The flavors and foods associated with Easter—ham, lamb, eggs, asparagus, strawberries—can make a hole in the food budget when times are tough. The solution is to look carefully for specials, stretch the use of pricey ingredients and look for a delicious new menu, like this one—easy on the cooks in the family, easy on the food budget.

Make It Special

Tables with Style

• Let a platter of Deviled Eggs be your centerpiece. Nestle them is colorful cabbage or kale leaves on a pretty platter and garnish them with herb sprig, radish or red onion slice. Take care with the with the "two hour" rule.
• Blooming garden annuals or herb plants in various shades of color placed in a basket surrounded with colorful tissue or moss will find a new home in deck or patio pots after Easter. That's thinking ahead.
• Use a collection to decorate the table. Look around for what's in your home. A couple of ceramic rabbits or birds with a small houseplant placed on a pretty mat or table runner can be all that's needed.

Change the Food Game This Year

• Cut the cost of dinner out by cooking a good meal at home, even while having the pleasure of restaurant favorites like our Cheese-Garlic Biscuits!
• Gardening this year? Fresh greens from the garden or farmers' market make Spinach Ambrosia and Garden Salad with Honey French Dressing easy and economical choices.
• When one of your guests asks what they can bring, ask for help with the salad, a side dish or dessert in this menu. Or ask them anyway!
• Our veggie side dishes rely on dressed-up frozen vegetables, always a good value and fresh tasting to boot.
• Add an extra hearty side dish, like these, when you have family or guests with big appetites:
• Easy Vegetable Stuffing
• "Healthified" Creamed Corn
• Deviled Eggs
• Use all fresh strawberries instead of strawberries and blueberries in the Triple-Berry Angel Shortcakes as they will likely be on special. Or use thawed frozen berries for fresh, if they are less costly.
• Make use of the hard-cooked eggs you color this year whether in this meal or another one. See our safe-use tips and recipes.
• Or forgo coloring Easter eggs and hide reusable plastic eggs filled with a few "treasures" like candies, stickers, beads or notes with promises of an activity your kids like to do with you.
• Plan some fun baking instead of an activity out or coloring eggs. You can eat the results! Here are three ideas to get you started:
• Bunny Cupcakes
• Chirping Chick Cupcakes
• Bunny & Chick Cookies

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