The FastDay Forum

Oh wow! That's our Easter menu sorted. Hits all the buttons/ticks all the boxes etc.
I'll do the pie with spinach cos no chard here and probably do the film cos that's really easy to get , maybe substitute some of the veg in the lamb to make it Beloved friendly, and what's not to love about the marzipan (and the biscuits around it! )
Sunday's a working day so the lamb will cook gently all day while I'm out.
Thanks so much for posting this @Juliana.Rivers
We can celebrate, I can cook and it'll fit in with everything

Glad i can help

I have no proper kitchen at the mo but i have one of those big bbqs with the lid so i can definitely want to do the lamb too.

Have a great Easter!

I should know better than to click on links like that on a fast day!

My mother is Catholic, but my Dad is atheist. In spite of that, Easter was always a big deal in our house, at least when we lived in Maryland. We'd get up for the sunrise service. I think my Dad liked it because the spring flowers were in bloom. We used to always go to a fountain somewhere in DC that was surrounded by bulb flowers (daffodils, tulips etc.--depended on when Easter fell, I guess) There are loads of family photos at that fountain. Anyway… in spite of that, we didn't really have particular Easter foods. We did the kid stuff--hard boiled dyed eggs, jelly beans, and a chocolate bunny (which I hated eating because it was a bunny). Otherwise, nothing special. Now everyone is mentioning their traditions I'm sort of surprised we didn't since my parents were really into holiday traditions with food. Perhaps this year this lack of tradition is a good thing, though

We usually try to make a special Easter lunch, but this year most of our time will be spent getting our garden sorted. So I'll cook some Easter buns this week, buy some Easter eggs and maybe have one sort of special dinner on whatever night out daughter comes to visit.

WE often have a big family get togethet - myself 2 sisters and all off spring and some partners. We still do an Easter egg hunt. We make Easter nests - shredded wheat mixed with whitr chocolate and filled with mini eggs. Only 2 of my kids coming home this year so we are treating ourselves to a night in Stratford on Avon - nice hotel and a bit of Shaespeare. We will be home on Sunday so I expect I will do roast lamb. No Simnel cake this year because it would just be left for me to eat when they go home.

I'm making Easter biscuits to serve after church on Easter day - got the recipe from this months Waitrose magazine. And bought a fab 5 litre flask so I can serve coffee in the waterless, powerless village church!

@janeg, did you make Yotam's dishes from
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle ... ottolenghi

Mine is underway for a later Easter Monday feast.

Yotam Ottolenghi's "Six hour lamb and a bottle of wine" recipe care of Guardian.
Just rubbed down a huge lamb shoulder with a mixture of olive oil, toasted and crushed fennel seeds and sea salt". Then placed Turnips, Onions,Potatoes, Parsnips and Carrots around. Add halved garlic heads and fresh thyme leaves. Pour over a full bottle of white wine, then bake for 6 hours, even 7. Aroma is hard to bear round here at the moment. It's 1.30pm and should be ready some time after 6pm. Was going to do a 16:8 today but ive given in as soon as I was offered some Lebanese butter shortbreads by a friend.

Sister's tiramisu for dessert. On it's way.


here's the pic of my lamb ready for the oven.

That's looks gorgeous! Bon appetito!
Were having aldi fillet steaks with castello blue cheese rolled into a ball and rolled in chives on top of steak with an avocado,BBQ corn,coriander lime juice salsa. ( not traditional) bbqs are a lot easier now I'm low carbing- I just don't worry about a white carb serving ( such as potato bake or garlic bread) and just increase the salad/veg portion and no ones noticed or said anything.
Xxx happy easter Juliana.

That's looks gorgeous! Bon appetito!
Were having aldi fillet steaks with castello blue cheese rolled into a ball and rolled in chives on top of steak with an avocado,BBQ corn,coriander lime juice salsa. ( not traditional) bbqs are a lot easier now I'm low carbing- I just don't worry about a white carb serving ( such as potato bake or garlic bread) and just increase the salad/veg portion and no ones noticed or said anything.
Xxx happy easter Juliana.

Yours sounds good too. In fact fabulous. Enjoy and Happy Easter

[janeg]

@Juliana.Rivers did the lamb. had to use lamb shank as the only shoulder was boneless.
I changed the veg to suit Beloved and had to do it in 2 small tins as I don't have a big one.
I started it the night before and cooked it at the higher temp, then did it for about 2 extra hours due to work at the lower temp.
It got a big thumbs up. Looked slightly singed but the veg was caamelised and lovely.
Sadly, reheating today resulted in cremation and welding of the veg. The meal was ok though.
A winner and to be done again as it's so easy.
Yours looks lovely.
I'm going to do the pie when diving daughter is next down. The supermarke tactually had kale in on Saturday. That's a first and seemed to be a sign to make it!

I was told that pilgrims traditionally marked their biscuits for the journey with a scallop shell imprint, so I did this for the ones I served after the service on Easter Day. They went down really well so I think we have a new "tradition" to serve them every year.

I made delicious but super naughty eastery biscuits this year:

http://imcountingufoz.com/recipes/cooki ... cuits-7012

And Renshaw baking sent me the ingredients to make cake pops for my blog. Again SUPER naughty. I wasn't so keen - way too sweet, but the kids and my husband loved them

http://imcountingufoz.com/recipes/easte ... -pops-7419

@Juliana.Rivers did the lamb. had to use lamb shank as the only shoulder was boneless.
I changed the veg to suit Beloved and had to do it in 2 small tins as I don't have a big one.
I started it the night before and cooked it at the higher temp, then did it for about 2 extra hours due to work at the lower temp.
It got a big thumbs up. Looked slightly singed but the veg was caamelised and lovely.
Sadly, reheating today resulted in cremation and welding of the veg. The meal was ok though.
A winner and to be done again as it's so easy.
Yours looks lovely.
I'm going to do the pie when diving daughter is next down. The supermarke tactually had kale in on Saturday. That's a first and seemed to be a sign to make it!

@Janegglad it worked out and its good we can be flexible with recipes. I showed the recipe to my butcher and he knew exactly how to prepare the shoulder.. It worded out well and my dinner guest said it was "magnificent" in his words. I though some of the veg were overdone but as I am without a proper oven at the moment i did it in the big bbq over and have little control on heat. Having said that it was still devoured.. even some of the black bits. The lamb just fell off the bone.

I will try it again in the new oven in a month or so!

My sister made a big tiramisu which topped it all off nicely and with a good red or two or three My OH however was sick not because of the lamb I dont think but a friend brought over Lebanese kibbi (raw lamb) earlier.. we eat raw kibbie lots but maybe it just didnt agree with him.

And now its time to rid the house of the Feasting leftovers, so I can get back on track. With a mixture of giving away, freezing and a locked cupboard there's nothing sweet I can lay my hands on.

And now its time to rid the house of the Feasting leftovers, so I can get back on track. With a mixture of giving away, freezing and a locked cupboard there's nothing sweet I can lay my hands on.

Very good idea @Minumonline. Not sure what's worse.. Easter or Christmas in the overeating department.

As OH couldnt touch the Tiramisu... well someone had to finish it