Monday, March 29, 2010

Easter Time: Decorating Easter Bunny Cupcakes!

        I am having a hard time believeing that Easter will be with us in slightly over a week!  Wasn't it Christmas just last month?  Where does all the time go, dear bloggerites?  I just finished co-hosting a very informal Easter Tea at my church along with my friends, Ruth and Janet.  It was a lovely time of whimsy, with a few delightful women.  We reminisced about Easters of yesterr-year, spent some time thinking about what the first Easter must have been like for Mary, the mother of Jesus and closed the afternoon off by decorating Easter bunny cuppcakes.  How cute they were, and how delicious, accompanied by fresh fruit and steaming cups of coffee and tea!  There isn't anything I enjoy more than the company of women, and an afternoon of conversation and tea.
      Today I made my final decision about Easter Dinner.What should I serve and who should we invite?  The guest list was the easiest of tasks, as we have those who it has become a tradition to entertain on holidays.  The menu was not so easily decided upon.  As I attempt to graciously accept that I am not getting any younger, I am trying to make preparations as easy as possible.  I think this year, I have managed to keep the prep time to an all-time minimum.  The ham is a pre-bakedand spiral cut, and needs only to be heated to a specific temperature. I am making a scalloped potatoe casserole, one or two vegetables, and a wild rice and barley recipe that is made in a rice cooker and is dead easy to throw together. As an appetizer I am going to do devilled eggs, keeping the eggs in the shell, and serving them in lovely egg cups.  That should be fun and different. For dessert, dear readers, I have done the unthinkable.  I have purchased a FROZEN CHEESECAKE selection from Costco: six different varieties of cheesecake. It was on sale, and frankly, I couldn't make it for the price they were charging.  I have had the Costco cheesecake before and it is quite delicious, so I am throwing caution entirely to the wind, and vowing to take it tres easy this year.  For once, I will not be totally exhausted by the time we sit down to eat. One of my guests has offered to bring the salad, and should another guest offer to bring something else, well then, that will be even less work for me.  I do feel almost guilty about the whole thing, but I am trying hard not to let it bother me too much.  For the past 16 years, I have done the lion's share of the cooking and baking in my home, but, as the British put it, that has become "a bit beyond the rabbit-proof fence" for me at this point. and it has just gotten to be too much.  Perhaps this time next year I will feel different, and go back to the way things used to be, but then again, maybe I won't!  What are your Easter traditions, dear readers?  Do you do any table-scaping?  I am looking for something simple but elegant.  Any ideas?       

6 comments:

  1. Your menu sounds wonderful, as I will be having almost the same menu! I have bought the cheese cake sampler many times! I do love them! But hubby does love mine homemade. Have a Happy Easter sounds like your busy as a bee!

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  2. This sounds delightful dear Scone Queen!~ Wonderful, delicious and much easier,and why not!?..,

    We had our Easter brunch with Tiffany and Chris and it was wonderful!.., Tomorrow we go to Easter dinner buffet at the grand old Nova Scotian Hotel,a.k.a./ The Weston Hotel,with our dear friends and mama. As it was delightful at Christmas, I'm really looking forward to it!

    Finally on Easter Monday, we'll have a roast chicken AND as well,also a small roast ham, with stuffing, whipped potaoes, veges., and dessert. Our dessert will be berry trifle with whipped cream, fresh strawberries, fine cheese and chocolates; just simple and fun!

    As we age over the years my friend, I couldn't agree with you more, just 'KISS' it ; 'keep it stylish and simple'!

    Please do pop over and visit my blog as well.

    Have a happy and blessed Easter!

    Cheers and hugs from Wanda Lee

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  3. Morning Sconce Queen,
    I thought your Easter menu sounded delightful.
    I have made those same hams and the are to die for usually! I am with you honey, Keep it as simple as possible, yet delish~
    We many times get cheesecakes from Sams, this year we bought a keylime/mango pie from Publix,
    cause we had one before and it was wonderful,
    but also cause I decided to make a carrot cake recipe I found and the cake tasted wonderful,
    but hardly rose, then fell some after it came out of the oven, so we cut a pc. to taste it,
    and it tasted wonderful, so I cut the 2 layers in half and made a 3 layer cake out of it, but didn't think it would be enough, hence, the pie!! Everyone loved the carrot cake! and I was so happy it didn't fall over before I could cut it and serve it. There is a reason they don't make half cakes! lol We actually had to prop one side of the cake plate in the fridge cause it was trying to slide off! What a fun time we had with that cake, funny really!!Best part is everyone loved it so it was worth the aggravation!! lol

    I too, have done the lions share of cooking over the years, so know exactly what you mean.
    I don't even do appetizers. We had a chicken dish that makes a sort of gravy and then a nice rice pilaf to put it on, and my sister-
    in-law brought a 24 hr. or 7 layers salad,
    and then we had a wonderful wholegrain bread,
    and we were good to go, nary a complaint!! lol That chicken dish is love love loved in this house, and I only make it Christmas and Easter, so everyone is very excited to have it.
    Bet your Easter dinner was a delight and everyone enjoyed it, and hope you were not too worn out by it all. Yes, as we get older
    you just can not take activity we once did,
    at least I can't - after a few days I am just done in! This past week was my birthday so there was something everyday, something wonderful, but I was worn out by yesterday!
    I have to say I have been sleeping like a rock
    every night tho.
    Well Dear lady,
    Hope you had the lovliest of Easters, and
    the finest Resurrection Feast and Celebration.
    Blessings, Nellie

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  4. Oh forgot to tell you. Come over to visit on Wed. evening after 9P.M. as I am planning (lord willing) to participate in tablescape Thursday
    over at Susan's @ between naps on the porch,
    and it will be my Easter table. Course, it will be too late for ideas for this Easter, but is usually fun anyway!!
    Have a great day hon,
    Blessings, Nellie

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  5. Sorry to hear you are not well. Please do take good care of yourself. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

    Blessings,
    Pam

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  6. Hello there,

    Wow!~ This knitting and Teacup Tuesday theme with that dear little doggie on the book cover and that too cute little dog sweater is simply adorable!

    What a pretty and exceptional idea; I also love the blue and white teapot and teacup!

    I also want to be hospitable and invite you most warmly to please do pop over and visit myself and my dear friend Pam in our little corner of, 'Tuesday And Wednesday Teatime In Blogland'!..,

    ..,(There,you will find the links for the other delightful tea ladies tea memes on my blog);I do not know if I will succeed, yet I do so very much want to most warmly and sincerely encourage all of those interested in pretty and interesting TEAPOTS, TEACUPS or any OTHER PRECIOUS ASPECT OF ENJOYING THESE TUESDAY TEATIMES..,

    ~I want to encourage the breader , full spectrum experience if you will of further partaking with these precous aspects of enjoying the, 'Tuesday Teatime Theme In Blogland' experience; to invite my fellow bloggers to open there kind hearts and also include all of us in blogland who have weekly memes about tea!..,

    ..,(I assure you for those of us that do, it's immensely fullfilling and so much added fun; why all of the tea ladies who have memes of there own have joined in each others memes with out exception and we just have so much fun togher as one big happy, teatime family)!..,

    ..,You see,in my litttle corener of blogland, I began my little, 'Tuesday Tea For Two' 44 posts ago.., I would dearly love to gather all of our precious ladies up, so to speak, in this overall, lovely Tuesday Tea experience and tea themed, lovely blogs; all together tied happily 'with a ribbon and a bow', so to speak!..,

    Happy Teacup Tuesday! ~ What 'tea-licious' fun!

    I say the more teaparties the merrier!~ Have a blessed and fun filled week!

    (Thanks so much for reading my rather lenghty blog comment dear lady)!.., Hehe

    Cheers and hugs from Wanda Lee

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