Happy Easter! Recipes



"I hope that you and your family have a Happy Easter!  These adorable cupcakes or a slice of Bunny Banana Cheesecake would be a sweet ending to your Easter dinner!"

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream Frosting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes 

1 white cake mix (eggs, oil and water called for on the box)

1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Follow the directions on the cake mix, adding almond and vanilla extracts. Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling each 2/3 full.  Bake following box instructions for cupcakes.   Allow cupcakes to cool completely and frost and decorate.

 

Whipped Vanilla Almond Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup shortening

1 stick or 1/2 cup of butter, softened

1/2 of a 2 pound bag of powdered sugar, or you can use a 1 pound box

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons almond extract

desired amount of green food coloring (I used 6 drops to make a light green color.)

candy decorations, if desired

Using the whip attachment of your mixer, whip together butter and shortening. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until all combined. Add vanilla and almond extracts. Color with food coloring.  Frost cupcakes and decorate.  (I used a Wilton #233 tip to pipe the frosting on the cupcakes to resemble grass for the little bunnies to sit in.)  Store cupcakes in the refrigerator until needed.

*TIP:  If frosting is too thick, you can thin it out with milk.  I have also used corn syrup to thin the frosting, which gives the icing a nice sheen.

To see more yummy cupcake recipes, please visit my Kandy's Kupcakes page:
http://kandyskitchenkreations.blogspot.com/p/kandys-kupcakes.html

 

 

 Bunny Banana Cheesecake

 

Crust

1-3/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1 stick or 1/2 cup of butter, melted

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Set aside 1/2 cup of mixture to sprinkle on top of cheesecake. Press remaining mixture in bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before filling.

 

Cheesecake Layer

1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 (8 ounce) container of non-dairy whipped topping (Cool Whip), thawed and divided

3-4 bananas, sliced

1-3/4 cup milk

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant banana cream or vanilla pudding mix

 

Beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Fold in 2 cups of Cool Whip. Place half of the banana slices on the bottom of the cooled crust and top with half of the cream cheese mixture. Arrange remaining banana slices on top and cover with remaining cream cheese mixture. Whisk together milk and pudding mix. Allow to sit for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Fold in remaining Cool Whip. Pour over cream cheese layer and spread evenly. Sprinkle top of cheesecake with reserved 1/2 cup of crust mixture. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

 

TIP: Of course you can eat the cheesecake without decorating it and it will be DELICIOUS! The following directions will show you how I decorated the cheesecake for Easter, but you could decorate it for any holiday, including Birthdays.

Easter Decorations:

I used the following ingredients to decorate my cheesecake, but feel free to use any Easter candy to decorate yours.

 

Easter Marshmallow bunnies (Peeps)

malted milk eggs

Pastel sprinkles

To decorate the cheesecake, I stood 4 marshmallow bunnies in a circle in the center of the cheesecake, pushing down slightly to help them stand. I then scattered the malted milk eggs around the bunnies and placed the pastel sprinkles around he edge of the cheesecake.

  

 

Visit my MooseCreek CheeseCakes page to see more cheesecake recipes.

http://kandyskitchenkreations.blogspot.com/p/moosecreek-cheesecakes.html

Key Lime Cupcakes

"Key lime cupcakes topped with Key Lime Butter Cream Icing-Could there be a tangier combination?"

Key Lime Cupcakes:

1 white cake mix (I used Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic White cake mix.)

water, oil and eggs called for on the box (I also added flour for High Altitude directions.)

1 Tablespoon Key Lime Juice (I used Nellie & Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice.)

Preheat oven to temperature called for on package. Place cupcake liners in cupcake/muffin tins. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Add Key Lime Juice. Divide batter evenly, filling each cupcake liner 2/3 full. Bake according to package directions for cupcakes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Frost with Key Lime Butter-Cream Icing (recipe follows).

Key Lime Butter-Cream Icing:

2 sticks or 1 cup of butter, softened

1 cup of shortening

2 pound bag of powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons Key Lime Juice
Green food coloring

Lime slices

Cream together butter and shortening. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until all combined. Add Key lime juice and enough green food coloring to dye icing a light green color. Frost cupcakes using decorating bag with #20 star tip. Begin icing from the outside edge and work your way into the center by swirling icing around the cupcake.  Place a lime slice on top of each cupcake. Store in refrigerator until ready to eat.


To view more yummy cupcakes, please visit my Kandy's Kupcakes page:
http://kandyskitchenkreations.blogspot.com/p/kandys-kupcakes.html


Chicken Fajita Casserole

"This recipe takes Chicken Fajitas to a whole new level!  I took my Easy Chicken Fajitas and turned them into a yummy, cheesy casserole.  Just add a side dish of Spanish rice or refried beans and dinner is served!" 

1-1/2 to 2 cups of shredded chicken, rotisserie or leftover

1 onion, sliced

1 green pepper or any color sweet pepper (red, orange or yellow), sliced into strips

1 (4 ounce) can of chopped green chiles

1 (4 ounce) can of chopped jalapenos

1 package of fajita mix

1/2 cup water

1 (10 count) package of corn tortillas, cut into strips

1 (10-3/4 ounce) can of cream of chicken soup

1 can of RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies  

2 cups Mexican-style shredded cheese

sour cream, if desired 
 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook onion and peppers in about 2 Tablespoons of canola oil until tender.   Stir in shredded chicken, green chiles, jalapenos, fajita mix and water.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.  Stir in cream of chicken soup and RO*TEL and simmer for 5 minutes longer.  In a casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, spoon 1/3 of the chicken fajita mixture.  Top with 1/2 of the corn tortilla strips.  Layer on another 1/3 of the chicken fajita mixture.  Top with 1 cup of cheese.  Layer on  remaining 1/2 of the corn tortilla strips.  Top with remaining 1/3 of the meat mixture.  Sprinkle top of casserole with remaining 1 cup of shredded cheese.   Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

"Here are two of my favorite recipes to make for St. Patrick's Day.  For dinner, I love to make my cousin's creamy Baked Potato Soup and my minty Leapin' Leprechauns Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes make the perfect dessert.  What a  fun and DELICIOUS way for your family to celebrate the holiday!"  

 

Baked Potato Soup
3-4 large Idaho potatoes, baked and cooled
1 bunch of green onions, thinly sliced, divided

1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. dried dill or 2 Tbsp. fresh dill
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups of milk or a combination of milk and half-and-half
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon

Scoop flesh out of potatoes and set aside. In a large saucepan, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and set aside. To bacon drippings, add sliced green onions, making sure to reserve some for garnish. Cook onions until tender. Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add dill, salt, pepper, milk and potatoes. Bring mixture to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Crumble reserved bacon and add into soup, along with shredded cheese. Serve soup topped with reserved green onion.

To Make Loaded Baked Potato Soup Bowls:
My favorite way to serve this soup is in a bread bowl. I purchase bread bowls at my local grocery store in the bakery department. I cut the top portion of the bread bowl off and scoop out the bread to make the perfect 'bowl' for this delicious soup. I then ladle in the heated soup and sprinkle the top with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and green onions. I bake the soup bowls at 350 degrees until the cheese is hot and bubbly. I love to serve the soup with the bread that was scooped out of the bread bowls to dip in all of the yummy goodness!

Click here to view the original Baked Potato Soup post.

Click here to see Baked Potato Soup recipe on Gooseberry Patch Blog .  It was featured on the St. Patrick's Day Recipe Roundup.

 



Leapin' Leprechauns Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

1 chocolate cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge.)
water, oil and eggs called for on the box (I also added flour and followed the High-Altitude directions.)
1 (10 ounce) package of Nestle Dark Chocolate & Mint morsels, divided

Preheat oven and prepare cake mix according to package directions. Stir in morsels, saving 1/2 cup to decorate cupcakes. Place cupcake liners in cupcake/muffin tins. Divide batter evenly, filling each liner 2/3 full. Bake according to package directions for cupcakes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Frost with Mint Butter Cream Icing (recipe follows).

Mint Butter-Cream Icing:

1 stick of butter or 1/2 cup, softened

1/2 cup of shortening

1/2 of a 2 pound bag of powdered sugar, or you can use a 1 pound box

2 teaspoons mint extract

Green food coloring

Cream together butter and shortening. Add powdered sugar a little at a time until all combined. Add mint extract. Add enough green food coloring to dye icing to the color you desire (I used 7 drops). Frost cupcakes and decorate with reserved morsels. Store in refrigerator until ready to devour.

Click here to view the original Leapin' Leprechauns Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes post.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff with Buttered Egg Noodles

"My Mom shared this recipe with us recently and it's now one of our favorite dinners.  The stroganoff is creamy and delicious served over buttered egg noodles."

1-1/2 pounds of beef round steak, cut into 1 inch cubes (You can also use beef stew meat.)

1/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup shortening

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 cup water

1 packet dry onion soup mix (I used Lipton onion soup mix.)

1 (8 ounce) container sour cream

 

 

Combine flour, salt and pepper.  Toss beef cubes in flour mixture until completely coated.  In a saute pan, cook beef in shortening until browned on all sides (it won't be completely cooked through).  Remove beef from saute pan and place in a slow cooker that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine Worcestershire, water and onion soup mix and pour over beef. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until beef is tender.  Stir in sour cream and serve over Buttered Egg Noodles (Recipe follows).

 

Buttered Egg Noodles  

1 (16 ounce) package of medium egg noodles

1/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

 

Cook egg noodles according to package directions.  Drain.  Return noodles to pan and stir in butter until it's completely melted.  Add salt and pepper.  Serve with Beef Stroganoff.

 

TIP:  This stroganoff would be delicious served over mashed potatoes or rice.