Easter Dinner …. a week early

Sunday we had our family Easter dinner.  We had it a week early due to family travelling next weekend …

Not a day to be trying too hard to count points or to worry too much about Simply Filling.

This is the menu we had:  All recipes below

Glazed Pineapple Ham

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Butter

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Steamed Cauliflower, Broccoli & Carrots

Peaches & Cream Salad

Easter Bunny Bread

Strawberry Pavlova

Cherry Pie (store bought!)

Glazed Pineapple Ham

Prep:  15 mins / Bake: 2 1/4 hours / Makes: 20 servings

• 1 fully cooked bone-in ham (7-9 pound)
• 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
• 1/4 cup Water
• 2 cups Dark Brown Sugar
• Can Unsweetened Crushed Pineapple, undrained
• 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
• 2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 tsp Salt

Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan.  Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 2 – 2 1/2 hours or until thermometer reaches 130 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan dissolve cornstarch in water; stir in brown sugar, pineapple, lemon juice, mustard and salt.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 mins or until slightly thickened.  Reserve 2 cups for sauce; keep warm.

Remove ham from oven.;  Increase temperature to 425 degrees.  Pour the remaining pineapple sauce over the ham.  Bake uncovered for 10-15 mins longer or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.

Recipe from Taste of Home, February/March 2013

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Garlic Butter

Prep: 30 mins / Bake: 20 mins / Makes 5 servings

• 1 Yams, peeled
• 2 medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/8 tsp Pepper
• 1/8 cup Butter
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
• 1/4 cup Low Fat Cheddar, grated
• 1/8 cup grated Parmesan Cheese

Cut potatoes into 1/8″ slices, toss with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Spread on 15″ x 10″ cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 20 mins or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet heat butter over medium heat.  Add garlic and thyme, cook and stir for 1 min.  Transfer roasted potatoes to a large bowl.  Add butter mixture and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with cheeses, toss to combine.

Recipe came from Taste of Home, February/March 2013 edition with some modifications to try and make it a little more Simply Filling

Cheesy Potato Casserole

Prep: 10 mins / Cook:  50 mins / Makes: 8 servings

• 1 Bag Gold Rush Diced Hash Browns
• 1  Low Fat Cream of Chicken soup
• 2 Cups Fat Free Sour Cream
• 1/2 Teaspoon salt
• 2 Cups Low Fat Cheddar Cheese shredded
• 1/3 Cup green onions, sliced
• 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 2 Cups corn flakes, crushed
• 1/4 Cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat 13×9 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together soup, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir in cheese, onion and Hash Browns until well mixed. Spoon evenly into baking dish.

In a medium bowl, mix together cereal and butter. Sprinkle evenly on top of Hash Brown mixture.

Bake uncovered for about 50 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional sliced green onion if desired.

(The original recipe calls for Ore-Ida Hash Browns, but if you use the Gold Rush potatoes they have no fat added, they are just diced potatoes.)

Recipe on the Ore-Ida website.

Peaches & Cream Salad

• 1 3oz Peach Jelly Powder
• 1 cup Boiling Water
• 1 cup Peach Juice from drained fruit (add water if needed)
• 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
• 1 cup Whipping Cream
• 14oz Can Sliced Peaches in Juice, drained (reserve juice)

Dissolve jelly powder in boiling water in medium sized bowl.

Add reserved juice and flavoring.  Stir.  Measure out 1 cup jelly into medium size bowl and chill until syrupy.  Leave remaining jelly at room temperature.

Whip cream until stiff.  Fold into thickened jelly.  Pour into mold.  Chill.

Put remaining jelly in fridge to chill until syrupy.  Fold peaches into thickened clear jelly.  Spoon over cream layer.  Chill until firm.

Easter Bunny Bread

• 2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
• 2 raisins
• 2 sliced almonds
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Dip of your choice

Cut a fourth off of one loaf of dough; shape into a pear to form head. For body, flatten remaining portion into a 7-in. x 6-in. oval; place on a greased baking sheet. Place head above body. Make narrow cuts, about 3/4 in. deep, on each side of head for whiskers.

Cut second loaf into four equal portions. For ears, shape two portions into 16-in. ropes; fold ropes in half. Arrange ears with open ends touching head. Cut a third portion of dough in half; shape each into a 3-1/2-in. oval for back paws. Cut two 1-in. slits on top edge for toes. Position on each side of body.

Divide the fourth portion of dough into three pieces. Shape two pieces into 2-1/2-in. balls for front paws; shape the remaining piece into two 1-in. balls for cheeks and one 1/2-in. ball for nose. Place paws on each side of body; cut two 1-in. slits for toes. Place cheeks and nose on face. Add raisins for eyes and almonds for teeth.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-45 minutes. Brush dough with egg. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

Place bread on a serving tray. Cut a 3-1/2-in. circle in center of body. Hollow out bread, leaving a 1/2-in. shell (discard removed bread or save for another use). Place a 1-cup shallow bowl in the hole and fill with dip. Yield: 1 loaf.

Recipe from Quick Cooking Magazine, March/April 2001, p13

Strawberry Pavlova

• 6 egg whites, at room temperature
• Pinch of salt
• 1.5 cups Sugar
• 2 tsp Cornstarch
• 1 tsp White Vinegar
• 1.25 cups Heavy Cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Draw an 8″ diameter circle on the parchment paper using a pencil (reverse the parchment so the pencil mark is below and won’t transfer onto the meringue.

Put the egg whites in a large, clean, grease-free bowl with the salt.  Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.  Start whisking in the sugar 1 Tbsp at a time, until whites are stiff and glossy.  Whisk in the cornstarch and vinegar.

Spoon it into a mound inside the circle on the parchment.  Spread it to the edges of the circle.

Bake for 5 mins, then reduce heat to 250 degrees and cook for another 75 mins.  Leave to cool completely in the oven.  Whip the cream until stiff and it holds its shape.  Spoon the cream into the meringue base and top with sliced strawberries.

Recipe from “Illustrated Step-by-Step Baking”, Caroline Bretherton, Page 252