Family Traditions

As I sit to write the week's menu and head to the grocery store, I am reflecting on past years and what I have done for Holy Week. Our family tradition for Easter is pretty much -- we have no family tradition!  Some years I  allowed myself to be consumed by the events of Holy Week and have felt drained and exhausted by Easter Sunday.  Most years I planned the "normal" family activities like dying eggs, decorating the house and filling baskets.  One year Wyatt and I made an Easter Pinata in the shape of a bunny head for Sawyer & Moriah because nothing says Happy Easter quite like beating a bunny head with a stick until it spills it's candy!  For several years I planned the Seder meal for 50-70 people at church - boiled all the eggs, made the charoset, found someone to cook the lamb, assigned readers, etc.  And then there were the years I wanted nothing to do with any part of Holy Week.  I remember the year we discovered there were NO pizza places open on Easter Sunday (I think we ended up with tuna sandwiches).

I know many people love ham for Easter dinner, but one member of my family doesn't care for it.  I usually make prime rib or turkey.   Prime rib is not on sale this time of year,  but I often buy two at Christmas.  We have one for New Year's dinner and I freeze the other to cook for Easter.  This Easter, dinner will be prime rib,  grilled asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes and Caesar salad.   Yum... I can't wait!

What are your family traditions for Easter or Passover?  Share a comment, please -- I may borrow your ideas!

This week, I will hopefully be decompressing from AIMS, creating new units for cells, the fall of Rome, rise of Christianity and Islam.  Because it will be crazy at school (oh, and there is a full moon!) I am trying to keep meals as simple as possible.

Saturday - shrimp scampi with angel hair
Sunday - hamburgers on hoagies with baked beans
Monday - fish tacos with cabbage slaw
Tuesday - spinach / cheese pinwheels *recipe below
Wednesday - chicken schnitzel & salad
Thursday - philly cheese steak sandwiches with peppers & onions
Friday - who knows?
Saturday -
Sunday - Prime rib, grilled asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes & Caesar salad


Spinach / Cheese pinwheels
Cook lasagna noodles, drain and let cool.
Cook/thaw 1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, drain.
Mix spinach with 1/2 cup of ricotta and 1/2 c shredded mozzarella  & 1/4 c parmesan cheeses, 3 cloves minced garlic & fresh chopped basil
Spread spinach mixture thinly onto lasagna noodles, roll up into a colorful pinwheel.
Spray cooking spray in a baking dish.  Place pinwheels into dish, pour tomato sauce over, top with additional shredded mozzarella and parmesan.
Bake @ 350 until heated through.