Easter Dinner Recipes

As family, friends, and neighbors gather around the Easter dinner table, what Easter dinner recipes will find their place on the menu?

speckled-eggs-basket-purple-roses

Jez Timms

Will you be serving tried and true traditional favorites, or do you delight in bringing a new dish to the holiday table?

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Easter-rabbit-plates-table-setting

Holiday weeks can be so hectic, and who doesn’t appreciate ideas, recipes, and tidbits that bring a touch of beautiful and delicious convenience to the table.

lilacs-in-gold-container

Carolyne Roehm

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Click on the links for recipes. 

Easy Homemade Strawberry Lemonade

Easy Homemade Strawberry Lemonade Recipe

Refreshing sips of the season greet the day and the guests.

Copycat-Honey-Baked-Ham-recipe

Honey Baked Ham Recipe

These Easter dinner recipes are delicious, make a beautiful presentation, and are Easter dinner and dessert appropriate.

flour-dusted-baked-buttermilk-biscuits

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits Recipe

I find it easier when planning the Easter dinner menu to figure out the main dish first and let the traditional side dish mates take it from there.

Ham and Cheese Scones

Ham and Cheese Scones Recipe

Ham and biscuits.

Ham and cheese.

Ham for the main it is.

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Buttery Peas and Mushrooms

Buttery Peas and Mushrooms Recipe

Pretty and delicious in pink.

easter-deviled-eggs

Pink Deviled Eggs Recipe

Deep-Dish Bacon and Cheddar Quiche

Deep-Dish Bacon and Cheddar Quiche Recipe

Prosciutto-Asparagus-Puff-Pastry-Bundles-2 (1)

Prosciutto Asparagus Puff Pastry Bundles Recipe

This recipe for Glazed Carrots with Orange and Ginger puts a spring spin on a traditional Easter dinner side.

carrots-with-parsley-mint

Glazed Carrots With Orange & Ginger

Ingredients

1 lb. bag peeled baby carrots

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/3 cup orange juice

zest of one lemon

zest of one orange

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients except lemon juice and parsley in saucepan.  Bring to a boil, stirring to incorporate all ingredients together.

Reduce heat to medium low.   Add lemon juice and  cover.   Cook until carrots are tender.

Taste to determine if you want to adjust the seasonings.

I like to add the parsley and one additional squeeze of lemon to the pan to allow it to soften for approximately 1 minute.

herbed_potato_stacks_recipe

Herbed Potato Stacks Recipe

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lemon-lavender-shortbread-cookies

Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies Recipe

coconut-cake-cut

Dorothy’s Homemade Coconut Cake Recipe from Alex Hitz

Ingredients

6 tablespoons cold salted butter, plus more for pans

2¼ cups sugar

1½ tablespoons vanilla extract

8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, melted

5 egg yolks

3 whole eggs

2½ cups cake flour, plus more for pans

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ cup buttermilk

¾ cup heavy cream

For the Glaze:
½ cup coconut milk

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour three 9-inch round cake pans, put a parchment round in the bottom of each pan, and butter and flour the rounds.

On medium speed, beat the cold butter in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until it is very light, about 5 minutes. Continue beating while gradually adding the sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.

Add the vanilla and beat for 5 more minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl again. The mixture will be very coarse and grainy. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed, add the melted butter, egg yolks, and whole eggs, and then turn off the mixer.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.

In another bowl, mix the buttermilk and cream.

With the mixer on the lowest speed, add half the flour mixture, and then half the buttermilk mixture. Add the remainder of the flour and buttermilk mixtures, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Do not overmix or the cake will be tough.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans, tapping each pan on a sturdy surface to release air bubbles if there are any, and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a toothpick or knife comes out clean.

Cool the cakes for 10 minutes, then run the dull edge of a knife around their perimeters and invert them onto a cold baking sheet or rack. (Note: These cakes may be frozen for up to 3 months.)

When you are ready to ice the cake, slice each layer in half horizontally so that you have 6 layers.

To make the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar and coconut milk in a small bowl. Pierce each cake layer with a fork in several places and then spoon or brush the glaze over them before icing.

Make sure all the layers are completely cool before icing.

For the Coconut Icing:

Yield: Enough for one six-layer 9-inch cake

1½ cups fresh or dried coconut, shredded and toasted

18 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

18 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature

3 tablespoons vanilla extract

7½ cups powdered sugar

2¼ teaspoons salt

6 tablespoons coconut milk

5⅓ cups sweetened flaked coconut

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Spread the fresh or dried coconut on a metal baking sheet and toast for about 5 to 7 minutes, until it is brown. Remove from the oven and reserve.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla extract, and beat the mixture on medium speed for about 5 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar and salt, and add it to the cream cheese mixture, 1 cup at a time, beating it until it is smooth after each addition. Turn the mixer to the lowest speed, add the coconut milk, and stir in the sweetened flaked coconut.

Arrange the cooled layers, one by one, on a cake stand, icing each layer as you assemble, using approximately 1 cup of icing per layer, and then top with the toasted coconut.

-House Beautiful

No-Bake Lemon Tart

No-Bake Lemon Tart Recipe

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Early Spring Into Easter

Early spring into Easter color awakenings through spring color palette choices are upon us.

multi-color-tulips-spring

Colors of the season shake off the last of winter’s remnants with the help of warm mid-afternoon breezes, hints of pastel petals, the yellow dusting of pollen (you want pretty flowers, don’t you?), the hum of lawnmowers, and seasonal treats featuring fresh strawberries.

strawberries-in-season

Photo by Anna Tukhfatullina Food Photographer/Stylist on Unsplash

Color wakes up a space in the same manner that spring wakes up color from its winter hibernation.

Farmers' Market Herb Live Wreath & Garland

Farmers’ Market Herb Live Wreath & Garland

Spring moves the clock forward, presents the perfect time to organize and clean, and wakes up the color all around us.

green-velvet-sofa-fringe

Amal Kapen Interiors

Easy and affordable ways to incorporate the best of the season into your home and garden is to update and refresh through accents and accessories.

Accents and accessories in fresh, lively, and warm colors of spring renews our interiors and exteriors, elevates our moods, and brushes away the heaviness of winter.

new-for-spring-home-decor

Machine Washable Indoor/ Outdoor Chantille Floral Rug

Charlotte Moss Flowers Book

3d Floral Ceramic Table Lamp

4pc Porcelain Bunny Hill Salad Plates

Rustic Toile Pillow

More Monet Framed Wall Art

Scalloped Bottom Skirted Dining Chair

putting flowers in vase

 

 

 

 

 

 

de-gournay-Bayville-Chinoiserie

de Gournay Bayville Chinoiserie

Wallpaper or paint?

In certain situations, coupled with certain tastes, here’s where I stand on the matter.

Why not both?

paint-color-samples-display

Photo by Clay Banks

Touches of color, texture, and pattern can automatically pack a space with immediate focal point potential.

green-pendant-light-breakfast-room-Cameron-Ruppert-Interiors

Cameron Ruppert Interiors

“Only those who love color are admitted to its beauty
and immanent presence. It affords utility to all,
but unveils its deeper mysteries only to its devotees.”

— Johannes Itten

baton-rouge-laundry-flower-cutting-room-pink

Flower Magazine – Photography by Paul Costello

Subtle in nature and brilliant in execution, the color white does indeed make a strong and complementing canvas for the space to show its true colors.

nordic-ware-honey-hive-loaf-pan

Nordic Ware Honey Hive Loaf Pan

Uncomplicated updates translate into simply elevated elegant selections ready for the spring into summer season.

Easter Basket Flower Cake

Easter Basket Flower Cake

Jadeite Footed Loop Design Cake Stand

spring-vase-faux-flowers

Nature’s timing doesn’t always cooperate with early spring into Easter plans for fresh stems and bouquets, so to that I say pick a few faux fabulous stand-ins and let the spring preview begin!

rabbit-in-spring

Flickr

Running Rabbit Garden Statue

Running Rabbit Garden Statue

You say planter, I say perfect serving piece for the Easter dinner table.

rabbit-statue-salad-bowl-serveware

Color breathes life into the space to freshen and renew the look.

pastels-in-nature

Photo by James Wheeler

“The day the Lord created hope was
probably the same day he created Spring.”

– Bernard Williams

Darleen-signature-love

Easter Decor, Dishes and Desserts

Easter decor, dishes, and desserts hops to mind at this time of year.

 Carrot Painting, Art for Kitchen

Carrot Art Giclee Still Life Print

To look upon beautiful Easter decor as a work of art is no over eggaggeration of the term. Selecting items for show and tell comes with thought.

gold-dragonfly-accent

Sure, a rabbit here and a bunny there is called for, but mostly my choices play to pastels, themes and dishes appropriate for the entire spring into summer season.

faux-pink-stems-variety

Faux picks and bushes in ever lovely shades of pink were recently purchased with the Easter decor centerpiece in mind.

garden-stroll

On the Saturday afternoon before Easter Sunday I’ll stroll around the yard gathering assorted fresh greenery stems to fill in the spring bouquet.

spring vegetable board

Spring Vegetable Board

Easter company will love this fresh with full on color and nibbles spring vegetable board from My Moonstone Kitchen.

Click on the link below the photo for recipe information.

roast-pork-loin

Country Living – Photography by John Kernick

Roast Pork Loin with Herb Stuffing

Ingredients

1⁄3 cup kosher salt

1⁄3 cup sugar

2 teaspoon juniper berries

2 teaspoon cardamom pods

2 teaspoon whole peppercorns

1 teaspoon allspice berries

2 bay leaves, lightly crushed

1 (3 ¾ to 4 pound) pork loin roast, trimmed, butterflied, and tied

3 tbsp. butter

3  stalks celery, finely diced

1  small onion, finely diced

3  garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage

2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

¼  cup chicken stock

Directions

In a medium pot, bring 2 cups water, salt, sugar, juniper, cardamom, peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaves to a boil.  Stir to dissolve sugar and salt.  Remove from heat and stir in 4 cups cold water.  Set brining liquid aside and let cool to room temperature, 20 to 30 minutes.

Place pork loin in a 2-gallon resealable plastic bag and carefully pour in cooled brining liquid. Seal and refrigerate, 8 to 12 hours.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter until sizzling. Add celery, onion, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Add breadcrumbs, parsley, sage, and thyme, stirring to combine, and cook 1 minute more.  Add chicken stock and toss until breadcrumbs have absorbed all of the liquid.

Remove stuffing from heat and let cool to room temperature, 30 minutes. (Stuffing can be made up to 1 day ahead and refrigerated.  Bring to room temperature before using.)

Preheat oven to 500°F.  Remove pork loin from bag and discard brine; pat meat dry with a paper towel.  On a work surface, untie pork loin so that it lies flat, fat side down.  Spread stuffing mixture atop meat in an even layer. Starting from one of the long sides, roll the pork loin into a tight spiral.  Tie at 1 ½-inch intervals with 12-inch lengths of kitchen twine.

In a roasting pan fitted with a rack, place pork loin fat side up.  Roast 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 250°F.  Continue to cook for about 1 hour and 35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the pork loin reaches 145°F.

Transfer pork loin to a wire rack to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

-Country Living Magazine

floral compound butter

Edible-Flower Compound Butter

Ingredients

2 teaspoons green peppercorns

2 teaspoons white peppercorns

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

1 teaspoon pink peppercorns

1 pound butter, softened

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

1 tablespoon minced shallot

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano

Radish flowers

Society garlic flowers

Oyster leaf flowers

Directions

In a coffee grinder or using a mortar and pestle, grind green, white, black, and pink peppercorns until crushed.

Using a medium bowl, beat butter with a mixer at medium-high speed until smooth.  Add peppercorns, chives, shallot, garlic, and oregano.  Beat at medium speed until combined.

Transfer from mixer to parchment paper. Form butter into a log.  Press radish flowers, garlic flowers, and oyster leaf flowers onto log.  Roll in parchment, and twist at both ends. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Victoria Magazine

speckled-malted-coconut-cake

Speckled Malted Coconut Cake

Knock out roses coming into spring view serve vase and creations.

red knockout roses

Be it from the supermarket bakery or cake mix box, decorating the top of a  spring or Easter dessert cake with flowers or candies is an easy way to take  desserts to visually pleasing heights.

fresh-roses-cake-topper (1) (2)

File this for Mother’s Day brunch ideas.

raspberry-cloud-cake-recipe

Raspberry Cloud Cake

Buttercream frosting tinted to a soft yellow topped with edible flowers delivers a simply elegant result.

Pansies offer loads of color, plant and prosper rather easily, and make a fantastic visual and flavorful splash when added to salads and spring desserts.

pansies-in-garden

When decorating dishes and desserts and garnishing beverages with edible flowers you’ll want to pick the flowers early in the morning.

Gently rinse off your gathered flowers with cool water allowing to dry on a paper towel.  Add garnish immediately before serving.

If using flowers at a later time you can place them in the refrigerator where they will keep for 2-3 days.

buttermilk-cupcakes-with-swiss-meringue-buttercream

Buttermilk Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Cadbury mini eggs, chocolate almond bark shavings, and an egg carton display elevate these vanilla cupcakes to an Easter dessert eggstravaganza.

White Chocolate Easter Egg Cupcakes

White Chocolate Easter Egg Cupcakes

Cadbury mini eggs, chocolate almond bark shavings, and an egg carton display elevate these vanilla cupcakes to an Easter dessert eggstravaganza.

fresh eggs

Farm fresh eggs ready to go for Easter decor, dishes and desserts.

Creamy-Lemon-Tart-Recipe-with-Almond-Crust

Easy Creamy Lemon Tart Recipe with Almond Crust Recipe

Thoughtful touches and delicious treats dressed with visually impressive details invite charm to spring get-togethers and Easter celebrations.

Darleen-signature-love

Easter Decor Tablescaping

Easter decor tablescaping can rival fashion’s finery for the spotlight in the Easter parade.

bhg centerpieceBetter Homes & Gardens

To look upon a beautiful Easter decor tablescaping as a work of art is no over eggaggeration of the term.

bird-garden-statue (1)

Central to a lovely tablescape, creating a centerpiece of fresh flowers and/or greenery from nature’s floral department aka our own yards broadens the field for artistic interpretation.

flower-frogs-collections

Begin with a vase, jar, tureen, pitcher, decorative coffee can- any type container that floats your boat or flower frog will do.

pink-azaleas-in-white-vase

This word within a word moment is brought to you by spring into Easter tablescape talk.

Escape is within the word tablescape, and that discovery became the subject of the blog post, Seasonal Update: Turn Your Tablescape Into A Table Escape.

When we tablescape we escape through creativity, and right in the middle of the word creativity is the word that is the reason for tablescaping in the first place- eat.

Now that I think about it, when we tablescape we decorate, and the last three letters in decorate spell ate.

rabbit-statue-salad-bowl-serveware

Several Easter tablescapes ago I started a serveware tradition of using this rabbit statue as a salad bowl.

Butter lettuce, sliced fresh Louisiana strawberries, chopped walnuts, red onion rings, and honey-apple cider vinaigrette springs to mind.

Honey-Apple Cider Vinaigrette

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup sugar

2  tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2  tablespoons corn syrup

2  tablespoons honey

½ teaspoon honey mustard

generous squeeze fresh lime juice

½ teaspoon celery seed

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon paprika

Directions

In mixing bowl or glass jar with lid, combine vegetable oil, sugar, and apple cider vinegar.

Whisk or shake, blending all together.  Add remaining ingredients, stirring or shaking well.

Place salad greens in mixing bowl.

Top with sliced strawberries, red onion slices, and chopped walnuts.

Drizzle vinaigrette over mix in small amounts until you reach the desired amount.

Toss together and serve.

three-vintage-creamersConsider using a vintage creamer or pitcher for a salad dressing/condiment server.

milk-glass-white-vintage-pitcher-creamer

Who needs Easter egg dye when nature lends a hand?

fresh eggs

In the words of a famous rabbit, that’s all folks.

Darleen-signature-love

Pretty Spring Pictures All In A Scroll

Pretty spring pictures all in a scroll exemplify the beauty and wonder of Easter week.

Pretty Spring PicturesDuring this time I like to step back from the keyboard to stop and smell the roses.

spring-flowers-House & Garden

House & Garden

Garden roses in a simple vase placed atop a crochet doily, a stemmed compote dish waiting to be filled with the pear preserves, and family recipes handwritten on timeworn index cards and scratch pieces of paper spring to mind memories of Easter week travels over to Texas to visit my great-grandparents.

blue-white-table-flower-magazine-house-garden-lifestyle

Flower Magazine – House / Garden / Lifestyle

My mother came across a handwritten letter from my great-grandmother while spring cleaning.

I’ve asked my mother many times if she remembered the address of their house, but she couldn’t recall what it was.

calm-collected-kitchen

Country Living

When she found the letter, there it was in the top left hand corner of the envelope.

One Google search later and we were home again on 8th Avenue.

Texas-bluebonnets

They say you can’t go back, but for a minute it was Easter in Texas at Mama and Papas.

Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island – Midwest Living

Beautiful-Waterfall-Gif

blooming-bedsPinterest

rooster-spring

Pinterest

“The beautiful spring came; and when Nature
resumes her loveliness,
the human soul is apt to revive also.”

-Harriet Ann Jacobs

painting-roses

Scottsdale Fine Art

Spring’s arrival boasts a reawakening of colors on Easter parade and inspires a renewal of spirit.

Darleen-signature-love

 

DIY Easter Basket Project 

Rainy days and Mondays blues took on a whole new meaning with this DIY  Easter basket project.

Rainy day are made for indoor activities.  Good thing I love thunder and lightening and find them intensely beautiful ’cause we’ve seen a boatload of beauty over the last few days.

Ceraunophilia

Today’s blogging soundtrack is courtesy of the Spotify Discover Weekly  playlist which changes every Monday.

First in line on this week’s list is Laughter in the Rain by Neil Sedaka.

Serendipity plays here.

rainy day

The DIY projects I do tackle are born out of necessity more than enjoyment.

When my antiques shop was open, I didn’t think twice about upholstering, repairing, or refinishing DIY projects.  Bottom line profit played a huge role in those decisions.

A fond memory of a beloved Easter basket and the futile search for one like it accounts for this DIY Easter basket project.

moving day

Flickr

When the big move of 2010 took place, I left the packing and moving from the old house to the new to us house to Dave the Builder while I packed up my parent’s house for their move.

Three houses.

Two moves.

One colossal undertaking I do not recommend to the faint of heart.

In the moving mayhem, Dave made the executive decision to part ways with soooo many things I would have kept.

Whatnots and doodads can easily be replaced, but certain items qualify as irreplaceable.   One such item is the handmade Easter basket my mother bought me in 1974.

A group of ladies residing at a local care facility made the most beautiful  Easter baskets from plastic dry cleaning bags.

The plastic was pulled through a simple green berry basket, knotted on the inside, and trimmed.  An undone wire hanger shaped to fit and tightly wrapped with plastic dry cleaning bags became the basket handle.

I loved the basket, and kept it all these years.

The more I thought about it, the more I knew I wanted an Easter basket like it.

Ebay, Etsy, and the local treasure shops did not have anything even remotely close.  I saw several tutu baskets, but that’s not what I want.

As Patsy Cline said to Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter, “anything we can’t buy, we’ll make.”

Hello, DIY Easter basket project.

basket-tulle

Begin with a bamboo Easter basket from the dollar store.

I figure if I mess it up I’m only in for a dollar.

bamboo-Easter-basket

A few pieces of scrap tulle left over from Christmas allowed for me to practice.

Once I mastered the cut and feed, it was on to the fabric department at Walmart for four yards of white net and eight yards of light blue tulle.

The texture of the white net makes it easier to fill in gaps and when fluffed out give a nice full coverage of the area you are working with.

blue-white-tulle

Supply list:

Bamboo Easter basket
8 yards light blue tulle
4 yards white net
1 roll 1½” wide white grosgrain ribbon
Easter grass
Speckled Easter eggs
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Glue stick
Binder clips

pink-Easter-grass

 

I worked with two lengths of fabric and multiple layers.

layers

I cut the tulle and the net into 12″ strips for layers 3, 4, and 5, and  8″ inch strips for the layers 1 and 2.

More layers make for a fuller look, and shorter layers around the basket rim beautifully cover and conceal the bamboo.

blue-white-tulle-net

Feed a strip of tulle or net through the spaces in the basket with half the strip on the outside and the other half of the strip on the inside of the basket.

After an exhaustive and empty-handed search for my crochet hook, I just used my fingers to feed the fabric through the basket.

Yes, I made a couple of larger than need be holes in the basket.

You may notice the blue and white ribbon in the image below.

If you make the same uh-oh simply cut a piece of ribbon, feed it through, bring it up catching the layer above, and tie with a knot.  Trim the excess ribbon and problem fixed.

Tulle and net are forgiving, and when fluffed and fanned out cover a multitude of DIY sins.

tulle-net-through-basket

Work with a two blue tulle strips to one white net strip repeat all the way around each layer of the basket.

fluffed-tulle-net

Fluff and fan out each side of the fabric to desired fullness.

Trim each layer of tulle and net down to the desired lengths to create extra fullness.

tulle-net-speckled-eggsFire up the hot glue gun.

Use caution when using a hot glue gun so you don’t burn your fingers.

glue gun

Use a binder clip, clothespin, or hair clip (you get the idea) to hold the ribbon in place.

clipped-ribbon

Wrap the basket handle with the ribbon.  Secure the ribbon to the base of the basket handle with several drops of hot glue.

Tulle-Easter-Basket

Trim each layer of the tulle and net to desired lengths to create extra fullness and correct any unevenness.

speckled-eggs-collection

Complete the look by filling the basket with Easter grass and decorative Easter eggs.

tulle-Easter-basket-pastel-colors

I’m very pleased with the finished product.

Dave swears it’s prettier than the original one I had, and I think he may be right.

Isn’t it funny how a memory of a beloved Easter basket became such a source of inspiration.

It really is everywhere.

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