Easter Recipes

Recipe: pan pierogi

Pan Pierogi

A family favorite.

5 pounds potatoes*
1 pound Velveeta cheese
1 pound lasagna (12 noodles)
3/4 pounds butter (3 sticks, divided use)
Milk (optional)
1 1/2 pounds onions, chopped

Fry onions in lots of butter. I usually fry 3/4 pound of onions with 1/4 pound (l stick) of butter each in two skillets to prevent over crowding in the pan. Fry slowly until a light golden color and completely cooked.

Peel, cut up and cook potatoes in boiling salted water, drain. Add 1 stick (1/4 pound) butter, milk (if needed) and Velveeta cheese, cut up. Mash until of desired consistency for filling. This step can be prepared the night before and refrigerated until ready to assemble.

Butter a large flat casserole dish or pan. I use a 9 x 15-inch enameled lasagna pan.

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Layer four lasagna noodles in buttered pan. Add half of the potato mixture. (Wet hands and pat on potatoes until real smooth.) Top with 4 more noodles. Add 1/2 of the fried onions. Add the second half of potato mixture. Add the third layer of 4 lasagna noodles. Add the last half of onions to the top of casserole. Bake at 325 degrees F – 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until completely heated through. Remove from oven. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving. Just like lasagna, it will be soupy to serve if not allowed to stand.

NOTES: Add milk only if mashed potatoes are really stiff. Not usually needed.

*Instant potato flakes may be used with regular potatoes if desired. Also, if potatoes are too loose when mashed, you may add some instant potato flakes to firm it up to desired consistency.

Can be made without onions for people who don’t want onions. Can be frozen. Thaw in refrigerator before reheating. I sometimes make it in two pans. Serve one, freeze the other. Just snip the cooked lasagna with kitchen shears to fit pan. It is a versatile recipe. Comfort food at its best!

Excellent served with buttered carrots and a beet salad.

This casserole is delicious! Rich tasting and filling. Great for pot luck. Makes about 12 servings.

Adapted (but not much) from Angels and Friends Favorite Recipes published by Angels of Easter Seal, Youngstown, Ohio – Contributed by Mrs. Roger Joliceour

Recipe: roasted potatoes with lemon, oregano and garlic

Roasted Potatoes with Lemon, Oregano and Garlic

Mary in Las Vegas,

I made these three nights ago. They were really good, quite different–and certainly better than the vast majority of the roasted potato recipes I have tried in the past. This time around, I followed the recipe directions. However, next time around, I will probably reduce the lemon juice in the recipe by as much as 50%. The Taiwanese lemons I used are very sour, so the lemon flavor in the potatoes was a tad too strong for my daughter son and myself. My wife, however, liked them just as they are. Thanks for a very good, unique recipe!

Regards, Cookin’ Dad

Author Aglaia Kremezi says these are some of the most delicious roasted potatoes you’ll ever taste, especially if you (like many Greeks at Easter) roast them in the lamb juices.

3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut
into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup beef or chicken stock
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 to 3 tablespoons freshly chopped oregano
plus additional for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Place potatoes in a single layer on 13 x 9-inch baking dish and pour oil over them. Add garlic, oregano and salt and pepper to taste, tossing well to coat. Bake potatoes for 15 minutes.

Add stock, toss and bake 10 minutes more.

Add lemon juice, toss and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, until cooked through.

Sprinkle with fresh oregano and serve at once.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Egg Decorating

One of my favorite parts of Easter is when we do the egg decorating. This is always something that was a magical event for me when I was a child. I always loved to watch the little disks of color dissolve in the vinegar and water to form the watery dye, and I loved to decide exactly what colors I wanted to make each and every one of the eggs before me. To eliminate fighting, my mother often split the eggs into two workstations so my brother and I wouldn’t argue over colors or who got to do more eggs than the other.

Today, egg decorating is not just for Easter, though it is the most popular time to do it. You can decorate eggs to go with your décor, though many people like to do this for special occasions only. You can empty the contents of the egg and then add the color or design you want. When you do this, you are ensuring you can keep the egg as long as you can keep it from being broken, because there is nothing inside to rot. Egg decorating can be trickier this way, however, because the egg is not as strong as it would be without a small hole in the bottom.

You can go about egg decorating this type of egg any way you want to. You can use dyes, but you can also use different types of paint that may stand out and make a bolder statement. You may want to just leave them white for whatever reason. It really is up to you. Egg decorating is something that can be as creative as painting a landscape or writing an epic poem if you have the time and energy to really get into it.

In fact, if you find that you have a flare for egg decorating, you may want to teach others some of your tricks and tips. Some craft stores like to offer classes like these, and you may want to contact the ones in your area to see if they are interested in having your hold a few classes in egg decorating. You can also contact your local college that might also hold classes such as these. They have classes for quilting, painting, writing, exercise, pottery, and other artist endeavors, so there is no reason why you can teach a class on egg decorating as well.

New Ideas To Help You Celebrate And Document Your Holidays

Sometimes people get a little too overwhelmed with trying to make every holiday “picture perfect” and they forget to have fun. One way to help ease that stress is to create some fun and easy holiday traditions that are relatively stress-free and easy to do. The possibilities available with “You Custom Trading Card Maker” (www.customtradingcardmaker.com) can make a great tradition for any holiday and can document your holiday celebrations at the same time. The best part about the program is that it is easy to use and it takes only about five minutes to make each card.

Here are some examples:

New Year’s Day

Take a picture of you, your family, or your friends as they bring in the new year. Use the back of the card to list their New Year’s Resolutions

Valentine’s Day

Instead of store bought valentine cards, make up your own with family pictures, pictures of the recipients’ favorite things or creative holiday themed shots such as a pile of conversation hearts.

Document Valentine’s Day with your significant other by taking a picture each year and highlighting how you celebrated.

Easter

Use custom trading cards to create a scavenger hunt for your family to find their Easter baskets. Provide a pictorial hint on the front such as a picture of the room they need to go to or an extreme close-up of the hiding spot. On the back, give a few hints to lead them in the right direction.

Instead of filling the Easter basket with candy, add in some custom trading cards in the form of coupons such as a special movie night at home, playing a board game or doing a craft.

Mother’s Day/Father’s Day

Take a picture of the kids and have them each write their favorite things about mom or dad on the back.

Fourth of July

Teach your kids about Independence Day. Have them document what their favorite freedoms are and include an appropriate picture on the front.

Halloween

Get a great shot of the costume and write about its special features and why it was chosen on the back.

Thanksgiving

Have each family member create a card that highlights what they are most thankful for. Set them out for everyone to browse during the day.

Christmas

Create memorable ornaments for each member of the family. Put a recent photo on the front and fill the back with fun facts from the previous year. Punch a hole and tie a loop to hang from the tree.

General

Create invitations with appropriate photos and the details on the back.

Forget about elaborate, expensive party favors for your kids’ birthday parties. During the party, get a shot of the birthday kid and each guest. Make up a trading card with the picture and a list of all the fun things they did at the party.

Use a trading card as a thank you. Take pictures from your celebration and turn them into funny or sentimental cards and send them out with messages on the back.