Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Easter

To me, Easter has always felt hopeful. It's always made me think winter is shaking off the greys and the world is coming back to life with pinks, purples, green, and blues. After months of snowy wintery wonderfulness, I'm ready to move on to flowers blooming, baby animals in the fields, and all the beauty of spring.

I'm ready to put away the heavy coats and sweaters that I loved months before and bring out the flouncy skirts, colorful pretty tops, and sandals.

My cravings for potatoes and cheese and heavy comfort food is quickly replaced with cravings for asparagus, fresh fruit, and more water.

The best way to describe it is Change! I think it's the Sagittarius in me. I really get bored and like to change things up and that's what Spring is. Changing the landscape, the weather, and the "feel" ....

out with the old, in with the new. That's exactly how this Easter felt.

Out with the old (Blonde):

Me and Marc at the Los Lonely Boys Concert middle of February.
And in with the new (dark):

Me, yesterday
So my Easter weekend started on Saturday. My good friend Renee (also my fabulous hair dresser) helped me get a new look for Spring. While my hair "processed" she gave me a manicure and after my hair was done, we did a moisturizing facial. It was a great way to start the spring!

On Sunday, we celebrated Easter with the kids. This is where I admit I'm an awful scrapbooking mom. Can you believe I didn't take a single picture all day long (except this one of my cheesecake):
Yes I know. I win mom of the year.

It didn't work out for us to have all the kids at the same time. So in the morning, we had Easter breakfast with my kids from another mother....Alex, Zach, and Emily. (Don't be offended, I think it sounds better than stepkids). I made Eggs Benedict, hashbrowns, fruit salad, and a Dutch Baby.

If you haven't tried a Dutch Baby, I recommend it. It's super easy and super yummy. It's sort of like a pancake and a crepe. I serve it with fresh fruit, dusted with powdered sugar. Here's my recipe:

Dutch Babies
  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup milk

  • 1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour

  • 1 pinch ground nutmeg

  • 1 pinch salt

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar for dusting

    1. Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet inside oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
    2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until light. Add milk and stir. Gradually whisk in flour, nutmeg and salt.
    3. Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt butter in hot skillet so that inside of skillet is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet and return skillet to oven.
    4. Bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove promptly and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
    After breakfast, Rob and I had a little alone time. Then my boys, Marc and Nate, were home. We got to have dinner together. I made ham, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, and broccoli. For dessert I made Chocolate-Glazed Coconut Almond Cheesecake from my newest Taste of Home Magazine. That's the picture above. It was delightful. Here's the recipe:

    Crust:
  • 1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

  • 1/3 cup flaked coconut

  • 1/3 cup finely chopped almonds

  • 1/3 cup butter, melted

  • Filling:
  • 3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

  • 3/4 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon coconut extract

  • 3 eggs, lightly beaten

  • 1 cup flaked coconut

  • Glaze:

  • 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

  • 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  • Toasted shaved coconut and chopped almonds, optional


  • Directions
    • Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan.
    • In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, coconut and almonds; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
    • In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in coconut extract. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Fold in coconut. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of boiling water to larger pan.
    • Bake at 325° for 45-55 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes; loosen edges from pan with a knife. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
    • For glaze, place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Cool slightly to reach a spreading consistency, stirring occasionally.
    • Remove rim from pan. Spread glaze over cheesecake. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Top with toasted coconut and almonds if desired. Yield: 12 servings
    So Yummy! FYI - Taste of Home is my most favorite recipe magazine. It's always filled with recipes using ingredients I have and filled with tips and things I didn't know. It's really affordable too. If you haven't received an issue, click here and sign up. It's definitely worth it! Oh and they have a great special offer right now - only $5 a year for any one of their three magazine. Their Healthy Cooking magazine is one of my faves!!

    Hope you all enjoyed your Easter.

    1 comment:

    1. You look beautiful! I'm so glad you had a nice Easter with your family. :)

      ReplyDelete