Catfish Out of Water

When thinking about what to make for Easter, I usually find myself pondering some recipe with salmon and eggs. Almost always deviled eggs. Last year I ended up with Terrine w/ Salmon, Spinach & Chèvre and Mayonnaise-Free Deviled Eggs w/ Salmon & Dill. It was another Socially Distant Easter during the pandemic and was a great opportunity to try out some new recipes without the pressure of them being any good if it didn't work out! Although they were absolutely delicious and I had nothing to worry about. This year, I have slightly less motivation, though.

For this solo Easter, I just moved. I've only been in this place for a few weeks. I've barely unpacked. I'm painting my walls. And the idea of doing something fantastical this year is just more effort than I'm willing to put into Easter dinner this year.

Especially since it doesn't really feel like Easter! For the second April in a row it still snowed in Wisconsin. Which means that, as much as I associate Easter with spring? Nothing about this Easter is screaming carefree warm weather days!

What to Make for a Solo Easter?

Given the rather odd nature of this season, I decided to just make food for myself and to not be too worried about things that I ordinarily associate with Easter dishes. I also just went to the grocery store and came back with a bunch of things that just... looked good. With pretty much no plan in mind, I got pears, blackberries, spinach, cherry tomatoes, blue cheese, and fresh smoked mozzarella.

I tend to cook like it's a mystery box challenge on TV sometimes where I'll just grab everything that looks good and then see what I can make work with it!

The Solo Easter Menu

For this year's solo Easter I have come up with the following menu:

Gallery

How to Get All of the Dishes Out at the Same Time

How to get all of the dishes out at the same time is rather simple this year. Quiche can be made ahead of time and either served warm or chilled. I tend to prefer a chilled quiche, so I made it in the morning, popped it in the refrigerator, and then tackled the lasagna. You could make it up to a couple of days ahead of time, though. Especially if oven space is at a premium!

Lasagna is also a surprisingly good recipe to make ahead of time. It's great fresh out of the oven, but lasagna keeps very well. I like to assemble it and refrigerate or even partially bake it. It usually takes 45-60 minutes to cook a lasagna. So, if I need it a little bit quicker than that, I'll cook it for about 20-30 minutes and then reheat for another 20-30 minutes when I'm ready to serve. This is actually what most restaurants do. They'll make a big batch of lasagna, cook it most of the way, and then, when it's ordered, sprinkle a little bit more sauce and cheese on top and put it in the oven for 15-20 minutes or even just straight into the microwave for 5 minutes!

I was just cooking for me, though, and had plenty of time and oven space to cook a quiche and a lasagna in my day off. So, I just made one after the other. But quiche and lasagna are both great make ahead meals if you find yourself in a time or oven space crunch.

Conclusion About the Meal

This Solo Easter was absolutely delicious. The quiche made it feel like it was still Easter with the eggs and fresh fruit. I also just adore lasagna. It's more of a winter food! And the combination together was a bit odd. If I was serving this as a cohesive meal together, I'd probably have the quiche for brunch and then the lasagna later on with rolls or No-knead Dutch Oven Bread. Although it's a great testament to just make things your own! If you want fresh fruit springtime quiche and warm and wintry lasagna with smoked mozzarella? Then, go for it!