Quarantine Easter treats, dinner from the pantry

If you went shopping before schools closed and businesses started shutting down last month, you were probably worried about stocking up on things that would last a long time.

You weren’t thinking about celebrating a holiday in quarantine. But as the coronavirus numbers have grown and the state has lengthened the closures until weeks after the Easter bunny is supposed to have hopped out of town, now you have decisions to make.

Do you go to the grocery store? Or do you try to make do with what’s already on hand?

A pantry Easter might not have exactly the same menu, but it can still be special and fun, with the added bonus of providing a “Chopped”-like challenge.

First, let’s think about eggs. While usually on sale this week, right now the price is sky high because of pandemic demands. Even if you get some, you might not want to waste them on hard-boiling and dyeing.

Why not think of another way to bring the holiday feel? Make crisp rice treats or sugar cookies in egg shapes and decorate those. Not only will it save on eggs, but they could last longer and not commit you to days and days of egg salad sandwiches.

And did the bunny not shop for basket stuffers? There are ways around that, too. No pantry is complete without peanut butter, right? Or maybe you have cream cheese in the fridge? Add some powdered sugar and dip in melted chocolate and you have the the makings of some great confectionery eggs.

Other homemade candies like fudge, divinity or caramel corn could actually be a refreshingly gourmet spin on basket faves. And who needs the fake grass? It just gets stuck in your vacuum anyway.

But then there’s the meal. OK, this is the tough one, because it’s really unlikely most people are going to find a 10-pound ham or a leg of lamb just hiding out in the freezer. The key here is balancing festiveness with a low-key attitude that takes the pressure off.

That ham? How important is it anyway? You might have a smaller crew around the table. Let’s think outside the norm.

Instead of trying to replicate the traditional table with things you don’t have, focus on what you do have and find ways to make it special for the holiday.

Pasta? Make an Italian spaghetti pie. Not sure about that? Go simpler but still special. No one has ever been disappointed by a bubbly, from-scratch macaroni and cheese. Maybe you have a big bag of potatoes. There’s nothing that says “I took the time to make this” like slicing them wafer-thin and baking a decadent gratin.

The best part of using these staple-friendly casseroles as a centerpiece is how easy they are to dress up with whatever special touches you have on hand. Never underestimate the added luxury of a little crumbled bacon or spinach or just more cheese than the law allows.

This Easter is going to be different no matter what we do. But reaching into our pantry instead of braving face masks and 6-foot standoffs at the grocery store might help us find little things we didn’t know we had to make our tables — and our holidays — better than we thought.