Vegetable Easter Basket

So Simple!!… Add a beautiful vegetable basket centerpiece to a buffet.

Grab a basket… a shallow one works best.

Fill with washed and dried kale or cabbage leaves around the edges.

Then I added add waxed paper to protect the bottom of the basket from spills or moisture…. insert a dinner plate or platter… whatever will fit to hold the vegetables.  

Add your favorite chopped and sliced veggies, 

Here’s what I used:

Carrots

Zucchini 

Cherry tomatoes

Peppers

Cucumbers

Radishes 

Celery

Add your favorite dip… and you’re ready for a great meal!!

 

Bunny Cake

Bunny Cake

Items Needed:

1 (8 or 9 inch) baked cake round

Jellybeans for eyes and nose

Flake sweetened coconut; one 7-ounce bag or about 2.5 cups

Buttercream Frosting-store bought or recipe follows.

1 large marshmallow

2 coffee filters

2 toothpicks

Platter or a cake board

Directions:

Using a baked cake round, cut in half.

Stack cake halves, frosting in between the layers.

Place stacked cakes on a platter, cut side down—so the cake looks like a rainbow shape.

Frost cake all over.

Add the coconut, covering the entire cake.

Toward the front of bunny, slice a 2 inch triangle wedge and remove. 

(See graphic)

Using 1Tbs of frosting, mix the now leftover wedge piece with the frosting-forming two cake balls (like a cake pop). Affix the cake balls to the front and cover with coconut flakes.

Add eyes and nose, using the jellybeans.

Using the coffee filters, twist onto a toothpick to create rabbit ears. The coffee filter is a little like crepe paper and will twist onto a toothpick. Repeat with second coffee filter for second ear.  Add a large marshmallow for a tail.

Quick Butter Cream Frosting Recipe:

2 sticks of unsalted butter softened to room temperature

1-2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 tsp salt

16 ounces (1 pound) confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract (you can add 1 teaspoon of both extracts if you're feeling adventurous)

Directions: Beat butter on medium until light and fluffy for 3-5 minutes.  Add the vanilla, salt, and half of the confectioner's sugar.  Beat until combined (2 minutes)  Add the second half of the confectioner's sugar and add the whipping cream. Whip until light and spreadable.  Thin with more cream if needed.  Add a few tablespoons more of confectioner's sugar is you prefer a thicker frosting.

Lu’s Chip Dip

The cutest way to serve chips this Easter?? In a basket of course!

Lu’s Chip Dip

1 8-ounce cream cheese

2 Tbs Miracle Whip

1-2 Tbs sour cream 

2 Tbs yellow chopped onion

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Milk to thin if needed

Mix softened cream cheese until light and fluffy with mixer on medium 1-2 minutes. Add Miracle Whip, sour cream, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and diced onion.

1-2 Tbs milk to thin if necessary.

Mix well, taste with a chip-for quality control… if needed add a touch more Worcestershire.  Let sit covered in refrigerator 3 hours to overnight so flavors can develop.

If doubling batch, add only 1 additional Tbs of onion.

*Recipe is courtesy of my mom, thanks mom!! We love it… and we are so happy others can enjoy our family recipe now, too. Xo

Chick Cupcakes

Chick Cupcakes

Karri Perry|Blue Ribbon Favorites

Needed Items:

Regular and Mini Baked Cupcakes-plus extra cupcake liners

Pretzel Sticks 

Candy Eyes

Orange Candy Melts

2-Piping Bags-disposable 

Waxed or Parchment Paper

Star Tip (#18)

Buttercream Frosting-(colored yellow)

Yellow food gel

Making Beaks and Feet:

Using melted orange candy melts, fill a disposable piping bag or a zip top bag. Snip the end-creating a very small opening. On parchment or waxed paper: pipe small “V” and “W” shapes, about 1/2 inch in size. Fill in the “V” shapes to create the look of a small beak. Let shapes set-up before using.  

(You can place shapes in the refrigerator to speed up process)

Making the Chick Cupcakes:

Using the second disposable piping bag, add a star tip- #18 or a #1M. Fill bag with yellow buttercream frosting. (Use store bought or a recipe follows)

Pipe little peaks of yellow frosting all over the top of each cupcake.  The star tip gives the yellow frosting the look of feathers.

Add two candy eyes and one beak to each of the mini cupcakes, creating a chick face.

Use a pretzel stick, placing it where the neck would be, if desired gently pull back a bit of the cupcake liner.

Add the pretzel stick topped mini cupcake to the center of a frosted regular cupcake (chick body).

Add two candy feet to each chick.

Tips:

Adding an extra or an outer cupcake liner to the cupcakes before assembling can help the chicks look more polished. Sometimes during baking, cupcake liners become discolored.

Quick Butter Cream Frosting:

2 sticks of unsalted butter softened to room temperature

1-2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1 tsp salt

16 ounces (1 pound) confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla or coconut extract (you can add 1 teaspoon of both extracts if you're feeling adventurous)

Directions: Beat butter on medium until light and fluffy for 3-5 minutes.  Add the vanilla, salt, and half of the confectioner's sugar.  Beat until combined (2 minutes)  Add the second half of the confectioner's sugar and add the whipping cream. Whip until light and spreadable.  Thin with more cream if needed.  Add a few tablespoons more of confectioner's sugar is you prefer a thicker frosting for piping.