Easter Brunch - Recipes and Ideas on How to Host the Perfect Easter Brunch

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Great Easter brunch recipes or menu is the one that provides people with both appetizing and sweet foods. So, if you are going to host the perfect brunch for this coming Easter, you should be able to offer variety of choices of foods that everyone will enjoy.

A dish like creamy scrambled eggs is a very special egg recipe made with cream cheese, butter, and milk. This will have a very creamy and tasty texture that is entirely different from your traditional scrambled eggs. You can also make quiche or egg-based casseroles for your brunch menu.

Another is French toast stuffed with sweetened mixture of ricotta cheese and strawberry jam and topped with deliciously fresh berries. This recipe is very easy and simple to do. You can make it as quick as 30 minutes and serve plain or with maple syrup. Either way, this recipe is very delightful.

You can also prepare a Wisconsin-brunch casserole to go with your egg dishes and French toast. This brunch casserole is made with cheddar cheese, mushrooms, and ham covered with a mouth-watering, creamy sauce. It is a good idea to prepare this recipe the night before and just bake it the next morning.

Next great menu for your Easter brunch is butter potatoes boiled in the broth of a beef and then coated with parsley and brown butter. This will give the potatoes a very unique flavor that everyone will love. You can also make Au Gratin potatoes for your side dish. It is very easy and quick to make recipe from hash brown potatoes, cheddar soup, chicken soup cream, and sour cream.

Then there are also your ham steaks or smoked ham serve with a mouth watering ham glaze made from pineapple juice, raisins, and cherries and then flavored with luscious spices such as ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and many more. A delicious crumb coffeecake menu will also make your brunch perfect. Topped with sweetened fruits, this recipe is very delicious in its own way.

For your beverages you can offer your guests tea, or coffee, or orange juice, or punch juice. This will complete your brunch. There are other Easter brunch recipes that require less preparation yet offers excellent taste of foods for your guests to enjoy. You just need to be creative with your menu or turn it to a potluck brunch for less prep yet delicious foods this coming Easter.

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Host The Perfect Easter Brunch

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This sacred and joyous holiday for Christians throughout the world celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after his death by crucifixion. For many Christians, especially those of Eastern and Orthodox faith, Easter is the most important holiday of the year, even over Christmas.

So before I give you the best tips and recipes for your perfect Easter brunch I wanted to share the history of the Easter bunny and where the idea of decorating Easter eggs came from.

It has been said that the colored eggs we decorate and hide in our Easter egg hunts came from Germany. Since the rabbits (a.k.a Easter bunny) and eggs were symbols of immortality, fertility and new life, the Germans used to leave the colored eggs in children's baskets. This custom was brought to America in the late 19th century by German immigrants.

Here are some great Easter decorating tips to get you started:

1. When you looking for Easter decorations keep in mind light pastel colors. These peaceful colors will set the mood for your party.

2. Decorate your home with pastel balloons, streamers and plastic eggs.

3. Don't forget to put out some Easter candy either in baskets or pastel color bowls for your company to snack on.

4. Make sure you tableware match in pastels.

5. Try to find some daffodils or tulips and use these as table decorations. Either tie a pastel-colored ribbon around each flower and place them on each guests plate or pot them and place down the center of each table.

6. For place cards, hard boil a bunch of eggs and decorate each one differently. Once the eggs are dry, use a permanent maker and carefully write each of your guests on a separate egg. That way you can place each egg inside a small basket and set on each plate to let your guests know where they are sitting.

Your Perfect Easter Brunch:

Traditional Easter meals can either have ham or lamb as a main dish. These days, many families favor the salty sweetness of ham. Most ham dishes served on this holiday are honey glazed with sides of candied yams, glazed veggies and potatoes.

Below I have found some great recipes that are easy to follow and absolutely perfect for your Easter brunch. And don't worry, if you are one of those families who prefer lamb over ham I have found some delicious recipes for you as well.

Let's start off with the main course:
Easter Ham

Ingredients

1-7 to 8 lb. fully cooked smoked ham shank
1 C. maple syrup
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. prepared mustard
whole cloves

Directions

Combine syrup, vinegar and mustard. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan. Pour about 1/2 C. mixture over ham and bake, uncovered, in a preheated 325 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours. Baste every 30 minutes with additional sauce. Remove ham from oven and score fat into diamond shapes. Insert a clove into each diamond. Bake ham an additional 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of meat registers 140 degrees. Let ham rest 15 minutes before carving.

Check out Recipe4Living.com for more ideas on Ham recipes for your Easter brunch. Just click on Holiday's on the left column and click on Easter.

Now for a Lamb Recipe:
Honey Glazed Lamb

Ingredients

1 C. Honey

1/2 C. Dry white wine

4 Tbs. Minced fresh mint

Salt and pepper, to taste

8 lbs. Boneless leg of lamb, (2 whole legs)

Directions

Combine honey, wine and mint; mix well. Season cut side of boned lamb with salt and pepper, then spread with honey mixture; roll and tie lamb. Brush outer surface with honey mixture. Roast on rack in shallow baking pan at 325 degrees F 1 to 1-1/2 hours or to 160 degrees F on meat thermometer for medium doneness. Baste every 15 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Check out http://www.Recipe4Living.com for more ideas on Lamb recipes for your Easter brunch. Just click on Holiday's on the left column and click on Easter.

Side dishes are a must and just as important as the main course.

Side Potatoes Dishes
Oven Roast Greek Potatoes

Ingredients

4-5 Medium Potatoes; Cubed

1 Tbs. Olive Oil

1 Tbs. Butter; Melted

1-2 Tbs. All Purpose Greek Seasoning

Dash Garlic Seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss potatoes with remaining ingredients. Bake in 9x13" casserole dish for 30-40 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden.
Yield: 4 servings

Sides Asparagus Dishes
Oven Roasted Potatoes and Asparagus

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb. red potatoes cut into chunks

2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 tsp. dried rosemary

4 tsp. dried thyme

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 bunch fresh asparagus trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large baking dish, toss the red potatoes with 1/2 the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and 1/2 the kosher salt. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Mix in the asparagus, remaining olive oil, and remaining salt. Cover, and continue cooking 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees. Remove foil, and continue cooking 5 to 10 minutes, until potatoes are lightly browned. Season with pepper to serve.

Yield: 6 Servings.

Side Glazed Carrot Dishes
Glazed Carrots

Ingredients

6 C. carrots cut into 1" diagonal slices

1/4 C. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 C. orange juice

1/4 C. butter

1 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

Cook carrots on stovetop in a small amount of salted water until tender, drain water. Combine orange juice, nutmeg, brown sugar, cornstarch, and mix until smooth. Pour over carrots and cook for several minutes until mixture thickens. Add butter and toss. Serve hot.

Bread/Rolls
Greek Easter Bread

Ingredients

1 pkg. Dry yeast

1/2 C. Warm water

1/2 C. Boiling water

1 tsp. Cinnamon

3/4 C. Sugar

3 Eggs

1/4 C. Butter; melted

1/2 C. Warm milk

1 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

5 C. Flour (all-purpose)

1 Egg yolk; beaten

Sesame seeds

5 Eggs; hard-cooked; unshelled -and dyed red

Directions

Soften yeast in warm water and set aside. Combine boiling water and cinnamon; set aside. Combine sugar and eggs; beat well. Add melted butter to egg mixture and beat again. Skim off 1/4 C. clear cinnamon water and add along with yeast and milk to egg mixture, blending well. Combine dry ingredients and add to batter; knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Shape dough to fit into 2 greased 8 in. round pans; crisscross 2 strips of dough over each loaf. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk. Brush loaves with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until brown. Push dyed eggs into bread immediately when loaves are removed from oven.

Now for the best part of the whole meal....Dessert. Have fun and create an eye popping dessert that your whole family will enjoy. Here are some different options to choose from.

Easter Angel Cake
Ingredients

1 pkg. white angel food cake mix

8 oz. frozen whipped cream topping, thawed

1 C. flaked coconut

6 drops green food color

Jelly beans

Directions

Bake and cool cake as directed on package, remove from pan. Frost with whipped topping. Combine coconut and food color until evenly tinted. Sprinkle over top of cake. Arrange jelly beans on coconut. After serving, refrigerate any remaining cake.

For more Easter side dish recipes and desserts visit http://www.Recipe4Living.com.

Have a wonderful Easter Holiday and keep your eyes open for the Easter bunny. You never know what he might leave you this year.

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Easter Brunch - The Celebration That is "Egg Cellent"

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Easter is the welcome banner of Spring. Whether you decide to have a delightful breakfast served after church services or a formal sit-down dinner with your best silverware, china, and linens, there is another option to consider. Brunch showcases an informality of morning taste treats with the sumptuous offerings of dinner. On such a special occasion such as Easter, foods are presented in silver casserole trays and the table is sparkling with daffodils and tulips, as well as baskets overflowing with creative colored eggs and bunny cookies.

As you go through your recipe files, look for some do ahead dishes that will allow you more variety at a slower pace on Easter Day. Serving a variety of hot and cold foods is sure to please the food choices of everyone who shares your Easter Brunch.

Condiments such as butter, jams and cream cheese should be chilled in their serving dishes so that the frosty goodness melts on toast, muffins and Easter breads. Peach muffins topped with brown sugar and pecans tantalize your guests from baskets set around such entrees as scrambled eggs or ham and swiss strudel. Succulent roast beef carved into thin slices will literally melt in sheer goodness or let your guests taste the traditional leg of lamb seasoned to perfection with just a hint of garlic and lemon.

Asparagus, while simple to prepare, makes brunch a true Springtime event. Glazed bacon strips are a reminder of childhood "candy" treats and tart shells brimming with the first strawberries of the season fan across a cool, creamy custard filling. Add a mint leave and you have eye appeal and taste satisfaction.

The aroma of baked ham slightly sweet with warm juices running down each slice stands next to a colorful bowl of buttered carrots with a green accent of chives, highlighting all the pastels that Easter represents. French toast sticks bring the young and young at heart together and chocolate chip coffee cake just begs for a smooth, hot and delicious cup of coffee.

Serving breakfast fare and dinner specials allows everyone to pick and choose, find new favorites and renew past memories of fantastic food, great companion-ship, and the wondrous opulent colors of Easter. Don't forget the camera for those scrapbook additions of family and celebration photos.

Enjoy Easter in all its delights with family and friends and know that all your ventures into culinary land will finish up "eggs cellent". Something to think about ©Arleen M. Kaptur February, 2009

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