As someone who had never used clay cookware before, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I used my Romertopf Clay Baker for the first time. First I should tell you that the clay bakeware is beautiful,, more than you can even tell from the photos. There is something quite timeless, elegant and special about the quality of the baker. The clay cookware nicely complements my shiny metal cookware that I love so much. Of course the clay is breakable so I always handle it with care.

Cooking in it is actually a breeze. You simply soak the baker in water prior use, put your food in, and then place it in a cold oven before setting the temperature according to your recipe. The meal always turns out very tasty and extremely moist and juicy. You just clean your Romertopf with some water and a mild scrubber like a nylon scrubbing pad and your done. I’ve since bought more pieces for myself and gifts for friends over the years.

As the Easter Holiday draws near, I am torn on what to serve for dinner. For years many in our family have wanted ham or lamb for dinner, neither of which I am a big fan of now, though I did enjoy the sweetness of glazed ham when I was younger. But as time passes I have become less and less of a meat eater. When it comes to red meat I do enjoy a good juicy steak now and then, or a big grilled hamburger. And we also eat a fair amount of chicken and turkey.

But back to the holiday dinner. I find that I’m not enjoying meat as much as I used to, as if I’m losing my taste for it. Now I don’t know that I’m ready to be a vegetarian, but I have come to realize that I would like to start having more vegetarian centered dinner dishes rather than meat-based ones. So the tricky part is whether to come up with a completely different holiday dinner menu or to compromise with the meat-lovers by serving a little of both. Knowing me it will be both, so now I need to come up with some dishes that will taste great together and be special enough for a holiday meal.