Easter Gathering Dessert - Need Ideas, Suggestion, and Support.

Berry Trifle!

I like to make the soft lady finger style cookie base. I actually use Madelines, but that requires a Madeline pan...don't want to send you on a wild goose chase for one, so I recommend a basic sponge cake (mini ones will work better). Use www.foodnetwork.com to look up vanilla sponge cake recipes (should find several simple ones) You need a trifle dish (easy to find at Target or BB and Beyond) Looks like a bowl on a pedestal, typically about $10-20

Fill the bottom of the trifle dish with the sponge, the add fresh blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, then add cool whip, then add white chocolate or vanilla instant pudding (pre made and chilled), then repeat the layering process to the top, top with more berries and graham cracker crumbles (I usually use almonds, but since they are out)

This is SOOOO easy and it's fresh and pretty and elegant and it tastes wonderful and is actually a lot more healthy than a big cake or pastry. You can get fancy and soak the sponge in reduced lemongrass and raspberry, but just the basic thing is impressive enough. It will all kind of goosh together, but you want that, as long as the top looks pretty with berries and crumbles.

Good luck!

I thought this looked gorgeous and really neat. Let us know what you end up bringing!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Prosecco-and...

Fruit tarts are super simple to make but yummy and impressive looking. You could do one large one or small individual ones....I've even seen fruit tart cookies.

You could do something simple like a Angel Food Cake and cut up Strawberries and serve with Cool Whip. You can buy the cake mix in a box and it's soooo simple to make (you do need an Angel Food Cake Pan & water!!). If you by Lite or Fat Free Cool Whip, it's a low calorie treat too. Cake looks nice on a platter and the sides are simple to transport and put out. You could even pre-slice the cake....get creative and use easter cookie cutters. Once you slice a piece, use the cookie cutter to make it into a bunny, carrot or flower for serving. You will have some waste, but it will be CUTE!

I don't have the recipe on me, but what about a really good homemade carrot cake? If you put little icing carrots on top it 100% goes with the bunny theme part of Easter, and if you have a good recipe, it is seriously an amazing dessert. Just drop the nuts from it and you are good to go!

What about robins nests? I remember someone making them when I was in preschool (yes, when I was in PRESCHOOL). Get those crunchy asian noodles that you'd put on salad, and then melt chocolate and powdered sugar (I'm guessing here), coat the noodles, and you form them into little birds nests. When they dry, add some m&m's or those mini cadbury eggs (with the candy shell) and there you go :) I've seen pictures of them and they're actually very 'spring' appropriate due to the pastel colors of the candys. You could probably google a more exact recipe :)

A traditional Italian Easter dessert is "Easter Pie." It is Italian cheesecake made with Ricotta. Incredibly yummy. You shoudl be able to find lots of recipes online if you google Italian cheesecake or ricotta pie. It is also deceptively simple to make unlike real cheesecake :)

i love this dessert my great aunt used to make.
heavenly hash
1 bag mini marshmallows
green grapes halved
1 pint heavy whipping cream (or cool whip)
2 boxes lemon pudding
1 large can crushed or chunk pineapple
1 tsp vanilla
make pudding following directions on box. once cold, mix grapes, pineapples, and marshmallows into the pudding. mix cream and vanilla until it looks like coolwhip. spoon in and mix with other ingredients.

there is also monkey bread
4 cans small biscuits
1.5 tbsp cinamon
1/2 c butter
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar, packed

cut biscuits into 4's. mix sugar & cinamon. add biscuits and cat. put in bundt pan

bring brown sugar and butter to a boil. pour over biscuits.

set oven to 350 and bake for 35-40 mins

I just printed this one out to try this weekend for the church Easter egg hunt.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/fudgy-truffle-eggs/15...

I like to bring Paula Dean's Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding to functions. It is easy and is made with Pepperidge Farms chessmen cookies. The cookies make perfect portions when it's sliced/scooped out.
If you want something chocolate, the cake recipe on the back of Hershey's cocoa is so easy and wonderful. I make it in a bundt pan and add about 3 or 4 minutes to the cooking time. Just test with a toothpick.

I make Oreo ball candies usually around Xmas. But these would be a great
Idea for Easter too. Just add food colorIng to the melted white chocolate to make pretty pink,blue, yellow, and green balls.

Ingredients:
Bag of Oreos
1 package of cream cheese
Meltable candy chocolate (baking aisle)
Wax paper

Grind up Oreos in food processor until it is a dirt texture. Mix in cream cheese well until it has a dark brown wet dough texture.
Roll tiny balls up and place on wax paper. Place in freezer to harden.
Melt chocolate down ( I either use fondue or use boiling water underneath to melt as direct heat tends to burn chocolate) I use the white chocolate or brown, but for Easter try white with the food coloring for festive look. Dip frozen balls in chocolate then pull out. Tap excess chocolate off and place back on wax paper to dry. These make the tumblers candies people literally go nuts over. I put them in tins and give out at Xmas. U can get fancy and put sprinkles on it or leave plain. Ribbon a darker chocolate on top. Get creative! No refrigerating is necessary but heat may make them melt slightly. Great finger food dessert.

I know you'll get some wonderful recipes from the moms on this site. The only thing that I wanted to pass along was the suggestion to NOT plan on baking at her home. We have lots of family and friends over to our house for holidays, football games, etc., etc. and when I've shared with someone to bring something it is rare that they will bring a dish that needs to still be put together or baked at the house, but when it does happen, it is not convenient. It requires that the oven be used again (which might or might not be available depending on what the hostess is cooking at that time) and if the oven is cool, I've planned it that way so the kitchen is nice and comfortable. Most of the time when someone brings something that isn't fully prepared, they aren't accustomed to hostessing gatherings and don't realize that it isn't as easy as it seems. To be polite and respectful of the hostess, it needs to come through the door ready to serve. If you have to bake it that morning and want it to stay warm, there are lots of products that keep food warm while your transporting it. My SIL bakes a dish and drives 30-40 minutes to our house and it is still hot when she takes it out of a carrying/dish holder used for this purpose.

I have been making an Easter bunny cake for many years. You make two 8 inch rounds from a cake mix. One of the rounds is the face. The second round you cut into the ears and bow tie. Then you put then on a large tray, frost and make the eyes whiskers etc with jelly beans, licorice or anything else you want. It is always a hit.