Make Spring A Little Sweeter

Sweet treats kids will love using their favorite Peeps

There is no special recipe for the cake itself. You can choose to make a homemade cake or use a box mix (any flavor you want). The icing flavor is up to you as well.You will need to purchase several colors of Peeps and a bag of plain Easter M & M’s.If you do not want to use plain M & M’s, you could try Whopper’s miniature Robin Eggs candy. How easy is this showstopper dessert for your Easter meal! Or how about this Peeps creation- using your favorite cupcake recipe. 

Easter Chick Cookies made with refrigerated cookie dough. 

http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/easter-chick-sugar-cookie/

Spring Basket Cupcakes-use your favorite cupcake batter to create these cute baskets. 

Meyer Lemon Tart with Gingersnap Crust

Cook's notes: If Meyer lemons are not available substitute regular lemons. Recipe adapted from countrylivng.com April 2014 

Ingredients:

• 2 c. crushed gingersnaps
• ¼ c. dark-brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Saigon cinnamon
• 4 TB. butter
• 2 large eggs
• 3 large egg yolks
• ¼ c. granulated sugar
• ½ tsp. cornstarch
• ⅓ c. fresh Meyer lemon juice
• 3 tsp. Meyer lemon zest
• 1 vanilla bean, seed scraped and reserved
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 1 TB. confectioners' sugar
• ¼ tsp. almond extract

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a blender or food processor  combine the crushed cookies, brown sugar, cinnamon and cooled melted butter. In a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom, press the cookie mixture in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides. Bake until fragrant, 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool.
• Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees. In a medium saucepan, off the heat, whisk the eggs and yolks, granulated sugar, and cornstarch to combine. Transfer the saucepan to medium-low heat. Add the lemon juice and zest, and whisk continuously until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter pieces and scrapped vanilla seed.
• Pour the mixture into the cooled cookie shell. Transfer the tart to the oven and bake until the crust darkens slightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let the tart cool to room temperature.
• In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on high speed, whip the cream until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Add the confectioners' sugar and almond extract, and whip until the peaks are almost stiff, about 2 more minutes. Slice the tart and serve each slice with a dollop of almond whipped cream.

Lemon Tea Cakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

Cook's notes: Lemon Tea Cakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting is a spring treat worthy of any celebration.
Recipe makes 14 cupcakes and was adapted from Lunds and Byerlys Magazine
Lemon Tea Cakes
Cupcake Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 stick of softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2-3 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1-2 TB. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Cupcake Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a large bowl beat butter, sugar and lemon zest about 2 minutes. Add in eggs one at a time beating 1 minute after each addition.
• Add lemon juice and vanilla, beat 1 minute.
• With mixer on low speed, mix in half of the flour, buttermilk and then remaining flour mixture. Mix just to incorporate each addition.
• Fill each cupcake liner 3/4 full and bake 18 minutes 

Blackberry Buttercream Ingredients:
recipe from allrecipes.com

• 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 TB. softened butter
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 cup seedless pure blackberry preserves
• milk as needed

Blackberry Buttercream 

Directions:

• Mix all ingredients until smooth, adding milk by the tablespoons to get the correct consistency. Garnish each cupcake with a fresh blackberry. 

Pepper Blair has written more than twenty-six hundred poems. Although generally brief (let us call them terse or concise), the works are complete in substance and legitimate in form.

Miraculous Pebble
by Pepper Blair

This is a miraculous pebble.

I picked it up once long ago.

As soon as I did, a bright angel

Descended with wings white as snow.

As soon as I did, there came singing

From somewhere above where gulls fly.

The hour was late in the evening.

Then starlight appeared in the sky.

This is a miraculous pebble.

I picked it up once by the sea.

As shiny and smooth as a jewel, 

I carry it now faithfully.