I had the privilege of being able to speak with Melissa d’Arabian of Food Network’s Ten Dollar Dinners again this past week. If you haven’t seen her show it is all about being able to feed a family of four for $10 or less. I’ve used several of her recipes and they are beyond delicious and you’ll never believe that they’re $10 or less!

This time we were talking Easter. There were 9 of us on the call, so we were allowed 2 questions each. I was the fifth person in, so a lot of my questions were asked, but I hope these will help you with your Easter preparations!


Since we have twins, triplets, quadruplets or more and we end up with a ton more hard boiled eggs, what are some good recipes so we can use them and they don’t go to waste?

I actually developed some recipes to use up all those hard boiled eggs, they’re on foodnetwork.com/easter. I love an egg salad sandwich, but there are only so many of those that I can eat. (Check out her Egg and Garlic Cheese Baguette and Asparagus with Tangy-Smoky Dressing).

How do you get your kids to be a part of decorating, whether it’s cupcakes, cakes or just for Easter?

I actually have some fun decorating ideas for cupcakes that are great for Easter, or any time of year, on foodnetwork.com/easter. But I will tell you this, and I love talking to someone from the multiples world, because you can relate to this. I keep things simple, even for the holidays, even though there’s a part of me that would love to deck everything out and go crazy, it kind of stresses me out. So I really try to pull back and make it manageable and not flip out if I don’t get everything done that I want to get done. And whatever lists I’m making, whether it be for decorating or for a party or whatever, I take one thing off of that list, I have to remove one thing off the list or else I’ll go bananas. I try to embrace simplicity because otherwise I feel like things can just get out of control and then I’m stressing over things that should be fun. Holidays should really be about being with my family and enjoying one another and good food. Don’t forget anytime you have a party, anytime you have a family gathering, the most important dish you are serving is yourself, and your company and your love. So if there’s something that is going to pull you away from being able to do that, then it’s too complicated to be on your menu.

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Another great tip that Melissa had was to buy Easter candy after Easter and use it to make your own pudding, or to use for a chocolate french toast (yum, right?!).

Be sure to check out her web videos on foodnetwork.com/easter where you can learn how to perfectly boiled eggs, make a delicious ham, and the cutest cupcakes you’ve ever seen!

What are some of your favorite recipes for Easter and what do you do with all of those hard boiled eggs?