Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Easter recipes, crafts, inspiration and more

Welcome to the Old Fashioned Living Newsletter

We hope you are enjoying the Old Fashioned Living newsletter! Easter is this coming Sunday, so we wanted to make sure to share some Easter recipes, crafts, tips, and menu ideas. We welcome your feedback and comments, so please feel free to add your two cents at the end of this newsletter by clicking on the word "comment".

In This Issue

Quotations: Easter Quotations for Inspiration
Crafter's Attic: Doily  Baskets
Holiday Kitchen: Light & Festive Easter Dinner
Kids: Silly Easter Bonnets
Kitchen: Aunt Grace's Easter Cake


QUOTATIONS
Easter Quotations for Inspiration

"Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness."

~ Floyd W. Tomkins

Do you have any wonderful Easter quotes? Send them to us to add to this piece!

Too see more inspirational quotes, please visit Easter Quotations for Inspiration on OFL.




CRAFTER'S ATTIC
Doily Baskets

This makes an adorable basket for placing your decorated Easter eggs, candy or as an Easter Basket for children.

Below are the supplies you will need, please visit OFL for the instructions!

Supplies Needed:

Doilies (cotton or other material)
Fabric Stiffener
Plastic wrap
Bowls, varying sizes for molds
Ribbon

To get the instructions for this craft, click here.




HOLIDAY KITCHEN
Light & Festive Easter Dinner

Traditional dinners at the holidays are wonderful, but sometimes it's nice to change the menu and surprise your guests with something festive and light. Fresh and dried herbs add an elegant touch to the following menu that is just perfect for Easter Dinner. Be sure to bring out the nice dishes and a spring tablecloth for the occasion. A simple centerpiece of daisies and daffodils will add that extra touch to cheer your guests.

Shopping List:

3-4 pound pork roast
dried rosemary
dried thyme
black peppercorns
fresh or frozen corn
garlic
olive oil
scallions
8 oz. sour cream
2 lbs. potatoes
Parmesan Cheese
Pineapple Cake Mix
orange gelatin
2- 8 ounce packages of cream cheese
whipping cream
1 can (11 ounces) Mandarin orange segments
one orange

Herbed Pork Roast

3-4 pound boneless pork roast
2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 tsp. dried rosemary
2 tsp. dried thyme

Peppercorns need to be crushed using a grinder, or by simply crushing on a cutting board with a heavy pan. Combine pepper with the herbs. Coat the outside of the roast with herb mixture by rubbing it into the meat.

Place the roast in a shallow pan in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours or until temperature reaches 155 degrees on a meat thermometer when it is inserted into the roast. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Note: You may also use a combination beef/pork roast. Serves 6.


Mediterranean Style Corn

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 cups fresh or frozen corn
1/2 tsp. fresh thyme or rosemary
pepper and salt to taste

Combine oil and garlic in a small skillet. Heat over low heat just until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the corn and stir to blend and heat through, about 1 minute. Add thyme or rosemary and pepper to taste. Serve at once. Serves 6.


Garlic and Cheese Mashed Potatoes

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds potatoes; peeled, cubed and cooked
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

In large saucepan melt butter or margarine. Add scallions and garlic; cook until tender. Add hot cooked potatoes, sour cream, milk and cheese. Mash until smooth and well blended. Serve. Garnish with chopped chives if desired. Serves 6.


Orange Cheesecake

Crust:
1 package Pineapple Cake Mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Filling:
1 4 serving package orange gelatin
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp. grated orange peel
2 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1 can (11 ounces) Mandarin orange segments, drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust, combine cake mix and melted butter in large bowl. Mix at low speed until crumbs form. Lightly press into 9 inch springform pan so crust is 1 inch up the sides. Smooth remaining crumbs on the bottom of pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool. For filling, dissolve gelatin in boiling water in small saucepan. Add orange peel. Refrigerate until thickened. Beat cream cheese until smooth in large bowl. Gradually beat in thickened gelatin. Beat whipping cream until stiff in large bowl. Fold into orange cream cheese mixture. Pour into cooled crust. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. Drop teaspoonfuls of sour cream around edge of cheesecake. Garnish with drained orange segments.




KIDS
Silly Easter Bonnets

This is a darling and inexpensive craft that kids can make while you are busy preparing dinner or entertaining family.

You will need:

one Styrofoam plate
one Styrofoam bowl
glue
hole punch
ribbon
various supplies: paint, glitter, streamers, pompom, silk flowers etc.

Staple the bowl to the center of the plate and carefully cut out the middle underneath the bowl-where top of head will fit. Paint the entire "hat" one color or sponge paint many pastel colors.

Be creative! Glue little pom-poms (you can buy a bag of premade colors) all along the rim. Use streamers to hang from the back for girls, or glue artificial daisies around the hat. The sillier you want it to be, the more you should decorate!

To tie on the hats, punch one hole on each side of the hat and tie a piece of ribbon to each (8-10 inches or so) and tie under their chin in a bow. (do not knot, so it unties easily).




KITCHEN
Guest Recipe: Aunt Grace's Easter Cake

One of our readers, Michele Taskin writes: "This cake from my Great Aunt Grace in Aberdeen, SD is traditionally served on Easter Sunday - it is absolutely yummy!"

Custard Cake

Cake:
8 egg whites
1/2 t cream of tartar
4 egg yolks
1 1/4 sugar
1 cup cake flour
1/4 t salt

Custard:
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 envelope Knox gelatin
4 T milk
1 pint whipped cream

Beat 8 egg whites until foamy. Add 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar. Beat like angel food. Add 4 egg yolks. Beat until lemon colored. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar gradually. Then fold in 1 cup cake flour and 1/4 tsp salt. Line cake pan with waxed paper. Bake 30 min. @ 350. When cool, split cake and frost with 1/2 the filling. Place top layer on and frost with rest of custard - sprinkle generously with coconut.

Custard filling:

2 1/2 cup milk. Heat, then add 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup flour(mixed together). Dissolve 1 envelope Knox gelatin in 3 or 4 T milk. Add to above. Cool and add 1 pint of whipped cream and 1 tsp vanilla.


See our Easter section for several other recipes and craft ideas.

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Please visit www.oldfashionedliving.com for all sorts of great tea recipes, crafts, gardening advice, home & hearth and plenty more! Our site has been recently redesigned, so if you have trouble finding anything or just have a comment, please click comments below and leave us a shout! :)

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