An early start for Easter dinner preparation

Even though today is St. Patrick's Day, I am already looking toward Easter and our dinner menu plans. The ham and turkey are standard, but side dishes are always fun to play with and try new recipes. All these recipes are some of our favorites and they certainly are not reserved just for Easter. Give any or all of these recipes a try and enjoy them on your own Easter buffet.

Broccoli Corn Casserole

1 box Chicken in a Biscuit Crackers, crushed

1/2 stick butter, melted

1 can whole kernel corn, drained

1 can cream-style corn

1 can white shoe peg corn, drained

1 small bag frozen broccoli florets, partially cooked

8 ounces Velveeta, cubed, or 8 ounces Velveeta shredded

Crush crackers in a plastic bag, then add the melted butter. Mix well. Set aside.

In a bowl add the 3 cans of corn to the partially thawed broccoli. Add one half of the cracker mixture and the Velveeta cubes and mix well. Place in a greased casserole dish. Cover with remaining crackers. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Potato Apple Gratin with Rosemary Crust

This has a beautiful presentation. Layers of potatoes, apples and Gruyere cheese in a rosemary crust. It is a perfect compliment to your holiday ham.

1 package refrigerated pie crust, 2 crusts

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Gruyere cheese, divided

1 1/2 pounds (about 5 medium) Yukon Gold potatoes or russets, peeled, thinly sliced

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, and thinly sliced

1 medium onion, yellow or white, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt (1 teaspoon table salt)

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

3 tablespoons flour

2/3 cup heavy cream

1 garlic clove, minced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unroll both piecrusts on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle with rosemary, pepper and 1/2 cup cheese over 1 piecrust, place other piecrust on top sandwiching the cheese between the two. Roll into a 13 inch circle. Press on bottom and up the sides of 9-inch springform pan.

Peel and thinly slice the potatoes, onions and apples. Place all in a bowl and toss, sprinkle with salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons flour and parsley. Remove crust from the refrigerator and pour one third mixture in crust, sprinkle with cheese then repeat twice.

You can also just layer the potatoes, apples, onions and cheese and then salt, pepper, and flour each layer.

Microwave cream and garlic in a glass bowl for 45 seconds. Pour over layers of potatoes in crust. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Tent pan with heavy duty (or 2 layers of regular) aluminum foil. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 1 hour. Uncover and reduce heat to 400 and continue to bake for 25 minutes, until richly browned. Let stand 15 minutes. Carefully remove sides of pan, slide gratin off bottom of pan using a long knife and transfer to a serving platter or cake plate with small rimmed edge or you can leave bottom of pan under gratin if desired. Garnish with sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Frozen Cherry Salad

1 can (20 ounces) cherry pie filling

1 large (21 ounce) crushed pineapple, drained

1 (8 ounce) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 can (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup chopped toasted pecans

Mix together pie filling and pineapple and milk, then fold in topping and then pecans. Place in a 9-by-13 pan. Cover and freeze. Thaw 15 minutes before serving.

Orange Sweet Potato Casserole with Crunchy Topping

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/3 cup melted butter

Casserole:

2 large cans sweet potatoes, drained

1 stick butter, room temperature

2 eggs

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 cup milk

1/3 cup chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all topping ingredients and set aside. Mash sweet potatoes and butter together. Then stir in remaining ingredients. Place in a greased 9-by-13 or oval baker. Top with the topping mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until heated through and topping is crunchy.

Shrimp-Stuffed Deviled Eggs

This Paula Deen recipe is a wonderful improvement over regular deviled eggs. Once you have these you may never go back to the others again.

1/3 cup medium-sized shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cooked

6 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sour cream

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Additional shrimp, optional

Chopped dill, optional

Finely chop shrimp and set aside.

Halve eggs lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl. Mash yolks with a fork and stir in chopped shrimp, mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Fill egg whites evenly with yolk mixture. Garnish with additional shrimp and dill, if desired. Store covered in refrigerator.

Cherry Salad

1 (3 ounce) package cherry gelatin

1 (3 ounce) package lemon gelatin

2 cups boiling water

1 can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 can cherry pie filling

For the topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine gelatins with water and stir until well dissolved. Add pineapple and cherry pie filling. Pour in a 9-by-13-inch glass dish and chill until set. Combine topping ingredients and spread over firm set salad. If desired, sprinkle chopped pecans over this layer.

Have a great week, and until next time, happy cooking.