My Simple and Delicious Easter Menu

This is my first holiday to host in our new home, and I am excited! It is so easy for me to go completely overboard with not just too many dishes, but too many complicated dishes. The more I cook, though, the more I learn the times that sometimes the easiest recipes can be the most delicious.

I was the only person in my family who enjoyed a holiday ham, so while Thanksgiving and Christmas are both turkey holidays in my family, Easter is strictly for roast beef. I discovered this Crock Pot pot roast recipe last year. I usually avoid using cream of anything soup in my cooking, but since I only cook roast beef on holidays and since it is the best roast I've ever had, I make an exception.

Hope you enjoy my Easter dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

• 2 (10.75) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup (this amount can be approximate)
• 1 (1 oz) package dry onion soup mix
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 5-6 lb pot roast

1. in slow cooker, mix first three ingredients with wire whisk
2. place pot roast in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture
3. cook on low for 8-9 hours or on high for 3-4 hours

Now on to the side dishes. Since this is my blog, I'm going to brag on myself a little here: I make the best mashed potatoes I've ever had, and now no one in my family even attempts to make them; them just have me bring them. Personal preferences for potatoes, of course, vary somewhere, so these amounts are starting points ready for personalized tweaking. I usually make a much smaller batch than this recipe, but this would make a holiday-sized bowl of mashed potatoes.

• 1 5-lb bag russet or Idaho potatoes
• water
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter
• 1/2 cup half-and-half, warmed slightly in microwave
  
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Peel potatoes and cut into halves or quarters. Place in large stockpot and cover with water. Add bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt.
   
2. Bring to a boil for about twenty minutes or until very soft.
   
3. Drain, reserving about 1/4 cup of the water but discarding bay leaf
   
4. Add potatoes to mixing bowl with butter, half-and-half, baking powder, salt, and pepper
5. Beat with electric mixer until smooth, tasting frequently and adding salt and pepper as needed

And now, lastly, the favorite green vegetable in my house: green beans

• 1 lb fresh green beans, washed and trimmed
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/2 c water or chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat oil in large skillet; add garlic. Saute until slightly brown.
2. Add green beans. Make sure all beans are coated in oil. Saute for about 5 minutes or until some beans are slightly charred.
3. Add salt and pepper
4. Pour in water or brother; bring to a boil.
   
5. Let simmer for about 5 minutes or to desired texture (we like our still a little crispy); remove from heat immediately.
   
6. Do not rinse as this will wash away the garlic flavor