Christian’s around the world will be celebrating the resurrection of Christ this Easter Sunday. We are in the midst of a global pandemic, and we’re all sequestered at home. But, Easter is not cancelled. One can not “cancel” Jesus rising from the grave. We can and we will celebrate Easter this Sunday, because life goes on despite what is going on in the world around us. Now, more than ever, we need to hold fast to our beliefs and traditions and have faith that we will get past these troubles because we will!
There will be the just the two of us for Easter dinner this year but I will be cooking up a feast this Sunday to celebrate this wonderful day of Resurrection. We all are doing things differently this year but we still need to carry on as normally as possible. It’s good for both body and soul! So, bake your ham or turkey or lamb. If you don’t have that then bake the best meatloaf you can make or whatever. If you don’t have the ingredients for your favorite Easter dessert, then comb through your cookbook until you find a delicious dessert that you do have all the ingredients to make.
Traditionally our Easter dinner has been a baked ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, home made rolls, pickles, relishes and pie. Lots of pie! The table is set with a light blue tablecloth with a potted Hyacinth as the centerpiece. But the highlight of Easter dinner for me has always been Aunt Ruthie’s Raisin Sauce. Aunt Ruthie was the wife of my mother’s brother and a wonderful, kind woman and auntie. She hosted the family each year for Christmas and Easter dinners. Aunt Ruthie’s ham with served with this raisin sauce is the tradition I have carried on and passed on to my own children. To this day, I can not serve a ham without this sauce on the side. We are talking 60 plus years!
This year we will not have our children and grandchildren gathered around our table but we can still share love and tradition. Write a letter to your kids telling them about Easter when you were a child. Did you have an Easter outfit? Store bought or handmade? Did you go to church? Who gathered around your table when you were a child? What was in your Easter basket? Did you sneak jelly beans into your pocket and go to church? I did! Call your grandchildren or Face time them or have a Zoom call. Tell them how you celebrated Easter with their parents as they were growing up. Make memories this Easter. Memories that will last a life time. Goodness knows this Easter will certainly be one that we will tell stories about for years to come, so let’s make it the best Easter ever!
Aunt Ruthie’s Raisin Sauce. This is what we’ll need.
Aunt Ruthie's Raisin Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 1-1/2 cups water
- 1 cup raisins
- 2 Tbsp fresh Lemon Juice or bottled
- 1 Tbsp cider vinegar or white
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Zest omit if you don't have a fresh lemon
Instructions
- Zest the lemon and squeeze to obtain the juice.
- In a medium sized saucepan combine the brown sugar and cornstarch.
- Stir in the water, raisins, lemon zest, lemon juice and vinegar.
- Cook and stir over medium low heat.
- Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.
- Cook one additional minute. Sauce will become translucent.
- Serve warm over slices of baked ham.
- Some of our journeys through life are more challenging than others but we can still rejoice, enjoy and celebrate the goodness in life. Journey on! Hugs and much love from me as we celebrate Easter! Karen, TJG
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