Hey all,
So I’m making Easter dinner at my sister’s house, and I’m determined to have a turkey. The only problem is that I’m not sure exactly how approach it or to choose side dishes to go with a turkey so that it doesn’t seem to just be the same as Thanksgiving. Any ideas?? (And NO, I’m not cooking a ham!!):rolleyes:
If there’s going to be turkey gravy, they’ll have to be mashed potatoes. If not, you could go with potatoes au gratin.
Roasted asparagus with either hollandaise or béarnaise sauce?
What about desserts? Is it too early in the season for strawberry pie? Right now, I can’t think of any specific dessert I’d associate with early spring.
Coconut cake is a great dessert for spring. With turkey you have got to do a stuffing. Any in-season veg, asparagus, early peas, greens are up in my garden.
I’m making a honey glazed turkey on the grill. Should be different enough from Thanksgiving. I’ll provide gravy made from the drippings. Side dishes may lean towards summer BBQ fare. It’s still cold here but Spring has to come…doesn’t it?
Scalloped potatoes were always a thing at my mother’s Easter dinners. Even better would be rakott krumpli, the Hungarian potato-hard-boiled egg-sour cream-onion casserole. Use up some of them damn Easter eggs.
Use up more Easter eggs and do the little devils!
I saw a picture the other day where some fiend took hard boiled eggs, stood them on the big end,and cut off the top like a little lid. Then they scooped out the yolks … (not sure what they did, but I would have mashed the yolks with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and a bit of grated horseradish, but that’s just me) … then they piped the yolk mixture back into the egg white cases and put the little lids on top with a healthy amount of the yellow yolk mixture visible. With two little chopped olive eyes and a snub pimento nose, they were Easter chicks worth eating.
Just a thought. Plain ol’ deviled eggs is good too. (I know someone who makes theirs with deviled ham, double devil!) Is this more of a southern thing? I can’t imagine an Easter table without deviled eggs.
Hope this is helpful.
PS It’s Honeybaked at my house for Easter. Asparagus, deviled eggs, potato something. Might grill some fresh pineapple coated with sugar because that’s always good anytime. Pecan pie because Georgia.
Thanks for suggestions! 
I don’t know if the deviled eggs thing is going to happen though… do the mashed potatoes police come and arrest you if you serve gravy without them? 
We do deep fried turkey on Easter, and the side dishes are as follows:
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Broccoli/Cheese casserole
Pineapple casserole
Fruit salad
Sweet corn casserole
Pan roasted stuffing
Spicy Italian sausage loaf (meatloaf with italian sausage instead of ground beef)
Sweet potatoes
Dessert:
Strawberry almond jello
Chocolate eclair cake
Pistachio cake
(It’s a large gathering and everyone brings at least one dish)
This sweet potato casserole. Make 1.5x the topping. It is a sweet side dish, but people love it.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/18057/sweet-potato-casserole-ii/
Boil equal amounts of coarsely chopped red potatoes and sweet potatoes until soft. Thin whole berry cranberry sauce with orange juice, heat and pour on top of the potatoes.
My family seems to like carrot cake, though I don’t know why.
An ambrosia salad would be light and refreshing. And instead of miniature marshmallows, stir in a couple of cups of chopped-up Peeps.
Because bunnies are well-known for eating carrots, of course.
I like rice with gravy.
If you don’t want it to feel like Thanksgiving, use spring fruits and veggies instead of fall ones. No squash, sweet potato, apple, cranberry… Instead use asparagus, snow peas, strawberries, a variety of lettuce, (maybe baby greens), oh, and eggs, of course.
My family’s go-to Easter dish is dandelion salad, though unless you find a store that sells it, you’ll need to spend many, many hours cleaning it. The salad itself consists of dandelion greens, boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and onions, and the dressing is bacon (with grease), cider vinegar, and sugar. Make the dressing just before time to serve, and pour it hot over the rest of the salad.
Well, the final meal is:
Lemon brined turkey
Gravy
Scalloped potatoes
Green beans with lemon dressing
Salad with blanched cold asparagus and strawberries
Chilled Couscous with mint
Rolls
Vanilla Raspberry fluff with green tea and lavender macaroons (not sure if there’s enough though…)
Might send sister out for additional ice cream
Everyone will be here in an hour and a half…
ALL with a flareup of back issues… maybe next time I’ll order Domino’s for all. 
Sounds delicious! And not at all like Thanksgiving.