Happy Easter! Wait, it can’t be Easter already can it? It was just Christmas last week. But if I think for a minute, seems to me I remember a Valentine’s day in there somewhere too. Man oh Man does time fly by!
Like many families, Easter at our house has changed quite a bit over the years. I have fond memories of Easter as a child. After church my Mom would serve up a feast to feed an army of relatives. Baked ham (all fancy with pineapple and maraschino cherries) scalloped potatoes, salad, Brussels sprouts, homemade buns, and canned creamed corn. Every holiday meal Mom would always get out the canned creamed corn. I have a very distinct memory from my childhood that involves opening a can of creamed corn with our harvest gold electric can opener!
Why the canned cream corn? My Mom grew up poor. Growing up on a farm they certainly didn’t have much, but they always had enough to eat. My Grandmother, by all accounts, was an excellent cook. She could whip up a meal even when the cupboards were seemingly bare. Trips to the grocery store, that was 25 miles away, were few and far between. When they did go it was only to buy the basics like sugar and flour, except for a holiday meal. No matter how tight the money was around Christmas and Easter and the like, Grandma always found the cash to buy canned creamed corn and ketchup. It was a treat the whole family always looked forward to as part of a special meal. Nowadays I don’t much like the taste or texture of canned creamed corn so I usually make it from scratch using frozen corn and a cream sauce.
This year Easter is going to be low key at our house. I’ll be making Easter Brunch after Church instead of Easter Dinner. We’ll still be doing the egg coloring and the big Easter egg hunt. The Easter Bunny will still leave Easter baskets laden with chocolate and other Easter goodies. And we will still have more fun than a barrel full of chocolate Easter Bunnies!
Please be sure to share your Easter memories and recipes in the comments below!
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For some yummy Easter fun we made these Easter Bunny cupcakes. Oh so easy and I had most of the ingredients already in my pantry. The decorating is simple and perfect for little hands to help.. In the past when having company for dinner I have used these cupcakes as a before dinner “craft” to keep the children busy.
12 cupcakes – Save time and use a mix. If you have some extra time be sure to use The Barefoot Contessa’s recipe for Coconut Cupcakes
Frosting. Save time and use vanilla canned frosting. If you have extra time be sure to use this George Town Cream Cheese Frosting recipe Yummy!
1 ½ cups shredded coconut
12 large marshmallows – colored if you can find them
24 mini marshmallows
Candies for eyes and nose as well as licorice or thin pretzels for whiskers.
Frost each cupcake and then dip in a bowl of shredded coconut. Cut large marshmallows on the diagonal to make ears for the bunny. If you are feeling fancy, dip the cut part (it’s sticky) of the marshmallow in colored sugar or eatable glitter to add some color to the inside of bunny’s ears. I usually attach the bunny ears to the cupcakes with toothpicks but if you are serving to young children you may want to use pretzel sticks or some other eatable way of attaching them.
Then just use the candy and mini marshmallows to make up bunny’s face. The mini marshmallows make excellent chubby bunny cheeks.
Enjoy!
Chardonnay says
April 6, 2012 at 7:28 amThese cupcakes are so cute! I used to make the bunny face using 2 round cakes and my Mom made a small bunny using one round cake. These look so much easier and just as festive!
Mo says
April 6, 2012 at 7:44 amI love your posts, Pattypie! And I LOVE the IW easter eggs!
I have a think about canned corn. I refuse to eat it. It’s grosses me out. It gives me the willys. I can only eat corn on the cob.
We are not a religious family so Easter was more about the family getting together. My grandma would make a big meal with ham, pineapple salad, baked beans, etc. The Easter Bunny would hide jelly beans all throughout the house and once all the kids were there we would race to collect them.
This Easter we are spending it with my sister and brother in law and keeping it low-key. I don’t think we are going to do a tradional meal this time. We just spent a week with my Dad and are all pretty worn out. I see a trip to the park and a BBQ happening.
I hope everyone has a great holiday!
GeeWhiz says
April 6, 2012 at 7:45 amThose are the cutest bunny cupcakes I have ever seen!
Ann@IW says
April 6, 2012 at 7:52 amSo the “good chef” gene runs in the family? It’s all beginning to make sense.
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Thanks for sharing your creamed corn story. I have to grin thinking that ketchup and creamed corn is a blessing for people, but it is. I do not thank God enough. My life is full of blessings!
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Our tradition in that we celebrate Easter vigil mass about 30 minutes away. My brother is a priest, but I rarely end up at a mass he prays unless it is for a special family event like a wedding. He prays mass everyday at a cloistered convent. In 2003, he baptized my husband there (and confirmed him, and gave him his first Holy Communion!) We have been celebrating the Easter Vigil there ever since.
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My youngest brother and his wife will host my side of the family at his home on Easter Sunday. I can’t count how many will come, but it will be a crowd. I will bring a fresh fruit salad and trays of Easter candy. I spent almost $200 on candy for the feast! (I get the good stuff.)
Rosemary says
April 6, 2012 at 7:59 amHappy Easter to All: I loved homemade creamed corn growing up. Now, I have tried several brands, but they are all too sweet. For some reason, a lot of pre-made foods that I enjoyed when I was younger now taste too sweet and artificial. I am sure that some of reason is my taste buds have changed, but I think that the products have changed also. The Easter Brunch sounds like a great idea. Our church, I am sure, as usual, on Easter, will be packed for both services. In addition to enjoying the special Easter music, I also love to see the new Easter apparel, especially on the children.
shawn says
April 6, 2012 at 8:21 amI love the cupcakes and I love the story. I will host Easter this year and I will be cooking some of our family favorites. I am off to pick up our ham. Enjoy everyone!
snickers says
April 6, 2012 at 8:49 amPattypie,
A girl after my heart,the creamed corn story brings back memories for me also. I will be using my frozen corn from last years patch. I always think of when my Grandparents worked so hard and had little too, there seemed to be a meal on the table. The highlight of the older days with Grandma, is when you stayed a few days with them, we had store bought cookies, something my own Mother never had in her cookie jar.
I am making a 3 layer carrot cake with butter cream frosting this year! The cup cakes are a cute idea! Happy Easter Everyone!
Jennie@IW says
April 6, 2012 at 5:34 pmThese cupcakes are plain adorable!
Anya@IW says
April 6, 2012 at 8:57 pmThanks Patty, for another great piece that makes me appreciate this particular holiday even more.
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As others have said, the cupcakes are beyond adorable. Ann, I’m trying to remember who you buy your “good” chocolate from? I know you have mentioned them before, but I’m forgetting the name…. See’s has the good stuff here in my neck of the woods. I spent $50 bucks there and I’m not sure I’m done. I also hit up Target. And remember – I don’t have any “kids.” Mine are young adults! (I may have bought one or two things for myself!) 🙂
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Mo, I have to agree with you about creamed corn. Never having grown up with it, it seems a little gross to me. But we have our own traditions…While I prefer ham, my daughter said she would prefer lamb this year. The only time we eat lamb is if we have it at Easter. And you know what you have to have with lamb — mint jelly! That seems so weird as I’m typing it, but it honestly is the perfect condiment to lamb.
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Happy Easter and Passover!
CJ says
April 7, 2012 at 8:42 amPattie Pie,
The creamed corn sure hit a note with me. My grandmother always made scalloped corn for every holiday. Cans of creamed corn, with some beaten eggs added, a little cream,finely ground soda crackers and baked until puffy. My mother had been a little girl during the depression and said creamed corn was a luxury too.
I still make scalloped corn for the holidays. It is a great reminder of how difficult things were for the women in our past, yet how they managed to make a holiday special.
PattyPie says
April 7, 2012 at 10:30 amCJ said….”I still make scalloped corn for the holidays. It is a great reminder of how difficult things were for the women in our past, yet how they managed to make a holiday special.”
How beautiful! That’s exactly why we have creamed corn at our holiday meals too!
Pam@IW says
April 8, 2012 at 6:41 amHappy Easter everyone! Enjoy your day.
Nikki O says
March 30, 2013 at 1:02 pmOMG that cupcake is TOO CUTE! Very nice. Thanks for sharing that. We don’t do much except have a family dinner really. No special traditions.
Happy Easter!
KRYSTAL says
March 30, 2013 at 7:02 pmyummy yum yum
Holly Uhler says
March 31, 2013 at 12:07 pmLol I’m much more interested in your heal stickers on your eggs! where can I get some!?
lisa says
March 31, 2013 at 3:11 pmThose are really cute. Makes the holiday more festive.
Pattypie says
April 3, 2013 at 8:44 amSorry no heal stickers!! It’s computer magic 😉
judy gardner says
October 31, 2013 at 3:18 pmyour cupcakes are really cute! we also have the traditional feast after church on Easter. but the egg dying is usually a few days ahead so they are good and dry to have an egg hunt on the day of Easter! by the way, my mom grew up on a farm and so did my granny. they didnt have much but living with a modest farm kept food on the table.
Heather Johnson says
March 19, 2015 at 10:32 amThese are so cute!! I will have to try and make these although something tells me they won’t look as cute as these.