Ree Drummond's Top 10 Favorite Easter Recipes
Plus, how she hosts a crowd on Sunday morning.
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It's springtime at Drummond Ranch and there's a lot to do ahead of Easter Sunday: eggs to fill with candy and toys, baskets to stuff with gifts; plus, Ladd and the kids have one very important tradition to keep: the church's annual egg hunt. "Easter Sunday is like a mini Christmas in our house," Ree Drummond says. "After the baskets, we head to church, and after church, we have an egg hunt, complete with cash prizes and the occasional backyard brawl."
All that excitement works up an appetite—which is why Easter brunch is one of the Drummond family's favorite meals. Here, you'll find a list of the most cherished recipes that make it to Ree's table year after year. In Oklahoma, ham is everything on Easter so she usually pulls out a big, beautiful platter for the ham and prepares all the fixings, vegetable side dishes, hot cross buns, and dozens of deviled eggs ("after which, I need to find a hiding place even from myself"). Of course, no spread would be complete without a bounty of holiday desserts—namely, carrot cake courtesy of a family friend and the cutest bird's nest cookies. There's something here to make every part of your own celebration feel extra special, including make-ahead Easter recipes and ways to use leftover ham. One of Ree's favorite casseroles is what she touts as a "great way to make sure your Easter ham is the gift that keeps on giving."
Take a peek at Ree's favorites, whip up a few of them, and as always, share in the comments which Easter dishes make it onto your family's table this year.
Crustless Quiche
What's Easter brunch without a quiche? "Let me just tell you, friends... this is absolutely a triumph," as Ree says. "Easter is the perfect chance to try it—great for visiting family!"
Get Ree's Crustless Quiche recipe.
Hot Cross Buns
On Good Friday, the smell of freshly baked hot cross buns will be wafting from the oven in Ree's kitchen. "I love this tradition," she says. "It makes me happy to bring freshly baked hot cross buns to friends. They are supposed to ensure lasting friendships throughout the year. Maybe it's the inherent power of the buns or just all the yummy goodness."
Get Ree's Hot Cross Buns recipe.
Sigrid's Carrot Cake
Dessert is the same for the Drummonds every year: "An all-time favorite! Sigrid was one of my mom's dearest friends when I was growing up, and I remember every single bite of every single carrot cake she gifted us," she recalls. "You can make it as a sheet cake, a Bundt, or a layer cake."
Get Ree's Carrot Cake recipe.
Pea Salad
Here's a potluck dish that's pure nostalgia for Ree: pea salad. "One of the defining ingredients in the pea salad I've always loved are nice chunks of cheese throughout the whole darn thing," she says, adding, "I use cheddar." It's almost as good as the original!
Get Ree's Pea Salad recipe.
Dill Pickle Deviled Eggs
"Deviled eggs are so ding dang addictive. I love them!" And Ree has recipes for all kinds: green goddess, sour cream and onion, spicy Sriracha, not to mention the good ol' classic deviled eggs. The one pictured here is extra tangy thanks to finely chopped pickles and fresh dill.
Get Ree's Dill Pickle Deviled Eggs recipe.
Bird's Nest Cookies
Easter is full of kid-friendly treats in the Drummond household: Rice Krispies Treat eggs coated in sprinkles and sugar cookies in all shapes and sizes. This year, Ree's favorite are these adorable little cookies stacked together with chow mein noodles and topped with candy. "Love these sweet little Easter treats," she says. "A great activity for kiddos, too."
Get Ree's Bird's Nest Cookies recipe.
Scalloped Potatoes and Ham
This might qualify as a dish for Easter leftovers, but it's a favorite of Ree's nonetheless. "There's nothing my kids love more than scalloped potatoes and ham, and leftover Easter ham is poifect for it."
Get Ree's Scalloped Potatoes and Ham recipe.
Roasted Asparagus
"Roasted vegetables are just downright delightful, no two ways about it," Ree says. "Something happens when the high heat of the oven hits the natural sugars in the vegetables." And when they're drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and pepper? It's the perfect tasty side dish.
Get Ree's Roasted Asparagus recipe.
Roasted Carrots With Honey Herb Butter
"Oh, how I love glazed carrots—they're so easy to make and yield such a delightful and impressive result," Ree gushes. Here's a variation on the same old butter-sugar theme.
Glazed Ham
Ah, the pièce de résistance of any Easter feast: glazed ham. Studded with whole cloves, Ree's bone-in ham is coated with a sticky-sweet glaze made from the family's favorite soda, Dr Pepper. "In my opinion, it's impossible to glaze it too many times during the oven stage," she adds. "The thicker and gooier, the better!"
Get Ree's Glazed Ham recipe.
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