April 19, 2025

WEEKLY MENU 04.20.25

Weekly Menu 04.20.25: Easter Eats & Our Birthday Dinner Twist

We would normally start the Weekly Menu on 04.20.25 with a big Easter dinner. The house is decorated with all sorts of Easter symbolism, and the Easter Eggs are colored. Of course, that begs the question, why do we color eggs? And when did Bunnies come into the scenario?

EARLY EASTER EGGS

Throughout history, people have given each other eggs at spring festivals to celebrate the new season. Eggs represent new life and rebirth, and it’s thought that this ancient custom became a part of Easter celebrations.

In the medieval period, eating eggs was forbidden during Lent (the 40 days before Easter) so on Easter Sunday, tucking into an egg was a real treat! This was especially true for poorer people who couldn’t afford to buy meat. Eggs were given to the church as Good Friday offerings, and villagers often gave eggs as gifts to the lord of the manor at Easter.
English Heritage Organization

Why Do We Dye Easter Eggs?

In the early Christian church (and in many Orthodox traditions today), the eggs were dyed red to symbolize the blood of Jesus during the resurrection.

As the tradition continued, Christians would paint different scenes from the Bible on the eggs, inspiring different Easter egg designs.
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Easter Egg Hunts

Another custom involving Easter eggs was the Easter egg hunt — which also represented the resurrection of Jesus. Christians would hide dyed eggs for their children to find, symbolizing the search for Jesus’s body after the crucifixion.
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The Easter Bunny

So if eggs are such an important part of Easter, why do children get presents from the Easter bunny instead of the Easter chicken?

One theory for the origin of the Easter bunny comes from the pagan festival of Eostre, as the goddess was traditionally represented by a rabbit (another symbol of fertility due to how quickly they reproduce).

In 18th-century German folklore, the rabbit (Osterhase, or “Easter Hare”) laid eggs for children to discover on Easter morning. The tradition followed German immigrants to America, where the Easter bunny became a mainstay of American Easter mornings — religious and nonreligious alike.
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Easter Lilies

Easter lilies are often the centerpiece of Easter celebrations. Legend has it that white lilies sprung from the ground around Jesus as he spent his final hours on the cross. It is said that when his perspiration hit the ground, a lily grew in that spot.

As a result, Easter lilies are symbolic of new life as well as purity. For Easter, they symbolize Jesus’ resurrection and the promise of everlasting life.
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Hot Cross Buns

In many parts of the world, hot cross buns are a traditional food for Good Friday, which is the day Jesus was crucified on a cross. This day falls on the Friday immediately before Easter Sunday.

Each bun features a cross on top, which symbolizes the cross on which Jesus died. The spices included in the buns are said to be representative of the ones that were used to prepare Jesus’ body for the tomb.
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Weekly Menu 04.20.25

Dear Reader, you might have noticed that I said “We would normally start the Weekly Menu on 04.20.25 with a big Easter dinner.” But we’re not. Why? Because Easter is so late this year, it falls on our middle son’s birthday! If you’ve been following along, you might remember that our oldest son’s birthday is two days earlier than D’s. This year, he got to “celebrate” his birthday on Good Friday. Good times. I hope he wasn’t in the mood for steak.

GRATUITOUS PIC OF BOTH BIRTHDAY BOYS

D’s favorite dinner, bar none, is Chicken Fra Diavolo, so we’re hijacking our traditional Easter dinner with a Birthday Feast! We’re starting out with Rumaki and Baked Fontina, followed by a fabulous Caesar Salad, Guy’s Garlic Bread, the Chicken Fra and rigatoni. His dessert choice is always a Frosted Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake, so that made it to the birthday menu too. Yum!

D’S BIRTHDAY DINNER!

Baked Fontina

Caesar Dressing

Chicken Fra Diavolo

Guys Garlic Bread

I’m shocked, but just in case you aren’t going to celebrate D’s birthday the same way we are, here’s our regular Easter Dinner Menu. Many go with lamb, but we are a ham family from way back. Check out our detailed instructions on making an easy Easter Dinner here:

EASTER DINNER

On Monday, we’re having meatloaf – but in a cute, family-friendly mode: meatballs. We’re having a crowd favorite on Tuesday: Crispy Chicken Club Sandwiches. They’re easy and fun. The most time-consuming part of the whole recipe is toasting all the bread. I could move things along if I put the bread under the broiler, but I seldom have any luck with that. I am way too easily distracted, and BOOM! The toast is, well, toast.

We can eat meat on Fridays again! YIPPEE! We’re celebrating with sausage~ naturally.