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Raising seven children was a challenge everyday. We had a happy house, but at times it was extremely chaotic, as you can well imagine! Easter morning was always one of those chaotic fun times in our household. Every Easter it was the same ritual. The children awoke at the crack of dawn to search for the colorful eggs skillfully hidden by the bunny while they slept. After the search was completed to everyone's satisfaction, the next order of the day was breakfast, which consisted of chocolate bunnies, marshmallow peeps, and jelly beans. God forbid they actually eat one of the four dozen eggs that they had found during the frenzied egg hunt.
Since this was their traditional Easter breakfast, I felt it important to serve them a delicious and healthy Easter dinner. What follows was always a favorite and remains so today. Happy Easter, and I hope you enjoy it!
God Bless and Happy Cooking,
Connie!
 Cooking With Connie |
Card 16 |
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Ingredients:
- 1 fully cooked smoked whole ham
(about 14 pounds)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions:
Prepare ham: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove the skin and trim some fat from the whole ham.
Leave about 1/4 inch of fat on the ham.
Place the ham on a rack in a large roasting pan (about 17" by 11 1/2"). Insert a meat thermometer into the center of the ham. Be careful that the pointed end of the thermometer does not touch the bone. Roast the ham for 2 1/2 hours.
After the ham has roasted for 2 1/2 hours, prepare the glaze. In a 1 quart sauce pan, mix brown sugar, honey, and ginger. Heat to a boil over a medium high heat. Boil for 1 minute and remove from the heat. When bubbling has subsided, brush the ham with some glaze. Roast the ham 30 minutes to 1 hour longer, brushing occasionally with the remaining glaze until the thermometer reaches 140 degrees.
(serves 20)
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Brown Sugar and
Ginger Glazed Ham
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| Cooking With Connie |
Card 17 |
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Ingredients:
- 2 pounds of baby carrots
(cut into 1/2 inch slices)
- 1/2 cup butter or margarine
(softened and cubed)
- 1/2 cup jellied cranberry sauce
- 2 orange peel strips
(1 to 3 inches each)
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Place 2 inches of water and carrots in a skillet and bring it to a boil.
Reduce heat and cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until crisp-tender.
In a blender combine the butter, cranberry sauce, orange peel, brown sugar and salt.
Cover and process until blended.
Drain carrots and drizzle with cranberry mixture.
(serves 6)
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Orange Candied Carrots
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| Cooking With Connie |
Card 18 |
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Ingredients:
- 3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/3 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup sugar (or less)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/3 cup butter (about 5 tablespoons)
- 1 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
Combine and put into a pan the sweet potatoes, eggs, 1/3 cup of butter, and milk.
In a bowl mix the flour, sugar, 1/3 cup butter and the nuts.
Put this on top of the sweet potato mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.
(serves 6)
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Sweet Potato Souffle
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| Cooking With Connie |
Card 19 |
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Ingredients:
- 1 dozen eggs
- 1 teaspoon white wine Worcestershire
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise, preferably Hellman's
- 2 teaspoon Gray Poupon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon Curry Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Celery Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Dill weed
- 1/4 teaspoon Paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon Horseradish
- 1 Tablespoon Capers, drained and chopped
Directions:
In a 3-quart sauce pan, place eggs and enough cold water to cover the eggs by at least 1 inch.
Heat to boiling over high heat. Immediately remove saucepan from the heat and cover tightly. Let this stand for 15 minutes. Pour off hot water and run cold water over eggs to cool. Remove the shells from the eggs.
Slice each egg lengthwise in half. Gently remove yolks and place in a medium bowl. With a fork finely mash the yolks. Stir in the mayonnaise and all the ingredients, until blended. Stuff this mixture into the halved egg whites.
Sprinkle with a little paprika over the top of the eggs and serve.
(serves 12)
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Deviled Eggs
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| Cooking With Connie |
Card 20 |
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Cake Ingredients:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups cooking oil
- 4 beaten eggs
- 3 cups shredded carrots
- 1 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
In a large bowl, stir all the dry ingredients together. Add the oil, eggs, carrots, and nuts and mix well.
Bake in a well greased pan that is 12" by 9") at 350 degrees for about 65 minutes. Cake can be iced in pan after cooled.
Frosting Ingredients:
- 8 ounce softened package of cream cheese
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 3 1/2 cups of confectioner sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions:
Blend cream cheese and butter together and beat until fluffy.
Beat in sugar and vanilla.
Spread over the top of the cake.
Can garnish with walnuts or orange slices if you would like.
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Carrot Cake with
Cream Cheese Icing
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 Connie Wychulis - Connie makes her home high atop the Pocono Mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania with Adam, her husband of 41 years. Together they have raised seven children and now have eight grandchildren. When her children were small, needless to say the chores were endless. Dinners had to be quick and easy, as well as nutritional.
Now, when Connie's immediate family gathers at her home for the holidays, she cooks for 22 people. That is quite a bit of cooking, and it takes quite a bit of creativity and planning to pull it all off! After many years of cooking, and many meals of trail and error, Connie has come up with many family favorite stand-by meals that are always a hit! In this column she will share some of those with you! If you have any favorite recipes that you would like to share with Connie, please, contact her below.
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