Easter Dinner

[Annette]

Easter's coming up and I am hosting this year, except I have no idea what else to make besides a ham. What kind of pasta dish goes with ham? We're Italian and have to have pasta. What side dishes go with ham? I will be feeding 6 adults and 3 kids. If anyone has recipes to share, please post.

Is there a difference between honey baked ham vs the ham from the supermarket? How big a piece should I get?

[jarm]

You could do a fettucini alfredo...I think that goes. Macaroni & cheese...maybe put some tomatoes in it to "jazz" it up a bit.

I think honey baked ham is better than the ham from the supermarket, but you can get a good ham there, too. We have gotten a Hummel's and a Carando (I think that's what it is) that are spiral sliced honey glazed (or something to that effect) and it's good. Definitely a cheaper option than the honey baked ham. No idea on size. It depends on how much they'll eat. I usually get a bigger ham for leftovers. They're great cooked up in omelets or quiche or ham salad, etc. HTH!

[laura]

I don't know if pasta "goes with" ham, but if you must have pasta, I would do something you can fork up, like ziti or penne, as opposed to long noodles. (Our Italian Easter dinner is lamb vs. ham.) Or you could do an appetizer type shrimp scampi w/ linguine, or something similar.

Ham sides for my family growing up were similar to Thanksgiving, sans stuffing. But I grew up in the midwest so mashed potatoes, corn casserole, green bean casserole, rolls, etc were pretty much standard for any big holiday meal. If I were doing it now I would probably do oven roasted potatoes, broiled asparagus, stuffed mushrooms, etc.

[looch]

Do you eat the pasta and the ham in the same course? If you eat them together, then pesto might be a nice compliment, as would carbonara (bacon and eggs pasta). My family isn't very adventourous when it comes to pasta, but if they were, i would serve penne with goat cheese and asparagus.
If you eat them as separate courses, i would suggest a red sauce, whichever your family prefers. HTH! Come back and let us know what you choose!

[TracieB]

Just an FYI... there's a thread with a lot of ideas here.

http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=17466

[Missy2U]

Giada made Spicy Macaroni and Cheese on one of her shows last weekend (http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_33144,00.html) - it was her Awards Party show - and it looked TO DIE FOR! I would think it would go very well with ham.

As to the size to get, I can't help you there - sorry! All I know is we always get a large one for the leftovers!