Easter Weekend Change of Plans
by jillbcooks 4/3/2010 8:12:00 PM

The past few days have been unseasonably warm.  Each day, the weatherman has called for rain, but we have mostly managed to avoid it.  My DH and I have been seizing the opportunity to get a jump on yard work.  We have been clearing plants, turning over the soil, and picking up leaves and debris.  We actually got everything we wanted to get completed accomplished, so we cleaned the garage and decided to pull out the grill and some patio furniture.  Since tomorrow is calling for 64 degrees and sunny skies, I have changed direction on our Easter dinner.  Instead of the traditional plan—baked ham, pierogies, au gratin potatoes, and steamed asparagus, tomorr...

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Tags: Easter, grilling, potatoes, pork, spring vegetables

Transporting Food This Holiday
by jillbcooks 3/26/2010 4:33:00 PM

You might be headed to a Seder or to Easter brunch or dinner and are bringing a dish to share.  Transporting perishable food requires care.  Cold Foods: Should be wrapped tightly or be in a container with a very tight fitting lid (especially foods that are especially liquidy).  If your journey is in warm weather or your travel time is more than 30 minutes, pack your dish in a cooler with gel freezer packs or plastic bags of ice cubes.  Or, save some plastic bottles, fill them three-quarters of the way full of water and cap to make your own cold packs.  This ...

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Tags: Easter, food safety, Passover, Seder, perishables, leeks au gratin, layered yogurt fruit salad

Eggs Benedict Brunch Station
by jillbcooks 2/26/2010 3:48:00 PM

I guess my fellow blogger Andi and I are on the same page this week.  Her recent post is about banana pancakes for a weekend breakfast.  I went out for brunch this past weekend and am feeling similarly inspired by my meal to blog about it. When it comes to brunch, I am generally a carb junkie.  I love croissants and biscuits and scones and Belgian waffles.  Rarely do I ever go for eggs at breakfast.  This particular brunch had an interesting feature: an Eggs Benedict station.  The classic Eggs Benedict is served as a po...

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Tags: Easter, eggs station, eggs benedict, breadakfast, eggs

Easter with an Edge
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 4/15/2009 12:24:00 PM

While I enjoyed spending Easter in the company of my family, I am a little disappointed that I missed out on Luke, AC, Amy and The Captain’s holiday meal. Amy added an edge to Easter dessert by creating a Zombie Easter Bunny cake. Basically she took a recipe similar to this one and decorated it with her own quirky touches. Definitely makes for interesting dinner conversation. ...

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Tags: Bunny cake, Easter

Jeepers Peepers
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 4/10/2009 10:55:00 AM

When it comes to filling Easter baskets, I think it’s safe to assume the vast majority of people buy their jellybeans, chocolate bunnies, Peeps and whatnot from the store.   Not Kristen. No, our assistant food editor makes her own Peeps....

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Tags: Peeps, Easter

Chocolate Covered Cheerios
by jillbcooks 3/26/2009 8:10:00 AM

I do love decadent chocolaty things very much.  But I recognize that not everyone shares this appreciation, because of predisposition or circumstance.  On the occasion of Easter, all I really want to do is make treats in mass quantities and give them to my family and friends.  Truth is, though, that they want a taste (or two) but probably not a boatload of sugary, unhealthy treats.  When it comes to Easter treats, I love novelty.  I love to try to think of something that I haven’t seen before.  One year it was chocolate covered Peeps pops, another was mini fondant covered carrot cakes…you see where I am going with this.  The two peop...

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Tags: Cheerios, chocolate, Easter, candy, clusters, Jacques Torres

Easter Project: Candy Necklaces
by jillbcooks 3/24/2009 10:56:00 AM

Different members of my family celebrate different holidays.  Some celebrate Easter and others celebrate Passover.  As you can guess, there is a lot of preparation to do.  Next week I will be writing more about Passover, but today I am focusing on a fun project for kids which is great for Easter and can be modified for any event, such as birthday parties, Valentine’s Day, or even a rainy afternoon when kids are stuck indoors: making candy necklaces. As much fun as holidays can be, they also run the risk of being a bit boring for kids.  Reuniting with family is fun, but without activities to keep kids occupied they can get into some shenani...

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Tags: Easter, kids, activities, candy, truffles

Got Peeps?
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 3/26/2008 12:41:00 PM

People seem to love or hate Peeps. I’m not really a fan as far as eating them, but I can’t help but laugh at the clever ideas they inspire. Check out this contest sponsored by a local newspaper and ...

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Tags: Peeps, Easter

Easter Re-cap
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 3/24/2008 10:13:00 AM

So I made it through Easter brunch. Everyone survived—I think they might actually have enjoyed themselves. There weren't few leftovers, which I took as a good sign. Each of my nieces and my nephew got two Easter basket; one from me (which I used as a centerpiece during the meal), and one from their grandma, They're probably still hyper from all the sugar. The Breakfas...

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Tags: Breakfast Strudel, brunch, Easter, holiday

Easy Easter Menu
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 3/21/2008 10:06:00 AM

Hold onto your hats, folks: I’m hosting Easter.   Since my one sister has everyone over for Thanksgiving and my other sister hosts Christmas, Easter falls to me. I’ve hosted Easter brunch two or three times now and I’ve got a menu that seems to work. It includes a Breakfast Strudel recipe I found in ...

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Tags: Breakfast Strudel, brunch, Easter, recipe, holidays