Easter and Spring Recipes

Easter and Spring Recipes 

By Clara McGarvey, Harper Lile, and Caden Green, 8th-graders

Recipes 

• Carrot cake 
• Flower brownies 
• Rice crispy treat bird nests 
• Lavender lemonade 
• Bunny punch 
• Cucumber mint mocktail 
• Glazed carrots 
• Crispy potato stacks 
• Ham sliders 
• Chick deviled eggs 
• Bunny veggie tray 
• Bunny bait 

Easter and spring is the perfect time to make delectable bites and drinks. The ingredients are fresh and the right time to enjoy them with your family. These recipes are fit for a spring picnic, Easter brunch or even for lunch after church

Drinks: 

Cucumber lime mint mocktail:

Having a rough spring day? Step away from the stress, and make your favorite simple recipe, cucumber lime mint mocktail. This recipe is non-alcoholic and only requires four ingredients. 

Ingredients:

•  Optional sweetener (honey, sugar, ect)
• 2 medium large cucumber’s
• 4 large sprigs of mint leaves 
• Juice from 4 limes
• Optional: sparkling water (for more of a carbonated taste)

Step by step instructions:

1. Peel cucumber and scoop out seeds.  
2. Juice the limes and set lime aside in a different bowl
3. Wash mint leaves, remove from stem
4. In a blender combine lime juice, mint and cucumbers
5. Blend on a high level until fully combined 
6. For a fancy look add sea salt on the rim of the glass
7. Enjoy!!!

Bunny Punch 

Looking for a family and friend pleasing drink for easter brunch? Look no further, bunny punches a delicious, festive drink and is sure to be a hit at a spring themed party!

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ cups of lemon lime soda
• 2 cups Uncle Matts Organic Orange Light*
• 1 ½ cups of of organic carrot juice
• 1 bottle of sparkling wine or club soda
• 1 organic orange (sliced)
• 1 organic lemon (sliced) 
• 1 organic lime (sliced) 
• 3-4 scoops of organic sherbert

* Uncle Matt’s Organic Orange Light is a calorie and sugar reduced orange juice, this is a healthier option and brings out the taste of the bunny punch

Step by Step Instructions: 

1. Combine the lemon lime soda, orange juice, carrot juice, and sparkling water into a large punch bowl
2. Add slices of lemons, oranges and limes on top
3. Place 3-4 scoops of sherbert on top, serve immediately so the sherbert won’t melt  

Lavender Lemonade: 

Lavender Lemonade is a refreshing, floral and balanced drink to make all summer and spring long.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings):

• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 5 cups water (sparkling or still)
• ½ cup lavender simple syrup (either store bought or homemade)

Instructions:

1. In a large pitcher, combine the lemon juice, water and lavender simple syrup.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Taste, and add additional simple syrup, if desired.
4. Serve over ice with lemon rounds and fresh lavender as a garnish. Enjoy!

Entree

Cheesy ham sliders are the way to go if you’re looking for something easier and smaller than a whole ham. They still gave you the honey ham flavor you want 

paired with sweet buns, cheese and everything you love about a good sandwich. Perfect for making big batches for a family Easter gathering or packing them to go for a park picnic. 

Ingredients 

• 12 slices Honey ham 
• 12 slices Swiss cheese 
• 1 package Hawaiian rolls 
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon poppy seeds 

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350. 
2. Melt your butter 
3. Add the worcestershire, onion powder, salt and dijon mustard to the butter
4. Cut the Hawaiian rolls horizontally, without separating the rolls themselves. Then place in a baking dish
5. Arrange the cheese and ham on the buns
6. Brush the butter mixture over the top of the buns and sprinkle the poppy seeds on top of the buns
7. Cover the dish with tin foil
8. Bake for roughly 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted
9. Uncover and bake for another 7 to 8 minutes 

Snacks

Crispy Potato Stacks 

Crispy potato stacks are delicious, crispy of course, a fan favorite and paired with a delicious creamy herb butter. They will pair perfectly with ham soldiers and work great for a spring or Easter Celebration. It’s a new and inventive take on the old time favorite potatoes. 

Ingredients 

• 3 lb yukon gold potatoes 
• Cooking spray or oil
• Parmesan cheese 
• Fresh thyme 

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 375 
2. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin 
3. Prepare the butter mixture by melting the butter, then adding the parsley, thyme salt and pepper and mixing. 
4. Slice the potatoes VERY THIN, skin on, (a mandolin would be very helpful)
5. Toss the potatoes in a mixing bowl with the butter mixture.
6. Begin stacking the potatoes in the muffin cups, adding a piece of thyme and parmesan flakes every 4 slices. 
7. Cover with tin foil and cook for 25 minutes
8.  Increase heat to 425 and cook without foil for 13-15 minutes. 
9. After, ensure the edges are crispy and the tops are golden brown. 
10. I  recommend serving with ranch or whipped butter. Enjoy! 

Glazed carrots

A delicious and easy way to prepare carrots, a signature spring ingredient. Carrots are afterall, bunnies’ favorite foods. 

Ingredients 

• Carrots 
• Brown sugar 
• Honey 
• Olive oil 
• Salt 
• Pepper 

Instructions 

• Start by prepping your carrots, peeling and slicing. 
• Prepare a pot with water and bring to a boil. 
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
• Once water is boiling, drop carrots into a pot and cook until they are tender and you can stick a fork in them. 
• Place carrots in a mixing bowl and toss together with honey, olive, salt, pepper and brown sugar. 
• Then place carrots on a parchment paper  baking sheet and sprinkle a touch more brown sugar, salt and pepper on top. 
• Bake for 10 minutes or until the brown sugar is camelized and the carrots are crispy. (The carrots are already cooked through, this is just to get them crispy, don’t over cook them!) 
• Enjoy!

Bunny veggie tray:

Ingredients;

• Ritz Crackers or Pretzels
• Red Peppers 
• Black Olives
• Celery
• Cucumber Slices
• Broccoli 
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Vegetable Dip 

Instructions:

1. Start by adding the creamy dip to a bowl and place it in the middle of your tray.
2. Add bunny ears by laying two lines of ritz crackers next to each other and ending with one at the top to look like an ear.
3. Slice your red pepper thin and place them in the center of the crackers to look like the inside of the bunny’s ears.
4. To make the bunny’s eyes, use two olive circles. We use black olives, but you can also use kalamata olives.
5. Cut olives into small pieces to make the bunny smile.
6. Add thin celery whiskers and a cherry tomato nose (Cutting it in half is recommended)
7. Then just fill the tray with your favorite veggies

Chick deviled eggs: 

This is an easy spin on an old time classic, deviled eggs. 

Ingredients

• Ingredients to your favorite deviled egg recipe
• Ingredient for the chick eyes, either peppercorn, caper or olive
• Ingredients for chick beak, either carrot or orange bell pepper

Instructions 

1. Assemble the deviled eggs according to your favorite recipe
2. Cut the carrot or bell pepper into small triangles, resembling the nose 
3. Place two of the circular black items on the filling like eyes
4. Place an orange triangle underneath the eyes, resembling a beak
5. Enjoy!

Sweets: 

Brownie flowers:

These brownies are a rich flavorful chocolate. These Ghirardelli brownies are sure to be a hit in your house, an easy recipe to make with kids, grandparents, cousins and friends! 

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 egg
• Double chocolate Ghirardelli brownie mix
• M&M´s (pastel colors are preferable) 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325’F
2. Place water, egg, and vegetable oil into bowl, mix thoroughly 
3. Add in brownie mix to stirred water, egg, and vegetable oil
4. Spray brownie dish with cooking spray
5. Place brownie mix into dish
6. Bake brownies for 40 minutes
7. After brownies are baked place MnM´s in a circle (all of the same color) then add a different color MnM to create a flower shape
8. Enjoy!

Bunny bait:

Bunny Bait is the sweetest spring snack, no baking needed! 

Ingredients: 

• Corn or Rice Chex cereal
• Mini pretzels
• Cap’n Crunch cereal
• Honey Nut Cheerios
• M&M’s: Pastel is recommended for Spring!
• White chocolate chips
• Vegetable oil

Instructions/Tips: 

1. Use a big bowl. A larger bowl makes mixing the chocolate faster and easier.
2. Melt chocolate carefully. Microwave slowly, stirring well every 20–25 seconds.
3. Mix quickly. White chocolate hardens fast, so toss it with the snack mix right away.
4. Try extras. Stick to recipe amounts, but feel free to swap in popcorn or nuts. Add fun Spring sprinkles before the chocolate sets.
5. Chill to save time. Put the Bunny Bait in the fridge for 10–20 minutes, then break it apart into small pieces.