In my opinion,
this is the perfect menu for an Easter Brunch or a Spring Garden Party! The
quiche is a recipe that my mother has used for many years. One on the things that was really important
to her was that I knew how to make a pie crust.
She says there is no reason buying a store bought pie crust when you can
have one made is less time than it takes to drive to the store. Basically, she is right. It takes 5 minutes and tastes way
better! This quiche can be made
well ahead of time and put in the freezer.
The day you need to serve it is a breeze! Stick it in the oven to bake and it is
perfect! When we serve this family style we make it the size of a
pie. For a party or brunch we make them tiny
and bake them in a cupcake pan. I prefer
them like this…they are just so darn cute! The croissant is also a lovely
choice. It is a chicken salad that has the perfect sweetness from
cranberries, tang from fresh lemon, and the perfect amount of spice from a
pinch of cyan that is added.
The
salad is the perfect Spring Salad! It is loaded with fresh fruits and
veggies that complement each other perfectly. It is hard to tell which goodie
is the star of the show; strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, tomatoes, spinach,
red leaf lettuce... my favorite has to be the fresh and perfectly blanched asparagus!
Asparagus is at its peak this time of year! Not only is this salad
loaded with all sorts of fresh goodies but, it is beautifully adorned with meat
and cheese pinwheels! I love the look of
the little pinwheels! The salad is dressed with a homemade poppy
seed dressing, tossed gently, and meat and cheese pinwheels are added last to
insure they stay adorable! I used Havarti cheese ....seriously, I love Havarti!!!!
I may have a little crush on this salad! DEE-LISH!
Let's talk pretty desserts! That is always something I can get behind! These little treats are spring fresh and look fantastic at a garden party!
The
Kiwi Lime Tarts are seriously to die for!!!
Believe me, there are NEVER any leftovers! The White Chocolate Lemon Cupcakes
and Mini Loafs are from the same recipe. I used the same idea from a
recipe that Cindy Bakeman (one
of my friends and Channel
12 viewer) gave me at St. Patrick's Day. Her recipe was for sweet pistachio bread
that used a cake mix, pudding, and sour cream. I exchanged the cake
flavor up to lemon, the pudding up to White Chocolate pudding, and of course
still used the sour cream! I also substituted fresh squeezed lemon juice
in place of the water. Then when it came from the oven I poked holes in
the top and then drizzled a thin lemony glaze over the top! HOLY COW!!!
The top of the mini loafs were sprinkled white chocolate shavings and the cupcakes
were topped with lemon frosting, white chocolate, and a fat raspberry! LOVE,
LOVE, LOVE!!!!!
While we brunched...the kids Tea Partied!
All of my
recent Easter crafting and decorating has all lead up to one great and glorious annual
event...Nanny's Teensy Tea Party! (Nanny is my CRAZY mother!) Nanny'
Teensy Tea Party has always been the highlight of Easter!
The beautiful
spring afternoons, fresh flowers, and adorable children all make for the
perfect garden party. It is a
great party and I love the prep work all most as much as the party! The
garden is the perfect setting for such a sweet little party! Each child is
given an adorable egg shaped plate, a tea cup, and a tiny spoon.
The tea pots are then filled with lemonade and the party begins! This
perfectly sized table is loaded with both healthy and not-so-healthy “bunny
treats” all of which are easy to do and all finger foods.
The
"Teensy Tea Party" menu goes as follows...Meat and cheese pinwheels,
chicken nuggets, Fluffernutters (triple layered pink bread sandwiches one layer peanut butter, Nutella, and marshmallow
cream) , strawberries, carrots, sugar snap peas, grapes, raspberries, cheese
cubes, pastel colored marshmallows, jelly beans, Cheetos, tiny pink Rice Krispy
treats, and of course lemonade. The kids are adorable and love this sweet
little brunch.
I think their favorite part of the party is the little
bunny bowls of colored sugar. They are allowed (for this day only) to
stir this sugar into their lemonade. The tiny dishes make it all the sweeter. These polka dot cups a saucers are a set of latte cups. The perfect size for a tea party! The funniest part is they
usually don't like the taste of the sugared lemonade...they just like the
dumping and stirring part! For all of you who are wondering...I did not teach her to put her pinky up when she drinks...she does that all on her own!
They have a great time taking turns pouring each other lemonade from the tea pots, clinking their cups together in a toast like manner, and I swear...I did not teach her to put her pinky up when she drinks...she came that way! After their tummies were satisfied with bunny treats and lemonade they run out into the yard to search for hidden eggs.
I used my Easter Egg Hunting signs. The vast majority of the kids can't even read...however, I love them! They look great in the yard. The eggs are simple and the kids don't even care! I am all about chocolate stuffed eggs. That doesn't work in Arizona. It is too hot to hid chocolate in the yard! I actually like that...I am not tempted by jelly beans, Starbursts, or smarties! If it was chocolate the kids may have a fight on their hands. The culmination of the day comes with the counting of the eggs.
This is serious business! You would think there would be some injustice among the group. Not this little group. If someone feels bad because they are short in the egg count one their cousins offer to share. The brutal egg hunt will come on Saturday when the older Grandchildren get involved. There is something that happens when the competitive ones get involved..like I said before...someone is gunna cry!
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