Easter

Hatching Devilled Eggs

By in Appetizers, Easter, GF Sides 7 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

hatching devilled eggs

I’ve got one more quick bite to share with you in case you’re looking for a last minute idea to round out your Easter menu. Devilled eggs are just one of those things that coincides with Easter. All those colourful Easter eggs need to be put to good use! I decided to dress them up for Easter by slicing off the tops and giving them jagged edges to look like a hatching chick. It’s very easy to do but you do need to be gentle as the egg whites are quite fragile. So don’t try to do anything too fancy! I think it’s such a cute presentation and makes a classic just a little more special. Follow the how-to below with your favourite devilled egg recipe or use my lightened up version below.

I hope you all have a fantastic long weekend! Happy Easter!

hatching eggs how to

How to Make Hatching Devilled Eggs

If needed, cut a small slice off of the bottom of the hard boiled egg so that it will stand up straight. Turn it on it’s side and slice off the top portion of the egg. Using a small spoon, gently loosen and remove the egg yolk from both portions of the egg white. Reserve the egg yolks for the filling. With a sharp knife, carefully cut jagged edges into the top and bottom halves of the egg whites. Don’t make the cuts too deep or it will weaken the structure and the egg whites may not hold together when the filling is added. Once all the egg whites are ready, mash the filling in a medium-sized resealable bag until smooth. Snip of the end of the bag and pipe into the bottom halves of the egg whites, cover with egg white tops. Serve immediately or refrigerate until serving.

Lightened Up Devilled Eggs

  • 12 hard boiled eggs, shells removed
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2-3 tablespoon fresh chives, minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

Slice eggs in half, remove yolks. Place yolks and remaining ingredients into a medium-sized resealable bag. Seal it up and mash the mixture in your hands until smooth (this part is fun for kids!). Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Snip off the end of the bag and pipe the filling into the egg whites. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to one day ahead.

Filling adapted from Food.com

Mini Dutch Baby Berry Baskets

By in Breakfast, Easter 5 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

mini dutch babies

Easter is almost upon us! It’s one of my favourite holidays, not only because of what it signifies but because it kicks off all things spring! All those baby chicks, pastel colours, baskets full of flowers and berries. It’s a bright spot at the end of a long winter.

If you’re throwing an Easter brunch, it doesn’t have to be stressful. Recipes like this mean you won’t be waking up in the wee hours of the morning to start prepping breakfast. It comes together in a flash and is almost completely hands off, meaning you’ve got a lot more time to work on other things. Or, just visit. :)

I think these mini dutch babies are just so darn cute. They’re little pancake baskets filled with a dollop of whipped cream (or dairy-free whipped cream) and sprinkling of fresh berries. The dutch babies are eggy like a crepe and the whipped cream and berries are the perfect light accompaniment. My kids could not get enough. They would have eaten the whole batch themselves if I had let them. No joke.

This is what they look like when they’re coming out of the oven. Do not panic! The centers will sink and they’ll make very cute little baskets. Promise. As per usual, I love that they’re not perfect and each has it’s own unique personality – that means it’s the real deal!

Mini Dutch Baby Berry Baskets

  • 1 cup milk
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • whipped cream (or dairy-free whipped cream), berries and maple syrup, to serve

Place milk, eggs, flour, salt and vanilla in a blender. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides to make sure all the flour is incorporated. Remove the fill cap and, with the processor running, slowly stream in the melted butter. Process until fully incorporated and mixture is smooth.

Grease one and a half regular-sized muffin tins (about 16 muffins cups), coating well with butter or oil of choice. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into each cup. Bake at 400ºF for 15-18 minutes until puffy and golden. Serve warm filled with whipped cream and berries, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

Makes: 14-16 servings

Adapted from Real Mom Kitchen.

 

Baked Doughnuts – Three Ways

By in Easter, Pastries, Sweets 6 Comments

baked doughnuts

It’s been a while since I made doughnuts, 2.5 years in fact. When Max sampled one of these he asked me “are doughnuts healthy, Mommy?” I told him no, he looked sad and said “aww, why not?” I wish they were too Sonny! He knows if they’re not healthy that means they will be very few and far between. But they’re definitely worth the wait.

If you’ve been around here long enough you know that I loathe deep frying. Pretty much everything about it. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some delicious homemade doughnuts once in a (too long) while!

These doughnuts are soft and tender and taste just like a doughnut should. Obviously it won’t have a deep fried taste, but they are so delicious my family did not miss that fact one bit!

I decided to make a sampler so everyone could choose their favourite topping. Each glaze recipe makes a small amount. If you’ll be serving them all straight away you can make all three kinds at once. But, if you won’t be eating them within the first couple of hours, you can pop the unglazed doughnuts in the freezer. Then you can just take out as many as you want, pick which topping you fancy at the moment, make it and dip away.

I think these would make a fantastic Easter treat. Dress them up with a couple berries to make them just a little more classy and they’ll be fit for any Easter spread.

Oh yeah, I forgot the best part. You don’t need a doughnut mould to make these. Just a rolling pin and round cutters. I’ve even used the top of jars or cups to make my doughnut shapes in a pinch.

baked doughnuts 66

Baked Doughnuts

  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup whole milk, warm (115ºF)
  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2.5-3.5 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup butter, cut into 1 inch cubes

Place egg and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Add milk, yeast, and vanilla. Allow yeast to proof a bit, then turn mixer to low and stir until incorperated. Add salt and 2 cups flour (1/2 cup at a time), beat until dough is thick and smooth. Add the butter, once piece at a time, beating until no large chunks of butter are visible. Switch to a dough hook and beat in just enough additional flour until the dough starts to clean the side of the boil and is tacky but not overly sticky. Allow to beat for another couple minutes until the dough is smooth. Place the dough in a large greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). (I like to turn on my oven for one minute and then shut it off. I put the dough in the oven with the oven light on and shut the door. This keeps it nice and warm and helps it rise faster.)

Punch down the dough and roll it out about 1/2 inch thick. With a doughnut or cookie cutter, cut out 3 inch diameter rounds with 1 inch diameter holes. Transfer the doughnuts to a parchment lined baking sheet, at least 1 inch apart. Gather remaining dough scraps into a ball, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. Reroll the dough and cut out more doughnuts, placing them on a prepared baking sheet. Any dough that’s left can be made into doughnut holes. Cover the doughnuts loosely with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until nearly doubled in size (20-30 minutes).

Bake at 400ºF for 5-8 minutes, until the doughnuts are a light golden brown, taking care not to overbake them. Glaze while warm or let cool and freeze.

Makes approximately: 14 doughnuts + doughnut holes

chocolate glaze

Chocolate Glaze

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon light corn syrup
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 20 grams dark chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup icing (confectioners) sugar

Place butter, vanilla, corn syrup and milk in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir until melted. Turn heat to low and add chocolate, stir until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in icing sugar until smooth. Dip tops of doughnuts into chocolate glaze. Place chocolate side up to set.

vanilla cream glaze

Creamy Vanilla Glaze

This glaze stays creamy after glazing and will not set hard. This is my hubby’s all-time favourite topping.

  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup icing (confectioners) sugar

Place milk, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Boil one minute. Remove from heat and whisk in icing sugar until smooth. Dip doughnuts into glaze, covering all sides.

cinnamon sugar

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pour butter into a small plate. Mix together sugar and cinnamon in another small plate. Coat doughnuts in butter then in cinnamon sugar mixture.

Doughnut recipe adapted from Honey & Jam, originally from Doughnuts. Chocolate Glaze adapted from How Sweet It Is, originally from Alton Brown.

Quick Ham & Cheddar Quiche

By in Breakfast, Easter, Main Dish, Pork 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , ,

quick quiche

I don’t know what’s with me lately but I feel totally uninspired in the kitchen. I’ve been making a few delicious things here and there that I’ve been excited about (and have shared with you) but to be honest, our dinner-times have been seriously lacking in the exciting department. Whether I’m meal planning or trying to decide what to make last-minute, my brain is just not co-operating and I’m in a dinner-time funk.

I think part of my problem is that I’ve been feeling this self-imposed pressure to make more complicated dishes. I see all of these inspiring people, with kids, making fabulous involved meals day in and day out and I felt like I needed to step up to the plate. But, after a few attempts at more complicated recipes that ended in failure I was brought down a bit and feeling a little like a farce.

Then I was reminded of something I’ve known for a long time – I just need to be myself and not try to live up to other people’s expectations. I’m not a multi-tasker. Making a complicated and involved meal while my kids run around my feet, means that either the kids will destroy the house, that dinner will be a flop or that I’ll be so stressed out by the end of it all that I’m sitting on the edge of insanity. Or, all of the above. That’s why I like to keep dinner-time simple. Why did I forget this?! Simple = delicious in this house.

Now that I’m embracing this fact once again, I’m hoping the mojo finds it way back soon. Hello, Quick Ham and Cheddar Quiche, I’ve missed your simplicity.

P.S. It probably goes without saying but I’m going to say it anyways, this is the perfect way to use up that Easter ham!

Quick Ham and Cheddar Quiche

This can also be made in a 9-inch pie plate but you will need to increase the baking time.

Filling
  • 1 cup chopped ham
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1.5 cups milk (I like to use whole milk for this)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Add the ham and green onions to a small pre-heated skillet with a bit of oil. Cook until the ham crisps up a bit and the onions are softened. Sprinkle evenly over prepared crust.

Whisk together eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour over ham and green onions. Top with cheese.

Bake at 400ºF for 30 minutes or until set in the centre. Let cool 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

No-Roll Pie Crust
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons milk

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a 9×13 baking pan. Stir in oil and milk until evenly combined. Crumble over the bottom of the pan and press down to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Fill and bake as directed above.

Serves: 6

No Roll Pie Crust adapted from all recipes. Filling adapted from Tartelette.

Blueberry Streusel Scones with Sweet Lemon Butter

By in Breakfast, Condiments, Easter 4 Comments Tags: , , , , ,

blueberry streusel scones

Blueberries and lemon are such a natural pairing. And, when you fold them into flour and butter – divine. If I were going to throw an Easter brunch these would definitely be on the menu. Putting streusel topping on scones is such a brilliant idea and the lemon butter is so good I could almost eat it with a spoon. That’s saying a lot because I’m not the type of person to slather butter on things.

I know blueberries aren’t really in season right now but they were on sale and so delicious I couldn’t pass them up. If you don’t have access to fresh blueberries I’m sure you can use frozen. I use frozen blueberries often in my blueberry sour cream muffins and they turn out great every time. You’ll want to put them in frozen and work fast. If the blueberries thaw while you’re still working with the dough, the juices from the thawing berries will turn the dough an unattractive grey colour.

Scones are best served warm so you don’t want to bake them too far ahead of time. If you want to make them ahead you can get them ready for the oven and then freeze them, completely prepared on the baking sheet. Bake from frozen, adding a few minutes to the baking time.

Happy Easter everyone!

Blueberry Streusel Scones with Sweet Lemon Butter

Blueberry Scones

Refrigerate the dough any time it has to sit and wait – this will make sure the butter stays nice and cold.

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1.5 teaspoons vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl. Using a cheese grater, grate half the butter into the flour mixture. Toss with fingers, to coat, then grate in remaining butter. Toss with fingers until evenly combined. Toss in blueberries.

Mix together egg, milk and vanilla. Gently stir it into flour mixture, with a fork, just until everything is moistened. Turn it out onto a well floured surface. Knead 5-6 times or until everything incorporates together. Making sure there’s a good layer of flour underneath so that the dough doesn’t stick to the surface, shape the dough into a rough ball and flatten it into a disk (I made mine about 7 inches). Brush the top of the dough with a bit of milk; sprinkle streusel topping over all. Cut the dough in 8 pieces, forming 8 triangles. Transfer pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400º for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon butter, if desired.

Streusel Topping
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch salt
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Mix together ingredients until well combined.

Lemon Butter

You can use fresh homemade butter for this recipe, if desired.

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup icing (confectioners) sugar

Beat together all ingredients until well combined. Serve immediately or make ahead and refrigerate.

If making ahead, remove from fridge 1 hour before serving to soften.

Makes: 8 scones, 1/2 cup butter

Scone recipe adapted from Running with the Devil(ed) Eggs via Tasty Kitchen Blog.

Asparagus with Easy Hollandaise Sauce

By in Easter, GF Sides, Gluten Free, Sides 6 Comments Tags: , , , ,

asparagus with easy hollandaise

Anytime I’m making a ham or turkey dinner I try to have as many sides as possible that do not take up residence in the oven. In the past, my oven was barely large enough to fit a whole turkey or ham, never mind sides. Asparagus season is in full swing so it seems like the perfect accompaniment to Easter dinner. Here I’ve dressed it up a bit with a quick and easy hollandaise sauce.

I have to be completely honest, I’ve never tried a true hollandaise sauce before. Crazy, I know. So, I can’t really comment on how this compares to the original but, from what I’ve read, this method of making hollandaise, although less traditional, is just as delicious. It may be slightly less luxurious, as most “easy” recipes are, but the end result is a tangy and silky sauce that’s quick to prepare and is pretty much fool-proof.

I used my food processor because my blender broke last week, but I noticed that quite a bit of egg yolk got stuck to the bottom so I don’t think my sauce got quite as thick as it could have. My advice would definitely be to use a handheld or regular blender to get the best results.

Unlike a more tradition hollandaise you don’t cook the egg yolks before adding the butter in this recipe, but there’s no need to worry, the heat of the butter should cook the egg yolks. If you’re still nervous about it feel free to use pasteurized eggs.

Asparagus with Easy Hollandaise Sauce

  • 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon warm water
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter

Steam or boil asparagus until crisp tender. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile make hollandaise: Blend egg yolks, water, lemon juice and salt in a blender until frothy. Melt butter in a small saucepan until bubbly; do not brown. With the blender running, gradually drizzle in hot butter. Blend until mixture is thickened and emulsified.

Plate asparagus and top with hollandaise.

Serves: 6

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

1 2 3