Easter is right around the corner. Getting ready for this special holiday requires many thoughts and preparations ahead of time. First and foremost is the holiday itself and what this means. This holiday actually starts many days ahead of Easter Sunday. The perfect place to start is to prepare our hearts and minds for this special holiday. I go to the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. And right now is a good time to start as each book has several chapters regarding the end of Jesus’ life on earth with unique perspectives from Matthew, beginning in chapter 26; from Mark 14; from Dr. Luke in 22, and John beginning in chapter 12. It’s one of the best reads of all time. Why? Because it’s TRUE. Each account is astonishing and stirs the heart to the core. Although Easter Sunday is the pinnacle of this grand celebration, it begins actually a week before with
Palm Sunday: Jesus Triumphal entry into Jerusalem where He is considered The King over Israel.
Maunday Thursday: The Last Supper with his beloved 12; Gethsemane and Jesus’ betrayal.
Good Friday: the hours involved from his trial to the carrying of the cross to the Crucifixion; Jesus last words to His Father and last breath.
Easter Sunday: The Resurrection—Jesus’ glorious empty tomb and appearances.
What a story! God incarnate, whom men rejected and still do.
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More preparations! House cleaning for a family gathering; getting special clothes ready; dying Easter eggs and hunting them down. The candy. 🙂 ; the menu; the shopping; the work and the festivities…..the ANTICIPATION…….what a grand celebration it is!
Ham balls is a favorite with our family. I believe it just might be an Iowa custom, perhaps even a SW Iowa custom. Well, unless my plans change the dish will be on our table. Hope you give it a try if you haven’t already. They are so easy and sooooooo yummy. Betcha can’t eat just one:
- Balls:
- 4½ to 5 lbs ham loaf (from the meat counter)
- 3 C graham cracker crumbs
- 2 scant C milk.
- Sauce:
- 2 cans tomato soup
- ¾ C vinegar
- 2/12 C brown sugar
- 2 t. dry mustard
- Mix meat cracker crumbs and milk together, roll into balls a little larger than golf balls and place into 2 9x13 baking dishes.
- Mix sauce ingredients together with whisk and pour over the balls.
- Bake 1 hour at 350'
This recipe is a great one to make ahead and freeze. If you do, just freeze the meat, not the sauce.