This holiday post is sponsored by HoneyBaked Ham but all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own!
As a child growing up in Pennsylvania with grandparents who owned a farm that was my own personal playground, Easter was always a magical time. Spring was in the air, the flowers were blooming, the baby chicks and ducklings had hatched and were super soft and cuddly.
Easter Traditions
On Easter morning, there were tons of brightly colored eggs to hunt for, and that afternoon, there was a feast as big as our Thanksgiving dinner to sit down to and enjoy with our family and friends. My nana and mother loved to hand paint ceramics that they choose, and each holiday there were new additions to the family decorations. There were beautiful ceramic eggs, baby chicks and ducks, Easter bunnies, lambs and beautiful Easter egg trees.
My mother was thrilled when my daughter was born, her first grandchild. She had all of these Easter window decorations up in every window of the house, and the biggest, blowup bunny I’ve ever seen. Here’s a picture of me with said blow up bunny:
My mom and dad usually took care of the Easter festivities – having us color the eggs a few days before Easter, and then dad would go out and hide them early Easter morning. He was one of the best egg hiders around. There were always about 3 to 5 eggs that my brother and I could just never figure out where “the Easter bunny” had hidden them. By the time we finished hunting for our eggs, it was time to come in and have breakfast and take a peek in our Easter baskets. After we had a piece or two of the treats (my favorites were the peeps) and played with the toys that were in the basket, it was time to head to my grandparents’ farm next door for Easter dinner with the family.
I cannot honestly remember the type of ham that my nana would make, but I’m sure if there was a HoneyBaked Ham store nearby, that is surely what it was!
Easter Dinners – Then and Now
My nana would start cooking early in the morning for our Easter dinner. There would be homemade potato salad, ham, string beans, macaroni and cheese, homemade rolls, sauerkraut, and for dessert, we would have our choice of carrot cake, shoofly pie, pecan pie, or ambrosia. She would use her good Sunday china, and we would spend what felt like an hour or more just sitting around the table with all of our relatives at her huge dining room table. Catching up on everything that happened since Christmas, eating some delicious food – those are what memories are made of.
My children are grown, so we don’t hide Easter eggs any longer although hubby will still go out and get the boys a cheesy little Easter basket packed full of candy. Since it is just the four of us (my daughter is usually at home in Pennsylvania visiting her grandmother or with her boyfriend’s family for the holidays) I don’t make a big fuss over Easter dinner. I still cook a nice meal, but I don’t go all out with decorations or an abundance of food.
This year I had the pleasure of working with the great folks at HoneyBaked Ham who provided me with a $75 gift card to enable me to buy a HoneyBaked Ham, turkey breast, and two sides – macaroni and cheese and broccoli and rice casserole for our Easter dinner. They had so many delicious sides and desserts to choose from! There is a particularly delicious pecan pie that they had that was calling my name, but I’m saving that for a Mom’s Treating Herself Today day! (Please note that the sides and desserts may vary by location. Check with your local store on what they have available).
I thought the boys were going to maul me the minute I walked in the door with my purchases!
Our local HoneyBaked Ham Store and Cafe in Short Pump had the nicest saleswoman who waited on me and helped me with my selections. She even offered to slice the turkey breast for me before I left, which was extremely helpful because frankly, I suck at slicing!
HoneyBaked turkey breast is so full of flavor – definitely NOT dry – extremely juicy and tender and fire glazed to perfection with their signature one-of-a-kind sweet, crunchy glaze. I choose the smoked turkey breast, and it smelled so delicious, so inviting, that I had two pieces right out of the package on the way home!
Unfortunately, only about five slices of the turkey breast made it to the dinner table. I took Mollyanna for a quick walk while the ham was warming in the oven, and when I came back, that’s all that was left of the turkey breast. The tween and the teen and hubby dearest had devoured it all!
HoneyBaked Ham is slow-smoked for more than twenty hours for unmatched tenderness. Since 1957, HoneyBaked has been known for having the most flavorful, moist, and tender ham you can find anywhere, finished with the delicious, signature, sweet crunchy glaze. Each of their hams is hand-glazed right in each store for an incredible taste. Gluten-free, each HoneyBaked ham is spiral sliced and ready to serve – a definite bonus for those busy holidays when you want to be spending time with family and friends, not hidden away in the kitchen!
Thanks to HoneyBaked, I was able to make an Easter dinner for my family this year with premium products that are convenient and simple to serve. It truly is the perfect solution for your Easter meal too!
Setting the Standards and Savings for Your #HoneyBakedEaster
Over 50 years ago when Harry J. Hoenselaar opened his first HoneyBaked store in Michigan, he set out to make sure that when it comes to Easter ham, HoneyBaked would be the gold standard to which other hams were compared. Setting the bar high is just part of the family tradition.
The HoneyBaked Ham Company is providing our readers with an exclusive, limited-time offer to help you plan your Easter meal with this $5 off coupon towards any purchase of $50 or more. The coupon is valid from 3/14/2015 to 4/4/2015 while supplies last. Must present coupon at time of purchase to receive the offer, one coupon per person at participating retail store locations. May not be combined with any other offer.
Stop by the HoneyBaked Ham Company website to check out their gift catalog or to find your local store. Be sure to visit them on Facebook for special events and contests, and their Pinterest board is a must visit for any foodie in the family!
A very blessed and happy Easter to each of you from Life in a House and HoneyBaked Ham!
This ham looks really great for the coming holiday. I thank you so much for this delicious option.
I can’t imagine Easter without ham!
I have had the premade honey glazed ham from the Honey Baked Ham Stores. They are very juicy, tender, and mouth watering delishiou.
This looks delicious! So look forward to Easter! Family time! 🙂
I will be fixing a ham for Easter dinner in a few weeks. This ham looks delicious, I can see it as the center piece on dining room table. My daughter and her family will be visiting, so I will be coloring eggs with my grandchildren. I think I’m going to make their baskets this year. Thanks for the information on the ham and sharing on Sunday’s Best. Hope you enjoyed your day.