We had an awesome Easter -- I hope you did, too. We went to brunch at my mom's house and enjoyed a great breakfast casserole with sausage, green pepper and potatoes -- kind of a Western omelet in a casserole. It was yummy. And my own Easter dinner turned out really well, if I do say so myself. I'm glad I didn't let my husband talk me into trying a new recipe -- I was comfortable with everything I made and it tasted great together.
The Scalloped Potatoes (sans ham) were cooked just right and I sprinkled the top with Parmesan cheese for a nice toasty brown top. And the Sweet Potato Souffle dish was completely empty after dinner, so that was obviously a hit. The Roasted Sesame Asparagus was wonderful -- thick, tender, in-season stalks made it perfect. Everyone seemed to enjoy the House Salad which was tasty with the other dishes. I think everything had just the right balance of sweet and salty to go with the ham.
And speaking of the ham, I bought a Giant Eagle brand whole, bone-in, spiral-sliced ham. I followed the heating directions on the package and I had to take the ham out of the oven about 90 minutes before dinner because I was afraid it would be dry. It didn't need near the time the directions allow -- 15 minutes per pound, which would have had me baking my 15.5 pounder almost 4 hours. Two hours would have been more than enough. When I realized it was hot throughout, I took it out of the oven, left the foil cover on and let it sit on top of the hot stove for an hour while the other foods baked. About 30 minutes before dinner, I popped it back in, foil off, basted with pan juices and glazed with a Pineapple Brown Sugar glaze (recipe below). It was a little dry around the edges, but had great flavor and was easy (so easy) to prepare.
My sister-in-law brought an appetizer for dinner that was a huge hit, especially with my hungry boys. She had a big tray of Italian hummus bruschetta (I'll try to get the recipe), peppered salami slices, slices of a salsa cheese (both of which she bought at Giant Eagle), crackers and big purple grapes, along with a plate of deviled eggs. I think after snacking on candy all day, we were all hungry for something salty and spicy, and it hit the spot.
This was a dinner that I will remember because all of the flavors went so well together and everything came together well time-wise, which is often a challenge with big meals.
Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
3 T. orange juice
3 T. cornstarch
In a small saucepan combine pineapple juice, brown sugar and honey. Heat over medium heat. Stir cornstarch into orange juice in a small dish. Add to brown sugar mixture and heat to a boil. Let simmer for a few minutes until sauce thickens. Baste on outside of ham and them bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
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1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
3 T. orange juice
3 T. cornstarch
In a small saucepan combine pineapple juice, brown sugar and honey. Heat over medium heat. Stir cornstarch into orange juice in a small dish. Add to brown sugar mixture and heat to a boil. Let simmer for a few minutes until sauce thickens. Baste on outside of ham and them bake for 20 to 30 minutes.
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