Canadian Budget Binder

There’s more to Easter than chocolate eggs and bunny rabbits as it’s a time that some families gather to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It’s also a time where traditional feasts are served and enjoyed by many all across the land. In Canada Good Friday is a Statutory Holiday and Easter Monday you may find some businesses still remain closed.

Easter Dinner

A Canadian Budget Binder fan Shelley Chenier posted a crock pot recipe last week on Facebook that had me thinking about Easter food ideas. I wanted us to have a traditional Easter menu but without all the fuss. So many of us are busy in the kitchen during special occasions and the guests are left to chat amongst themselves. We would rather not be the absent couple during a family dinner so we decided to change that this Easter. We wanted to create a frugal Easter meal that would allow us to be with our guests and actually celebrate.

Since the Easter holiday is around the corner this recipe caught my eye because it has all the makings of a one pot meal. If you want to keep it simple this Easter try this recipe out and spend more time with your guests rather than in the kitchen. This recipe could easily feed 8 people for an Easter Sunday dinner  or an Easter brunch served with a side garden salad and a nice glass of red wine to balance the flavours.

Cost For Easter Meal

Knowing your prices will help you get the best bang for your buck when you are meal planning and preparing your grocery list. The cost to make this frugal recipe was around $10.00 with the cheese costing the most money at $4.00. The ham was approx $5.00 and I used half $2.50, the spices are very cheap $1.00, the potatoes $1.44 bag (I used 8) $0.75, the vegetables were from the reduced rack except the onions which cost $1.00, the soup was $0.25, milk $0.25, bread crumbs $0.25,Garlic ( free garden). This meal won’t break the grocery budget and uses everyday ingredients that you can find at your local supermarket.

Although this is Shelly’s recipe I’ve added in my own flavours and vegetables. I also didn’t add carrots or peas but I will for next time. You can add whatever vegetables and spices you like to make this your own. My mouth was watering after the first 2 hours of this recipe cooking in the crock-pot. The house was filled with spicy aromas and even the dog made sure to keep watch so no one attacked what might be a special treat for him.

What do you cook for your Easter meal?

Mr. CBB’s Easy Easter Crock Pot Meal- Ham,Potato and Vegetables

• Cook on low for 10 hours in the Crock Pot

Easter Crock-Pot Dinner Ingredients

• 8 Medium -Large Potatoes Peeled
• 2 carrots (optional)
• 1 cup peas (optional)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms (any kind)
• 1 cup celery chopped
• 1 cup chopped green pepper
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 250 Grams cubed Ham- I used the pre-cooked half ham and cut it in half then cubed it. The pre-cooked ham is best as it is already cooked.
• 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated mozzarella
• 1 cup grated cheddar
• 1/3 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Spices

• 2 cloves of garlic chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Olive Oil to drizzle
• Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 teaspoon Celery Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon parsley (dry)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard

Preparation

• Peel and Wash your potatoes, then cut them into slices not too thick though about 1/4 inch
• Put the potatoes in salted water until ready to use so they don’t go dark
• Cut all the vegetables and put them in separate bowls
• Put a pinch of salt and pepper in each veg bowl and drizzle with olive oil
• Cube the ham and put in a separate bowl
• Grate the cheeses and put in bowls
• When all of the above is done drain the potatoes and pat them dry
• In the bowl of potatoes add all the spices above as well as the lemon juice to stop them from going brown while cooking ( worked for me at least) and drizzle with olive oil and stir
• In a bowl open the condensed soup and mix in the milk and stir
• Now you can start layering this in the crock pot starting with the potatoes, veg, ham, mozzarella/cheddar cheese, then next layer
• Pour the soup mixture all over the top layer so it soaks down to the bottom of the crock pot
• Once you reach the top don’t put any cheese on yet sprinkle the bread crumbs on top
• Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or high for 4
• At the last 5 minutes before serving sprinkle the top with grated cheese and Parmigiano Reggiano

Happy Easter from my kitchen to yours- Mr.CBB

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