Peeps Sunflower Cake

Ingredients:
• 1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)
• 2 cans (16 ounces each) chocolate frosting
• 19 yellow chick Peeps candies
• 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
• Prepare and bake cake mix according to package directions, using two parchment paper-lined and greased 9-in. round baking pans. Cool in pans 10 minutes before removing to wire racks; remove paper. Cool completely.
• If cake layers have rounded tops, trim with a long serrated knife to make level. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake.
•For petals, arrange Peeps around edge of cake, curving slightly and being careful not to separate chicks. For sunflower seeds, arrange chocolate chips in center of cake.

Happy Easter
Enjoy!

http://epicurioussandiego.com/

Hash Brown Broccoli Bake

Ingredients:
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, cubed
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
• 6 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 1 package (16 ounces) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs

Directions:
• In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, salt, nutmeg and pepper until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Add cheeses; stir until melted. Stir in potatoes.
• Spoon half of the potato mixture into a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Top with broccoli and remaining potato mixture. Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes.
• Melt the remaining butter; toss with bread crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until heated through and topping is golden.

Happy Easter
Enjoy!

http://epicurioussandiego.com/

Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Olive Oil

Ingredients:
• 4 pounds red potatoes, quartered
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup whole milk
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions:
• Place potatoes in a Dutch oven; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, place oil and garlic in a small food processor; process until blended.
• Drain potatoes; return to pan. Mash potatoes, gradually adding cream, butter, salt, pepper and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Stir in green onions. Serve with garlic olive oil and, if desired, cheese.

Note: For food safety purposes, prepare garlic olive oil just before serving; do not store leftover oil mixture.

Happy Easter
Enjoy!
http://epicurioussandiego.com/

Cinnamon Roll Bunnies

Ingredients:

• 1 tube (12.4 ounces) refrigerated cinnamon roll dough
• 12 M&M's miniature baking bits
• 4 pink jelly beans
• 24 pieces black shoestring licorice (1 inch)
• 1 drop red food coloring
• Brown decorating gel or color of your choice

Directions:
• Separate dough into eight rolls. Place four rolls on a greased baking sheet. Using a 2-in. biscuit cutter, cut 3/4 in. into both sides of remaining rolls to form ears and bow ties. Place ears at the top and a bow tie below each cinnamon roll; pinch to attach. Slightly flatten rolls.
• Bake at 400° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Set aside 1-1/2 teaspoons icing. Spread remaining icing over bunnies. Place a baking bit in the center of each bow tie; add remaining baking bits for eyes. Place a jelly bean in each center for nose; attach licorice pieces for whiskers.
• Tint reserved icing pink with red food coloring; pipe mouths and outline ears. Pipe edges of bow ties with decorating gel.

Makes 4 bunnies

Happy Easter
Enjoy!

Fruit Bunny

Ingredients:
• 3 green apples, peeled and sliced
• 2 unpeeled red apples, sliced
• 4 large firm bananas, peeled
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2 slices kiwifruit (1/2 inch thick)
• 1 maraschino cherry
• 2 cans (11 ounces each) mandarin oranges, drained
• 9 seedless green grapes
• 1 stick black licorice, cut lengthwise into 1/8-inch strips

Directions:
• Toss apples and bananas with lemon juice.
• In the center of a large serving platter or 16-in. x 12-in. baking sheet covered with freezer paper, layer green apples in an 8-in. circle to make bunny's head.
• For eyes, place kiwi slices on top half of head about 1 in. apart.
• Place cherry in center of face for nose.
• For each ear, place two whole bananas together with only tips touching.
• Place red apples in center of ears with peel showing.
• For bow tie, form a 3-in. circle with oranges centered under head and two 4-in. triangles on each side of circle.
• Place grapes on oranges to make polka dots.
• Just before serving cut licorice into seven 3-in. strips and seven 1-1/2-in. strips, place three 3-in. strips on each side of cherry for whiskers. Bend the remaining 3-in. strip into a semicircle and place 1-1/2 in. below nose for mouth. Connect nose to mouth with one 1-1/2-in. strip. For eyelashes, place three 1-1/2-in. strip. For eyelashes, place three 1-1/2-in. strips above each eye. Carefully slice bananas into 1-in. chunks.

Happy Easter
Enjoy!

http://epicurioussandiego.com/

Berries and Cream Cake Roll

Ingredients:
• Crisco® Flour No-Stick Cooking Spray
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Powdered sugar
• 1 cup strawberry preserves
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Fresh fruit and mint sprigs for garnish (optional)

Directions:
• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 15 x 10 x 1-inch jelly roll pan with flour no-stick cooking spray.
• Beat egg whites on high speed 4 to 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Beat egg yolks in separate bowl 3 minutes or until slightly thick and light lemon colored. Add sugar and vanilla to egg yolks; continue to beat 1 minute.
• Sift together flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add to egg yolk mixture. Fold in beaten egg white. Pour into prepared pan, spreading batter evenly.
• Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle powdered sugar onto clean kitchen towel. Loosen cake edges from pan. Immediately invert onto towel. Gently roll cake with the towel into a log, starting at long end. Cool completely, about 45 minutes.
• Chill beaters and mixing bowl from electric mixer 10 minutes in preparation for next step. • Stir preserves slightly for easier spreading.
• Beat cream in chilled bowl with chilled beaters until stiff. Unroll cake; spread carefully with preserves, then with whipped cream. Reroll cake without towel. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar; garnish with fruit and mint, if desired, before serving.

Happy Easter
Enjoy!

Easter Bunny Rolls

Ingredients:
• 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
• 3/4 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Melted butter

Directions:
• In a bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add milk, sugar, shortening, egg, celery seed, sage, salt, nutmeg and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic; about 6-8 minutes. • Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down; let rest 10 minutes.
• Divide dough into 24 pieces. For each bunny, roll one piece of dough into a 20-in. rope. Cut rope into one 10-in. piece, one 5-in. piece, two 2-in. pieces and one 1-in. piece. Coil 10-in. piece for body; place on a greased baking sheet. Coil 5-in. piece for head; place next to body. Form ears from the 2-in. pieces and tail from the 1-in. piece; add to bunny. Pinch and seal pieces together. Repeat, placing bunnies 2 in. apart on the baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.
• Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Brush with melted butter. Cool on wire racks.

Happy Easter
Enjoy!

Chubbie Bunnies

Ingredients:
• 1 package yellow cake mix (regular size)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 15 drops red food coloring
• 16 red gumdrops
• 32 miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
• In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs and water; beat on low speed for 30 seconds. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup batter. To remaining batter, stir in food coloring. Cut a 1/4-in. hole at the corner of two food-safe plastic bags; fill one with pink batter and one with plain batter.
• Using pink batter, pipe a 4-in. x 2-in. oval ring onto a greased baking sheet for bunny face. Pipe two ovals for ears. Using plain batter, pipe centers for ears and cheeks for face. Pipe additional pink batter to completely fill ears and face. Repeat with remaining batters.
• Trim off bottom ends of gumdrops; use rounded tops for noses. Add chocolate chips for eyes.
• Bake at 375° for 4-6 minutes or until set. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 16 bunnies

Happy Easter
Enjoy!

Angel Food Trifle

Ingredients:
• 2 cups fat-free vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
• 4 cups cubed angel food cake
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat whipped topping

Directions:
• In a blender, combine yogurt and ricotta cheese; cover and process until combined.
• In a small bowl, combine blueberries and strawberries. Place half the cake cubes in a 2-qt. glass bowl. Layer with 1 cup berries and half the yogurt mixture. Top with remaining cake cubes, 3/4 cup berries and the remaining yogurt mixture. Garnish with remaining berries. •Top with whipped topping. Refrigerate leftovers.

Happy Easter
Enjoy!

Roasted Asparagus with Thyme

Ingredients:
• 3 pounds fresh asparagus, trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
• Place asparagus in a baking pan lined with heavy-duty foil. Drizzle with oil and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the thyme, salt and pepper.
• Bake, uncovered, at 425° for 10-15 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Happy Easter
Enjoy!