A Little Easter Lunch Menu

Easter food traditions? Yeah, I got 'em, too. Surprisingly, none of them are from my family or Mr. Wonderful's. Not even traditional recipes. Just the same food ideas that are prepared differently every year according to my whims. This time I found one magazine article that made me think "aha, this is the menu". Southern Living Magazine won the entire spread (except for dessert, which will be explained later.) As usual, photos are from their respective websites.

Start with the usual deviled eggs and add to the menu......

Cat Cora's Feta Spread (Htipiti) as featured in Southern Living. I love to have olives and something on hand for nibbles when guests come. I'm excited to try this. Another recipe in the same article was pefect for the usual main dish...

Roast Leg of Lamb. It is the only time of year I make something like this. I'm looking forward to trying Cat's recipe. She hasn't steered me wrong so far. If you can't find lamb in your area, she suggests a Boston Pork Butt.

Lemon Roasted Potatoes. It also got an outstanding review by home cooks on Southern Living's website. Don't they look gorgeous?

Oregano Green Beans. Olive oil, garlic, parsley, lemon, and feta. Yes, please!

Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Fresh Berries from Chow.com. Pavlova is a traditional dessert for Easter in my house - a nod to Mr. Wonderful's New Zealand heritage (It is the national dessert of New Zealand). I make individual pavlovas, with a depression molded in the middle to hold the lemon curd and berries. Nice, light, and refreshing. Easy for entertaining because the merengues and the lemon curd can be made ahead.

Happy Easter!

A Little Dessert... Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes

Everyone needs a good cupcake recipe.  Cupcake shops are fun, but seriously it makes me cringe to pay that much for a cupcake when they are easily made at home. 

This is the queen of all cupcake recipes.  

Trust me, you want this in your files.  I made them for the first time last summer for my daughter’s birthday party and have not used another cupcake recipe since.  I was convinced when every single mom whose kid was invited to the party called to ask for the recipe.  

I think they look best with barely-tinted pink frosting and pastel sprinkles, although a whipped chocolate ganache is to-die-for, too.  Many thanks to the Magnolia Bakery for sharing their cupcake recipe on Food Network.

Magnolia's Vanilla Cupcakes

from Food Network

Ingredients
Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Icing: Vanilla Buttercream, recipe follows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 2 (1/2 cup-12 capacity) muffin tins with cupcake papers.

In a small bowl, combine the flours. Set aside.

In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, cream the butter until smooth. Add the sugar gradually and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts, alternating with the milk and vanilla. With each addition, beat until the ingredients are incorporated but do not over beat. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the batter in the bowl to make sure the ingredients are well blended. Carefully spoon the batter into the cupcake liners, filling them about 3/4 full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean.

Cool the cupcakes in tins for 15 minutes. Remove from the tins and cool completely on a wire rack before icing.

Vanilla Buttercream:
Magnolia Bakery notes:  The vanilla buttercream we use at the bakery is technically not a buttercream but actually an old-fashioned confectioners' sugar and butter frosting. Be sure to beat the icing for the amount of time called for in the recipe to achieve the desired creamy texture.

(My notes: I added much more powdered sugar than called for as I wanted a stiff frosting suitable for piping.)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
6 to 8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Place the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add 4 cups of the sugar and then the milk and vanilla. On the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add the remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition (about 2 minutes), until the icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. You may not need to add all of the sugar. If desired, add a few drops of food coloring and mix thoroughly. (Use and store the icing at room temperature because icing will set if chilled.) Icing can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Yield: enough for 2 dozen cupcakes or 1 (9-inch) layer cake.