Cooking for Easter or Passover? Family traditions?

[Jenise]

Bob and I don't. We're not religious, and to the extent we believe anything it doesn't extend to pastel bunnies and all that. But we're always game for a fun time, so maybe sometimes we do something playful.

Best Easter thing I ever did: bought big colorful plastic eggs and stuffed my husband's entire lunch into about six of them. He took it to work and put the bag in the fridge without looking inside. Come lunch, he grabbed the bag--only one left by that point--to a table with some friends and apparently just upended it to dump the contents. Eggs rolled around. His first thought was, "Oh damn, someone took my lunch!!!" And then it dawned on him, "she WOULD do that". So he opened one of the eggs and recognized my 'cooking'. I guess he could hardly concentrate all afternoon for laughing over it.

As kids, before Mom became a Jehovah's Witness that is, we always had a roast ham. Grammy would come over with a yam casserole (the kind with brown sugar and marshmallows) and candy to put in our baskets. Chocolate bunnies for everyone else, Jordan almonds for me. After the religious conversion: nothing, of course.

Thinking about that today, I'm rebelling with a variation: choucroute garni. Later, we'll watch the John Legend and Alice Cooper in Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar".

You?

Betsy is Jewish based on matriarchal line, though she only found out when about 8-10. I grew up typical Southern Baptist (ham on Easter), but have been to lots of seders. Some years we are invited to a seder (I love the food). Not this year, last night Betsy bought gefilte fish at Epstein's deli, made matzoh ball soup (mix, but in killer broth), did carrots with prunes. I did a tiny (1.5 lb) hunk of brisket in slow cooker with onion, broth, and tawny port. No religious significance, just honoring her heritage and her step-grandmother.

Her sister usually does a huge Easter party of friends, mostly from their church. Often we bring the ham, plus deviled eggs and asparagus. But this year BiL is getting in late Sat night, they arent having the party. So smaller group, Betsy is doing deviled eggs, I'm bringing a leg of lamb (marinating in garlic/rosemary/ anchovy/lemon paste). I'll always choose lamb over ham. Though I did get interested in a NYTimes article about a stuffed ham tradition in Maryland.

Not religious, and no family traditions.
I did vaguely think my cassoulet was the type of dish one would serve after a Long period of fasting, and a long winter. Sausage, speck, confit duck, beans etc.

Ham
Green beans
Potato salad
Mac and Cheese
Feather Rolls (a la Fannie Farmer)
Deviled eggs
Banana Pudding

Some things I just can't not do!

I always lobbied for lamb, but we always had a ham. Oddly, my wife says she had turkey (!?).

Today I'd probably choose rabbit - the kids would be lapin it up!

(This year I did pork tenderloin, dusted with ground fennel seeds, accompanied by fennel sections as a veg.)

[Jenise]

Dale, we've been included in a few seders and absolutely loved the experience. I totally admire the detailed yet joyful traditions--in fact the part of me that found my mother's religion stifling and heavily somber envies that a lot.

Jo Ann, I want to come to your house!

Bill--turkey? Odd choice. Perhaps her parents weren't inventive cooks?

Okay, a confession: after posting this yesterday I bought a ham. There's a local ham/sausage producer (Jo Ann would know them, Hemplers--their stuff is available all over the state but the company itself is in the next town over to me, so VERY local) and while shopping for sausage for my choucroute, I spied butt ends for $1.99/lb. I couldn't NOT buy one. No idea what I'll do with it, but one had to come home with me--maybe a pot of braised ham with long-cooked green beans.

No religious impulse here, either. Making cassoulet -- last hurrah of Winter.

I grew up eating ham for Easter, but have not retained that tradition. Over the years, we've done some Easter-oriented foods for the occasion (Pizza Rustica comes to mind), but we don't have any consistent Easter meal.

Tonight, it's porchetta, mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus and morels.

Our family's Easter tradition was roast lamb.

-Paul W.