Easter Preparations

One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is hosting a holiday or special occasion party for as many members of my family as possible, given their various other commitments and individual circumstances.  On Easter, we are tickled that we are going to have a pretty big crew--three of our five sons, their wives, and the baker's dozen children they have between them--joining us for brunch after Easter Sunday Mass, along with one son's in-laws and another's very good family friend.  So we will have 11 adults and 13 little ones gathered together under our roof on the most important and joyful Sunday of the year.

Hallelujah!  Am I right?  Mom/Grammy/ReeRee is living her best life these days.

Along with hosting on the actual day itself, I absolutely love all the planning and ahead-of-time preparation that such an event entails.  That means that I am already looking through my favorite brunch recipes and figuring out the menu for our Easter celebration.  Even though it's still almost two weeks away.  And I don't have OCD.  I don't.  (I don't think I do, anyway.)  I just really, really like playing hostess and I don't like to leave too many tasks for the last minute because I find that too stress-inducing.

I have already made two batches of scones (using my daughter-in-law Ginger's amazingly buttery and delicious chocolate chip scone recipe, with substitutions).  They freeze beautifully, so I will just have to get them out to defrost the night before.  I made one batch of cinnamon chip with a cinnamon glaze, which I've made a number of times before.  But the second batch was an experiment that I hope will be a hit: Oreo scones.

These got a vanilla glaze and were garnished
with finely crushed Oreos.

Oreos are never a mistake, as far as I am concerned.  But we shall see!

Ginger is also bringing her family-famous homemade cinnamon rolls (dripping in cream cheese frosting), so that should take care of the sweet portion of the meal.  For the savory, I think I've decided on a sausage, egg, and cheese casserole that was my mother-in-law's go-to brunch dish, and also an onion, bacon, and mushroom strata.  I found the strata recipe in a magazine and ripped the page out; after I made it the first time, I noted in the margin that it was "awesome," and "like the best quiche ever!"  So I think that's a good choice.  I'm also going to make Ginger's cheesy hash brown casserole and lots and lots of bacon and sausage.  We'll have coffee--of course!--and a mimosa bar, because that's always fun.   (I'd make a pretty bowl of punch--but if you read this post, you understand why I'm not planning to serve punch at family parties for a while!). 

So I've got my menu figured out (at least for now; there's still plenty of time to change my mind...).  And my baby's Easter "basket" box of goodies has been shipped out to Oklahoma.  I know that's just what a 28-year-old married man needs: chocolate bunnies and jelly beans from his mommy.  Every year now I say to myself, "Making Easter baskets for my boys has to end!  They're all grown up and they don't need me to do this anymore!  And their kids don't need me to, either.  The Easter Bunny is taking very good care of them without me!"  And then this sort of thing happens...

These are ALMOST ready...

So how are your Easter preparations going so far?  (Or are you rightly in Lenten mode, focusing on prayer and sacrifice, as you should be--as I should be?  Mea culpa!)

[She signs off sheepishly.]