Easter Dessert Ideas

I have had Easter desserts on my mind for a few days now...

I am pretty sure I have it all narrowed down...  

Narrowed down??  

I have a habit of having far too many desserts on my menu.

And yes, I could do just one dessert...

...but what fun would that be??

I like to do at least two desserts...

and sometimes I do a few extra treats for the kids.

Variety is the spice of life... (Isn't that what they say??)

And how about: Life is short... Eat Dessert First!  ...a favorite adage of mine... ha.

For a fabulous finish to any holiday meal and especially Easter...

try any of these special occasion, holiday-worthy, delicious desserts...

Keep reading to get the recipes...

10 Best Easter Table Tips

I love a great table.  I do.

I love to utilize all the sweet and charming details that I can 

when planning for any holiday or special event...

So... I thought I would share with you my top 10 tips on creating holiday tables...  

Plus one bonus tip...

 because... I couldn't stop with only ten...

First, I must say that pulling together a great table easier than it looks...

I promise.

So, if fancying up a holiday table isn't usually your cup of tea... 

don't worry...

...it's absolutely doable.

... and once you know a few of the tricks...it comes together easily.

Hop To It...Easter Bunny Sack Races

I always like it best when Easter falls later...as in mid April...

I can remember some Easter celebrations as a kid,
 wearing my winter coat outside....

Brrr.... braving the frosty spring air to find Easter eggs hidden in the yard...

I can even remember an Easter Sunday
 when a passing snow cloud gave everything a quick covering of white...
....it all melted away in the springtime sun...
but it was a chilly morning.

The later Easter holidays are certainly my favorites... plus I have more time for planning and preparing.

This year....it happens to fall in the middle... so April 5th it is....

My planning would certainly go a little smoother if I stayed on task and didn't try to tackle any "big" projects... 

Easy Spring Flowers

Flowers are always a good idea...

And about this time every year I rush the season...
anxiously awaiting the warmer days and the first flowers of spring...

I can't help it.

I know we are getting close when the crocus in our yard bloom.

It's a sure sign that spring is literally...

just around the corner.

When we moved to our home...as with any move...

you find out things about your house as the seasons change...

You learn what the rain sounds like on the roof... 

 ....Or that the ticking sound in the wall 

when you use a lot of hot water ...is perfectly normal.

You learn about all the little nuances that make your house unique...

One of my favorite things...in particular about our home...
...is the front yard in the early spring.

One day you wake up...
And like magic...
 the front lawn is blanketed with purple and violet crocus.... 

It's so gorgeous and such a welcome sight.

Since living here for now ten years (gasp)... the crocus have multiplied...

Our family did too... 

It's so EASY Being GREEN

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!  

I have a Shamrock mantel to share today...

although...I realize that I should have shared this

 much earlier in March...

I had planned to do so last week, 

...and then all the fun and excitement with the 

Today show pie feature started up...

...and you know how things go... 

So... for today's post I also included a very cool, 

Pottery Barn-ish DIY Terrarium.

Both are green...

...and both happened to be in the same family room photo

...so it all worked out.

The TODAY Show and Pi Day

Well...'TODAY' ...has been 

absolutely  a-m-a-z-i-n-g!!

The Margarita Key Lime Pie that I shared here on the blog yesterday
  did make it onto the TODAY Show!!

How exciting... really and truly.

Margarita Key Lime Pie

Well... I'm not sure if "this" is going to amount to anything or not...

...and honestly, I feel a little silly sharing this...

But at the very least...

....you'll have a pretty awesome, unbelievably easy... Key Lime Pie recipe to make... 

It all started on Monday...just after 9 AM...

Stenciling...It's so 1985... or Could it be Timeless??

I'm not sure which came first, 

...the chicken or the egg??...

I don't know which band from the 1980's was the coolest...??

...it's certainly debatable...

But I do know one thing for sure... I was born to stencil... 

(You probably did not see that coming)

 not really... 

...but I have been stenciling things for a really long time.  I stenciled when it was 'cool and trendy'...all through the years when it wasn't and I am still here with my paint and paintbrush in hand...just ready to stencil...

Baked Ruben Dip with Rye Shamrocks

There is no denying that some foods just "go" with certain times of the year... 

at least for me that is...

I think potato salad tastes best around the Fourth of July...

I love a BLT made with home grown tomatoes in late summer...

...and Pumpkin Pie is perfect anytime during October and November ...

...but most especially at Thanksgiving.

That is perhaps the reason why I just naturally associate 

corned beef with St. Patrick's day...

It just works.

That, and an icy cold beer... 

....it just goes with St. Patrick's Day...

...And while I am not a huge fan of the usual 

corned beef and cabbage that is traditionally served...

I am a HUGE fan of this baked cheesy goodness...

Minty Ice Cream Sandwiches

I'm pretty sure this would fall under the category of "gilding the lily".... (as they say)

Or...in this case...

... gilding the sugar cookie.

Yesterday, I shared a recipe for these very scrumptious childhood favorites.

To read the post or to get the recipe click here: Sugar Cookie Post

In the spirit of March...
(Because usually it's much warmer by now and the grass is starting to green-up)

...while doing everything possible to usher in the feeling of springy-ness...

...to my otherwise wintry white surroundings... 

I made  homemade minty ice cream sandwiches...

 The perfectly green dessert thingy...for March.

... and really,...

Don't ice cream sandwiches seem so summery??    

We will just have to pretend about the warm summer afternoon part...
but we can still certainly enjoy the simple perfection of a homemade ice cream sandwich...
even on the third day of March...

Sugar Cookies {The really good kind}

There are a few things that I absolutely cannot be trusted with...

...And that's saying a lot...because  I am a very trustworthy kind of person.

Let's start with licorice all sorts 

...I know, I know, some people despise them..and others adore them...

I am in the 'adore-them' camp...and I cannot be left alone with them. 

 If for some reason you asked me to keep an eye on your open bag of all sorts...

well, that's probably a bad idea.  

I cannot guarantee their safety...

The same can be said of caramel popcorn, Swedish fish and these vintage sugar cookies.

I remember being eight years old...

and one spring afternoon, my mom made the most wonderful sugar cookies... 

...best sugar cookies ever... in the history of our family... (or the world)

They were crisp and chewy, sugary and also a tiny bit salty 

....and buttery...so, so buttery and also very addictive.

My mom put the beautifully stacked,...

 ...glistening with colored pastel sugar, sugar cookies

 into a tall, lidded glass container... 

I'm pretty sure the cookies may have been on display for a whopping 30 seconds 

before we all helped ourselves to them.  

They were magnificent... everything a sugar cookie should be...

Now... 

For the best part...

I'm going to share my recipe with you...I really am...

But I cannot be held responsible for how many cookies you might eat...

....because,

 ...it will be many.