Instead of working extra hours in the kitchen, enjoy the Easter egg hunt and take pictures of the kids discovering their baskets. You can make these Braised Lamb Shanks in Red Wine in the slow cooker before festivities get underway, so you can enjoy the fun with everyone else. Serve the rich shanks over mashed potatoes or polenta for a special holiday dinner.
If you’re sitting down for a meal on Easter, asparagus will likely make an appearance on the table. Blue cheese vinaigrette, toasted walnuts and fresh dill top this asparagus to deepen the flavor profile and make it a memorable side dish. Roasted Asparagus Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette is a nice accompaniment to ham, steak or lamb, or you could enjoy it as a standalone lunch.
This cold pea soup is a refreshing twist on a classic. Spring Pea Soup is lightened up with brighter ingredients like vibrant herbs, zesty lemon and tangy Greek yogurt. The spring pea, determined not to be taken for granted, shines in this soup that will be the perfect addition to your Easter lunch menu.
Deviled eggs are an Easter must-have. While Classic deviled eggs are a no-fail favorite, why not jazz up your favorite recipe by adding something no one will complain about – cheese. We mixed pimento cheese with the egg yolks for a cheesy twist on the standard deviled egg. Top each Pimento Cheese Deviled Egg with a small slice of crispy bacon to assure your guests come back for seconds.
Just incase your guests didn’t get their sugar fix from all of the Easter egg candy, serve Carrot Cake for dessert this Easter. This carrot cake is simply delectable, and since it’s made with two cups of shredded carrots, it at least seems healthy, right? The tartness of the cream cheese frosting brings it all together, making one sweet, crunchy, moist delicious cake. Serve it with coffee to end your Easter meal.
Move aside carrot, hummingbird cake is here to steal the sweet show this spring.
If you’re a fan of carrot cake, you have to try hummingbird cake. Both are traditionally topped with cream cheese frosting and are moist, dense cakes. They’re usually served in the springtime. Enjoy a sweet slice after Easter dinner, Mother’s Day brunch, or at bridal or baby shower.
While bright orange carrots help make carrot cake extra moist, hummingbird cake recruits bananas and pineapple for the job. The cake is dotted with fruit, which lend to its sweetness as well as its density and texture.
This layered cake makes for a beautiful presentation, and your guests will enjoy the coconut cream frosting in the middle AND on top of the cake. So the second layer is totally worth it.
You could definitely use traditional cream cheese frosting, but the addition of coconut complements the pineapple and banana in the cake perfectly.
Each member of our taste panel finished their generously-sized slice (wiping their cake plates clean) and left with a piece wrapped up to-go. It’s that good. Some say the name of the cake comes from the “mmmm” sound that people make after that first bite, similar to the humming noise hummingbird wings make.
Serve this cake with coffee after celebrating the moms in your life on Mother’s Day or with a mimosa (maybe with a splash of pineapple juice to play off the cake flavors) during Easter brunch or at a bridal shower. After you try it, they’ll be no denying this cake its earned place on top of your dessert plate this spring.
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Heat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round baking pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Flour sides of pans.
In a large bowl, using an electric stand mixer on low speed, beat flour, bananas, pineapple, sugar, butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and eggs until blended, about 2 minutes. Increase speed to medium, beat for an additional 2 minutes.
Pour mixture evenly into prepared pans.
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Remove from pans and remove parchment paper. Cool completely on wire racks.
Place first cake layer on plate, and spread 1 cup Coconut Cream Frosting over top. Place second cake layer on top of first. Frost side and top of cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with shredded coconut, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, almond extract and salt until creamy.
Gradually add confectioners' sugar, beating until smooth and creamy. Stir in 3 cups coconut.
Spread onto cupcakes or cake. Sprinkle with remaining coconut.
Yield: Frosts a 2 layer cake
Test Kitchen Tip: If frosting is too thick, beat in milk 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
There so much to love about macaroni and cheese. Not only is it a delicious, no frills dish, it’s easily customizable to fit your mood or the occasion. Need to make sure the kids are eating their vegetables? Mix in steamed broccoli. Want to upgrade it for a summer potluck? Stir in your best pulled pork bbq and top with extra barbecue sauce. No matter what you stir in or add on top, macaroni and cheese is always a crowd pleaser.
For this recipe, we mixed in leftover Easter ham and spring peas. If you’re making a spiral ham for Easter dinner, cube the leftovers and store in the fridge. It will be there to grab when you need to make a quick dinner during the week.
Cook elbow macaroni in chicken broth until it absorbs most of it. The broth adds a depth of flavor beyond what you would get from boiling in water. Then add three cups of cheddar cheese, ham, half and half, frozen peas (or leftover peas if they were also on your Easter table), brown mustard and black pepper. Stir until the mixture is well blended and creamy.
Transfer into a baking dish and top with – that’s right – even more cheddar cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake the mac and cheese for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the dish is heated through.
The peas add a pop of spring green in the sea of cheese while the cubes of ham are a salty surprise. This easy mac and cheese recipe is great for ridding your fridge of Easter leftovers (and tricking the kids into eating peas). It’s also a great go-to recipe for busy weeknights. You could substitute leftover Easter ham for the deli ham you keep in the fridge. Serve ham and pea mac and cheese as a standalone dinner or as a side dish alongside other spring staples.
Classic deviled eggs are great, but how about adding avocado for a twist on a classic?
We used the Egg Cooker to cook our eggs, but you could certainly hard boil them in a pot on the stove. Once the eggs are cooked, peel them, cut them in half and remove the yolks.
Using the food processor chopping/mixing blade, process eggs yolks, avocados, cilantro, mayonnaise, pepper and cumin until the mixture is smooth. Pipe or spoon the mixture into each egg white half.
Top each Avocado Deviled Egg -or Green Devil as they are sometimes called- with salsa and a sprig of cilantro. The salsa complements the avocado in the eggs, and adds a burst of red to this already colourful dish. Put these on the table for brunch or as an appetizer and wow your guests with a creamy, flavourful take on deviled eggs.
Using food processor chopping/mixing blade, process egg yolks, avocado, cilantro, mayonnaise, pepper and cumin until smooth.
Pipe yolk mixture into each egg white half.
Top each half with salsa and cilantro.
Recipe Notes
TEST KITCHEN TIP: To pipe yolk mixture, place mixture in resealable zipper bag. Close bag. With scissors, cut one tip off the bag. Squeeze bag to pipe onto each egg half.
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