Easter Framily Dinner

Sunday was our first Easter in the apartment, and we celebrated by inviting over several of our closest friends for a family dinner. The day marked several firsts for me: It was the first time I've used my china, and I've been given pieces since high school. (Doesn't it look pretty??) My mother and grandmother are excellent cooks, and growing up, I found cooking more frustrating than fun. My younger siblings are also good cooks, so they helped with kitchen duty. On major holidays, I was given the esteemed job of... table-setting. I know where the silverware goes and I can fold a mean napkin. But keeping all the steps and ingredients straight has always intimidated me. This year, one of my goals is to become more comfortable in the kitchen, to be able to cook things I'm not embarrassed for guests to try, and maybe even to start enjoying the process and not just the final product. Sunday was only the second time I cooked the main entree—and both times it was honey-baked ham! I also made blueberry muffins (Thanks for that one, too, Mom!) and mashed potatoes. Not feeling like an expert yet, but I definitely was pleased with the results. 

I don't have any great pictures of it, but the ham on the left-hand corner is my mother's recipe. It's the one I pull out for special occasions to make my friends believe I'm a better cook than I am. You know what I mean, I think everybody has one. But in the interests of helping out other aspiring-chefs, I'm sharing the top-secret-sugar-infused-honey-baked-ham. Enjoy!

The Great BBC

On our honeymoon, we discovered the BBC—Bailey's Banana Colada. Our resort in Costa Rica had a half-price happy hour each night, so we treated ourselves to several during the trip.

Of course, when you try to re-create fond memories, they never turn out quite as good as you remember. But our homemade BBCs were pretty close. Here is a general recipe, but feel free to tweak as you like. We've also added Malibu or piña colada to the mix. Note that we did bring home a set of bamboo straws which does add a great deal of authenticity. Enjoy!

Ingredients  

2 bananas, broken into chunks 

6 fluid ounces banana liqueur 

6 fluid ounces Irish cream liqueur 

6 fluid ounces coconut cream 

6 cups crushed ice

Directions

In a blender combine the bananas and banana liqueur; blend until smooth. Blend in the Irish cream and coconut cream (Note: Make sure the coconut cream is at room temperature, or you will not be able to pour it). Finally, add the ice and blend until smooth.