How Will Your Holiday Be Different This Year of Quarantine?

[BakerAunt]

It's an important week in the Jewish and Christian tradition. Passover begins this evening, and it is the week that leads up to Easter, which some people also celebrate as a secular holiday. In two weeks, Ramadan will begin.

We are facing different kinds of celebration this year. Families--unless they are quarantining together--will not be gathering unless they do so virtually. Religious services may be online. The food may be different, depending on availability; it may also be different because people have more time to prepare it.

How is your holiday different in this year of quarantine?

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[BakerAunt]

We usually have a maple-glazed tenderloin with mashed potatoes for Easter dinner, a tradition that I started when I met my husband because he does not care for ham. I have a tenderloin in the freezer, but we were able to get a turkey a couple of weeks ago, and my husband, who loves turkey, suggested we have it instead. We've done that once before when I was returning from a conference, and he needed to cook the dinner. We likely wouldn't have had a turkey to roast had it not been for restaurants closing, which resulted in an excellent price at the local grocery.

We will still have mashed potatoes. The grocery store had Russet potatoes in abundance when we shopped yesterday.

For the first time in two years, I know where my lamb cake mold is (that was due to remodeling). I can't make my former butter-laden cake, with its butter-laden frosting, and that would be the case any time we don't have others here to help eat it. I'm thinking of trying an oil-based Bundt lime cake recipe in the mold and making a lime glaze to drizzle on it.

I will be baking Hot Cross Buns on Good Friday. I'm also looking for an Easter cookie and may try an Italian Knot Cookie that uses oil, a change that is also due to dietary not pandemic constraints.

My husband sometimes likes to dye a few eggs, although he is not a fan of eating hard boiled eggs, but this year, we will save out egg supply for baking.

• This reply was modified 4 years ago by BakerAunt.

[chocomouse]

We will do our usual meal, just my husband and myself. I bought a spiral sliced ham yesterday, and that will also make sandwiches for DH for weeks! Not sure what we'll have for sides, probably scalloped potatoes, mapled carrots, maybe a broccoli salad, and for sure maple cheesecake.

[Mike Nolan]

I have a small sliced ham I'll do on Sunday, probably with some scalloped potatoes. It'll just be the two of us, but that's often been the case because Easter seldom overlaps with UNL's or our granddaughter's spring break, even before the social distancing limitations.

I may make a Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake just to have something to celebrate. We discovered that it freezes well, so I may make one for the freezer as well.

[Joan Simpson]

It'll just the two of us and I have not decided anything yet.

[Mike Nolan]

I will probably make one small batch of Hot Cross Buns, I don't plan to give any away this year.

[Italiancook]

The tradition I created for all holidays is to have a special breakfast. Both our mothers focused on the main meal, so I wanted something unique to the family my husband and I created. I'm going to make one of KAF coffee cakes, but haven't decided which one. For dinner, we're having oven-fried chicken, roasted potatoes, Paula Deen's Garden Pea Salad, and what's left of Carrot Salad. I'd like to have ham, but we're still isolating in place. While we realize we can grocery shop, we are not.

[skeptic7]

I will do my special Hot Cross Buns starting Friday and baking it on Easter Sunday, but I will be freezing any I can't eat myself. I won't be running around giving it away and my friends can't come pick it up.
I saw a recipe for a ham and raisin pie, more a quiche than anything else and I think I will make that leaving out the Grand Mariner as I don't have that. Would brandy work? I have some homemade chocolate peanut butter cups which I will eat, and plan to look at either donut recipes or Pain au Chocolat recipes.

[Mike Nolan]

Brandy wouldn't have the bitter orange flavor of Grand Marnier. I don't know if adding some orange juice or orange extract to brandy would be an acceptable substitute. If you had bergamot oil, that might be even better, but who has that on hand??

[skeptic7]

I have some oranges, maybe I can put in fresh orange zest. I saw Blood Oranges in the store and inspired by BakerAunt's recipes I bought a bag. I have eaten all but two but I can save one for a ham pie.

[RiversideLen]

Skeptic, Cointreau or triple sec could be used as a substitute for Grand Mariner, but I'm willing to bet you don't have those on hand either.

[skeptic7]

No I have a decent selection of spices but very few liquors, and I don't want to go out to buy more.

[aaronatthedoublef]

My brothers and their families and I are going to try to have a virtual Passover sedar tomorrow. I have no idea what it will look like and I am not certain why we did not think of this years ago. But whatever happens it will be fun with my family.

I will probably make macaroons and may try my hand at macarons. Maybe some time this week I will also make a flourless cake. Mom always made a Passover sponge cake with strawberries and whipped cream. But no bread this weekend.

Hag Sameach (which is not really the right greeting but I cannot remember the right one) and Happy Easter to you all.

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