EASTER DAY DINNER MENU AND RECIPES

Ham
Party Potatoes
Corn
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
Deviled Eggs
Beet Horseradish Relish
Vegetable Tray
Relish Tray
Yayechnyk (custard)
Paska (Easter bread)
Butter (shaped into molded lamb)
Nut, apricot, or poppy seed rolls
Dessert

BAKED HAM

I usually buy a whole bone-in ham. The brand name that I use and just love is Cumberland Gap Ham. I don't know if it's just in this area or nationwide, but it is the BEST ham. Even their boneless is great. Not watery, but nice and firm and tender and flavorful.

The only thing that I do is what my mom used to do. Make a glaze of about a cup of brown sugar and add to this a couple hefty squirts of brown mustard and 1/4 cup of honey. Mix well until it forms a thick paste. (If you need more mustard, then add to it). Score with a sharp knife in a diamond pattern making cuts 1/8-inch deep and one inch apart. Coat the ham all over with this paste after you have placed it into a shallow foil-lined pan. Put ham fatty side up. Do NOT cover the ham with foil or add water to the bottom. If you seal the ham with foil and add the water, it will tend to steam the ham, which ruins the flavor.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Bake for 2 hours...At this time, add your kolbassi (which I make about 4 pounds) around your ham. Bake an additional hour and then add a little water to the bottom of the pan and then spoon glaze that has dripped into pan bottom over ham and bake for 20 minutes. At this time, place foil loosely like a tent to keep ham from burning on top. Raise oven temperature to 325 degrees and glaze again. Bake an additional 20 minutes. Glaze once more and bake 15 minutes. Cool before carving into thin slivers.

PARTY POTATOES

(Makes 8 to 10 servings)

Ingredients:

5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, reserve 1 Tbsp. drippings
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 to 10 large potatoes, cook as for potato salad with skins on
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
1 (8 oz.) container French onion sour cream dip
1/2 c. milk
1 and 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small skillet, cook onion in drippings until transparent. In the meanwhile, peel the cooled, cooked potatoes and cube them. Put into a large bowl all the ingredients, except 1/2 the bacon and 1/2 cup cheese.

Spread into buttered 13 x 9 inch baking dish and top with reserved cheese and bacon.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until bubbly. Refrigerate leftovers.

*TIP: Can be made ahead...do not bake.. cover and refrigerate until baking time!!

GREEN BEAN CASSEROL

Ingredients:

3-16 ounce cans cut green beans
1 can Campbell's Cream Of Mushroom Soup
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Durkee Fried Onions (can)

In a 3 quart casserole dish, combine the drained green beans along with soup and shredded cheddar cheese.

Mix well and place into a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the fried onions on top til covered. Return to the oven for an additional 25 minutes uncovered (so the onions will crisp up).

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

2 pounds fresh yams or 40 ounce can
1 stick BUTTER
3/4 dark brown sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
Miniature marshmallows

Prepare yams as you would mashed potatoes (peel, cube and put into saucepan with water). Bring to a boil and cook til tender. With an electric mixer, whip up the potatoes, adding to this the butter, vanilla, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Mix until very smooth and creamy. Place into a 3 quart buttered casserole and bake in 300 degree oven for about 35 minutes. Sprinkle miniature marshmallows on top and place in 350 degree oven for an additional 20 minutes until puffy and slightly browned. Mmmmmmmmmmm.... yummy.. You'd think this was a dessert.

DEVILED EGGS

Ingredients:

1 dozen eggs (hard boiled, cooled, and peeled)
Light mayonnaise
Yellow mustard
Ranch dressing
Garlic Salt
Pepper
Slice the eggs in half lengthwise. Put the cooked yellows into a bowl and place the white halves on a plate. After all the eggs have been cut and separated, mash and mix up the yellows until they are as fine and smooth as possible. To this add about 4 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise, a hefty squirt of yellow mustard, and two tablespoons of ranch dressing. With a mixer, blend these all together until smooth and creamy. Add just enough garlic salt and pepper to taste.

With a teaspoon drop enough mixture into the center of the whites to make it look full and rounded (not flat). For an added touch, (if you like, you may add a shake of paprika or some finely sliced green olives). If not, just leave them plain, cover with plastic and refrigerate until needed.

YAYECHNYK (Custard for Easter Mom made)

1 quart whole milk
1 dozen eggs
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. Vanilla
2 tsp. Cinnamon

Beat the eggs separately until mixed well. Heat milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and mix well on stove. Keep stirring until the mixture starts to bubble and boil and curdle. (Be careful it does not scald and stick to bottom..turn down heat if it begins to). When it starts to separate, the curdled part will become thicker and the rest will be very watery. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Use cheesecloth, or dishtowel, some cloth that is very porous and liquid can come through.. Put this on top of your strainer or colander and fit into bottom..Carefully pour custard mixture into the cloth and strainer and allow to sit until almost all visible liquid has gone through... When the mixture is completely cooled, gather the cloth together and twist and squeeze out ALL excess liquid..repeat until there is practically nothing coming out. Keep twisted and very tight and put it on a plate with a very heavy weight on top to keep it flat and formed into a ball shaped. If there is still a lot of liquid, squeeze again.. Place on plate again with weight and put into refrigerator until cold and formed.

Carefully untwist and remove the ‘yayechnyk' and turn over onto a clean plate and slice and serve cold. Always was served on Easter day. Christos Voskres!!! (Christ is Risen in Ukrainian)

TRADITIONAL EASTER PASKA (My Grama Markiw's recipe)

Ingredients:

1 tsp. Sugar
12 eggs (beaten)
1 c. Lukewarm water
1/3 c. Sugar
3 pkgs. Dry yeast
½ c. Melted butter
3 c. Scalded milk (lukewarm)
1 Tbsp. Salt
5 c. Flour
9 to 10 c. Flour

Dissolve sugar in lukewarm water and sprinkle yeast over it. Let stand 10 minutes. Combine softened yeast with lukewarm milk and 5 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Cover and let rise in warm places until light and bubbly.

Add beaten eggs, sugar, melted butter and salt and mix thoroughly. Stir in enough flour to make neither too soft nor too stiff. Knead until it doesn't stick to hand. Turn on floured board and knead until smooth and satiny. Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise in warm place until double (until 2 hrs.) Punch down and let rise again. Makes 5 or 6 small round paskas.

Let rise in pans until almost double. (Don't over raise) Brush with beaten egg with a little water. Bake 400 degrees - 15 minutes. Then lower to 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until nicely brown. Decorate tops with cross or braids.. Note: I use a few drops yellow food coloring to make it look nice.

NUT ROLLS AKA KOLACHI(my mom's)

Ingredients:

5 c. Flour
½ c. butter
½ c. Crisco
½ c. Sugar
½ tsp. Vanilla
tsp. Salt
3 eggs
1 pkg. Dry yeast
1 c. Warm evaporated milk

Cut in flour, sugar, salt, butter and shortening as for pie crust. Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Beat eggs and mix with milk and yeast. Add vanilla. Add to flour mixture and knead as bread dough.

Cover bowl and let rise 1 hour. Cut in 6 portions. Roll out on lightly floured board, spread filling lightly and roll. Put on greased cookie sheet, prick with fork and brush with milk and sprinkle sugar. Bake 350 degrees - 40 minutes.

Filling:

1# chopped walnuts
1 c. Sugar (half brown, half white)
½ stick melted butter
½ tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla

Add milk to make it spread easily. You can use poppy seed, apricot or any filling.

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