While we might not all have three days off like we did in high school, Easter is still a great excuse to take a mini vacation. If you’ve been living on ramen noodles since you spent all of your money on spring break, Easter is the perfect time to go home, spend some quality time with the family and get a delicious, home-cooked meal! Here are some cute, easy recipes to make at home and save Mom from stressing. Or, if you aren’t able to make it home for Easter this year, these recipes are a great excuse to get together with some friends and get cooking!
1. Deviled Chicks
Who doesn’t love deviled eggs? Check out this recipe to learn how to make your own. Aside from being super easy to make, they’re a delicious excuse to get in the kitchen and work on your cooking skills! Eggs are a rich source of protein, so this snack is as filling as it is cute.
Recipe adapted from Food Network
Ingredients
- 12 eggs
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons sweet relish
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 black olive
- 1 carrot
Directions
- Place eggs in a large wide saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil for 12 minutes.
- Remove eggs and cool in refrigerator.
- Remove shells from eggs, hold eggs vertically and slice in half.
- Separate egg yolks and place into a bowl.
- Place whites on a separate plate. Add mayo, mustard, relish and salt and pepper (to taste) to yolks and mash together with a fork until creamy and smooth.
- Cut the tip of a bottom corner off of a plastic bag and pipe the yolk mixture into the bottom of each egg white.
- Top them off with the other egg white halves. Cut out some small circles from the olive to use as eyes and chop the carrot into small pieces to make adorable noses!
2. Rice Krispies Easter Nests
Rice Krispies treats are one of the simplest desserts you can make. This recipe with an Easter spin takes all of 15 minutes to make, and you’ll have leftover treats for days.
Recipe from The Pampered Chef
Ingredients
- Rice Krispies Treats (homemade ones work better, but store-bought works well too)
- 1 bag of chocolate chips
- Your favorite jelly beans to use as eggs
Directions
- After you’ve made (or purchased) your treats, break them up into pieces about the size of your palm.
- Take a spoon and press it into the middle of the treat, making a nest-shaped treat. Allow those to sit for about five minutes while you heat up your chocolate chips.
- Pour half of the bag of chocolate chips into a bowl and set your bowl in the microwave.
- Microwave the chips in a microwave-safe bowl in short bursts, stirring the chips between cooking time. Start out with one minute, check the chips and add 30 seconds until your chips are completely melted.
- Once your chips have melted, grab your nests and dip the bottom into the chocolate. You can completely submerge it in chocolate or drizzle the melted chips all over the nests.
- Lay the nests upside down on a sheet of wax paper until the chocolate hardens. Fill with your favorite jelly beans and you’re done!
3. Bunny Breakfast
Recipe from The Pampered Chef
This recipe is perfect for collegiettes who don’t spend a ton of time in the kitchen or who only have a few minutes to throw something together to bring to Easter brunch. With this bunny breakfast, you can satisfy your sweet tooth and play up your artistic abilities effortlessly.
Ingredients
- 2 12.4-ounce packages of cinnamon rolls
- Raisins
- Sliced almonds
Directions
- Place 4 of the cinnamon rolls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Cut the rest of the cinnamon rolls into halves and place them on top of the rolls to resemble ears.
- Bake the rolls according to the instructions on the package. Once they come out of the oven, pour on the frosting, use the sliced almonds as teeth and use the raisins to make some sweet eyes and a nose.
4. Bunny Cupcakes
Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens
Cupcakes are perfect for every holiday or occasion. If you make enough to have leftovers (and can resist the urge to not eat them all fresh out of the oven!) these adorable bunny cupcakes make for a good on-the-go dessert that will definitely make the people sitting next to you in the library jealous.
Ingredients
- Vanilla frosting
- Cupcake mix (12 cupcakes)
- Large white gumdrops
- 1 tube pink icing
- 1 tube black icing
- Pink jelly beans
Directions
- Make your cupcakes according to the directions on the box and let them cool.
- Place vanilla frosting into a bag and a corner to make an opening. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Sprinkle a work surface with sugar.
- Use a rolling pin to flatten large white gumdrops; cut or shape triangles to use for ears.
- Press ends of two gumdrop triangles into the frosting near top of each cupcake head; press into frosting to attach.
- Use the tube of pink icing to pipe the insides of the ear and use the black icing to make adorable whiskers. Add a pink jelly bean nose.
- Use your frosting to make the eyes and use the black icing to fill in the pupils.
5. Savory Stuffing
While many people save the stuffing for Thanksgiving, this recipe is a great addition to your Easter dinner. It’s filled with vegetables, like onions and carrots, but still has a savory flavor to keep you fully satisfied. You have to get your veggie fix in somewhere among all the sweet treats!
Recipe from Spoonful
Ingredients
- Loaf of sturdy white bread (1 pound)
- 1 pound Italian sausage links, mild or hot
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 bulb fennel, finely chopped, or 2 cups finely chopped celery (or a combination)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (use mostly parsley plus sage, rosemary and/or thyme)
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, pan-toasted (optional)
- 3/4 to 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
- Salt and ground pepper to taste
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Directions
- Slice the bread into 3/4-inch cubes and allow to dry in a 350-degree (Fahrenheit) oven for about 10 minutes. Transfer the bread to a very large mixing bowl and set it aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Poke each sausage several times with a fork and drop into the boiling water. Boil for 13 to 17 minutes, until the center of the sausage is no longer pink.
- Transfer to a bowl and cool. Score the casings and peel them off. Quarter the sausage lengthwise, and then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a very large sauté pan.
- Stir in the onion, fennel, carrot and bay leaf and sauté over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in the mushrooms and sausage. Cover and sauté 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
- Remove the bay leaf and add the sautéed mixture, fresh herbs and toasted pine nuts (if desired) to the bread.
- Gently toss the mixture and add the chicken broth, 1/4 cup or less at a time, until the bread seems moist but not soggy.
- Taste the stuffing, adding salt and pepper as needed. Add the eggs and mix gently.
Whether you’re headed home for Easter and want to bring a dish of your own or plan on meeting up with some friends for an Easter party, these recipes are sure to be a hit with your company!