Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Easter Memories

As I write this, the sun is shining and I can hear the drone of a lawnmower somewhere in the neighborhood. Easter Sunday is one day away. Does this mean that spring is really here?

Not really. Only this past week we had a dusting of snow. Mother Nature was playing tricks on us. Snow and freezing temperatures one day and highs in the 70’s the next.  Yesterday we had tornado warnings from Arkansas to the Carolinas. Luckily my area dodged  a bullet but down in Middle Tennessee the storm played havoc in the town of Murfreesboro. Terrible destruction. Two people were killed but from the looks of the damage it could have been many more.

In my scrapbook of memories, other Easter Sundays come to mind. Egg hunts on the hill in front of our house with all the neighborhood kids participating. The hill is now a pretty subdivision with nice houses and paved streets, but in my early childhood it was a forest of trees and bushes and wild flowers. How we scrambled to find the special egg that won the big prize. A nickel Hershey bar!  

We shopped for weeks to find the matching hat, handbag, and shoes to wear to church– don’t forget the white gloves. Then after lunch, we paraded up and down Main Street from the Hippodrome Theater to Cottongim’s drug store, showing off our finery to people who viewed the parade from their parked cars. It was Corbin’s own Easter Parade that became a tradition year after year.

I remember the little dotted Swiss dresses and Mary Jane shoes that made every little girl feel so pretty and special and were considered a must at Eastertime. They were always our ‘Sunday best’ and oh, did we feel dressed up when we went out the door. It’s good to know that little girls of today are still carrying on this tradition, but grownups, not so much. Ask someone of a later generation what they’re wearing for Easter and they usually shrug their shoulders or say they’re wearing the same old thing. I miss the times when Easter was such a special day.   

As Bob Dylan said, "The Times They  are A-changing." Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean they’re better.

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Little children, you never know what they are going to say:

It was time for the children’s sermon and the pastor called the little ones down to the front of the church.  After they were seated, the pastor said to one little girl, "My that’s a pretty dress you have on. Is that your Easter dress?"

"Yes," the little girl replied.  "And my mother said it was H–L to iron."

This recipe combines leftover ham and mashed potatoes with cheese, garlic, and vegetables to make a delicious casserole the whole family will love.

Easter Leftover’s Casserole

12 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 cup milk

2 cups cooked ham, cubed

1 clove garlic, minced

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of

mushroom soup

6 tablespoons butter, divided

1 egg

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and mash with 1/4 cup of the butter and milk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Combine mashed potatoes, ham, garlic, mushroom soup, butter, egg and parsley in a mixing bowl. Transfer mixture to greased casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is melted.