BAA BAA BLACK AND WHITE SHEEP TREATS

Make your own adorable sheep for Easter baskets or table decor. {These can also be the perfect accent for a cute children's table}

1. To shape the body, use melted white candy coating (found in the baking aisle) to secure miniature marshmallows to one Pepperidge Farm Milano Black & White cookie.

2. Attach Peanut M & M’s for hooves.

3. Use a second Milano cookie for the head, and attach miniature marshmallows and miniature chocolate morsels for the eyes.

4. Use flattened marshmallows, pinched together at one end, to make ears.

Courtesy of southernliving.com 

FLOWERS AND BUNNIES EASTER CENTERPIECE

This is the easiest and most cost effective way to decorate your Easter table.

Decorate your Easter table with colorful blooms, candies, and bunnies (bunnies can be chocolate or stuffed animals, or a mix of both, as long as they compliment each each other), these are items you can pick up at your local grocer or drugstore. Make sure when choosing your items to choose them in assorted sizes and in complimenting colors to the flowers you will be using.

Arrange the flowers in a container that will hold the flowers and some of the smaller sized bunnies. Hide the flowers' container with moss for a fresh, Spring look and arrange the rest of the elements around it.



Photo courtesy of southernliving.com 

CREAMED VIDALIA ONIONS

Creamed Vidalia Onions (serves 6-8)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a stoveproof gratin dish over medium-high heat; add 4 pounds Vidalia onions (cut into wedges) and cook 5 minutes. Add a pinch each of nutmeg, cayenne, salt and black pepper, then add 3 tablespoons white wine and simmer 2 minutes. Whisk 1 1/4 cups half-and-half and 3 tablespoons flour; stir into the onions and bring to a boil. Mix 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 2 tablespoons chopped chives, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the onion, cover with parchment paper and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and broil until golden, 5 more minutes.

Photograph by Roland Bello ~ Recipe courtsecy of foodnetwork.com 

HERBED LEG OF LAMB WITH ROASTED TURNIPS

Herbed Leg of Lamb With Roasted Turnips (serves 8-10)

1 7-to-9-pound bone-in leg of lamb, hip bone removed, tied (ask your butcher to do this)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 lemons
3 pounds baby turnips with greens (about 8 bunches)
6 bunches scallions
1 cup fresh parsley
1 cup fresh dill
1/4 cup fresh marjoram
3 inner stalks celery, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic
6 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise and halved crosswise
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees F. Using a paring knife, make deep cuts, 2 inches apart, all over the lamb; rub with 2 tablespoons salt and several grinds of pepper. Transfer the lamb to a roasting pan, fat-side up. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon on top.

Roast the lamb until most of the fat is rendered and the skin starts to brown, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 30 to 40 minutes. Discard the fat from the pan and set the pan aside.

Meanwhile, trim the greens from the turnips; reserve the greens for Stewed Turnip Greens. Cut any large turnips in half.

Roughly chop 2 bunches scallions and transfer to a food processor. Add the parsley, dill, marjoram, celery and garlic and pulse to form a coarse paste. Holding the bone, stand the leg of lamb up and rub the paste all over it; return to the roasting pan.

Cut the remaining 4 bunches scallions into 2-inch pieces. Scatter the scallions, turnips and tomatoes around the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the juice of the remaining 2 lemons over the lamb and drizzle with the olive oil. Loosely cover with foil.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and roast the lamb 1 hour. Uncover and continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 145 degrees F for medium, 30 to 45 more minutes. Let rest 15 minutes, then slice. Serve with the vegetables and pan juices.

Photograph by Jonny Valiant ~  Recipe Courtesy of foodnetwork.com

STEWED TURNIP GREENS

Stewed Turnip Greens (serves 8)

10 Cups turnip greens
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
2 Garlic cloves
Water
Salt

Wash and dry 10 cups turnip greens. Put in a saucepan with 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves, 1/4 cup water and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until tender, about 40 minutes. Season with pepper.



Photograph by Johnny Valiant ~ Recipe courtecy of foodnetwork.com 

VIBRANT EASTER TABLE

Buy plastic eggs in as many colors as you can find and cover a straw wreath form to hang in a window or on the wall. 

Then choose napkins, dish-ware, ribbon, and other fun elements that complement the eggs' seasonal hues. 

Experiment with your inner artist and lay them out in a whimsical fashion to create each table setting. Buy flowers in the same tones and use them as a center piece. Do not worry about the flowers being perfect or specifically arranged, they will blend in perfectly with the other elements on the table. 

Have fun!!

Photo courtesy of southernliving.com 

WHEATGRASS AND FLOWERS CENTERPIECE

Wheatgrass is the easy-to-grow base of this display. Two weeks prior to your event, fill an empty plant tray with moist potting soil. Press winter wheat seeds on top in one thick layer. Cover the container with clear plastic wrap, and place it in a warm spot, such as the top of the refrigerator. After seeds sprout, remove the plastic. Place the tray in the sun, keeping soil slightly damp. The sturdy grass blades stand up straight and tall, and a thick root mass quickly forms.

Take a small container filled with warm water into the garden. Cut a few stems of the season's current offerings. We used miniature daffodils and jonquils, wild sweet Williams (Phlox divaricata), and a few late-blooming Lenten roses (Helleborus orientalis). Small flowers work best.

Assemble the cake stands. Moisten the wheatgrass, and slice the turf into pieces using a sharp knife. Lift the grass gently from the flat (a spatula helps), and fill each tier, keeping soil and roots intact. Cut daffodil stems about 3 inches long, and gently push them into the moist soil, clustering blooms for maximum effect. surround the base with small vases and bottles. Fill these containers with the remaining flowers. If you like, add small garden statuary pieces among the vases. Look for these at flea markets and antiques stores.

Courtesy of southernliving.com 

SMOKED SALMON FOR DINNER

Major foodporn for dinner, I have a very special date with my mouth!! Yumm!




For dinner this evening I indulged in beautiful smoked salmon with capers, French mustard & crème fraîche accompanied by perfectly toasted garlic sourdough bread.

This is a light and satisfying meal that is tasty and contains Salmon which is a super food rich with Omega 3′s, protein, iron, calcium and, Vitamin D and one of my personal favorites!

Yep, I loved every bite!!!

Try it at home, they sell salmon in almost every supermarket worldwide, you can use smoked salmon or lox. You can also use cream cheese or sour cream and its can be eaten breakfast through dinner!!

Enjoy!