Hi friend,

Easter weekend is basically here, which means it’s time for those last-minute store runs, final menu decisions, and maybe desperately searching for rosemary like I am.

So for my final Easter email, I thought I’d share exactly what I’m making this year in case it helps you make those final decisions… or honestly, just copy the menu. I would be honored.

We’ll have 16 people at my house this year, and 5 of them are kids, so I’m trying to keep things special, delicious, and realistic.

Here's a photo of my unfinished table- I plan to add some flowers and I'll add eggs to the napkins and tie them at the top so they look like bunnies!

First, we already boiled and dyed Easter eggs yesterday. I just let the kids pick out a kit from the store, which works great and keeps it fun for everyone.

We also do egg fights, which is such a fun little tradition, and then we eat the eggs with mayo, salt, and pepper.

For appetizers, I’m serving my Easter charcuterie cups.

I’m also putting out shrimp with cocktail sauce — nothing fancy, I just defrost fully cooked frozen shrimp and serve it with store-bought cocktail sauce. Easy.

The key, I think, is pairing something simple with something a little more involved.

My mom is making traditional deviled eggs, and I’ll also put out Cape Cod chips with Cabot French onion dip.

For dinner, I bought a ham and a leg of lamb.

I love lamb, but I know not everyone does, so I’m doing both. I do have a slow cooker ham recipe, but this year I’m just going to follow the instructions on the honey ham and call it a day. I hope the ham lovers are happy.

I’m really focusing my energy on the lamb. There are definitely some slow-roasted lamb recipes out there that sound amazing, but this is not the dinner where I want to experiment, so I’m going the traditional route with a rosemary and garlic leg of lamb using this recipe:

My mom loves mint jelly, so I made sure to get some for her… but I’ll be passing on that.

For sides, my mother-in-law is bringing mashed potatoes similar to these:

I’m making these maple roasted carrots:

And for a cold salad, I’m making this beet salad, but using baby greens instead of Brussels sprouts:

For dessert, I’m making carrot cake cups, of course:

I’m also making strawberry shortcake cups. I don’t have a full recipe for those, but I’m just dicing angel food cake, layering it in cups with fresh whipped cream and strawberries, and adding a little Lina’s Limoncello Cream if you want to make them extra special! Lina sent this to me and we are obsessed.

And my sister-in-law is bringing mini whoopie pies from Frederick’s Pastries.
If you want all my Easter recipes in one place, you can find them here:

Just typing this all out is making me excited. I cannot wait, and I hope you feel excited for your Easter too.

Have the most beautiful Easter with your family and friends.

Maria

P.S. If you’re still making last-minute decisions, you really do not need to overcomplicate it. A few special things mixed with a few easy things is more than enough.