I usually throw an Easter brunch for my friends at my apt. each year. We ate too much food, drank many mimosas and watched hockey 🙂 I’ll share the recipes for all the food below or at least a description of how to make the food.
Carrot Cake
Ingredients:
- ›3 eggs
- ›3/4 cup buttermilk (or regular milk with 1 tsp lemon juice)
- ›3/4 cup vegetable oil
- ›1 1/2 cups white sugar
- ›2 tsp vanilla extract
- ›2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ›¼ tsp nutmeg
- ›1/4 teaspoon salt
- ›2 cups all-purpose flour
- ›2 tsp baking soda
- ›2 cups shredded carrots
- ›1 cup flaked coconut
- ›1 cup chopped walnuts
- ›1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
- ›1 cup raisins
- cream cheese frosting
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8×12 inch pan.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well.
- In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins.
- Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well.
- Pour into prepared 8×12 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Check with toothpick.
- Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving
- For these carrot-shaped ones I first cut the cake in half lengthwise and then cut the strips into triangles. I dyed the cream cheese frosting with gel food coloring and piped onto the cakes with a piping tip.
Bacon
Cooked using oven method. Lay bacon strips onto foil lined baking sheet. Put into cold oven. Set oven temp to 400 F and start timer. After 17-20 min, remove bacon and put on paper towels to soak up grease. The timing will depend on the thickness of the bacon and how fast your  oven heats up.
Peppered Pear Goat Cheese Scones
These are my absolute favorite scones. The salty cheese with the pear is amazing and I love black pepper as a strong flavor in things.
Ingredients:
- ›2 cups all-purpose flour
- ›1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- ›2 Tbs granulated sugar
- ›1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- ›1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, plus extra for sprinkling
- ›1 stick butter, grated and frozen for 10-15 minutes
- ›1 medium pear, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
- ›4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled into walnut-sized pieces
- ›1/2 cup plain yogurt
- ›2 Tablespoons whole milk
- ›1 Tablespoon butter, melted
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and 1 tsp of the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the butter, pears, and goat cheese, and stir to incorporate.
- Pour the yogurt and whole milk over the flour mixture and lightly blend with a spatula. The dough may look dry, but it will come together in the oven.
- Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop the dough into mounds evenly spaced on the baking sheet. Brush the scones with the melted butter and a little milk, and sprinkle with extra pepper. Bake until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Chocolate chip, blueberry, raspberry, and banana pancakes
I just made a basic pancake mix and added in some fun additions to make them more exciting for brunch.
Mushroom cheddar crustless quiche
Ingredients:
- ›1 tbs vegetable oil
- ›1 onion, chopped
- 2 tbs butter
- ›2 small packs (~4 cups) sliced mushrooms
- ›5 eggs, beaten
- ›3-4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ›1 tsp salt
- ›1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft.
- At the same time, in a separate skillet, cook the mushrooms in the butter on medium low heat until mushrooms soften. Add a generous amount of salt to your flavor preference. Drain the excess liquid.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add onion mixture and mushrooms, stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.
- Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30-40 min. Let cool for 10 min. before serving.
Spinach swiss muenster crustless quiche
Ingredients:
- ›1 tbs vegetable oil
- ›1 onion, chopped
- 1 10 oz package frozen spinach
- ›5 eggs, beaten
- ›1.5-2 cups shredded swiss cheese
- 1.5-2 cups shredded muenster cheese
- ›1 tsp salt
- ›1/2 tsp black pepper
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.
- Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30-40 min. Let cool for 10 min. before serving.
Peeps sunflower cake
Bake any sort of cake you want in a round pan. Frost with chocolate icing and decorate with yellow peeps and chocolate chips. I made a white cake dyed with Easter colors for the different layers.
Easter basket cookies
Ingredients:
- sugar cookie dough (premade or from scratch)
- colored sugar sprinkles
- white frosting
- shredded coconut
- green food dye
- jelly beans
- licorice
Directions:
- Roll sugar cookie dough in sprinkles. Place in mini muffin tin and push down in center.
- Bake for recommended time (by cookie recipe)
- Push down in the center again when cookies come out of oven. Cool
- Fill centers with white icing. Stir coconut in a bowl with a few drops of green food coloring to dye. Sprinkle on top of the icing.
- Use jelly beans and licorice to decorate
Prosciutto wrapped arugula bites
Wrap small bunches of arugula with a tin strip of prosciutto to make a tasty and relatively healthy appetizer
Ham
just cooked according to package directions
Fruit
placed in an easter basket lined with foil and parchment paper for a cute presentation
Lemon poppy seed muffins
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup sugar
- grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter or spray the 12 molds in a regular-size muffin pan or fit the molds with paper muffin cups.
- n a large bowl, rub the sugar and the lemon zest together with your fingertips until the sugar is moist and the fragrance of the lemon is strong. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream or Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla, lemon juice and melted butter together until well blended.
- Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently stir to blend. Don’t overmix. Stir in the poppy seeds. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing each muffin from its mold.
Carrot cake fudge with cream cheese fudge topping
Ingredients:
Carrot cake fudge
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 3 cups white chocolate chips
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
- 1 cup dry carrot cake mix
- 1/2 cup marshmallow cream
Cream cheese fudge
-
3/4 cup canned cream cheese frosting
-
1 cup white chocolate chips
-
2 Tablespoons marshmallow cream
-
Jordan almonds or other candy to decorate
Directions:
- Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a large sauce pan combine the butter, 3 cups white chips, and can of sweetened condensed milk. Stir over low heat until melted and smooth.
- Stir in the dry cake mix 1/4 cup at a time until thoroughly combined. Stir in the marshmallow cream. Keep stirring to keep the fudge from sticking on the bottom. Pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- In another saucepan, melt the 1 cup of white chips over low heat. Stir in the cream cheese frosting and marshmallow cream when the chips are melted. Pour over the carrot cake layer and smooth out. Press the Jordan almonds into the top. Chill 1 hour before cutting. Cut into approximately 40-50 squares.
Salmon fig tarts
I posted the recipes to these before in my Game of Thrones feast post. I liked them so much I thought they’d make a nice brunch appetizer
Honey-drizzles gorgonzola toast appetizer
Ingredients:
- Baguette
- Olive oil
- Gorgonzola cheese
- Honey
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Cut baguette into thin pieces. Brush with olive oil and bake in oven until toasted (~10 min)
- Sprinkle cheese onto pieces and return to oven for 3 min to melt.
- Drizzle with honey before serving
Mini cinnamon rolls
Ingredients:
For the Mini Cinnamon Rolls:
- 1 (8 oz.) package refrigerated crescent rolls
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Vanilla Glaze:
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cups of a 12-cup mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- On a lightly floured surface, unroll dough and separate into 2 rectangles. Gently pinch any open seams together with your fingers.
- Stir together sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; sprinkle evenly over rectangles. Roll up jellyroll style into 2 logs. Cut each log into 6 slices and place slices into muffin pan cups.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until rolls are risen and lightly golden.
- Stir together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle glaze over warm rolls.
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Deviled eggs
Use any deviled egg recipe as preferred. After cutting the hard-boiled eggs in half, color the halves by soaking in a bowl of cold water + 1 tsp vinegar + a few drops food coloring.
Home fries
I forgot to take a picture of these up close before so these are just some leftovers. I absolutely love this home fry recipe. Parboiling the potatoes is the key to getting the potatoes nice and soft.
Ingredients:
- ›4 red potatoes
- ›1 tbs olive oil
- ›1 onion, chopped
- ›2 tbs olive oil
- ›1.5 tsp salt
- ›1 tsp paprika
- ›1/4 tsp black pepper
- ›1 tsp cumin
Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring often, until soft; about 5 minutes.
- Pour remaining 2 tablespoons of oil into the skillet and turn heat to medium-high. Add potato cubes, salt, paprika, black pepper, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are browned; about 10 minutes. Serve hot.
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