Easter Table

It's all about presentation! I found this great bunny napkin tutorial at Martha Stewart.com. For your centerpiece, put pretty eggs (dyed, or plastic) in a clear vase with a couple of votive candles and it will look amazing! Or, buy a bunch of tulips at the grocery store and put in a pretty vase. The best part is, most of this stuff everyone has on hand so you won't have to go out and buy anything.

Now you have everything you need to host a beautiful Easter meal.

Easter Dessert

Stephmodo has done it again! The moment I saw this recipe for Coconut Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting on her blog, I knew I had to test it out. It turned out so good, and I think it would be a wonderful Easter dessert. You definitely need to use Martha's Cake Frosting Tips to ensure your cake turns out pretty. Stephmodo adds Lemon Curd to this classic cake, unfortunately I didn't have time to test it out, but after trying the cake, the moisteness of the curd would compliment the cake really well. Serve slightly chilled for best results.

If anyone wants some cake come on over, I've got plenty left!

Enjoy!

Easter Dinner

Husband made dinner last night. It turned out fabulous! He can make dinner for me anytime.

This recipe can definitely be tweaked. For instance, we didn't have any cherries, so we used Craisens, instead of shallots use whatever onion you have in the fridge, and we ommitted the apple. So it's whatever works for you and your pantry! And it's also fairly healthy (i.e. we omitted the butter as well!)

Pork Chops with Cherry Apple Reduction Sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 pork chops, medium thickness

1 shallot, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

1 Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored and diced

3 tablespoons white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 pound cherries, pitted and diced

2 tablespoons butter

1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.

2. Season pork chops with salt and pepper to taste. Add to the pan and brown on both sides; remove and keep warm.

3. In the same pan, saute shallots and garlic until soft, about 2 minutes. Add apples and wine; saute for 1 minute.

4. Add chicken stock, mustard, diced cherries and pork to the pan, simmer over medium heat until the cherries are soft and the pork is cooked all the way through.

5. Remove pork and stir butter into the sauce.

6. To serve, drizzle sauce over pork chops.

Makes 4 servings

This would make a wonderful Easter meal, just add mashed potatoes, and asparagus with hollandaise sauce.

Enjoy!