English Pea Salad and Early Easter

A wonderful Good Friday to everyone today.  I hope this day and Easter weekend finds you full of Blessings.

As our girls are out of town this week, we celebrated Easter early and had our traditional dinner last weekend together.  I actually started celebrating about a month ago.  As soon as February was over, I began the Spring table decorating.   I love the thought of Spring and bringing in something old (a family decoration) and purchasing something new for the table to mix the two.

This year I decided we needed new Spring placemats and napkins (on sale of course).  I mixed them with the turquoise chargers I purchased for our Thanksgiving table and brought out my favorite bunny plates.  When I was expecting our girls 17 years ago, I took a ceramic painting class and made two of these bunny plates...where has the time gone?  I made one for each girl, so they could carry on the family special plates and have their own heirloom.

Our finished table with other heirlooms included candy dishes from my mother-in-law and feathered wreath as a centerpiece along with bunny and duck taper candle holders from my mom.

We use to hide these plastic eggs for the girls during their morning Easter egg hunt when they were toddlers. Now they fill my new hurricanes on the dining table...such special memories of those Easter mornings.

Our dinner also included some old and new recipes.  I made my stand by Corn Souffle along with the favorite Sweet Dreams Jello and Pretzel salad.  I also tried a new side dish...English Pea Salad.  It went together so quickly and had incredible flavor for something so simple.

English Pea Salad

1 (20 or 24 ounce) package frozen baby peas
1 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Best Foods Olive Oil Mayonnaise
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. Lawry's Season Salt

Thaw bag of peas in refrigerator.

In a medium bowl, whisk mayonnaise, sugar, ground mustard and salt.  Add peas, celery, eggs, green onions and cheese.  Stir well to incorporate.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

One Year Ago: Pear Salad
Two Years Ago: Spaghetti Squash

May you have a Happy and Blessed Easter!

Bunny Bark and Blizzards

So there are snow days...and then there are SNOW DAYS!  Yesterday was sunny and 70 degrees and a beautiful sunset evening.  Mother Nature came in full force overnight and we woke up to over a foot of snow and blizzard wind conditions.  Looks like my patio and fire pit time is going to have to wait awhile.

Needless to say the girls were overjoyed when they found out school was cancelled.  My husband and I looked at the driveway, the road in front of our house and then at each other...looks like work is cancelled today too.  There was no way we were getting out today.

Well, driving to work that is.  Bless his heart, he was working with shovels, brooms and snow blowers trying to tackle the what was then 2 feet of snow compiled.

My job was to deal with two restless Labradors and two bored teenagers, while catching up on laundry and Blue Bloods...oh and listening to my husband upset that golf season won't start until June now...oh, please no!!  Please do not make me listen to that until June!!!

My poor new "Spring" wreath has seen better days.  It got pelted with wind and snow today...just can't get a break here!  I have also seen better days...no shower for this girl today (don't judge).  It is very rare that I get to have a "sea day"...or snow day as the case may be.  My family is lucky that I even got out of my pajamas today...at 2pm!!

Since I had the afternoon to get caught up on new recipes and baking, I played with a spring version of my Holly Jolly Bark that I made at Christmas.

The bark matched a precious tiered dessert platter my mom gave me perfectly.

Scrumptious little snack portions for those long snowy days.

Bunny Bark

7 full size graham crackers, broke in pieces (or 14 vanilla Oreo cookies)
1-1/2 cups pretzel sticks, broke in pieces
1 cup Easter/Spring pastel colored M&M's candies
1 pound vanilla flavored quick melting chocolate
pastel colored sprinkles

Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Lay out the broken graham crackers, pretzels and M&M's.

Melt the white chocolate bark according to package directions.  Pour melted chocolate over crackers, pretzels and candies.  Use an offset spatula to spread chocolate evenly and add the pastel sprinkles over chocolate.

Let set in refrigerator for one hour, so chocolate can set.  Cut into bite size pieces and package in Easter baskets.  (Use any leftover scraps from the sides as topping for ice cream -Yummy!!)

This is what transpires with bored teens at home...bunny bombed!!

One Year Ago: Pear Salad
Two Years Ago: Honey Ham Biscuit Sliders