All Those Easter Leftovers

 The day after Easter means ones thing -- leftovers. what do you do with all that ham, lambs and sides? What about that extra candy and sweets? Get creative ? THere's a ton of new recipes you can try with all that food.

Ham can be turned into tasty hot Croque Monsiurs or a cold, refreshing salad. For the French classic, you can cut the ham extra thick for a heartier sandwich.It would also go well in a grilled cheese too.As for a ham salad, prepare it like you would  a tuna salad. Add mayo along with chopped celery and onions. For added flavor serve on Hawaiian rolls. Their sweetness will offset the ham's saltiness. You can also turn it into a main meal by combining it with rotelli or elbow macaroni. Add peas, chopped carrots and broccoli florets to round it out. As for the dressing you can stick with just mayonnaise or create an Italian dressing to pour over it. What to do with that leftover lamb? Shepherd's pie is a nice way of repurposing it. You can even use those leftover mashed potatoes as the crust. Fill it with chopped carrots and onions along with celery and thyme. A lamb curry is also a great recipe for what's left of that roast leg. It's a great time to experiment that garam masala and curry powder. Serve with warmed naan and yogurt for a different spin on dinner.

You probably also have all that leftover candy too. it may sound strange but you can add chopped jelly beans to a cookie recipe. You could also incorporate them into a fudge if you like a super sweet bite. What about those other super sweet Easter treats - Peeps. A really neat idea is Peeps popcorn balls. This is melting down those chicks and adding plain salted popcorn. To make them even more fun, put  a lollipop stick in them and have a new kind of treat. What about Peeps s'mores? Use that leftover chocolate along with the Peeps on a skewer(think rotisserie Peeps, heated to gooiness over a stove top. Serve on either plain or chocolate Graham crackers. You could also heat just the bottoms and place on cupcakes for a different kind of topping. if those bunnies and eggs  haven't been completely devoured, break them into little bits and serve over anything and everything. They're fun mixed in with hot oatmeal or cold cereal. A layer of them is an extra kick in an ice cream parfait or sundae.

Those holiday leftovers can be repurposed into new and exciting meals and desserts. it's a fun way to reuse them and enjoy them a second time.  Try them  to still celebrate the holiday in a new way.

A Happy Easter

 A happy Easter full of happiness and sweet treats. Enjoy the foods of the season ,from ham to asparagus.

Nibble those bunny ears, munch on those Peeps and chew on some jelly beans, including the black ones!!!

Easter Monday Picnics

The Easter weekend is a great time to get together with family and friends.There's church  services, egg hunts, fun dinners and wonderful desserts. Europeans extend the holiday to Monday where it'sa time to enjoy family and friends on the first outing of the season.

If you and your family or friends are lucky to have Monday off, then take advantage of the weather. Even if it's a rainy or snowy day, have a lunch together with the leftovers from Easter Sunday. Nothing beats ham sandwiches and they can either be thick slices of it , carved from the holiday roast or made into deviled ham. This last is easy . Take about two cups of coarsely chopped ham, along with  about three tablespoons of mayo and put into a food processor. Pulse until smooth You can add Dijon  mustard or celery seeds for some kick. Some add a drop of maple syrup for sweetness but it's really not necessary . Homemade deviled ham tastes best on a crunchy baguette. but can also be good on whole wheat bread too. Use up any potato salad leftover that went with the ham and throw in some pickles or gherkins,If you've had a snowy or rainy holiday, then use the holiday ham to make a hot and satisfying hot pea soup. The ham bone will definitely add to the flavor

Any extra hard boiled eggs can be made into a tasty egg salad. Add some tarragon for more flavor and color.. You could also just bring the eggs and then peel and salt them when you're hungry. If you didn't cook for Easter , then think about buying an already roasted chicken . It can be sliced and eaten as or made into sandwiches. Buy some potato or macaroni salad too for a more substantial lunch. An Easter Monday picnic is also a good time to sneak some fruit into the diet after a weekend of candy and cake. A nice apple or pear  along with grapes is a refreshing change from all those jelly beans and Peeps. You can also bring granola or Kind bars if you're planning on hiking or playing ball.


Extend the holiday weekend if you can. Turn Easter Monday into a picnic day, full of fun and food. Spend it with friends and family

Healthy Easter Treats

Easter is coming and that means a sugar high that will last the month of April. Yet is there such a thing as healthy Easter treats? Yes but there's some work involved.Are they worth it? If it is a fairly healthy then the answer is yes.

Peeps abound right now,The seductively cute chicks and bunnies beckon us to take a bite. Yet they're full of sugar and artificial coloring, not a good thing for raising an all natural kid.However there is a bright spot. Peeps can be made at home.What you will need is honey, unflavored gelatin, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. For the colors get India Tree Natural Dyes. This is a great company specializing in chemical free spices and decorating ingredients . Use their dyes or pretty sanding sugars which can be bought at La Cuisine or Amazon along with Chef Shop and Far Away Stores..The recipe can be tricky because home chefs will be working with a 270 degree F syrup that has to be beaten with the gelatin. Cookie cutters can be used to make the chicky and bunny shapes.If you are adept at decorating you can make the chicks using a piping bag and different tips.

Chocolate is an Easter must. Everyone loves filled eggs and chocolate lollipops. Instead of coconut  and marshmallow eggs, think about chocolate dipped fruit. Use strawberries, bananas and even grapes.You can also make different kinds of chocolate treats using  70 to 80 per cent dark chocolate .If you still crave coconut , think about making nests. This is a simple haystack recipe, toasted flaked coconut melted with dark chocolate. Instead of the usual mound, flatten with an oiled spoon with a deeper indentation in the middle. You can even fill them with all natural (yes all natural) home made jelly beans. It involves more gelatin however you can add all natural juices such  as lemon and orange to flavor them. To make them healthy use Stevia , an all natural sweetener along with the dyes from India Tree.There is one caveat, Creating  them is labor intensive and you do need jelly bean molds which can be bought , again, at Amazon.Have an assistant to help out especially with filling the molds.

Yes, you can have healthy all natural treats. They may be extra worth but the results re well worth it, Having kids eating chemical homemade, and best of all, less sugary, Peeps, chocolates, and jelly beans

Recycling And RevampingThose Easter Sweets Part Two

What happens when you have more leftover chocolate eggs and Peeps than you know what to do with? What about those holiday breads and cakes? There are some great ways to remake Easter treats into fantastic everyday desserts.It's easy and a fun way to make the holiday last.

A lot of us  overbuy when it comes to Easter treats. Let's face it, who can resist those cute milk and dark chocolate bunnies along with those bags of chocolate eggs. The problem is that they're always too cute and we have leftovers. We  can eat them til June or July or melt them into fun fondues or used as dips for cookies.Another neat idea is chopping them into bits and whisking them into any ice cream, especially vanilla or chocolate for a variation of straticiella, the Italian chocolate chip ice cream. They can also be put into pudding as well.You can do the same with jelly beans and vanilla ice cream too for a fun confetti colored snack.Peeps can be made as part of a marshmallow sundae or even  - horrors roasted - like any other marshmallow. Kids will love making their own "rotisserie" over the grill or stoved.

For all those leftover Easter breads there is two ways to go. They can be sliced and made into a sweet French toast or better yet a sweet and tasty bread pudding.For the French toast, think about serving the slices with a tart creme fraiche and fresh berries to cut the sweetness For the last you can also add any of the  leftover holiday brunch muffins too. You won't need any extra sugar spice or raisin because these already have sugar in them. Serve with fresh cream. .What about the remains of those bunny and egg cakes? Slice thinly and put a huge scoop of your favorite ice cream or sherbet on top.

Leftover Easter treats need not get stale. They cna be recycled into tasty and fun desserts everyone will like. It's a way of prolonging the holiday .It's also a way of enjoying the candy while it's still fresh.