Easter simply wouldn’t be Easter without a big brunch for the whole family! Every year for Easter, we always have our family over in the early afternoon for brunch, and to exchange Easter treats and cards. Everyone will bring an item, whether it’s a light appetizer, a savory quiche, or even a small dessert. The result is always fantastic….family, food, laughter, and the occasional story or two. We thought we’d share a few 3P Easter brunch recipes that you can add to your family’s repertoire!
One fun and kind of funky recipe we found from Taste of Home (www.tasteofhome.com) and tried a few years back was for an Easter Bunny bread recipe, with veggies and dip. We don’t bake very often, we so were REALLY happy to find a recipe that used already made-dough. The results were adorable AND delicious! It also adds a great decoration to your buffet table…which we love here at 3P!
Easter Bunny Bread! (Courtesy of Taste of Home)
24 Servings
Prep: 20 min. + rising Bake: 25 min. + cooling
Ingredients:
2 loaves (1 pound each) frozen bread dough, thawed
2 raisins
2 sliced almonds
1 egg, lightly beaten
Dip of your choice (We love Spinach & Veggie Dip!)
Directions:
Cut a fourth off of one loaf of dough; shape into a pear to form
head.
For body, flatten remaining portion into a 7-in. x 6-in. oval; place on a greased baking sheet.
Place head above body. Make narrow cuts, about 3/4 in. deep, on each side of head for whiskers.
Cut second loaf into four equal portions. For ears, shape two portions into 16-in. ropes; fold ropes in half. Arrange ears with open ends touching head. Cut a third portion of dough in half; shape each into a 3-1/2-in. oval for back paws. Cut two 1-in. slits on top edge for toes. Position on each side of body.
Divide the fourth portion of dough into three pieces. Shape two pieces into 2-1/2-in. balls for front paws; shape the remaining piece into two 1-in. balls for cheeks and one 1/2-in. ball for nose.
Place paws on each side of body; cut two 1-in. slits for toes. Place cheeks and nose on face. Add raisins for eyes and almonds for teeth.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30-45 minutes. Brush dough with egg. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until browned.
It’s adorable, and SUCH a fun time for the kids to make…definitely a great way to make new Easter memories!
What would an Easter brunch be without a Ham? A 3P time-saver…you can always find cooked hams with the glaze pre-made. We love to shop at Fresh & Easy, as they tend to have GREAT sales near the holidays on Hams. Vons also carries a pre-made red Ham Glaze that you can buy as well if you need. Check out the recipe below!
Easter Ham (With Pineapple and Cherries, of course!)
12-16 Servings
Prep: 15 min. Bake: 2 hours + standing
Ingredients
- 1 fully cooked bone-in ham (8 to 10 pounds…and we like to get them from Fresh & Easy with a pre-made glaze to keep it simple and delicious. Less stress and less mess!)
- One can Pineapple Slices
- 1 Jar Maraschino cherries
Directions
Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 325° for 1-3/4 hours. Spoon your glaze over your ham at this point.
Bake 15-30 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 140°. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
**Before arranging pineapple and cherries, be sure to dry them on a paper towel.
On your platter, arrange your ham with colorful and sweet pineapple slices, with cherries in the middle of each slice! Yield: 12-16 servings.
Another Meehan family favorite, (especially for my sister Marissa!) is my Gramma’s Hash Brown Potato Casserole! Everyone loves this dish, it’s super simple to make and you can bring it along to ANY brunch or breakfast for a guaranteed big hit.
Hash Brown Potato Casserole
Vegetable cooking spray
1 bag (30 ounces) frozen country-style hash-brown potatoes
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 container (16 ounces) sour cream
1 can (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup
1 small onion, chopped or a few scallions chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup of butter or Earth Balance
1 – 2 cups of crushed potato chips
a bit of Garlic powder to taste
Salt, and Fresh Ground black pepper to taste
How to Make It:
1 Spray a 3-quart shallow baking dish with the cooking spray. Stir the potatoes, Cheddar cheese, sour cream, soup, onion and cheese in a large bowl. Season with the black pepper. Spread the potato mixture in the baking dish. Top with crushed chips. Cover the baking dish.
2 Bake at 350°F. for 1 1/2 hours or until the potatoes are tender and the top is lightly browned.
It couldn’t be easier, the kids can have fun smashing up the chips (we used to fight over who got to do that part!)…and it’s one of those great dishes where the leftovers are even better the next day! Enjoy, and stay tuned for our next post this week for some fresh salad ideas for Easter brunch too!
Do you have any go-to brunch or breakfast recipes that you love to serve your family during holidays? Have you found any new recipes that have become tried and true family favorites? Let us know!
The easter bunny bread will be a great project to do with my grandchildren.
The hash brown casserole is for sure included in our next brunch, sounds like a winner!!!
Lots to look forward for Easter and share the Easter egg Hunt with our Grandchildren is all part of the Easter Fun!!
Hugs. Tania