What's for Easter dinner?

I'm doing a whole chicken.  Taking the backbone out, laying flat, then stuffing inside the skin with ricotta cheese, lemon zest and chives.  Mash, beans, salad, etc.

OMG!!  That sounds gorg!!

It is!  It is!  Cooking a whole chicken this way is faster too.  A 2.5kg chicken takes nearly two hours left whole, only a bit over an hour spatchcocked (backbone out and laid flat).

Just a difference in family cultures I guess. I was always taught that you eat what the host offers and if you really can't stomach it, make a gracious excuse and get a burger on the way home. 

That's what I was taught too, you have to eat enough to not offend the host. Although, this is my parents' house and I have been telling them for years that I hate ham, my sister hates it too. They just don't care because it's tradition to have ham for Easter and my mom used to always make it if my grandfather came over for dinner too. It is kind of annoying since it's not just me, but that's how it is. 

Send me your unwanted hams, people!    I feel the same way about roast turkey as you guys do about ham.  Thanksgiving is plenty!

I have a hard time finding hams here in any case.  Most people think gammon = ham.  So finding not only a ham, but a free-range ham has been a problem. 

I'm doing a whole chicken.  Taking the backbone out, laying flat, then stuffing inside the skin with ricotta cheese, lemon zest and chives.  Mash, beans, salad, etc.

That does sound yummy, but...I'm intrigued.  How do you get the backbone out?

N.B. I find it difficult to de-bone even a chicken thigh without mangling it beyond recognition. 

Send me your unwanted hams, people!    I feel the same way about roast turkey as you guys do about ham. 

UGH... me too.  Love ham, hate turkey!

We have ham a few times a month so it's turkey for us tomorrow.

Ham, potato salad, runner beans and homemade rolls. 
Pineapple upside-down cake for pudding.

In laws are down, I wanted a traditional (for me) ham for Easter. We've been going to theirs for years and they always do a roast beef. They did say - um, we don't do ham for Easter. Well, I'm the chef this weekend and I DO.

Then today as I'm cooking it, they actually say we don't like ham which would have been a lot easier to understand if they'd said it that way in the first place!!!!

So, I am tempted to finish cooking the damn thing and throw it in the fridge for leftovers and sandwiches and we just order a in a curry. bleh

In laws are down, I wanted a traditional (for me) ham for Easter. We've been going to theirs for years and they always do a roast beef. They did say - um, we don't do ham for Easter. Well, I'm the chef this weekend and I DO.

Then today as I'm cooking it, they actually say we don't like ham which would have been a lot easier to understand if they'd said it that way in the first place!!!!

So, I am tempted to finish cooking the damn thing and throw it in the fridge for leftovers and sandwiches and we just order a in a curry. bleh

Since you're the host, I don't think there's any rudeness involved if you go right ahead and eat that ham and provide an alternative for them.  But, if not, at least ham makes killer leftovers.  They never last long in our house.

That does sound yummy, but...I'm intrigued.  How do you get the backbone out?

N.B. I find it difficult to de-bone even a chicken thigh without mangling it beyond recognition. 

I use poultry shears.  Turn it over, look for the backbone.  I cut down both sides of the backbone (not the thick part, but where it starts to thin out) and the full length of the chicken.  Then turn it over and push down on the breast bone to force it flat.  And Bob's your uncle!

We're having rolled breast of lamb from the organic farmers' market with Greek sesoning, rice pilaf, and baked tomatoes with oregano anf feta. Mom's apple pie for dessert!

We're having Coq au Vin. Nothing to do with Easter, but it struck our fancy.

And I'll be trying Cait's chicken and Genau's parmesan mash in the near future. Those both sound yummy!

curry take away  with the in-laws.. 

Just a difference in family cultures I guess. I was always taught that you eat what the host offers and if you really can't stomach it, make a gracious excuse and get a burger on the way home. 

Charys quote- I can't imagine ever bringing my own food to someone's house, to be honest! I don't eat red meat, so if I'm at dinner somewhere and beef is being served, I just eat whatever else there is and decline the meat politely

I would never take food to someones else house other than my own familys I think when it comes to your family you have more leaway than you do with your friends.

What's a traditional Easter dinner made up of? Or is there really no one thing similar to turkey on Thanksgiving?