Easter Dinner Re-Cap

Growing up we went to my Grandmas' houses for all of the holidays, except Easter.

Easter was always hosted by my Mom.

So, when my husband and I bought our first home and had our first child, my Mom "subtly hinted" that this would be a tradition she would like to keep up.

So, each year, we go to my Mother and Father In-Law's for their Easter celebration on Saturday, and then come back home, and we host Easter here for my family on Easter Sunday.

Our kids wake and find their baskets in the morning, we make breakfast, then head to Easter Mass.

After church, my brother and his family, my Mom and her husband and his daughter, our family and my husbands parents come for dinner.

the grandmas enjoying a beverage while the kids hunt eggs.

Before we have dinner, we have an Easter egg hunt for the kids, and take the traditional "picture on the porch" after everyone has found their eggs.

score!

After the egg hunt it's time for dinner!

I love to set the table differently every year.

Of course, I don't think I will ever compare to the year I made the PEEP Centerpiece!

Have I mentioned how I adore PEEPS?

This year I used one of my favorite tablecloths.

After the long and depressing winter we had, I wanted to go BOLD!

Love the colors of this tablecloth!

The only thing I bought new, were the two blue vases.

They were a steal at Tuesday Morning.  Do you have one of those?

Awesome store.

I hunted for some flowers that would go with the tablecloth and used the same colors for the 

eggs and the PEEPS.

I used the "pouch fold" for the napkins.

Originally I had the eggs and bunnies inside the pouches, but they got lost in there.  The napkins I was using are quite big.  This would have worked with a smaller napkin.

I think it turned out pretty cute?

On the Menu:

Baked Ham

Polish Sausage and Sauerkraut 

(from the best local place, Stoysich Sausage, in Omaha, NE)

Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Potato Casserole (with bacon)

Green Beans

Orange Glazed Carrots

Cinnamon Applesauce

Biscuits

...and for dessert

Strawberry Lemonade Cake

It was a fun weekend, and God granted us beautiful weather.

Welcome SPRING!

Egg Hunt Snack Cakes

Our parish has a fish fry every Friday during Lent.

They are not only a lot of fun, they generate a good source of income for our church via the Men's Club who does all of the "heavy lifting."

Now, I do my part and stand in line with  a beer and consume yummy fried fish, coleslaw and french fries, shell out money for the kids to get heir faces painted and for raffle tickets, but aside from that my "job" is pretty easy.

The church asks that families donate desserts.

There is one week, based on the first letter of your last name, that you are asked to do so.

I don't abide by that, and usually bring a couple of different things every week.

(I sometimes lose my inhibitions for dessert after consuming keg beer in line for an hour+, and I, for one, wouldn't want dessert lovers to go without a choice.)

So, I whipped up a batch of chocolate mint brownies, and the kids helped me with these little cakes.

If you have never visited partypinching.com you are seriously missing out.

She does the MOST ADORABLE things for parties, and just for plain fun.

My 11 year old daughter LOVES the sight, too, and if forever saying "we should make this!"

Best part is, your kids will have fun helping you do it.

So when I saw these on her page, I fell in love.

My kids love when I have those Little Debbie cakes around anyway... and I thought, how fun they would be to make for the fish fry!

Link to PARTY PINCHING EASTER BASKET SNACK CAKES

I literally didn't do anything!

My 11 year old twins made these.  Our only problem was we couldn't find the Sour Punch candy, and bought licorice (the colored flavored kind) and it was too limp, it kept falling over.

So, my son unwrapped the packages of snack cakes while my daughter squirted on green frosting from the can, then he added the jelly beans.

I plated them on an aluminum pan and off the to the fish fry they went!

Follow the link to Party Pinching's original idea, to make the cute baskets.

Egg Hunt Snack Cakes

Little Debbie Easter Basket Snack Cakes

Jelly Beans 

Can of "squirtable" green frosting

Squirt on green frosting and top with jelly beans.

done.

easy peasy!

Sugar Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Happy Easter from my family to yours!!

Everybody loves a sugar cookie right?

Well I took this recipe that has been made time and time again, and changed it up once I spotted those White Chocolate M & M's on the shelf!!

I am just going to post the links for you to both recipes found here on my blog.

Just make the cookie bars according to recipe. (I used the vanilla version)

Top them with White Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting and M&Ms!!

The kids (and grownups) will love them!!

Happy Easter!!

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

How To: Make a PEEP Centerpiece

PEEP centerpieces

I made these for Easter last year.  

Link to Last Year's Post

I shared them and have gotten so many questions I figured I would type up a quick step by step so you could have one on your table this year!

I use a 6" square vase, and put a pint sized canning jar in the middle.

The canning jar works great for the size vase I have, and because you can put the lid on top and the jelly beans don't fall inside. If you don't use a jar, plan to fish them out!!

Pour the jelly beans around the vase, taking care to keep them evenly dispersed.

Once you start getting it full, check to see where the PEEP bunnies ear tips land.  You want them to land toward the top of the vase to conceal the stems and the jar.

My 6" square vase houses 16 bunnies perfectly.  Notice how I stagger them to fit in the corners?

Here is a top view of how they line up.

I didn't use the black jelly beans because they are "ugly." 

I didn't use them so we could EAT THEM!!

Yummy!!

Take the remaining beans and fill the void area to stabilize your jar.

Side view.

It's a little early to go buy blooms for in the vase, but my sweet son, Spencer, had cut me some fresh lilacs this morning, so I stuck them in there to show you the flowers inside.

You will most likely need to use a funnel to fill the jar with water.

If you get the beans wet, it makes a big 'ol mess!

Here's what you will need:

6" Square Vase

1 pint size canning jar

2 packages of PEEP bunnies

3 - 16 oz packages of jelly beans

mixed flowers of your choice

I have been contacted by Robyn from Mix Mingle Glow.  She informed me that this was her original idea. Upon researching ALL of the like centerpieces on the internet, I have found so many links that it's hard to tell where it came from first.  But I will give her credit if she made it first!

Sorry for any confusion. But in the day and age of Pinterest, it's just so darn hard to tell.

ORIGINAL IDEA from http://www.mixmingleglow.com

I hope you and your guests enjoy this FUN Easter centerpiece!!

Bunny Napkin Folding

cute lil bunnies

Need a little "somethin' somethin' " to give your Easter table a little something special this year?

Well, if you have linen napkins and some satin ribbon, you can have this little Army of Easter Rabbits marching across your table, too!!

hut-2-3-4.....

Love how they looked all lined up on my kitchen table this morning, ready to conquer the drips and drops of Easter dinner!!

it's almost a shame to wipe your mouth on!!

Make sure you iron your napkins before, and it helps if they have a light starch on them.

Here's the video from Better Homes and Gardens on how to fold them!

Just a "Peep's Eye View" of our Easter dinner table this year....

one of the centerpieces, accompanied by my favorite deviled egg platter

Happy Easter, and Happy Spring!!

This year for Easter a friend shared an idea for a centerpiece with me, that I immediately fell in love with. Those who know me, know all about my love of PEEPS(tm)! I actually have a "stuffie version" of them in my home office year 'round, they just make me smile.  So, when I saw this idea for a centerpiece, I knew it would be the most fitting arrangement for our table this Easter.

side by side, my two main table attractions

I used a 6" square glass vase. Start by inserting a smaller glass, or vase into the center. The version I saw had marbles in the bottom, I chose to go with jelly beans.  I hunted and hunted for the perfect hue to match the PEEP(tm) colors that I had chosen. I settled on these, that were made by Sweetart (tm). Pour the jelly beans around the glass vases edges. Then it's time to insert the PEEPS(tm)! Four of them fit perfectly on each side. Looking back, I wish that I would have had just one more bag of jelly beans to hoist the bunnies up a little higher.  (I'm sort of a perfectionist, and it really bothered me that you could see that little bit of 'space' above their ears.) Then it's time to insert the blooms!

Link to a step by step instructional post HERE

an assortment of pastel blooms worked perfectly

It took more flowers than I had anticipated.  I actually went back for more, because I wanted them to be really full. A variation of daisies, roses, carnations and mums were what I chose. Watering them is the trick! I used my turkey baster! ;)

What a FUN addition to our Easter table!

I have been contacted by Robyn from Mix Mingle Glow.  She informed me that this was her original idea. Upon researching ALL of the like centerpieces on the internet, I have found so many links that it's hard to tell where it came from first.  But I will give her credit if she made it first!

Sorry for any confusion. But in the day and age of Pinterest, it's just so darn hard to tell.

ORIGINAL IDEA FROM: http://www.mixmingleglow.com