Easter Feast

With Spring's arrival and the remembrance of the Resurrection, Easter has always been celebrated in my home with food. Whether it's a large family gathering, or just our small family (like this year), the food is always tasty.

This year we decided on braised lamb shanks (the major factor in that decision was that they were better priced at the store then any other cut of lamb). Lamb (which my husband loves) has become somewhat of an Easter tradition. Braised lamb shanks, cheesy potatoes, salad and sourdough bread made for a tasty meal.

Braised Lamb Shanks

• 4 Lamb Shanks
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 Med. Onion (roughly chopped)
• 4 Cloves Garlic (roughly chopped)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Can Tomatoes
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 T Italian Seasoning
• 2-3 C Broth ( I had turkey broth, so that's what I used)

I looked up a few different recipes, and after checking the cupboards for what I had, I came up with this recipe. Heat a large pot on the stove with olive oil. Season shanks with salt & pepper and brown in pot (this may have to be done in stages if all the shanks won't comfortably fit in the pot at once). Once browned remove from pot, add onions and garlic, allow to soften, then add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and tomatoes. Return shanks to the pot and add the broth. Cover and bring to a low simmer. Simmer 2-3 hours.

Once the meat is falling off of the bone, remove shanks. Turn heat in pot to high, allow the liquid to reduce. I added a couple of Tablespoons of flour (mixed with half a cup of water) to the pot to help thicken the sauce. Then return the shanks to the liquid. Ready to Serve.

Cheesy Potatoes

• 4 Medium Potatoes
• 2-3 C Broth (Once again I had Turkey broth, so that's what I used)
• 1 T Butter
• 1 T Flour
• 4 Cloves Garlic (Chopped)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 C Sour Cream
• 1 Can Mushrooms
• 1/2 C Cheddar Cheese

This is a true Tasty Cupboard meal. I had Potatoes and Turkey broth and wanted to use both, so this is what I came up with. Cube potatoes (I peeled off half of the skin, but left half on, I like a bit of the skin) and boil potatoes in broth until soft, but not yet mushy. Remove potatoes and separate from broth. Put potatoes in an oven safe pan. Melt butter in the pot, over low heat, add flour. Once combined add  half of the garlic, salt, pepper, and slowly stir in the leftover broth. Allow to simmer 5 minutes. Temper sour cream (stir in a little broth to the sour cream), then add to sauce. Heat through. Chop mushrooms and sprinkle over potatoes as well as the rest of the garlic. Pour sauce over the potatoes and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

We added a salad and homemade sourdough bread rolls (recipe to come), and had quite the tasty Easter feast.

Easter cupcakes are the traditional dessert for our family, but I wanted to try different ones this year. I went with this recipe I found here. They were delicious. I wasn't quite as fond of the frosting, but I think that was because I didn't quite follow the recipe (don't substitute margarine for the butter here). I'll try it again the right way sometime, and let you know how it turns out. Overall a fantastic Easter feast. We hope you had a Happy Easter as well!