Easter Menus

I am back from the IACP conference in Denver and slowly recovering from 5 days of talking about food, writing about food, and especially eating food. Really good food. And now Easter is just a few days away. Wanna know what I want for the holiday? Bourbon. I went to a fantastic seminar/tasting at the conference (which I'll post about later), and I've been having happy Bourbon dreams ever since.

Wanna know what I'll actually have for Easter? Turkey. But not just any turkey--full-on Thanksgiving roast turkey with all the trimmings. It's for a magazine assignment, and I'm sort of looking forward to it. It's not unusual for magazines to work 6 or more months ahead, especially when it comes to holiday stories. Luckily, I bought an extra bag of fresh cranberries and stuck them in the freezer, in case of emergency.

I will, however, miss cooking an Easter ham. It's what we always ate when I was growing up, so it just feels like the right thing to have on Easter. For those who celebrate Easter, do you have a specific food tradition?

If you're in search of ideas, I put together a brunch menu and a lunch/dinner menu from my archives. This was fun to do and makes me want to cook this stuff, turkey or no turkey! Oh, well. Maybe I'll try a ham in a week or two after all the turkey leftovers are finished.

A Mingling of Tastes Easter Brunch

Sour Cream Coffee Cake and Tomato Baked Eggs with Romaine Pesto

OR

Frittata with Corn, Bell Pepper & Feta and Lemon Buttermilk Scones with Currants

A Mingling of Tastes (Not-So-Typical) Easter Lunch

Spiced Lamb Patties With Minty Yogurt Sauce
Creamy Fava Bean Soup with Mint
Spring Vegetable Tart with Whole Wheat Herb Crust