Peeps Treats in a Jar

These make a great little gift to hand out to your friends at Easter time.  They are quick and easy for you and also quick and easy for your friends to make later.  They look so cute and taste great.  Truly a fun idea.

 Pour 1/4 cup Easter M&M’s into a wide mouth pint jar.  Place 6 bunny peeps around the inside of the jar.  Make sure the peeps are facing out.  They should just fit.  Measure 1 cup of Rice Krispies into a plastic sandwich bag, close it, and stuff it into the center of the jar, inside the bunny ring.  Attach directions to the lid and tie a ribbon around the jar.

Directions to place on the jar:

In a small saucepan melt 1 teaspoon of butter.  Snip the Peeps into 2 or 3 pieces and add to the butter.  Heat over medium-low until just melted, stirring constantly.  This only takes about a minute or so.  Don't heat too long. Add the Rice Krispies and M & M’s.  Stir well.  Spread into a buttered small loaf pan or pan of similar size.  Press with a rubber spatula.  Cool and enjoy.

 I molded mine into ovals with my hands to make eggs.  Then I placed a half dozen candy melt wafers in a zipper bag and melted them in the microwave 20 seconds at a time, until they were barely melted.  Then I snipped off a corner of the bag and squiggled the candy melt over the egg shape.

Cadbury filled Cookie Nests

I love these fun little egg nests  and the surprise inside just makes them that much better.  Because you bake them in mini muffin tins they look like little cupcakes, but are truly cookies.  Such a fun Easter decoration and treat.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup shortening

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large eggs

46 Cadbury mini Eggs

Optional:

Green frosting (I use this marshmallowcream frosting.)

Jelly beans

Directions:

    

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream shortening, white and brown sugars, and vanilla in the bowl of your mixer. Add eggs one at a time.  Mix well until fluffy.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add flour mixture to wet ingredients, about half cup at a time. Mix until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl of the mixer.

Using a tablespoon of dough, wrap a Cadbury mini egg so it is completely covered. Place the cookie inside a well greased mini muffin tin. Only use a tablespoon of dough or your cookie will spread over the top of the pan and will break when you try to take it out.

 Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes or until golden.   Let the cookies cool in the pan for about 6 or 7 minutes so you can lift them carefully out of the pan.  Do not try to take them out immediately or they will crumble. If  they don’t come out easily let them cool a minute more. But don’t cool the cookies completely in the pan or they’ll stick to the pans and you won’t be able to take them out.  After removing cookies from the pan set them on a rack and let them cool completely.

 Squiggle frosting over the top and add jelly beans. I use M&M eggs, Cadbury Mini eggs, and Starburst Jelly beans on mine.  

Adapted from In Katrina’s Kitchen

Meringues OR Easter Story Cookies

These are a great fat free dessert and are delicious. They are also a terrific Easter idea, but have them any time of year. They’re wonderful.
I've had this recipe for at least 10 years. It's fun to make and eat! I've seen it posted on a number of blogs this year. Here's my version. Enjoy.

1 cup whole pecans
1 teaspoon vinegar
3 egg whites, room temperature (use the yolks for something else)
1 pinch of salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 quart or gallon size zipper bag, big enough for the pecans to spread out inside
1 wooden spoon
Tape

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Place the pecans in a zipper bag  beat them with the wooden spoon to break them into small

pieces. Set them aside for later. After Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Read: John 19:1-3. "Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.  And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,  And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands."

Smell the vinegar. Put the teaspoon of vinegar into the mixing bowl. When Jesus was thirsty on the cross He was given vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30..."After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.  Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."

Add the egg whites to the vinegar. Eggs represent life. Jesus gave His life to give us life.
Read John 10:10-11. "The thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep."

Sprinkle a little salt (just a pinch between your thumb and finger) into your hand. Taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. This represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sins. Read Luke 23:27 "And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him."

 So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Taste a bit of the sugar; then add the sugar to the bowl. The sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
Read Psalms 34:8--"O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." and John 3:16--"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. The peaks will stay and not droop even when the beaters are raised. The color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read Isaiah 1:18--"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." And John 3:1-3 "There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:  The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.  Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

 Fold in the nuts that you beat up earlier.
Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper. Drop mixture by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper.
Each mound or cookie represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.

Read Matthew 27:57-60 "When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathæa, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,  And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed."

 Place the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn OFF the oven. Take a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Jesus' tomb was sealed.
Read Matthew 27:65-66  "Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.

So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch."

GO TO BED. You may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed.
Read John 16:20 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy." And John 16:22  "And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you."

In the morning, open the oven and remove the cookies. Take a bite. Notice – the cookies are hollow!
On the first Easter Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Read Matthew 28:1-9  "In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.  And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.  His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:  And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.  He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.  And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.  And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.  And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Chocolatey Chocolate Cookies

If you are not a chocolate lover, you won't like these so much.  These are CHOCOLATE cookies.  They are nice and a little bit crispy on the outside, but soft and fudgy in the middle.  They are really delicious.

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
9 ounces semisweet or bittersweet baking chocolate, finely chopped (not chocolate chips)
3 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4  teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4  cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups (5 1/2 ounces) coarsely chopped pecans (optional)
1 1/4  cups (4 1/2  ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts  (optional)

Put the butter into a microwave proof bowl and melt. (About 30 seconds on high power.) 

Add the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate to the butter.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Mix.  Microwave in 15 second intervals, mixing after each, until mixture is melted and smooth. Do not over heat. Remove the bowl and let stand while you prepare the remaining ingredients as follows. 

Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together into a medium bowl. Whip the eggs in a bowl with a  mixer on medium-high speed until the eggs are foamy and slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high and gradually add the sugar, then the vanilla. Whip until the eggs are very thick and pale yellow, about 3 minutes.

Reduce the mixer speed to medium and beat in the chocolate mixture, making sure it is completely incorporated. 

Reduce the mixer speed to low. Gradually add the flour mixture.  Mix well.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips, pecans, and walnuts, making sure the chunky ingredients are evenly distributed. The dough will be soft.

Refrigerate the dough for at least 4 hours (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking pans with parchment paper.

Drop the dough by Tablespoonfuls onto the prepared pans about 1 1/2 inches apart. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until cookies are puffed but still soft. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then move to a cooling rack. 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Lasagne

I will have to say that I'm a little bit picky about my lasagne.   Really I'm a LOT picky about my lasagne.  So this is THE recipe that I use.  I've been making this lasagne for many many years.  So many years that I had to update some of the ingredients because some of the original ingredients are just no longer available.  As lasagnes go it's pretty easy to make.  So if you're a little bit picky about lasagne try this one.  This also freezes well if you have leftovers.

 This is ABSOLUTELY my favorite dish.

Lasagna

1 pound ground beef

1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce

1/2 pound lasagna noodles

2 cups small curd cottage cheese

1 egg, beaten

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 Tablespoon dried parsley flakes

1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Brown ground beef in skillet.  Remove from heat.  (If you’re not using extra lean ground beef, drain and rinse with hot water.)  Add pasta sauce to the meat.  (I use meat flavored, marinara, or traditional.)  Mix well.

Boil lasagna noodles in salt water until al dente.  Drain.

In a medium bowl stir together cottage cheese, beaten egg, pepper, and parsley flakes.

Place half of noodles in 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.  Spread half of the cottage cheese mixture on top of the noodles. This will be a thin layer.  Then layer half of the meat mixture.  Top with half of the mozzarella.  Repeat the layers.  Ending with mozzarella on top.

Bake at 375° for 30 min.

Makes 8 servings.

          (I actually use more mozzarella than this.  I like a nice thick layer of cheese on top.)