COOK OF THE WEEK - EASTER RECIPES

Easter is this Sunday. We celebrate Easter many different ways. Children celebrate Easter by visiting the Easter Bunny and going on Easter egg hunts, finding many treasurers and many receiving a big Easter basket full of fun goodies and candies on Easter morning. In fact, for several years when I lived in Des Moines, I was the Easter Bunny. My church and I rented the outfit from the Theatrical Shop in West Des Moines and our junior high youth group had an Easter egg hunt for the smaller children of the church (who would have been trampled by the bigger and older kids in the bigger city Easter egg hunts.) This is when we prayed for a cold day before Easter. Those furry outfits are mighty warm! Incidentally, since I had the outfit rented anyway, I made use of it and also went out and visited the Children’s Convalescent Home in Johnston and also the children in the hospitals. Needless to say I had as much fun as the children! After I was living in Gilmore City, I rented a suit once from Party Productions in Fort Dodge. While I had it I went to the Care Centers and on Sunday took it up to be with my family. To my dismay I about traumatized one of my great nephews when I took off the head when we were done, not realizing a 4 year old didn’t know there was a real person under all that huge rabbit body. I think he has recovered however! This Sunday I’m going to ask him if he remembers this. Poor kid! Hopefully the children are also learning about the real reason for Easter in Sunday school and after school programs they attend. For Christians, Easter is more than just a nice Sunday family dinner, candy and the Easter Bunny. With all the commercialism it is hard to show children the true meaning of Easter, but children should know the real reason we celebrate; Jesus dying and then rising from the dead for our sins. Making Jesus the main point of the holiday will teach your children that our faith as Christians is about the forgiveness of our sins by our Savior. Dying Easter eggs with your children can be symbolic. Use the different colors to symbolize or show the story of Christ. Black can be for our sins. Red can represent his death. Blue can be the color of sadness while he was on the cross. Yellow can represent his resurrection. Purple is the color of royalty; use this to represent Christ as king. Green can be for being made new. Be sure to leave some white eggs for our sins being made clean. I have seen this done with jelly beans, also, to represent the meaning of Easter to children. The Easter basket can be put together to honor Jesus instead of the Easter Bunny also. A new Bible, jewelry that honors the child’s faith, candy that doesn’t represent anything aside from spring and other fun things that are God-centered would all make great additions to an Easter basket. Easter represents new life. I’ve known parents who gave their children fish and new fish tanks as part of their Easter surprise. They lived in a city and didn’t have room for big animals. Many farm children receive a new animal at Easter like a baby chicken, duck or even a baby lamb. These all represent new life. Explain to the children that just as our sins are forgiven, we are given new life because of our Savior’s sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection. Tell the children that we are made new by God’s forgiveness. It is fun to include the Easter Bunny, but just make sure your children understand why we celebrate Easter. While celebrating Easter many of us will enjoy dinner with our family. Ham comes into my mind. It was always on the menu in my family and probably was in many of your families. Today I’ve taken some of the favorite recipes through the years that the family all brings to the meal when we get together for Easter. My mom and dad and I think all of us kids all followed in their footsteps with this – always got a big whole ham (yes we have our favorite brand, which I won’t mention today, since I’m not advertising for them! But feel free to give me a call and I can tell you our favorite!) There is nothing better than a whole ham that has been roasted or baked for the required time. Nothing extra has to be done with it – no sauces or anything have to be added. It has the most delicious flavor right when it is first cut into! I can smell and taste it already. I sure hope my brother doesn’t disappoint me this year when we get up there for dinner! There are so many good dishes that go with ham. Today I’m going to add one more recipe for a smaller ham (for smaller families) and many choices for side dishes and desserts. It does not become a day to diet in most cases!Riesling Mango-Pepper Glazed Ham1 spiral sliced ham, 5 to 7 lbs.1 cup Riesling wine1 shallot, diced2 sprigs thyme1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed1/2 cup stone ground mustard18 ounce jar mango-pepper jelly Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a roasting pan with tinfoil. Put ham on a roasting rack in the pan. In a 1 quart saucepan, heat wine, thyme springs and shallot to boiling over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until the wine is reduced to 1/2 cup. Remove from heat and discard thyme springs. Stir in mango-pepper jelly, brown sugar and mustard. Whisk thoroughly. Brush half of glaze mixture over ham. Bake uncovered 1 hour 30 minutes, basting with remaining glaze mixture every 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Any remaining glaze can be served on the side as a gravy of sorts.Ham LoafIf your gathering is small.1 pound ground ham1-1/2 pounds ground beef2 cups dried bread crumbs2 eggs1 cup milkSauce:1-1/2 cups brown sugar1/2 cup water1/2 cup vinegar1 teaspoon dry mustard Mix ingredients and shape into a loaf. Cover with sauce. Bake 1 hour or until done.Hash Brown Potato Casserole2 pounds frozen hash browns3/4 cup butter or margarine, divided (1/2 cup and 1/4 cup)1 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon pepper1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)1 can cream of chicken soup1 pint sour cream2 cups grated cheddar cheese2 cups crushed corn flakes Defrost potatoes. Combine in large bowl with 1/2 cup melted margarine, salt, pepper, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese; mix well. Pour into greased 3-quart casserole. Mix remaining 1/4 cup melted margarine with corn flakes. Sprinkle over potatoes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. EVERYONE LOVES THESE POTATOES!Sweet Potatoes6 medium sweet potatoes, cooked1 cup orange juice2 teaspoons orange rind (optional)1 tablespoon cornstarch3 tablespoons melted oleo1/4 teaspoon salt1/3 cup brown sugar1/3 cup white sugar Cook orange juice, cornstarch, oleo, salt, brown and white sugars and rind until thick. Pour over potatoes in casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, covered and 15 minutes, uncovered.My Favorite Corn Casserole1 can whole kernel corn, undrained1 can cream style corn8 ounce carton sour cream2 eggs, beaten1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix1 stick butter, melted Mix all together and pour into large casserole dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. This is delicious.Broccoli and Rice Casserole1 cup raw Minute Rice2 packages frozen broccoli, cooked and drained2 tablespoons butter1/2 cup milk1 can cream of chicken soup1/2 cup Velveeta cheese (I prefer cheddar)1 small onion, chopped, optional Combine all ingredients and bake uncovered in casserole for 35 minutes at 350 degrees.Honey Roasted Carrots2 pounds baby carrots (if you are lucky enough to have fresh carrots, trimmed, very young use them)1/4 cup honey2 tablespoons butter, melted1/2 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with foil coated with cooking spray. Add butter and honey to a bowl. Toss trimmed carrots with remaining ingredients and divide between two pans. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, tossing once or twice, until tender.Cucumber, Tomatoand Avocado Salad1 cucumber4 Roma tomatoes3 ripe avocados1/2 red onion1/4 cup cilantrojuice of 1 lemonsalt and pepper to taste2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Place sliced cucumber, tomatoes, avocados, onion and cilantro in a large salad bowl. Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.Strawberry Pretzel Salad Can be a dessert instead.Layer 1:2-1/2 cups crushed pretzels3 tablespoons sugar3/4 cup melted butter Mix together and press into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let cool.Layer 2:8 ounces cream cheese1 egg1 cup powdered sugar8 ounces Cool Whip Beat cream cheese, egg and powdered sugar; fold in Cool Whip. Spread on first layer and refrigerate. Layer 3:(2) 3 ounce packages strawberry Jell-O2 cups hot water(2) 10 ounce packages frozen strawberries Dissolve Jell-O in water. Add strawberries. When slightly thick, pour over second layer. Refrigerate until serving. There are never any leftovers of this salad/dessert!Blueberry Salad2 small packages raspberry Jell-O (regular or sugar free)1 can blueberry pie filling8 ounce carton Cool Whip8 ounce cream cheese2 cups boiling water2 tablespoons powdered sugar Dissolve 1 package Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water. Stir in blueberry pie filling. Pour into 9 by 13 inch pan. Put in refrigerator. Dissolve 1 package Jell-O in 1 cup boiling water and cool. Add powdered sugar to cream cheese and whip well, stir in softened cool whip. Blend into cooled Jell-O and pour over blueberry layer and chill.Deviled Eggs withHorseradish6 hard-boiled eggs1/4 cup mayonnaise1 tablespoon prepared horseradish1/2 teaspoon dill weed1/4 teaspoon dry mustard1/8 teaspoon saltdash pepperdash paprika Cut eggs in half lengthwise. Remove yolks; set whites aside. In a bowl, mash the yolks. Add mayo, horseradish, dill, mustard, salt and pepper; mix well. Pipe or spoon into egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika. Refrigerate until serving. Makes 1 dozen. If you don’t like the taste of horseradish you could just omit that and use this same recipe.Homemade KingHawaiian Rolls and Loaf6 cups all-purpose flour, plus an additional 1/2 cup flour, divided 3 eggs 2 cups pineapple juice, room temperature 3/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla (2) 1/4 ounce envelopes yeast 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) butter, melted In a small bowl, beat your 3 eggs. Add the 2 cups pineapple juice, sugar, vanilla, and melted butter. Measure 3 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Stir in your egg mixture until well-combined. Sprinkle in the yeast packets, one at a time, mixing well. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour and mix well. If it becomes too difficult to stir with a wooden spoon, just use your hands! Make sure all of the flour is well incorporated, the dough should be tacky to the touch but not overly sticky. If it appears too wet, sprinkle in a bit of extra flour, just a tablespoon or so at a time. Cover your bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set it in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. Remove your dough from the bowl and knead in an additional 1/2 cup of flour. I kneaded mine 10 to 15 times, making sure the flour was well incorporated. Form the dough into rolls, and/or loaf. Place in buttered pans. Cover and place in warm place to rise for an additional hour, or until the dough doubles in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Brush tops with melted butter, and serve warm. YUMM!Strawberry PieCrust: 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened3 tablespoons sugar1 cup flour Mix butter, sugar and flour and press into a greased deep pie plate. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.Filling:2 cups water2 cups sugar6 tablespoons cornstarch6 ounce package strawberry Jell-O3 quarts strawberries, cleaned and de-stemmed * If you are using a shallow pie plate, cut filling recipe in half or make two pies! Bring water, sugar and cornstarch to a boil, stirring until thick and clear. Remove from heat; add strawberry Jell-O. Mix well and cool. Fold in strawberries. Pour into pie shell. Store in refrigerator until set; serve with whipped cream or cool whip.Banana Cream Pie1/2 cup sugar5 tablespoons flour1/4 teaspoon salt2 cups milk3 egg yolks, slightly beaten (save the egg whites)1 tablespoon butter or margarine1 teaspoon vanilla3 bananas9 inch baked pie shellmeringue or sweetened whipped cream (see meringue recipe below) Combine sugar, flour and salt in top of double boiler. Add milk slowly mixing thoroughly. Cook over rapidly boiling water (in double boiler) until well thickened, stirring constantly. Cook 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Stir small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks; then pour back into remaining hot mixture while beating vigorously. Cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat and add butter and flavoring. Cool. Peel and slice bananas into pie shell and cover immediately with filling. Top with your favorite meringue, baked according to directions, or sweetened whipped cream.Foolproof Meringue1 tablespoon cornstarch2 tablespoons cold water1/2 cup boiling water3 egg whites6 tablespoons sugarpinch of salt1 teaspoon vanilla Dissolve cornstarch in cold water and then add the boiling water. Cook until clear, stirring constantly. (This goes very fast because there is so little liquid involved.) Put aside to cool. Beat egg whites until thick, then gradually add the sugar, the pinch of salt and the flavoring. Beat until peaks form. Carefully fold in the cornstarch mixture; pile on pie (literally) and bake at 375 degrees until lightly browned. If you are reading this, then you probably enjoy new recipes. If you would like to share some of your recipes with the community, YOU could be Cook of the Week. Please contact me, Sally Redenius, if you would like to be in this column some week. I can be reached by phone at 515-373-6346 or email me at sacuthbe@msn.com. I will be happy to email or send you my short questionnaire and set up a time to come and visit you at your convenience. I’m always looking for NEW Cooks of the Week. Also, if you are new in town, this is a good way to introduce yourself to the Humboldt community and surrounding communities. I look forward to visiting with you. The COOK OF THE WEEK 3rd Edition Cookbook is available. Cost per copy is $10.70, plus $4.80 shipping/handling. Order a copy today by sending a check or money order, along with name and shipping address, to: Humboldt Independent, 512 Sumner Ave., Humboldt, IA 50548.