes like pasta for Easter - giving the holiday a decided turn in style from Thanksgiving and Christmas traditions.

For side dishes, it's always easiest to simply open a few cans of vegetables or a box of Stove Top to compliment your main dish. This year, forget easy! With the amazing array of recipe ideas available on the internet, you can find the perfect dish to serve to your guests with a few clicks of the mouse. Remember: think outside of the box - or the can, as the case may be!

You can really bloom when you plan the dessert portion of your Easter dinner - literally! As flowers start to bloom at the start of spring - conveniently close to Easter - consider picking a few new buds to decorate the top of your cake, pie or other dessert. What a lovely way to top of any dessert you might want to make!