Easter..Ideas for dinner,Easter basket "goodies" and FUN...

Easter at FarmFunnies

(recipies and ideas below story/thots)

I love celebrating everything...

When our children were little , I made it a practice to look for ways to celebrate life..

I still do

We all remember,with fondness, our  very merry unbirthday parties....

None of us know the days we as individuals have  left, to yet celebrate,

nor are we "privy" with  that info about our  loved ones.

be they two footed,four footed or like my beloved (albeit expired)  koi.."no" footed ...

That is why I seek every opportunity to enjoy what we have,while we can...

I encourage you to do the same..each breath ,truly is a blessing...

Today...

What can you do NOW ?

It is NEVER to late to do something,no matter how small..

I enjoy following through on promptings,I am often the one most blessed..

Right now..who comes to mind?

The neighbor across the hall? Your dog snuggled by the fire,like my Kate?

ahhh she is also now  warmed by a loving tummy rub....

****reach out in someway****

I personally believe in prayer and viola' prayers can  always be available to share..

I am 'giving" one to each person reading this post...may you be encouraged,right now, in doing well.

So now it's time to make the rubber meet the road...

AHEM

Below are some of my Easter ideas..past, present and future....

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(one little side p.s. .. if you like my ideas,or others blogs/sites  that you visit,

if I/they share something  and you like what is offered,

remember them &  return ,to purchase/follow from  us.

many people nowdays are

working  to make some additional income online, 

 they often give incredible value ,sharing things, with you

...some  do so with the hopes you either follow them,or become involved

with things they support..

so please, check out their sites and side areas..

I do

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MEAL Time:      

Personally, I love lamb and would only serve lamb for Easter..

  However,amidst "anti" lamb  protests &and bring home the 'bacon clamoring ", I ---endulge our   family. .

( I find it somewhat humorous, of all the critters we have shared our lives with over the years

farmfunnies pop has planted a firm NO foot against swine "pets'

personally I think a little teacup porker would be just "swill" :-)

however... it is the meat of his  choice? go figure,

so farmfunnies mom "packs" home the bacon ...amidst 'squeals  of delight!

Perhaps when farmfunnies mom gets "old" and set in her ways... lamb will "rule" :-)

until then here ,is our typical Easter menu

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Ham (pagan) unless I prepare a turkey ham :-)...

 peas&and potatoes in a cream sauce

fresh spring asparagus, 

green salad,,with  chopped nuts, sliced strawberries ,grated cheddar ; sour cream dressing.

green jello   ,  veggie relish and dips.

Better than Robert Redford ? Lemon lush creamcheese  dreamcake.

Lamb cake...(yep ..I bake one in our "heirloom" lamb cake pan,cocount fleece and all)..kids love this..

and YES..I make horizantal cuts to layer and "fill" it first...

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(recipie for my cream cheese dreamcake....) 

crust: 1 cup flour,1cube of butter softened,1/2cup of toasted nuts..chpd

mix together pat in 9x13 pan. bake 375o 15 min cool

blend 1 cup whipped cream(or cool whip) 8oz soft creamcheese,1cup pwd sug(or splenda)

spread on cooled crust

blend 2 3oz pkts of instant lemon pudding (or choc) 3 3/4 cups milk spread over whpd cream

spread additional whipped cream over the top sprinkle with nuts chill....YUMMM...

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dinner started,table set..

.Now for  some "fun"

(in real time ) this is premeditated fun...perhaps weeks in advance)

EVERYONE has  rather large baskets ,saved year to year. TRADITION...

when all could afford the extra calories... I use to  make a huge solid choc bunnies for them,

now I find a very large hollow bunny,in a box..to make the basket look LOADED..

I arrange the basket "treasures" around this

THEN  I encase the entire basket inside one of those clear gift bags

(2 for $1 at the $1 store)

AND

I hide the baskets

THEN I give each basket "hunter" a treasure map complete with a homemade rhyming clues

 one well remembered "stumper" clue

find clue # 7 where Alice stores her "treasure"...

hmm the clue was where we had a hidden key...no one connected the "dots" sigh...

weather permitting the basket hunt can be over an acre of trails...

hmm one would think after such  a robust hunt they may be hungry enough to eat lamb?

THINK again..NOT,

lamb & fish seem to go together for  this "clans" uncultured  palates.

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Basket "saver" ideas..

akka how to fill many baskets w/o breaking the bank!

I use this same "system" to  make large goodie trays for over 25 people at farmfunnies "pop's work

Brownies...they can fill up a rather large area and make a substantial "base"

that everyone love..akka no leftovers...

(muffins or cupcakes , also work well for my  tray of plenty "ploy")

I don't put the  squishy items  in kid  baskets however.. for adult baskets this would work ok

more super "fluffers"rice crispies marshmallow treats,these can be wrapped

(with plenty of chow hounds, akka fourfooted basket looters...everything has to be individually wrapped)

poptart pkts,individual cereal boxes, fruit leather rolls, fruit "gummy pkts

I wish our "clan" loved nuts, these would be good fillers,and good for you)

some jelly beans,peeps or whatever each placed inside plastic eggs to "hide"

(akka... no unfound eggs, to later  spoil in the yard, if some "hound" hasn't found it, either)

It is fun to insert  a lollipop stick into a snickers bar, add a dab of royal icing

and "glue" on one of those little sugar decorations(found in cake decorating supply stores)

or your own piped flower ,etc.

 wrap  the bar with clear plastic ,securing it with a  pretty a ribbon

decorated cookies or even store bought  cookies "jazzed" up can help fill a basket

ohhh, how about  fig newtons dipped in melted  vanilla chocolate& sprinkled with pastel sprinkles.

how about strawberries dipped in chocolate?

although most strawberries you find now. taste like cardboard in my opinion.

(to jazz up a treat ,dip "it"  in melted  white or dk chocolate..

sprinkle  with cake deco , while  it is still gooey,etc..

just get DOWN and let yourself be creative.

have a cookie deco &  exchange with  your neigbors

ready set  GO-O

hey while you are at it ,think about taking  a tray of goodies to a senior center,the armory or ?

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p.s. p.s. the photo above...

this was a handcrafted item donated to a fundraiser raffel, for habitat

the "chocolate" bunnie is a $1 store plastic item

the flowers,& plastic eggs,also came from the $1 store

the nest is handcrafted  by ...TaDa... moi

the eggs are handmade using  fimo clay ,baked and painted by ..again by ...moi :-)

...