Mr. McGregor's Garden Relish Tray

My family was invited to my brother and sister-in-law's home for Easter this year.  My assignment was a relish tray. 

Because I was not hosting the dinner this year and had a little extra time, I decided to try something a little more creative than the usual cut up veggies on a tray.  My inspiration came from Glitter and Goulash  

I had just purchased this wooden tray from Jenifer's Furniture and Decor and thought it would make a great "garden bed" for Mr. McGregor's Relish Tray.  That's kind of an Easter bunny thing, right?

By the way I LOVE, LOVE Jenifer's!

I washed the head of some frilly lettuce (butter or anything kind of leafy), then set aside to dry.  Thankfully my husband chipped in to help and washed the veggies and cut them all into stick form.

Then came the time for the very easy process of "planting" our garden.  I layered saran wrap on the bottom of tray and then added leafy lettuce, being sure to "frill it out" over the edges of tray.

If you are serving a dip with the veggies, place your bowl where you want it on the tray.  Then start planting carrot sticks, cheese sticks, celery, pepper, tomatoes, cauliflower, cucumbers, broccoli and radishes. 

Bon Appetit Dip is my favorite.

Add a little plate of truffles and chocolate covered pretzel rods and this would make a lovely, edible centerpiece for a Mother's Day brunch. 

Easter Chocolate Decor?

Yes.  I use chocolate as I decorate for Easter.  Why?  Because I love chocolate and I love the colors of Easter.  And there are so many unique and wonderfully wrapped pieces of Easter chocolate.

For example...I love this Easter tin with a large European chocolate bar inside.  I loved the little bunny family working together to create colored Easter eggs.  (I'm going to remind my teenage children how fun it is to color Easter eggs TOGETHER!)

I've used this tin in my kitchen decor for Easter.

Some of my favorite chocolate eggs are from Hershey's.  The pastel eggs with solid milk chocolate inside look lovely in a clear glass jar, and are also lovely to eat!  Hint...If I put chocolate in a decorative jar I am less likely to eat it.  My kids and their friends...well they feel it an open invitation to partake.  I always keep an extra couple bags on hand to refill.

I found these sweet Easter wrapped chocolate bars at Marshalls (in California).  They came in a package of about 8-10.  I love the bright picture wraps of Easter on each bar.   

I popped them in a old fashioned glass mason jar and made them part of my kitchen counter Easter tray display.

I love chocolate, I love decorating and I especially love being with my b-funny family on Easter. 

Strawberry Spring Thaw

It's spring break at our house.  The sun is shining, the grass is green, the spring flowers are peeking up and I'm thinking of this long time family favorite.

This is a dessert that my mom has made for years and years.  Usually during the spring when the strawberries are in season.  Why the name "Spring Thaw?"  I don't know but would assume that spring brings about a thaw, at least in the cold, snowy mountains.  This dessert is frosty strawberry goodness.  Do you like my reasoning?

The is an old tried and true recipe from the coveted family dessert binder.  I haven't met a person that loved strawberries, that didn't love this dessert.

My mom's handwriting.  Even though I have most of my recipes online or on the computer I still like to keep the recipes that family members actually hand write.  Even has some strawberry sauce on it just to keep it real.

Strawberry Spring Thaw

Mix together and put in jelly roll pan (or 9X13 pan).

1/2 cup margarine-melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped nuts (we use walnuts)

  Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.  Cool.

2 egg whites

1 cup sugar

1 pt. fresh strawberries, sliced

1 T lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Mix all ingredients (except the whipped cream) in mixer and beat for about 10-15 min.  

Must triple in size.  Fold in whipped cream.

Layer crumbs, then strawberry mixture, then crumbs in a spring form pan.  

Freeze at least overnight.

We normally just use a 9x13 pan but if you decide to use the spring form pan you can create masterpieces like this!

Easter Bunny Bag Gifts

I always like to give a little treat to the ladies I visit teach at church. Especially for Holiday's. I saw these cute bags at Hobby Lobby and thought I would fill them with candy.  I wanted the gift to have an Easter Message as well. I decided to go on Pinterest and find some Easter Meme's. I printed them off and put them in the eggs along with a piece of candy and a little fuzzy chick. I found the Some Bunny Loves You tag on Bloom Designs Facebook Page to download for free.

Easy, cute and a great message.

Happy Easter!

Here are the meme's in case you would like to use them. Just right click and download. 

Chocolate Easter Egg Bunny Jar

I think I've mentioned before that I think Easter candy is the BEST!  I love chocolate bunnies, Peeps and jelly beans.

And I love fun ways to share them with others.

If you would like to create your own jars as Jen did 3 years ago, the directions for them are here:  Spring bunny jars

(Jen is always ahead of the times!)

If you're not quite as talented as Jen, here is a Target dollar spot find!  Actually these jars ended up being $1.50-2 jars in a package for $3.  Worth every penny to make is so easy!

Chocolate or Peanut Butter Easter Eggs.  Yum!

And by the way 1 bag of the eggs will fill almost two jars.

Wash the jars, fill with Easter eggs, screw on the lid.
My daughter found this purple crate at Target for $3.  Perfect! 

Nothing better than a chocolate Easter egg, except for maybe a real, live Easter Bunny!

Gotta love the happy spring colors.

Bunny Bait TWO

I'm loving this Bunny Bait...can you tell?  It's a quick and easy treat to say Happy Easter and Thank You.

I meet each month with a PTA Board and often times bring a little something to say thank you.  This group of individuals is so good about coming every single month, without complaint!  They deserve a treat, right!

The bunny bait "recipe" is here along with another idea for presentation.

Just a few things needed. 

(Found the Lindt chocolate carrots at Target) 

And you're ready to go!

Bunny Bait-MMMmmm Monday

I love spring and I love the popcorn popping on the all the beautiful trees.  

When my kids were a few years younger (like 10 years ago!) and the blossoms started popping they would begin to remind me that it was time to visit our nearby "Bunny Park." 

We loved the bunny park in the spring.  The park has lots of beautiful old oak trees with acres of underbrush, perfect for baby bunnies.  There would be lots of mama bunnies hiding in the thicket protecting their babies from their enemies... and curious children.  Every once in awhile the mama bunnies emerge from the bushes and go hopping through the park.  Sometimes we would see up to 20 or 30 bunnies all throughout the huge park.  All the kids would squeal and start chasing them in all directions.   Those bunnies were so fast!  

After several trips to the park without even getting close to those quick little fur balls we finally got smart and started bringing Bunny Bait (mostly bread crumbs).  We didn't try to hold the cute bunnies but we did get close enough, with our bunny bait, to feed them.  

Sweet childhood memories of spring at the Bunny Park.  Now that my kids are older they still like bunnies but our "bait" has changed a bit.

Here's our Bunny Bait recipe:

Mix together: Bugles, Chex Mix (the cheesy kind), Reeses p-butter eggs, small pastel colored malt ball eggs, M&M's, pastel colored candy corn, and Warhead Sour Jelly Beans.

Popped the mix in a mason jar with a cute label (from simplykierste) and twine.  There you have it...Bunny Bait!

Happy Spring...and newborn Bunnies!

So You and I Will Live Again

One day I was taping a radio program that was just a series of chats with little children.  We had five or six children come down to the studio, and they were all dressed up in their very best.  I just started talking to them, one at a time.  We were hoping to catch some snatch of conversation that would be good for the broadcast.  The first one was a little five year old, and as she came in, I put her on my lap.  I said to her "Tell me, do you like to go to church?"
"Nope."
I said, "Why not?"
"Too boring."
I lifted her off and said, "Next."
I didn't think that we ought to air that family secret.
I talked to two or three other children, and finally the door opened and a little toddler came in, cute as a button, in a freshly ironed dress.  You know what her mother must have put her through to get her ready to come down to the studio.  What an innocent face.  I picked her up and said, "Well, who are you?"
She said, "Cory."
I said, "How old are you, Cory?"
She raised three fingers.  "Three."
By now I was out of questions, so I said, "Do you know how to sing?"
"Uh-huh."
"Would you like to sing for me?"
"Uh-huh."
Without any prompting she commenced to sing a medley of Primary songs, ending with "I Am a Child of God."  I don't know what that does to you, but I'm kind of tender.  I looked through the window and the engineer was even pushing back a tear or two himself.
Then I said, "Well Cory, you sing like you know God."
"Uh-huh."
I said, "How would a three-year-old know God?"
She looked at me, and I'll never forget the answer.  She said, "Because I have a father."
And I thought, "Oh, the power of a father in the home!"
I said, "Do you know Jesus?"
"Uh-huh."
I said, "Who's Jesus?"
She said, "Our Elder Brother."
I said, "Do you love Jesus?"
She said, "Uh-huh."
"Why do you love Jesus?"
She responded, "Because of what he did for us."
I said, "What did Jesus do for us?"
She came right back and said, "He died for us."
I said, "Why would he do that?"
And she looked at me as if to say, "Well, don't you know?"
She said, "So you and I will live again."

(Elder Paul H. Dunn)

Funny Bunny Loves Veggies

I Loved this funny Bunny card.  We decided to share the card with a couple of Kate's friends...added a little something inside...

Peas and Carrots!  Bunny food.

I was at TaiPan couple of weeks ago and came across a package of veggies (Runt type candy), 6 or 8 little packages inside a large package for about $4.00.  When I saw this card I new the veggies had to be a part of this funny bunny Easter greeting.  

If you knew my Kate you would know how fitting this card is for her to give away.  Kate dislikes (and that's putting it mildly) veggies, but LOVES chocolate.

Hope your Easter morning is veggie-free with just a bit of CHOCOLATE.