Spring Brunch Menu

Happy Easter everyone!  What a day of celebration - filled with faith, family and food.  I hosted my first Easter brunch this morning.  I didn't go all crazy with ideas from Pinterest (though I really wanted to);  I kept it simple and focused on enjoying the last weekend of my Spring Break.  We served the traditional Southern Easter fare:

Glazed Ham, Sweet Potato Casserole (a treat from my childhood), Cream Cheese Danish, Bacon and Egg Cups, Deviled Eggs, Blueberry Muffins, Fresh Fruit, Shaved Pineapple Ice, and a Baptist Girl's Mimosa (orange juice and Ginger Ale).

I thought I had better add the recipes here so that I can keep up with them.  (I am forever jotting down foods to try and then losing the recipe cards somewhere in my cabinets:)

Cream Cheese Danish 

Crust: 

2 packages Crescent Rolls 

Filling: 

8 oz pkg softened cream cheese 

2 tsp sugar

Glaze: 

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar 

5 tsp milk

Lay the crescent rolls on a flat baking sheet with long sides together.  Press edges and perforations to seal.   With scissors or sharp knife, make cuts 1 1/2 inches apart on long sides of the dough.  Mix cream cheese and sugar together and spoon filling down the center of the dough.  Use a knife to spread the mixture evenly. Twisting each strip once, alternately cross strips of dough over filling.  Bake at 350 F until rolls are browned.  Mix sugar and milk for glaze.  Pour over cooked danish. 

Sweet Potato Casserole

4-5 cooked sweet potatoes
1/3 stick of butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup of milk
2 well beaten eggs
1/2 cup sugar 

Topping:
1/2 stick butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and potatoes.  Add other ingredients and blend well.  Place in a casserole dish.  For topping, mix all ingredients together until it becomes crumbly.  Sprinkle on potatoes.  Bake uncovered at 350 F for 30 minutes.

I can't remember ever going to a church social when I was little and not having sweet potato casserole.  In fact, there are 3 variations of it in our old church cookbook.  It cracked me up to see it listed under the vegetables sections.  There is so much sugar in it that it could easily be classified as a dessert:D 

Mini Bacon Egg Cups

12 slices of bacon
9 eggs
1 cup cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper

I found this recipe on Lilly's blog, Recipe by Photo, first.  She attributed it to Julia who writes Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body and shares tons of scrumptious recipes.  This was so easy and sooooo delicious!

To make:
Wrap a slice of bacon inside the cups of a muffin tin.  Whip up egg mixture and pour inside the bacon lined cups. Bake at 350 F for 30 - 35 minutes.  The eggs puffed up beautifully and the bacon flavor permeated the mixture.  It was divine.




Shaved Pineapple Ice

1 can of frozen Pineapple Juice

2 cans crushed pineapple

2 personal sized containers of peach yogurt

Mix ingredients together.  Pour evenly into 3 small plastic containers and freeze overnight.  Use an ice shaver  to slice through the frozen mixture.  I served the pineapple ice in teeny tiny trifle bowls which made for perfect portions.  

I am not a cook, but these recipes were so easy that even I could follow them successfully.  Some were prepped yesterday, but most were whipped up this morning in less than an hour.  Everything went into a 350 F oven and baked for about the same time.  Quick! No stress!  And great tasting!  I will definitely make these again.