By now, you might be furiously getting ready for your Easter dinner.

Perhaps you’ve got your spiral ham ready – did you Google “how to cook a spiral ham?” I’m not saying I did that or anything, just wondering if you did.

If you are preparing an Easter feast, what did you decide on? I showed you my pretty incredible Easter dinner menu and I’m really excited to sit down and eat it. I’ve been dreaming about it, actually.

But I’ve got to cook it first.

And that’s the tricky part about Easter entertaining. Cooking the meal and serving it while hosting and entertaining can be a slippery task. You want to visit and make everyone feel welcome, but you’ve got to get that food on the table, too.

It’s tough.

But if we prepare as much as we can beforehand and try to eliminate the actual mixing and chopping and prep work while guests are here it makes everything run smoother. You can even purchase a heat and serve ham so you can spend more time with your guests.

The night before the big event, refrigerate as many items as possible in the containers they will be cooked in. Then, on Easter you just need to pop them in the oven. The food will still taste fresh out of the oven – because it will be!

You just did the hard part the day before.

See, these are things Grandma doesn’t tell you. Tricks of the trade, if you will. I remember my grandmother being in the kitchen every holiday for hours and hours. And we missed her. I don’t want to hide away cooking this Easter. I want to see and be seen. And I think the people around my table want that, too.

So make it pleasant for yourself and your guests by being present. That spiral ham will taste that much better if you aren’t a harried mess when you sit down to eat it. And everyone will share in the stressless day.

This March is one of those months where we are lucky enough to have TWO holidays – St. Patrick’s Day and Easter! That’s something to celebrate in itself.

Now that we’ve got St. Patrick’s Day covered, it’s time to focus on what we’re going to do for Easter.

And by “do” I mean what meal are we going to serve? (See how everything comes back to food for me?)

Easter dinner is meant to be a very special, elegant meal. So how about considering a rack of lamb? One thing I love about this meal is the beauty of the presentation. It’s absolutely gorgeous!

When guests sit down to this meal, they know they are in for something incredible.

We’ve got to plan out all the dishes that will go with the lamb so that we can get maximum enjoyment out of this beautiful dinner.

So what are some rack of lamb accompaniments to go along with this extraordinary Easter meal?

I love to serve delicious green beans with lamb. They’re light and complement the lamb perfectly without taking away from the main course. Mushrooms are a nice side to add to this lamb to bring out the earthy flavor of the meat. So a natural fit for this meal is a side of gourmet mashed potatoes with Porcini mushrooms.

Okay, my mouth is watering. But I’m not done…

Wine pairing is a wonderful way to enhance the flavor of your rack of lamb. Try a Chateau Rocher Corbin Montagne Saint-Emilion – a Merlot-based red. It’s designed to bring out the lamb’s natural flavor.

Or, serve a Meyer Family Cellars Syrah, Yorkville Highlands. This wine is delicious and earthy. Perfect.

There are so many ways to make your rack of lamb Easter dinner special. Explore them all and have an extraordinary Easter – starting with your meal!

Seems like there’s always a holiday coming up! Maybe because there’s at least one almost every month throughout the year.

And I love that. It’s a chance to celebrate and take a break from our everyday lives. What a blessing. So how do we take advantage of these special times? We can’t just let them pass without stopping and slowing down and ENJOYING. We all deserve that.

And food, to me, is what makes the holidays extra special – no matter WHAT holiday it is!

It’s Mid-March now, so that means St. Patrick’s Day is coming up. Luck o’ the Irish, everything green and lots of merriment. I can’t wait!

We all celebrate differently. Some people like to go very authentic – taking part in some very Irish traditions and customs. And that’s wonderful. I take a more casual approach to this holiday.

Many times, I like to cook up an amazing steak meal for a holiday – any holiday. But St. Patrick’s Day seems to call for a steakburger fiesta instead! Patties for Paddy’s, I say!

Want to do the same? Here are some great burger recipes to try for your St. Patrick’s Day celebration – no matter how you’re celebrating.

Start with this Alas Burger Marinade. It’s so tasty and full of fantastic flavor! It’ll make your burgers really pop. Don’t forget to add pickles and/or lettuce for a touch of green!

Then, there’s these fun Inside Out Burgers. With bleu cheese crumbles and delicious bacon, it’s a flavor sensation. You’ll cut those patties in half horizontally, and add the ingredients to two levels. Yum!

Finally, serve a Kobe Patty Melt using American Wagyu Kobe beef, rye bread and lots of deliciousness in between. They’ll love it!

So, let’s get started on planning our Patties for Paddy’s adventures. St. Patrick’s Day is coming up soon! Enjoy!