Penner Party of 4

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Easy Easter Dinner for 6

Kaylesha Penner

I will be sharing in the coming weeks the step-by-step process on how my Easter Dinner is made! Follow me and keep an eye on my Instagram Story!

Mini Avocado Toast Crostinis 

  • prep time: 15 mins 

  • Total time: 15 mins  

Servings: Appetizer for 6  

Ingredients: 

  • 3 ripe avocados  

  • 1/4 red onion, diced  

  • Walnuts, chopped/crushed  

  • 1/4 cup cream cheese  

  • 1 baguette  

  • 1 radish, sliced in thin slices  

  • Sesame seeds  

  • cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced  

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced  

  • Salt and pepper  

Instructions: 

  1. Cut the baguette into slices and toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 350 until toasts are crispy  

  2. Cut avocados in half, remove the pit and add to a bowl and mash  

  3. Add the cream cheese, red onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix well  

  4. Top each crostini with the avocado spread and top with sesame seeds, crushed walnuts, one tomato slice, and one radish slice

Tender Green Beans with Shallots & Pancetta 

  • prep time: 10 mins 

  • cook time: 15 mins 

  • Total time: 15 Mins 

Servings: Side dish for 4-6 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 lb. Green Beans 

  • 80g. pancetta, cut into cubes 

  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced 

  • 3 tbsp. butter 

  • Salt and pepper 

Instructions: 

  1. Boil green beans in salted water until they are tender (approximately 4-6 minutes) 

  2. Remove beans from heat and add to an ice bath 

  3. Panfry pancetta and shallots in butter until pancetta is crispy and shallots are fragrant 

  4. Drain green beans and add to the pan and coat with butter, shallots, and pancetta 

  5. Season with salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Root Vegetables 

  • prep time: 20 mins 

  • cook time: 50 mins 

  • Total time: 1 hour and 10 minutes 

Servings: Side dish for 4-6 

Ingredients: 

  • 1 beet 

  • 1 sweet potato  

  • 1 red onion 

  • 1 parsnip 

  • 5 rainbow carrots 

Instructions: 

  1. Chop all vegetables into small chunks  

  2. Place chopped vegetables into a bowl 

  3. Melt coconut oil in the microwave (you will want enough that all vegetables are coated)  

  4. Season vegetables with Meridian Veggie Rub, salt, & pepper  

  5. Place vegetables in a baking dish or on a parchment-lined cookie sheet  

  6. Place springs of rosemary and thyme on top of the vegetables  

  7. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes until all vegetables are fork-tender  

  8. Remove rosemary and thyme before serving 

Cumin Chipotle Gratin Sweet Potatoes 

  • prep time: 15 mins 

  • cook time: 40-50 mins 

  • Total time: approx 1 hour 

Servings: Side dish for 4-6 

Ingredients: 

  • 3 sweet potatoes  

  • 2 tbsp. butter  

  • 1/3 cup flour  

  • 2 cups cream  

  • 340g smoked gouda, shredded 

  • 1 tbsp. cumin  

  • 1 tsp. chipotle seasoning  

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced 

  • Salt and pepper to taste  

  • Parsley, chopped 

Instructions: 

  1. Slice sweet potatoes into thin slices (tip, if the potatoes are really hard and tough to slice, you can bake them a little bit in order to soften them before slicing)  

  2. Put sweet potatoes laid out in a baking dish nice and tightly but on a slant  

  3. Melt butter in a saucepan and add half of the flour, mixing to ensure no lumps remain  

  4. slowly pour in the milk and add remaining flour whisking constantly to remove lumps  

  5. Once the mixture is smooth (like gravy), bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes and then remove from heat  

  6. Add half 2/3 of the cheese and stir until melted  

  7. Add cumin, chipotle, salt and pepper to taste  

  8. Pour sauce on top of the sweet potatoes and cover them all well  

  9. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes to an hour (until sweet potatoes are fork-tender) 

  10. Once potatoes are cooked, top with the remaining cheese and broil for a couple of minutes until cheese is browned 

  11. Remove from the oven and garnish with parsley

Turkey Breast Roast 

  • prep time: 10 mins 

  • cook time: 45-55 mins per kg.  

  • Total time: between 1 hour and 3 hours 

Servings: between 3 and 6  

Ingredients: 

Instructions: 

  1. Mix turkey rub with olive oil until a thick paste is made  

  2. Brush turkey rub mixture all over the turkey breast roast, ensuring a good coating on all surfaces of the turkey breast roast  

  3. Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a roasting pan  

  4. Add large slices of onion into the bottom of the roasting pan  

  5. Lay turkey breast roast on top of the onions  

  6. Add rosemary, oregano, and thyme on top of and beside the turkey breast roast  

  7. Roast turkey breast at 350 for 45-55 minutes per kg (you can tell the size of the turkey breast by looking at the label  

  8. For the last half hour of cooking, I like to raise the temperature to 400 degrees to get a nice crispy skin coating  

  9. Turkey breast is cooked when internal temperature reaches 170F  

  10. Slice turkey breast roast and serve with gravy, and sides

Rainbow Carrot Cake 

  • prep time: 15 mins 

  • cook time: 25-35 mins 

  • Total time: 40 mins to an hour 

Servings: Dessert for 6  

Ingredients: 

  • 1/2 lb. rainbow carrots, peeled and grated (keep some of the peels)  

  • 1 1/2 cup flour  

  • 1 tsp. baking powder  

  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda  

  • 1 tsp. salt  

  • 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground  

  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped  

  • 1/2 cup raisins  

  • 1/4 cup buttermilk  

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract  

  • 1 cup brown sugar  

  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil  

  • 2 eggs 

  • 2 cups cream cheese 

  • 1/2 cup butter, room temperature  

  • 2 cups icing sugar  

  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract  

  • Mint leaves 

Instructions: 

  1. Coat a cake pan with butter  

  2. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon  

  3. Add carrots, walnuts, raisins, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, brown sugar and oil  

  4. Mix until no lumps appear and then pour into the cake pan  

  5. Bake for 25-35 minutes at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean  

  6. In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter until smooth  

  7. Add vanilla and gradually add the icing sugar  

  8. When cake has completely cooled, begin icing the cake  

  9. Make carrot flowers by rolling carrot strips into flowers  

  10. Garnish with mint

Thank you Meridian Farm Market for sponsoring this post. All recipes, comments, opinions, and photos are my own.