A Southern Easter
Most people know that I am a planner. I love having the schedule on my phone filled and hourly plans for events detailed. There is some type of joy that I feel whenever I plan a themed get together or outing with my friends. That being said, I just did something that is totally unlike me. We booked tickets to go home for Easter very last minute- well, two weeks before Easter is very last minute according to MC time.
We decided to make the trip back to west Tennessee for several reasons. First is the Newbill Easter egg hunt family tradition. Ever since we were little kids, the Easter egg hunt was an experience. I’m not talking cute eggs thrown across the lawn. This is a knock-out, drag-out, sprint to the death to obtain actually hidden Easter eggs filled with cold hard cash. If you thought the cousins were brutal towards each other when we were in elementary school, it has only escalated as we have gotten older. Now that we are all graduated from high school and almost through college, it is time to hang up the reigns of this family tradition. However, we have just one more Easter egg hunt left in us. I can’t miss that!
Secondary reasons we decided to book the flight are not nearly as fun or important as the first. These reasons included a culmination of wanting to see grandparents, not seeing family since Christmas, and finding cheap flights out of Orlando. I would formally like to thank the state of Florida for having very reasonable ticket prices for flying on budget airlines. Since this Easter trip is closing the end of a chapter for traditions, it has had me reflecting on other traditions associated with Easter. Of course, food came to mind.
Just about everyone I know in the South has their Easter ham, deviled eggs, and coconut bunny cake. After reading an article in Southern Living about “wierd” Easter dishes that Southerners serve, I decided to compile a list of my own. While some of these dishes may be “weird” and not my go-to, there are some that are staples I believe should be on the table Easter Sunday. I also decided to throw in a few family recipes as well if you are still deciding on your Easter menu.
Deviled eggs: While these red, horned, evil creature named side is a southern side staple, the name actually originates from a conglomeration of European cultures that make up the English language. Ancient Romans were known to make seasoned boiled eggs served as an appetizer. Spain, England, and Italy were also known to have similar dishes, but present day deviled egg recipes originate from a cookbook in 1896 that includes blending the hard boiled yolks of the egg with mayonnaise. While several spin offs of this recipe have been made since then including hot sauce, seafood, truffle, avocado, grilling, and even frying, we tend to stick to the spices, yolk, mayonnaise, and a little pickle.
Ham salad: I don’t know if anyone else’s family does this, but I distinctly remember my grandmother making ham salad with the leftovers of the Easter ham. This dish is essentially the ham version of chicken or tuna salad sandwiches. We would serve this the days following Easter on croissants or leftover rolls with a heaping portion of leftover potato salad.
A typical Easter plate at Sweetie’s house. Not pictured: going back for seconds.
Cucumbers and Onions: This slightly pickled side dish isn’t limited to only Easter in my family, but it is so closely associated with holiday gatherings that I had to include it in the list. This crisp side is simple to make by adding sliced cucumbers, onions, vinegar, fresh dill, and sugar to a large mason jar. I love this dish in spring and summertime as well because it is so fresh and crisp. All you have to do is stick a fork in the mason jar, set it on the table, and you are good to go. You can catch me and the cousins sneaking a few cucumbers and onions before the big meal is served.
Cucumbers and Onions
2-3 cucumbers
2 teaspoons salt
1 onion
3/4 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon dill weed
Wash, peel, and chop cucumber into small slices. Add salt to cucumbers and let them sit in a bowl for at least 30 minutes. Rinse and drain the cucumbers. Peel and slice the onion into rings. It is alright if you chop the larger rings in half. Place the cucumbers and onions into a large mason jar with the white vinegar and sugar. Seal the jar and shake until sugar is dissolved. Open the jar and add the dill weed. Close the jar again and give it a slight shake to disperse dill. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight before serving.
Pear Salad: This side dish is a little controversial in my opinion, but I wanted to include it because it is glued in my memory. When you think of 1950’s American cuisine, this is one of the quintessential dishes that pops into my mind. On a bed of lettuce you put a canned pear half, dollop of mayonnaise, shredded cheddar cheese, and top with a maraschino cherry. It is certainly an odd combination that is not the first thing I put on my plate, but I had to include it in the Easter list.
Congealed Salads: These not salad “salads” are another thing that pop into my mind for retro 1950’s recipes. Jell-o must have had some great ads in order to convince so many Southerners that their product mixed with random ingredients constituted a salad. Some congealed salads I have been served over the years includes Coca-Cola salad, strawberry pretzel salad (which I find delicious), lime jello salad, and cranberry salad. While this dish may not make my Easter table, the pressure to try at least two bites of these gelatinous dishes around the holidays will forever be etched into my brain.
Potato Salad: Potato Salad is by far one of the best sides at the BBQ or holiday table, and also the most controversial. Family potato salad recipes can vary so much, but I think we can all agree that weird ingredients such as raisins do not belong in them. The biggest debate I can get behind is whether or not adding mustard to the potato salad is part of the recipe. Personally, I love mayonnaise-only based potato salad recipes filled with smoky chunks of bacon. There is a BBQ joint in my hometown of Dyersburg, TN called Bad Bob’s BBQ that makes a potato salad like this that seems to always hit the spot. Our family recipe does include adding mustard, but the homemade pickles is really what turns this dish from good to great.
Sweet Spaghetti: I shared the reason this recipe is so special over Thanksgiving, but I had to include great Granny John’s go to side in the Easter list because it also adorns the table on this holiday as well. Please go check out the recipe if you wish to add this sweet tomato side to the mix as well.
Homemade Rolls: The sweet smell of freshly baked rolls hits your nose right as you pull the car up in the driveway at my grandmother’s house. This is one of my favorite scents in the entire world, and I wish I could bottle it and put it in a candle to burn every time I need to remember home. Please go check out the recipe on the Thanksgiving article if you wish to create this deliciously scented staple.
Coconut Bunny Cake: Whether the cake is Betty Crocker or made from scratch, the bunny cake was something we loved to decorate growing up. This cake typically consisted of white sponge, royal icing that was dyed a pastel color, and topped with coconut shavings and various candies. The shape of the bunny is made by two 9 inch round pans. The bunny’s head is one whole round cake, and the ears and bowtie are the second cake cut into three pieces. This activity is great to involve children in the decorating process as well. Just remember your bunny doesn’t have to be perfect, just fun.
Resurrection Rolls: While I didn’t learn about this recipe from my family or any Easter tradition, it ties in so well to the meaning of Easter. This delicious sweet bread was introduced to me while working a Christian summer camp. In our cooking class, we always made resurrection rolls on Wednesdays because that is when we shared the gospel message. We would have the kids sprinkle Pillsbury crescent dough with cinnamon sugar and roll a marshmallow so that it is completely covered. While the treats bake, the marshmallow melts leaving the roll empty inside like Jesus’s tomb when he resurrected from the dead.
These rolls are also a perfect Sunday school tool as well and would be a fun tradition to carry out with children in explaining why we celebrate Easter. They are super fast and easy to make, so you would have enough time in the morning to make these together in between the chaos of Easter bunny baskets and dressing everyone to perfection for the Easter photos.
I hope some of these dishes and recipes flood memories into your mind from Easter as they did for me. Food not only holds sustenance, but memories of gatherings as well. Happy Easter to those who celebrate!