‘Cue the Grill

Family Easter Dinner Ideas

By Chef Kelly Ross

Hello Lakes Region Friends. It’s great to have you back for another batch of fun recipes to keep your friends and family happy. The weather keeps getting better, the layering of clothes keeps getting thinner, and all in all, our attitudes are getting better as a result. Winter is ok in my book, just a little long. So as the snowbanks shrink, the smile on my face gets bigger and bigger by the day. Our days are longer, and we are well on our way to the weather we all crave.

Today’s theme of food is a sentimental one to me. Admittedly, I was never brought up a religious guy, and I really haven’t looked in that direction as an adult, but the holidays did mean a lot to my grandmother in the respect of getting everybody to her house for the most outstanding dinners of the year.

My Gram on my dad’s side of the family, to this day and forever, will always be the most outstanding chef I have ever known, and I have worked for some worldwide renowned chefs.

If you read my articles somewhat regularly you know how much my Gram meant, and still means to me. The big three meals were Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, and yup, Easter is right in our face in a couple of weeks, so this article is dedicated to Grammy Judy.

We will start off with a great coffee cake that she would have ready for any of us who got there the night before to stay the night, and then we’ll share a wide array of fun, some from Gram, some from me and others. They will help provide you with the makings for a stellar Easter dinner for all of your family and guests.

Besides the coffee cake, I have a fun soup, an appetizer, a slow cooker ham recipe, a cheesy stuffed potato casserole, lemon garlic mushrooms, and a chocolate pecan cobbler to fi nish off the meal. I am by no means expecting any of you to prepare all these dishes on Easter Sunday, but maybe you will pick and choose a few of them, and then from there, add the rest to your repertoire down the line. It’s all about fun choices my friends, and that’s my job to provide to you.

OK, so who doesn’t like homemade coffee cake? I doubt any hands went up for that question. Good ‘ole Gram had to cook for 25-30 people for the big Easter dinner and she got up at the crack of dawn and cranked out a few of these Streusel Topped Coffee Cakes for those staying the night and for those who showed up fashionably late. We needed no alarm clock as the aroma from the kitchen climbing up the stairs was as good as it gets. This recipe is for 15 pieces. It takes about 20 minutes to prep and 40 minutes to cook. One whiff of this and your family is going to be lining up in the kitchen! This Streusel Topped Coffee Cake features a buttery, cinnamon crumb topping that’s simply irresistible. Plus, this coffee cake doesn’t just taste great, it’s easy too! Not just on a special occasion, you can make this on a busy weekend and serve it alongside a pot of coffee, milk, or tea. There is no bad time for this yummy treat.

Streusel Topped Coffee Cake

For the Streusel 1 cup all purpose fl our ½ cup packed light brown sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 stick butter, cut into pieces

For the Coffee Cake 3 cups pancake/biscuit mix ½ cup granulated sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon salt 1 ½ cups milk 2 eggs ½ stick butter, melted 2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, combine Streusel ingredients; mix with a fork until crumbly, and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk pancake mix, granulated sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk milk, eggs, butter, and vanilla. Add egg mixture to pancake mix mixture and stir until combined. Pour batter into baking dish and sprinkle evenly with streusel. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. What a great start to the day this will give you!

For any soup lover, and is there really anyone out there who isn’t, this one is sure to please. It’s got a hearty and rich tomato-based broth, chock full of cheese fi lled tortellini which makes this very tough not to fall in love with This is truly irresistible and like so many of my favorite delicious recipes that I like to share, this one again is so quick and easy. You can put this together in 15 minutes, will cook in 30 minutes, although letting it simmer longer is never a bad thing, and it will serve 8. Keep in mind this works great as a main course on a weeknight coming home from work, although as a main course, it will feed more like 4-5. Like all soups, it’s always better the following day or two, so it’s never bad to have leftovers, so maybe it’s worth doubling up the recipe.

Nana’s Tortellini Soup • ‘Cue The Grill

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continued from page 10 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained, 14 ½ oz each 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 4 cloves garlic, chopped ¼ tsp dried oregano ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp black pepper 2 cups water 48-50 oz chicken broth 1 package frozen or refrigerated cheese tortellini, 19 oz or more if preferred 3 cups fresh spinach

In a soup pot over medium high heat, heat oil until hot. Sauté onion until tender, then add tomatoes, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper; cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until heated through. Stir in water and broth and bring to a boil. Add tortellini and spinach and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until tortellini are tender. Serve immediately. If you want to let simmer longer, wait until the last 10 minutes before serving to pop in the tortellini and spinach into the soup.

Now for the seafood portion of our program, we offer you a great mini crab cake recipe. These are the perfect two bite appetizer that are loaded with crabmeat, plus veggies and herbs to boot. The sauce is outstanding and again, very simple and quick to throw together. This recipe makes 36 mini crab cakes, takes a half hour to prep and 20 minutes or so to cook.

Mini Crab Cakes

2/3cup Italian flavored breadcrumbs ½ cup mixed eggs ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped ½ red onion, finely chopped 1 rib celery, finely chopped 3 tbsp light mayonnaise 2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice ½ tsp salt ¾ tsp black pepper 1 tsp crushed dried tarragon 3 cans lump crabmeat, drained, 6 ½ oz cans 2 tbsp vegetable oil

For the Sauce ½ cup mayo 4 tsp prepared horseradish 2 tbsp ketchup 2 good squeezes of fresh lemon juice

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients except the crabmeat and oil; mix well. Fold in the crabmeat, being careful not to break up the crabmeat chunks. Form mixture into 36 equalsized patties. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil until hot. Add the patties and cook in batches 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Serve warm. If need be, keep the oven on to 225 degrees and as they are cooked, place in the oven and once all pan fried, you can serve all of them hot. For the sauce, combine all ingredients until well blended. Wicked Good!

Now I can guarantee my Grammy Judy never cooked her Easter ham in a slow cooker, mainly because there were no slow cookers back in the day, but I bet my bottom dollar that if there was, she would have been all over this. Not only is it simple, but it also frees up the oven for all the other stuff going on, and she had so much going on that all our heads were spinning like a top. Between her taters, veggies, rolls, desserts, and such for 25-30 people, this ham would have made her life a breeze. A bone-in ham is best, but boneless works well too.

Simply, place the ham, honey, pineapple juice and brown sugar in a slow cooker and let that little machine work its magic for you. Like most anything out of a slow cooker, the ham comes out moist and tender and is absolutely as yummy as anything out of the oven. It’s perfect for a holiday gathering considering how much hoopla is generally going on. As a rule, a 7–8-pound ham is a good size to feed a large group. Estimate about ½ pound of boneless ham per person and ¾ pound of bone in per person. So this may have something to do with your decision on using a slow cooker depending on how many you are cooking for. A slow cooker can only hold so much ham. If you go any larger than 8 pounds, you may have trouble fitting it into your slow cooker. If you use bone-in ham and you are having difficulty fitting your ham into your cooker because of the bone or overall size, you can trim off a chunk of the ham to make it fit. You can also cover the slow cooker with heavy duty aluminum foil that is tightly sealed. There will be some liquid from the steam that will drip down the slow cooker, so beware of that. I usually put a cookie sheet under the slow cooker in this situation to catch the drippings. A large oval 7 to 8-quart slow cooker works best. This recipe is for a 7-10 lb. bone in ham, will feed 8-10 or so, takes about 10 minutes to prep and 4+ hours to cook.

Slow Cooker Ham

1 ½ cups brown sugar 7-10 lb. bone in ham 1 ¼ cup honey 1 ½ cups pineapple juice

Optional herbs for garnish

Sprinkle brown sugar evenly in the bottom of a large 7 to 8 quart slow cooker. Place ham on top of the sugar, cut side down. Pour honey and then pineapple juice over the top of the ham. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours or until the meat is tender and the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees. Once fully cooked, remove ham onto a large, rimmed serving platter. If using a bone in ham, it is recommended to shred the meat and remove any clumps of fat. Ham will easily fall apart. Before serving, ladle a desired amount of juices from the slow cooker for the table for those who want it. As a side note, if you decide to use a boneless ham, a whole or spiral cut, a cured or uncured, smoked or not, shank, butt or shoulder will all work fine.

I have no problem saying that as much as I love the big family holiday meal, more times than not, I find myself a ginormous fan of the side dishes, and especially a kick butt potato dish, and this one certainly qualifies. It is the most time-consuming aspect of the meal, but considering how simple the main course is, and the next dish, this is still a walk in the park in the big scheme of things. It’s not difficult, it’s just a 2-step process. Seriously, I know it might not be the healthiest thing for you, but I could just eat a huge plate of these spuds, and hey, it’s a holiday so we’re all allowed to cheat a little.

Everyone loves a twice baked potato, just consider that mentality in casserole form. A-Ha you say! This dish is outstanding. One thing to consider is that this recipe will generally feed 4-6 of you, so, depending on the size of the ham you are cooking, if that’s what you are doing, you may need to make two of these, which all in all won’t take much longer than making just the one. The prep for this takes about 1 ¼ hours, although much of it is waiting where

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continued from page 11 you could be doing other things, fi nal cooking time will take you about 45 minutes and worth every minute of it.

Cheesy Loaded Twice Baked Potato Casserole

2 lb. red skinned potatoes 1 tbsp olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided ½ cup half & half 1 cup sour cream ½ cup butter, melted and cooled 1 ½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided 4 green onions, sliced 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley ½ tsp Kosher salt ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the potatoes, pierce each with a knife. Place on a baking sheet lined with foil. Toss the potatoes with olive oil and salt, bake for 35-45 minutes until tender depending on their size. Cook bacon until crispy, drain on paper towels. Crumble when cooled and set aside. When potatoes have cooled enough to handle, slice in half, then into half rounds about 1/2 inch thick. Place potatoes in a large bowl and toss with 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese, half of the bacon, and half of the green onions. Using pan release spray, grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Combine the half and half, sour cream, and the melted butter. Add the parsley, kosher salt, and pepper. Pour the sour cream mixture over the potatoes and toss. Using a potato masher, break down the chunks mashing well. Place the potato mixture in the baking dish, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese and bake for 5 minutes until the cheese has melted. Garnish the top with remaining bacon and green onions and watch everyone dig in. So Good!

This veggie side dish is so good, and the easiest of all dishes of the day. This will take you all of 20 minutes, so I hope you can handle the stress lol. I’m a huge fan of mushrooms, and with added garlic and lemon, you have yourself a big ‘ole winner. Ideally, I grill these, but these can easily be done in a sauté pan, which is how I will go about describing this dish considering the time of year. This is for 8 people, so alter accordingly if needed.

Lemon Garlic Mushrooms

½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 3 tbsp minced fresh parsley 4 tbsp olive oil 6 garlic cloves, minced

Pepper to taste 2 lb. large fresh mushrooms of choice. If large, half or quarter them 2 tbsp olive oil

For the dressing, whisk together fi rst 5 ingredients. Toss mushrooms with 4 tablespoons dressing. In a large sauté pan, add the 2 tbsp olive oil and heat over medium heat and then add the mushrooms and sauté for 4-5 minutes - maybe more depending on mushroom size - until they are tender but not overdone. Turn off the heat, add the rest of the dressing and toss well and pour into a serving bowl.

Alright, it’s time for the favorite part of the meal for at least 50% of the crowd, if my past is any indication. Everybody loves a good cobbler, and this one is much different than any of the usual fruit cobblers we are much too familiar with, although I love a good fruit cobbler. I’m one of the few people out there who isn’t a big fan of chocolate. Don’t get me wrong, at times I’ll have a mini fi x, but when it comes to chocolate cakes, brownies, and cookies, I’m not overly enthusiastic. Now give me almost any pie in the world, especially berry or fruit related, and I’ll fi ght you for any extra pieces I can snag. As opposed to a brownie, I adore a blondie in a huge way and could eat a whole pan myself. All this being said, this cobbler is a Chocolate Pecan Cobbler that I feel pretty confi dent in saying will bring a three-mile smile to all the eaters at your table. Serve this hot with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’ll have a winner. This treat takes 15-20 minutes to prep, 40 minutes or so to cook and will feed 8 happy campers.

Chocolate Pecan Cobbler

6 tbsp butter 1 ¾ cups sugar, divided 1 cup all-purpose fl our ½ tsp salt 1 ½ tsp baking powder 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, divided ½ cup milk 1 tsp vanilla extract ½ cup chopped pecans ½ cup toffee bits, plus more for topping once done if you want to, strongly suggested 1 ½ cups boiling water

Vanilla ice cream to top once serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow 3-quart casserole dish, melt butter in microwave, about 1 minute; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar, the fl our, salt, baking powder, and 2 tablespoons cocoa. Add milk and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Spoon over melted butter. In another medium bowl, combine remaining 1 cup sugar, remaining 4 tablespoons cocoa, the pecans, and toffee bits: sprinkle over batter mixture. Slowly pour boiling water over the top. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until cobbler is crusty on top. Serve warm. Hit each portion with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream and sprinkle with more toffee bits and/or chopped pecans and get your chocolate fi x on.

Well, unfortunately that brings us to the end of this Easter article. May you all have a great holiday that is shared with many loved ones. Keep those taste bud’s happy boys and girls and we’ll meet right back here next month. Until then, if you have any questions or feedback, please touch base at fenwaysox10@gmail.com

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Wanelle Wilburn is convinced there is something fi shy going on at the Arkansas fi shing lodge that she and her husband, D. Gene, operate.

Her husband’s secret phone calls with someone named Roxanne, his insistence on cleaning up the lodge and encouraging her to go shopping in town all lead Wanelle to these conclusions. And, in a way, Wanelle is right, there is plenty fi shy going on, but it’s nothing like what she’s imagining.

Welcome to the Reel ‘Em Inn, the aforementioned fi shing lodge located in the remote wilderness of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas, where things haven’t exactly been going well. And welcome to the Village Players production of Farce of Nature, opening April 1, in downtown Wolfeboro.

Wanelle and D. Gene, played by real life husband and wife Helen and Bob Rautenberg, are at the center of the Reel ‘Em Inn. D. Gene has a secret plan to help bring the fi shing lodge back to its former glory, but there’s plenty of things standing in his way.

First and foremost, recently freed gangster Carmine DeLuca (Silas St. James) shows up under the protection of D. Gene’s sister, Maxie (Jeannie LeGrow), a former police offi cer who is pressed back into duty during an offi cer shortage, despite the fact that she struggles to fi nd her gun and her bullets on a regular basis. Carmine is scheduled to go into witness protection to be hidden from the gangster he put away, Sonny Barbosa (Rick Tessari).

Of course, things get even more interesting when D. Gene and Wanelle’s son, Ty (Sam Marsh), returns home after receiving a call from Maxie that his longtime girlfriend, Jenna (Emily Judkins), has taken up with a new guy, a story that isn’t true, but does manage to bring Ty home from Chicago.

Another problem arises when Ty is followed to Arkansas by his Chicago boss, Lola (Michaela Andruzzi), who happens to be married to Sonny Barbosa. And fresh out of jail, Sonny follows his wife to Arkansas as well, leading to even more mayhem. And when Roxanne (Laura Cooper) shows up with more up her sleeve than D. Gene anticipates, it gets even more interesting.

Farce of Nature takes the stage on Friday, April 1; Saturday, April 2; Friday, April 8; Saturday, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 10, at 2 p.m. at the Village Players Theater at 51 Glendon St. in Wolfeboro. Tickets are available at village-players.com. Because the situation with COVID is changing quickly, one week before performances, they will post the current COVID policy. If you have concerns about whether or not they will be requiring masks in the theater, please wait to purchase your tickets.

Farce of Nature is generously sponsored by Bruce and Kris Gurall.

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