Easter Feast – Success in the Details

I am happy to report that Easter went off without a hitch! No kitchen disasters, no grumpy guests. Good food and good company and lots and lots of eggs.

I wanted to have as much done ahead of time as possible so I could enjoy the day with my guests. As far as I’m concerned, the way to host an elaborate meal is to plan ahead as much as possible and have as little to actually do that day as you can. As part of my planning, for the week prior, I had a daily list of things to prep for our feast. The veggie pot pie could be made ahead and frozen – likewise on the biscuits. The mushroom pate and pickling the eggs for the beet-pickled deviled eggs could be done a few days ahead. Prepping the carrots, potatoes, and crab-stuffed fish in bakeware so they’d be ready to go in the oven could be done the day before…

I also decorated the house, plated food that would go out on platters (which I then plastic-wrapped and stuffed into my fridge in a never-ending game of food-tetris), and set the table the night before.

The decorating was the fun part… it helps to set the festive mood! I made place cards and no-sew bunting during the week to have for the holiday. Then, I just added a few Easter decorations and candles. Fresh flowers really seal the deal and add a springtime touch. I got a few $5 bunches of flowers from a nearby grocery store floral department and filled in with daffodils and leaves from our yard.

The morning of our Easter feast, all I had to do was pop the biscuits in the oven, fill the deviled eggs, and put a pitcher of water on the table.

Between the appetizers / cold lunch, we took a break to do our family Easter egg / beer hunt outside. Having a built-in activity for this super-long feast was great because everyone had a chance to stretch their legs and rebuild their appetite.

Everyone went home (extremely) full, happy, and with lots of goodies and leftovers. And because I planned ahead, my husband and I could just have fun goofing off with our family.