My analysis of our Easter dinner

How as your weekend? If you hosted Easter or were a guest for Easter dinner or brunch, how did everything turn out? Do you ever think through what you made for a special meal as an after-the-fact analysis? Is there anything you wish you would have done differently?

Our menu was close to what I had brainstormed last week. I did roast a whole chicken, but I also added a package of chicken thighs. I like to have lots to send home with my son and daughter-in-law, and doing chicken thighs on top of a whole chicken allowed that. I had mixed up a lot of herb rub, using fresh rosemary from the garden, plus dried thyme, oregano. herbes de Provence, garlic, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and a spoonful of lemon juice. After thoroughly coating the whole chicken, I still had rub left over. So I thawed the thighs in the microwave and used the last of the rub on those. 

I had bought a whole lemon at WinCo on Friday (33 cents -- a bargain for so much flavor), which meant I had lots of zest, juice, and the white pith shells. I stuffed the pith shells into the chicken cavity, used half the zest in the chicken rub and the other half in a lemon butter to top the asparagus, and used some of the juice in the herb rub, some in the gravy, and a little in the lemon butter. I still have a tiny amount of zest and juice remaining. I'll have to think of a way to use that this week. Any suggestions for using 2 tablespoons lemon juice and a teaspoon lemon zest?

I did make the extra pie, a plum pie to go with the cherry pie. My son and daughter-in-law offered to bring ice cream to top the slices of fruit pies.

I had more than enough garden kale to make a large salad. I bought dried cranberries as planned, but while in the store I decided to buy some pumpkin seeds for the salad as well. I made a sweet and tangy dressing with vinegar, rhubarb jam, olive oil and salt. This salad was about as good as some of the bagged kale salad kits I've bought before and wasn't much more work (picking, washing and chopping the kale).

The deviled egg platter turned out well. The center of my tray has a well for adding something else. I decided on cherry tomatoes while at WinCo. I also picked a bunch of parsley from the garden (last year's parsley, harvesting before it goes to seed). Here's how the egg platter turned out. 

I made dinner rolls and mustard-glazed carrots as planned. I had 1 unopened bottle of sparkling cider leftover from Christmas, so we used that, and I bought 2 bottles of mineral water, a favorite of my family's. Since I wasn't spending all that much on special foods for Easter, I decided to buy a small piece of smoked salmon and a box of crackers to go with dinner.

The final menu:

herb-crusted and roasted chicken, gravy (tasted good, was enjoyed)

dinner rolls (soft and fluffy, could've used a wee bit more whole wheat flour)

mustard-glazed carrots (bland, not enough flavor in the glaze)

asparagus with lemon butter (a hit)

kale salad (really good, would've been better with bacon bits for some saltiness)

deviled egg tray with cherry tomatoes (great, very popular with my daughter-in-law)

smoked salmon and crackers (always a treat)

sparkling water, sparkling cider, tea (could have assembled more variety in the tea bags offered since we have many kinds here)

cherry pie (good, but filling needed more lemon juice and a bit more sugar)

plum pie (good, but filling needed more sugar and more orange zest), both pies with ice cream

I was able to prep a lot of the work on Saturday -- slicing carrots, washing/trimming asparagus, picking/washing kale and parsley, rubbing the chicken, making refrigerator roll dough, boiling eggs, and baking the two pies -- so Sunday's cooking was much more leisurely. 

I used part of this past week's grocery budget for the Easter foods that were needed (whole lemon, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, 2 bottles of mineral water, asparagus, smoked salmon, crackers). I didn't need very much from the store for the week, so the holiday spending all worked out. The combined weekly shopping plus Easter shopping came to $54.49. Our fridge, freezer, and pantry, while not bursting at the seams, are full enough that we will only need milk and possibly a little fruit at the end of this week.

I was tired today, but fortunately we had leftovers to make an easy dinner night. I'll get a good night's sleep tonight and will rise ready to tackle another spring day. I hope you all had a lovely weekend.

Do you have a platter/plate that is something like this one?

Okay, so this is a mid-century platter/plate, so it may not look much like those that came later. Can you guess what it was for?

Here's a hint (a close-up of an essential part):

So if you guessed a deviled egg platter, you're right!

This deviled egg platter was a wedding gift to my parents in the late 1950s. It came out for every holiday or gathering. While deviled eggs in some fashion have been around since ancient Roman times, they gained wild popularity in the later 1940s, 1950s, and into the 1960s as commercial mayonnaise was now a household staple, home refrigeration had greatly improved, eggs were an economical protein food, and folks had increased leisure time post-war (picnics and entertaining at home).

My mother made a platter of deviled eggs for every occasion. Hers were always a slightly sweet version with mayo, sweet relish, and a bit of curry powder. To top them off, she sprinkled a bit of paprika over each. The lady who coordinated the teas where I volunteered put cottage cheese and chives in hers. A friend of mine sprinkles bacon bits over her deviled eggs. And I once had deviled eggs made with a small amount of flaked smoked salmon. I make my deviled eggs savory, using mustard, mayonnaise, onion powder, and with whatever fresh herbs I have on hand (thyme works well, as do chives or parsley). Deviled eggs can be made with sour cream, soft cream cheese, mashed avocado, or Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise, for those who don't do mayo.

Anyway, I got out my deviled egg platter today as I plan on making a batch for Sunday. By the way, the center part of the platter can either be filled with something attractive like a mound of parsley, or it can hold crudités, pickles, olives, or cherry tomatoes.

What is you favorite way to make deviled eggs?