Easter, a special time for family and friends to gather, seems to spring upon us each year. It’s a holiday loaded with tradition, but mealtime preparations don’t have to mean a culinary crisis. Here’s how to make it easy on yourself.  

Easy Easter main courses
With a spiral-sliced ham, you’ll be ready for a crowd with minimal time and effort. Apricot-Glazed Spiral Ham uses on-hand pantry items for an elegant glaze that doesn’t take long to make. Be sure to fill a basket on the table with quick and savoury Red Pepper Corn Bread Muffins  (image featured above) – a fantastic accompaniment. It’s hard to imagine that this will be the case, but if you find yourself with leftovers, heat and serve split muffins topped with ham and scrambled eggs as a hearty breakfast the following morning.

Our quick video for Red Pepper Corn Bread muffins shows you exactly how to prepare these family favourites.

Easy Easter sides
Speaking of accompaniments, what’s a ham without sweet potatoes? Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Maple Pecan Topping and ham is a classic combination. Assemble and refrigerate sweet potatoes beforehand, then sprinkle with topping and pop into the oven while the ham is baking. The aromas wafting from your kitchen will whet everyone’s appetite!

Delicious spring desserts
Who can overlook dessert on an occasion such as this? For springtime entertaining, individual servings of Lemon Buttermilk Panna Cotta make a delicate and refreshing sweet ending. You can prepare them the day before and enjoy at your leisure. For additional finesse, garnish each one with a fresh mint leaf, a few berries or a dusting of icing sugar.

Whether served as brunch, lunch or dinner, this menu is a breeze to put together when you follow the make-ahead elements. It’s designed to let heating and final assembly to take place while guests are gathering, freeing up more time for you to enjoy what’s really important – your people!