The Nearly PERFECT Easter Dinner

In the world I live in, the Easter Dinner is a REALLY BIG COOKING DEAL. Honestly...I am hard pressed to think of a meal that is MORE WORK than this one.

My menu for the 2018 Farro Easter Dinner:

Ham
Potato salad (which only John likes)
Cheesy Hashbrowns (which everybody else loves)
Green Salad (pistachio pudding -- this is the SOLE REASON Iowans are mostly fat.)
Homemade rolls
Cowboy Baked Beans (with bacon AND burger)
Relish Tray
Lemon Meringue Pie
Coconut Cream Pie
Chocolate Bunny Cake

OF COURSE, I must get out the GOOD CHINA to set the table!!

AND this is the REASON I wanted Aunt Rozella's Silver -- right??

My hams are always SPECTACULAR. And this year may have been my best EVER!!

Lemon Meringue pie is Elliott's favorite...and, I'm telling you -- this thing is A LOT OF WORK..!!

Standing at the stove, whipping that lemon curd...pre-baking the pie crust, then, tempering the egg yolks...getting it all perfect, THEN making the meringue...putting the whole show together, getting it in the oven to brown the meringue. THIS TAKES SOME TIME, PEOPLE...!!

Even though I'd invited everybody to a 3:00 PM dinner...I was rushing around all day, trying to get things in order, and get the food all ready...the pie was NEARLY perfect...

But it wasn't quite brown enough...I'll turn the broiler on low -- one more minute and it'll be perfect....that first picture is from a Lemon Meringue pie I made two years ago...

THIS is the actual picture of the 2018 pie...

This is what four more minutes under a HIGH broiler looks like...

I pushed the wrong button and THEN forgot all about it.  I didn't remember the pie until the smoke alarm went off.  Damnit.  Epic Fail.

Oh well. These occasions are about the PEOPLE, not the FOOD -- right??