Easter is almost upon us! And to me, that means the sun starts to shine brighter, spring is approaching and all is right with the world.

Seriously, when I can dig out from underneath the cold and snow I am a much happier person. And Easter is the beginning of that. I am so excited!

I might not be able to pull out my beach attire and flip flops just yet, but Easter lets me know those days are right around the corner. Hallelujah!

Every holiday to me is about food. I can’t help it. And Easter traditionally is the time for hardboiled eggs. It’s just a fact. But sometimes we can have an abundance of them and we’ve got to get creative in order to not waste any.

So, what to do?

Well, make them a part of your Easter dinner for starters. There are so many ham recipes that include hardboiled eggs. Whip up a delicious egg salad with chunks of delicious ham in it. Customize the salad however you like. But those hardboiled eggs make it extra special.

Serve a spiral ham for your main entrée for Easter dinner and serve that salad to go along with it. Delicious!

Use those hardboiled eggs as appetizers before your ham dinner. People flock to them! Get fancy. Use spices. Make them YOUR special appetizer.

Take advantage of this holiday time where the all-important hardboiled egg is a superstar. It doesn’t get much play at any other time of year – so really give it its due with delicious Easter egg recipes!

Part of the beauty of a well-designed meal is its visual appeal, too. Hardboiled eggs really deliver in this category. The sleek white in contrast with the bold yellow makes for an absolutely beautiful display. And that adds enjoyment to any meal!

Enjoy this eggstravaganza!

There once was a gal who procrastinated.

And – poof! – a holiday snuck up on her.

I’m not saying WHO that someone might be, BUT if she sounds familiar to YOU, here are some great last-minute meal ideas for Easter from our friends at Heavy.com.

Seriously. It’s this Sunday.

Try out this amazing recipe for Beef Stew with Leeks. Easy, tasty and hello leftovers!

I love serving beef on holidays. It’s so satisfying.

Click here for a great rundown of fab Easter Feasts to satisfy the bunnies at your house.

My house? Oh, I’ve got it covered. **Wink, wink.**

Photo courtesy of Christopher Hirsheimer via epicurious.com.

It’s time to start thinking about Easter menus. And, for me, I stress less if I can make most things ahead of time.

So let’s stress less, shall we?

There are so many menu choices that we can prepare beforehand, and then heat or simply serve when mealtime comes.

For me, a ham is a must-have. We don’t sit down to eat a ham often so it’s usually a holiday dinner for us. Luckily, it’s a heat and serve type entree. And that makes me happy.

The sides and dessert? Well, that’s a different story.

Click here to see a beautiful make-ahead Easter menu including glazed carrots with pistachios (beautifully displayed above), spring pea soup, chutney-glazed ham, pepper cheese biscuits and lemon beehive meringues.

This, my friends, is the recipe for a fantastic Easter meal!

Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens at BHG.com.