Tag: Easter

Brunch, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Fruit Pizza

Diva di Cucina

Fruit Pizza

Easter is just around the corner! (Does that stress anyone else out? LOL) I am someone who typically has my Easter menu planned weeks in advance but if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen that last week I was gone at a conference and between that and my sons’ baseball season being in full swing, I have just been too darn busy to pull it together. So guess what I am working on today? My Easter menu!

I made this fruit pizza for Easter brunch last year and it was a total hit! It was so easy and the kids loved it! Plus, it was delicious and looked beautiful and “springy” with all the bright colors. I am thinking this one may have to make it into the rotation again this year. You basically bake a huge sugar cookie, frost it, add some fruit, and throw a glaze down over the top. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

What are some of your go to Easter menu items? Comment below and give me some inspiration!

Notes: You can use any fruit you want. For mine I went with kiwis, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and a can of mandarin slices. Got almost all the colors of the rainbow in there! Also, this recipe will hold up for a few days in the fridge so don’t hesitate to make it a day in advance. 

INGREDIENTS
16.5 oz package refrigerated sugar cookie dough
8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1/4 c sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
assorted fruit, washed, chopped, and dried off
1/4 c apricot preserves (large chunks of fruit removed)

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 375º.
  • Line a 12” round pizza pan with parchment paper or cover with cooking spray. (If you don’t own a 12” pizza pan they sell disposable foil ones at the store that are great, or you can always just use a regular baking sheet and shape the dough into a large circle. I just find the pizza pan helps maintain a perfect circle.)
  • Crumble the cookie dough over the lined pizza pan and press the  dough down in an even layer to completely cover the bottom of the pan.
  • Bake for 12–13 minutes.
  • Remove the cookie from oven and allow to cool completely.
  • In a  mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until nice and fluffy.
  • Spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the cookie crust.
  • Top the frosted cookie with fruit. You can place it randomly or in a fun circular pattern. (Kids will have fun with this part!)
  • In a small bowl whisk together the apricot preserves with one tablespoon of water.
  • Brush the apricot mixture over the entire dish.
    Refrigerate for 2 hours.
  • Serve and enjoy!
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Brunch, Side Dishes

Recipe—Asparagus Ham Rolls

Diva di Cucina

This was a side dish I recently made for Sunday brunch. It was easy, delicious, and made for a great presentation. Ham and asparagus has always been a classic combination and when you have the nice mild bite of Dijon mustard along with a creamy cheese sauce it’s suddenly even a little more fabulous. Be sure to bookmark this recipe if you are like me and always looking for brunch ideas. It is sure to be a great addition to any menu. Perhaps a Father’s Day brunch item?

Note: I prepared the asparagus rolls the night before and refrigerated them ahead of time. Then the morning of I just had to put together the sauce and bake it. One less thing to be dealing with in the morning.

INGREDIENTS
24 asparagus spears
8 slices deli ham
dijon mustard
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 c milk
salt and pepper
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
3 green onions, thinly sliced
paprika

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Trim off approximately 1″ from the cut ends of the asparagus.
  • Steam the asparagus for approximately 3 minutes or until crisp tender.
  • Season the asparagus with salt and pepper.
  • Spread a tad of the Dijon mustard on one side of each slice of ham.
  • Place 3 spears of asparagus on each slice of ham and roll up. As you finish each one place them seam side down in a greased baking dish.
  • Once you have prepared all the rolls get started on the sauce by melting the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
  • Mix in flour until well combined.
  • Slowly whisk in milk, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
  • Cook for 2 minutes until it begins to thicken.
  • Stir in the cheese and green onions until cheese melts.
  • Pour the sauce over the asparagus rolls and sprinkle with a dash of paprika.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and serve.

Recipe adapted from a Taste of Home.

Brunch, Sweet Treats

Recipe—Pistachio Bread

Diva di Cucina

When it comes to the classic Jell-O one of my favorite flavors has always been pistachio. I know, I’m kind of a freak. Don’t get me wrong, I love chocolate but there is just something about the pistachio that is pretty fabulous too. When I saw this recipe for pistachio bread that called for my favorite tasty green pudding I knew I had to give it a try. I served this bread as a brunch item but with it’s cake base it could easily be a dessert. It ended up super moist, fluffy, and had just the right amount of nutty pistachio flavor. My four-year-old son got a kick out of making and eating green bread. It is so easy to make that I recommend putting the kiddos in the kitchen and letting them help. Such a fun recipe to make together!

INGREDIENTS
15 oz box yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/4 c oil
3/4 c water
3.4 oz package instant pistachio Jell-O pudding, unprepared
1 c sour cream
10 drops green food coloring
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 c pistachios or pecans, chopped

STEPS

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • Grease two bread loaf pans.
  • Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.
  • Divide the batter among the two loaf pans.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted.
  • Cool 10 minutes and remove from bread pans.
  • Allow to cool an additional 15 minutes or more before slicing.
Sweet Treats

Recipe—Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Truffles

Diva di Cucina

This recipe is definitely an oldie and a goodie. The first time I made these was over 20 years ago when I was a Brownie. We made little boxes of these for our moms for Mother’s Day. (My mom was our troop leader so this is actually her recipe.) These are great for any occasion as individual truffles but you can also have fun with various shapes. Occasionally on Easter, my mom would make us homemade peanut butter eggs. I actually did that this Easter for my son’s teachers.

These are super easy to make and they blow Reese’s out of the water! Come on, you know anything with peanut butter and chocolate is going to be delicious. It is a fun and easy recipe to make, so get the kids involved. What kid doesn’t like to get in the kitchen and use their hands? I hope you and your family love these as much as mine.

Note: Finished truffles should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. My hubby thinks they are best when frozen.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 c creamy peanut butter
4 tbsp butter, softened and divided
3 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
1 lb powdered sugar
24 oz bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

STEPS


  • In a large mixing bowl beat together the peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of the butter, corn syrup, vanilla, and whipping cream until well incorporated.
  • Add the powdered sugar to the bowl, and using your hands mix until everything is completely incorporated.
  • Pinch off bite size pieces and roll into balls. As you finish the balls place them on a wax paper lined baking sheet.
  • Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
  • Once the balls are frozen, in a medium microwave safe bowl combine the chocolate chips, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, and 2 tbsp of water.
  • Microwave the chocolate for 1 minute.
  • Remove the chocolate from the microwave and beat with a fork. If there are still chunks, continue microwaving and stirring in 30 second increments.
  • Once your chocolate is smooth allow it to sit on the counter for a minute.
  • Dip each frozen ball into the melted chocolate and turn until evenly coated and place back on the wax paper covered baking sheet. (I find using a fork works great to remove the balls from the melted wafers so that the extra chocolate can drip off between the prongs.)
  • Once you have finished dipping all the balls place the baking sheet back in the freezer so that the chocolate can set.
  • Enjoy!

Sweet Treats

Recipe—Cadbury Creme Cupcakes

Diva di Cucina

What says Easter better than Cadbury Creme Eggs? You know spring is right around the corner when you start seeing Cadbury Eggs in their shiny foil wrappers popping up at the store. The Cadbury brothers first started manufacturing filled eggs in 1923 but the brand we know and love wasn’t started until 1963. Over 300 million of these delicious eggs are made every year.

This recipe is the perfect marriage of the classic fondant filled milk chocolate egg with a moist chocolate cupcake. These were so simple and fun to make and a real hit with the kids. What person, young or old, wouldn’t love finding a gooey surprise in the middle of a really cute cupcake?

Note: You can make either 48 mini cupcakes or 24 regular sized cupcakes. As much as I love mini cupcakes and their fun size, I will admit, after frosting half of them I was over it! If using a full size muffin pan, be sure to get 24 regular sized Cadbury Creme Eggs rather than 48 of the mini ones. Don’t forget to adjust the baking time accordingly.

INGREDIENTS
box of chocolate cake mix prepared (you will probably need eggs, oil, and water)
48 Mini Cadbury Creme Eggs, unwrapped
container of vanilla frosting
yellow food coloring

STEPS 

  • Preheat oven to 350º.
  • Prepare cake batter per your box’s instructions.
  • Line your pan with cupcake papers.
  • Place about a teaspoon worth of cake batter in each lined cup. (A heaping tablespoon if you are making regular sized cupcakes.)
  • Place a Cadbury Egg in each cup.
  • Top off each cup with more batter covering the eggs.
  • Bake for 8–10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Baking time is almost twice as long for regular sized cupcakes.)
  • Allow cupcakes to cool completely.
  • While cupcakes are cooling prepare your frosting. Take about a quarter of the frosting and mix it in a small bowl with a couple drops of yellow food coloring.
  • Once cupcakes are ready, frost with white frosting and then top off with a dollop of the yellow frosting in the middle.

Happy Easter!