I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend with your family and friends. I mentioned on Friday that I was hosting our family’s Easter dinner this year. We celebrated on Saturday night instead of Sunday. I thoroughly enjoy holiday entertaining! There’s something extra special about gathering for a holiday meal with your family.
There are nine peeps in the family including myself, but both my dining and breakfast room tables only seat six. Instead of doing a bunch of rearranging, I set a girls table and a boys table.
I opted to use scrapbook paper for my runner and placemats. It was super fast and easy plus zero ironing! My friend Courtney had a piece of acrylic cut to fit her table in order to keep her paper runners clean. I may have to copy her on that next time. I used these glittery, gold butterfly napkin rings my mom bought for me years ago. They inspired the “butterfly” theme. The pink butterfly picks I picked up at Michael’s. Simple and sweet was my motto this year.
I tore pages from an old book to use as a runner for this table which tied into the book page Easter eggs I made for the centerpiece.
Apart from setting the table(s), I love planning a holiday menu. This was my first time hosting a meal that was strictly paleo. I was a little worried at first that this might not fly with our guests, but everyone loved the food!
Let’s get serious though, what’s not to love about a bacon salad cup?!
I got the idea to make these cups from Not Martha. They were pretty simple to make. I was shocked at how well they turned out considering this was the first time I made them. I filled them with arugula and cherry tomatoes then splashed them with balsamic vintager and olive oil and some fresh cracked pepper. Delish! It was a great way to ensure that every bite of salad had bacon. 😉
The recipe I used for the citrus macadamia nut tilapia and the black and blueberry crumble came straight out of the Practical Paleo cookbook. The sweet potato gratin (I made it without the bacon.) and the carrot cake cupcakes are recipes I found at PaleOMG.
The brussel sprouts were a big hit, and I have to thank my hub’s work partner for the tip on cooking them with bacon. I cooked a couple pieces of chopped bacon in a skillet on the stove, then added some roasted garlic, and then shredded brussel sprouts to the pan. (I prefer them shredded, but you can used chopped too.) I let it all cook together for a few minutes then transferred to a baking dish and stuck in in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes. They were so good, that even people who don’t like brussel sprouts had a second helping!
This turned out to be a great menu, so I wanted to share it with you all. Especially for my paleo and gluten free friends, these dishes would please anyone! There was just one very little bowl of leftovers. That’s how you know it was good!
It was great celebrating on Saturday too. It made for a very relaxing Easter Sunday.
instagram – Carmel_ourfifthhouse
We spent a few hours in the car on our way to a little cabin in the woods for a quick spring break trip. I plan to unplug and enjoy this special time with my family. I’ve recently realized just how fast time is flying by.
Literally I’ll be unplugging for the next few days as I forgot to pack my phone charger. April Fools on me I guess. Have a great Monday!
The menu looks so delicious and the tables are beautiful. Have fun unplugging and relaxing!
Such a beautiful celebration! Hope your "unplugged" time is relaxing and fun!
~Abby =)
Your tables look gorgeous!! And you do too in that hot pink skirt!! Glad you are getting to enjoy a great time away with your family.
Enjoy your break from reality! It is so great to unplug! Just imagine what that pic will look like in 2020?!?! ugh, where does the time go! Looks like you had a great Easter celebration with your family!
you are so beautiful and so stylish and when i grow up i want to be like you.
A blessing in disguise forgetting your phone charger! Your tables look so pretty and those bacon cups? Yum. So fun for a brunch; I'll have to remember them!
Looks like a lovely Easter! And your menu sounds delicious! Love that picture of you with your daughter 🙂
Have a wonderful time unplugged with your family!
Love it all and especially the paleo and gluten free recipe links. Cant wait to check them out! Hope your time away was great and restful.
Looks like it was fun (and delicious!). Such a beautiful table!
Yummy menu and beautiful table settings. Love how you separated the tables too! Enjoy your spring break getaway!
LOve your tables!! And the pic of you and the little miss is too cute!
LOVE your hot pink skirt and bracelet! Looked great with your polka dot shirt
How do you make "shredded brussell sprouts"? Do you use fresh brussell sprouts or can you use frozen?
Sorry for the delay – I usually cheat and buy the organic shredded brussel sprouts form Trader Joe's – it cuts down on the work time, but you can just use a grater or if your food processor has a shredding attachment just throw them in there. The shredded bag from TJ's truly can't be beat – it's so fast!
The menu looks so delicious and the tables are beautiful.
Have fun unplugging and relaxing!