Easter at our house

We could just stop after that photo couldn't we? I did it to be mean. You know good and well the recipe for that is coming at the end of this post but you also know it can't be that easy. You have to sit here and endure the long drawn out recap of our Easter weekend first.

Not really.

But I DO want to focus on the REAL importance and meaning of Easter first before getting to the food. We don't celebrate the Easter bunny at my house. We celebrate the real reason for Easter and the reason this holiday came to be - and that is the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! If not for his sacrifice and conquering power over death we couldn't live with the hope and joy and peace that we do.

And since photos speak a million words - here's how I explain the "joy" part that God has given to me...

Family. That about sums up my joy. (smile and far off stare)

I saw one of the cutest pics today that someone had posted on Facebook where a guy and girl were kissing. The guy held a sign that said "I stole her heart". And the girl held a sign that said "So I stole his name." My husband informed me that it was so last year (or whenever) but I thought it was adorable! Anyways I'm getting sidetracked. Recipe. Food. Focus.

Okay so the wonderful dessert you saw pictured above was a total mistake! I had set out to make an angel food cake ROLL. And as you can tell it is NOT a roll but a layered cake. Since I had never made angel food cake and I have made TONS of pumpkin rolls I read through the directions quite quickly and plopped that dough into a 9x13 pan covered with parchment paper. Yes. Yes I did. Anyone who has ever made angel food cake before is gasping right here saying "No she didn't!" But I did. And in case you are the innocent out there who, like me, has never worked with angel food cake, it rises. No that doesn't even begin to explain what it does. It TRIPLES in size!!

So after glancing in my oven and seeing this phenomenon take place I knew instantly I needed a back up plan. When it came out it was SO thick and HIGH that I made an easy decision. Slice this sucker in half and make it a cake!

So there is the first step to my dessert. Bake an angel food cake in a 9x13 pan covered in parchment paper. When it comes out flip it over onto cooling rack. Once cool slice it in half. If at this step you're not sure what direction you cut the cake in half then please refer to the photo and figure it out. If you still can't figure it out, put the knife down slowly and walk away from the kitchen!

On the top of the bottom layer spread a thing coat of strawberry ice cream topping. Next, mix 8 oz cream cheese and 2 cups of Light Cool Whip in a bowl until well mixed. Spread this cool whip mixture on top of ice cream topping. Place the top layer back on and then cover the whole cake in whipped cream! And that's it!

Note: It is easier to cut through and eat after it's been refrigerated a day. Just a thought!

Cute Easter Ideas: Goodies & a Craft

You know what is alright - a cupcake paper. And a cute one too! If you are looking for a cute Easter treat idea OR a beautiful homemade card you can make for family and friends then look no further!

First select a cute Easter cupcake paper or a bright green color would work good too for this cupcake creation. Here is the ingredients you'll need:

Cake Mix

Eggs

Vegetable Oil

Buttermilk

Robin Eggs Candy

Chocolate Frosting

Vanilla Frosting

Green & Yellow Food coloring

4 Black Jelly Beans (small ones, like Jelly Belly's)

White Circus Peanuts (or just cover the orange ones with white melting chocolate)

24 Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seeds

Oreo Cookies

Small Flower Sprinkles

Mini Marshmallows (4)

Light Corn Syrup

White NonPareils (sprinkles)

Ziploc Bags - a good sturdy kind like freezer bags

Mix up the cake mix using the same amount of vegetable oil, 1 Cup of buttermilk and 4 eggs. Fill cupcake papers 2/3 full and bake for about 25 minutes if using a dark pan like stoneware. If not just follow box directions for cooking. While they are baking spoon 2 TBLS of chocolate frosting into the corner of a Ziploc bag, squeeze out the air and seal and set it aside.

And then if you are like me and can't find white circus peanuts go ahead and cover them with some white chocolate melting wafers!

Next take a handful of Oreo cookies and crush them completely down to crumbs. Call your little boy or girl into the room to pour the bag of crumbs and take the opportunity to use both hands to take a photo! hehe.

When the cupcakes are cooled completely - take four of them and cover with chocolate frosting. Next roll the tops in the crushed cookie crumbs until covered. These are your "holes" for your cute bunnies!

Next split the vanilla frosting in half and color one a dark green color while mixing green and yellow food coloring in the other half to make a brighter green (or cheat and buy the neon pastel food colors like I did).

I have to pause to apologize because at this point I got so into it and was just a truckin' through these that I forgot to keep taking pictures. However I will do you the honors of still walking you through it all! Aren't I nice?

Once you have both colors carefully place one color on one half and the other green on the other side so when you pipe it from the corner of the bag both colors come out at the same time. Once it's ready cut a small tip from the piping corner side of your Ziploc bag and then use a squeeze and pull technique to form grass on the remaining cupcakes. Squeeze and pull technique: simply placing the tip of the bag against the cupcake, giving a slight squeeze and then pulling the bag straight up and away to form a stiff peak with the frosting.

Then add small patches of flower sprinkles and robin's eggs candies around the grass cupcakes.

To make the bunnies feet take your circus peanut and cut them in half lengthwise - you just need the smooth side. For the pads of the feet cut your jelly beans in half also and pipe a small dot of chocolate frosting (from the frosting you earlier set aside) and place one half of your jelly bean on each foot. Then add three more dots at the top end of your feet and place the sunflower seeds with the pointy side pointing inward.

Last step is to roll your 4 mini marshmallows in the light corn syrup and then cover them with the white nonpareils. It worked easily for me to put both into small bowls.

Then you just place your feet together in their pairs on your dirt holes and give them each a fluffy tail! And I know no pictures to go by - but I DID at least take pictures of the finished product so in case you got lost on the last few steps just take a gander at the photos and hopefully you can figure it out!

WARNING: Undertaking this project may result in undesirable kitchen conditions.

HOMEMADE EASTER CARDS

These are super easy and quick! Just start out with some blank cards that you can find at Hobby Lobby. Draw three rounded rectangles on the top half of the paper, off set a bit. Have your kids finger paint dots (using their pointer finger) to fill the rectangles completely, even covering your light pencil lines too!

Next have them paint a straight stem down from each flower using a thin brush. Finally using a thicker brush have them make small leaves at the bottom of the stem by doing a quick short stroke starting at the very bottom and brushing diagonally up in both directions.

And voila! Just like that you have yourself some Texas bluebonnets! My kids are 4 and 5 and they did these ALL by themselves! The above picture is a card we did together (I painted most of this one to show them an example) and I added our initials at the bottom of the one we finger painted. However here is one they did all on their own:

There you go - a fun cupcake creation to do for a class party or perhaps a family Easter Egg Hunt and some pretty Bluebonnet cards to send to family this spring holiday and the day of Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Silent Sundays

Here are a few pics from my Easter in New Mexico with my parents!

Please join us for Silent Sundays!