Hi, Friends.

When my son Graham was in preschool, his best friend was a boy named Luca. Having three sisters and no brothers, Graham relished his time with Luca, swimming, riding bikes, and playing with Legos. This was nearly 10 years ago, but I still remember feeling complete relief every time I saw Luca's mother, Michelle, pull into my driveway to swoop Graham away.

One day, Michelle asked if Graham would like to join Luca at Chuck E. Cheese's for his birthday. Knowing Graham would be just as happy at her house, I questioned: Are you sure?

To this, Michelle looked at me and said, "Ali, I would rather get a colonoscopy than go to Chuck E. Cheese's, but it's what the birthday boy wants."

I have never forgotten this. I remember at the time laughing hard but also thinking I didn't really know what a colonoscopy was, and that it certainly wasn't something I would have to worry about any time soon.

But earlier this week, my husband found himself sipping on chicken broth and Gatorade. And I turn 45 in September. So here we are.

I hadn't made chicken broth in a while, and the process reminded me of the gift that is a whole chicken. I made the broth the way I learned from the chef I worked for at Fork: place a whole chicken in a large pot, cover it with cold water, bring it to a simmer, then turn off the heat.

One hour later, pull the meat from the carcass, then return the carcass to the pot to simmer with vegetables and aromatics for several hours or until you've produced a rich, flavorful broth.

I love this method for making stock because nothing is wasted: the chicken emerges from the pot plump and moist, pulling easily away from the bone; the carcass emerges completely spent, all of its goodness released into the glistening, golden broth.

You can use the meat for chicken salad, enchiladas, soup, etc. And the broth, of course, for many a recipe. Or you can drink it by the mugful, should you be following the doctor's orders.

Anyway, Friends, I hope your weekend is off to a good start. It's hard to believe Easter is nearly a week away. Weren't we just making New Year's resolutions? Below you'll find my favorite Easter Recipes, including these Hot Cross Buns, the dough for which can be prepared on the Wednesday or Thursday before Good Friday. Have a great weekend 👋

Zero-Waste Chicken Broth

Foolproof Easy-Peel Eggs

The secret to easy-peel, hard-boiled eggs? Steam 'em. If you're dyeing eggs for Easter or making deviled eggs, you'll want to try this method.

Classic Deviled Eggs

Easter Menu 2026

In this post, I've rounded up all of my favorite Easter recipes, from baked ham and mustard sauce to rack of lamb with tzatziki to scalloped potatoes and punch to buttermilk pull-apart rolls and hot cross buns to easy-to-peel hard-boiled eggs and more.

Find all of them here as well as a few highlights below:

Favorite Easter Recipes

Hot Cross Buns

Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze

If you’ve ever toiled over a roast turkey — from the brining to the basting to the carving — a baked ham feels like a complete dream.

Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze

PS: For the past few years, I've been making a half ham (8 lbs.), which still feeds a crowd and leaves plenty of leftovers (as well as a nice bone for split pea soup):

My Grandmother's Mustard Sauce

In my family, this mustard sauce, my grandmother's recipe, is as essential as the ham on the holiday table. It takes no time to whisk together, and it is so nice to have on hand for leftover ham sandwiches.

Crispy Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, For a Crowd

A large pot of escarole and chickpea soup.

Lofty Popovers (Yorkshire Pudding)

There is nothing more magical than pulling a pan of lofty popovers from the oven just as everyone is sitting down for dinner, and making them couldn’t be simpler. The secret? Room temperature ingredients.

Split Pea and Ham Soup, a perfect use for your leftover ham bone.

Overnight, Refrigerator Focaccia

Though I am partial to rolls on the holiday table, it’s hard to beat this overnight, refrigerator focaccia in terms of effort-to-reward ratio. It’s truly so easy and so delicious.

Buttermilk Pull-Apart Rolls

Orange-Ricotta Pound Cake

I've included a number of desserts in my Easter post, and of all of them this is likely the easiest: orange-ricotta pound cake. What's nice about this one is that it can be made ahead — it keeps well for days — but it also can double as a tea cake or breakfast cake or really an anytime cake.