That’s the question I was asked at Easter dinner-by a nine year old of course. So I replied, “Well, today is Easter, and this is your dinner!” Needless to say, she understood that part, but she was really asking me if what was in front of her was a “traditional” Easter meal. I said, “Oh, right. No. It’s not. Ham is traditional on Easter, at least in my family. This is definitely not ham.” That seemed to satisfy her. I can’t tell you why I didn’t do a traditional dinner for this holiday, I guess my only explanation is I wasn’t in the mood. That is not to say, however, that my meal wasn’t fan-spankin-tastic. All I know is it should definitely go on the roster for traditional Easter meals. I know, I know. What was on the menu… Right? I’ll give it to you. Only after you look at this adorable picture of the little chicks that were hidden around the house for the little girl to find, instead of eggs. She’s sooo over eggs that these were just the trick- and super cute to boot! Plus, easier to hide but harder to find… perfect.
Ok, you looked, you gave the obligatory “awe!” Now on to the menu!
We started off with a baby arugula salad complete with melon, red onion, and bits of bacon (hey, I managed to get something from the ham family in here, right?). Top that off with raspberry vinaigrette, and voila! The peppery arugula combined nicely with the sweet melon, which met it’s match at the cruncy salty bacon. All of it with the delicious red onion playing prominent role as the spicy one.
Slicing up a delicious cantaloupe
Arugula Salad
Follow the crispy, cold, and springy salad with the ever fantastic, drumroll please, are you ready for it…. chocolate and brie panini. Despite the fact that both of my people came in to the kitchen, at different times, and asked, “isn’t that a weird combination? Will that taste good?” (Genes drive me crazy, nothing like living with two people who share too many of them and ask all the same questions, i.e. “can I have some of the cookie dough?”) Regardless of these silly questions, the panini were devoured. So much so, as I regret to inform you, there are no photos. I was too busy scooping warm melted chocolate and cheese into my mouth with delicious crusty toasted bread. Not only was I covered in chocolate and not going to touch my camera, but I literally refused to put the sandwich down long enough to get a picture. So for now this part will be in your imagination, until you take my very strong hint and go make it yourself. Like ASAP people. I’m not kidding.
Finally, as IF we really NEEDED dessert, and thankfully, because we’d been up to our elbows in chocolate, I present to you rasperry glazed marscapone cupcakes. (If you haven’t already guessed, YES this is a Giada recipe. This whole dinner is from her cookbook! Isn’t she fantastic?! I know, the marscapone always gives her away!). I’m also pleased to announce that these cupcakes will now be featured in the dictionary next to the definition for “Light and Fluffy.” Yup, it’s true. That’s because they are quintessentially just that. Not to mention, they are really easy. They are right after the salad on the easy scale for this meal. I should also tell you that I started the cupcakes at 5:30pm, and I had cooked and we had eaten our entire meal, including the cupcakes, by 7:00pm. Super easy and fast. Loved it! So, next time you’re just not feeling ham for Easter, or want something different for any meal, try these babies out. So good!
Marscapone cupcakes before getting all dolled up in their raspberry tops
One beautiful dolled up, glazed cupcake, missing a bite of course!
Trust me, get a glass before diving in. You'll need it!
They're just so pretty, aren't they? I couldn't resist giving you one more shot of these pretty ladies!
Arugula and Cantaloupe Salad
Combine some washed baby arugula with some cubed cantaloupe, thinly sliced red onion, and some crumbled bacon pieces. Toss with raspberry vinaigrette. Serve immediately. Choose the ratios of ingredients to your liking. I always hate it when the toppings overwhelm the lettuce, so if you want more onion and less bacon, please, be my guest. I put in about a 2/3 bag of baby arugula, a quarter of a red onion, half a cantaloupe, and four slices of bacon crumbled.
Chocolate Brie Panini
No, I do not have a panini press, and you don’t have to either. I used a grill pan, but any griddle or frying pan will do. Brush slices of bread (I sliced my own off a beautiful loaf of Italian bread made by the fabulous bakers at Whole Foods, but use sourdough or Italian bread, whatever you like that is firm and will hold up to the toppings. I don’t think regular sandwich bread would do the job). Brush both sides of the bread with extra virgin olive oil, and toast them in the pan or panini press, just until they start to get golden brown. Then, add some sliced brie cheese and chocolate chips, and top with another piece of toasted bread. Continue to grill for a few more minutes, until the cheese and chocolate are melted nicely. Slice in half with a sharp knife. Serve immediately. And yes, this is a delicious combination. Both Giada and I think so… and if you can’t believe us, who can you believe?? ;)
Raspberry Glazed Marscapone Cupcakes
8 oz Marscapone Cheese
2 egg whites
1/4 cup canola oil
1 box white cake mix
2 1/4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/3 cup frozen raspberries, thawed and drained
Preheat oven to 350ºF, Line cupcake tins (mini or regular) with paper liners (the cuter, the better). I made about 16 cupcakes, Giada wrote that she made 48 mini cupcakes.
In a large bowl, combine room temperature marscapone cheese, egg whites, and canola oil. Mix with hand mixer or stand mixer until combined and creamy. Add the cake mix and 1 cup water and mix until smooth, about 3 minutes. Fill the muffin liners until to just below the rim, and bake until puffed and golden, 18 minutes for minis, 23 minutes for full-size cupcakes. Transfer cupcakes to a cooling rack. Do not glaze them until they are totally cool, which only took about 20-30 minutes for me.
Purée the raspberries in a blender or food processor. Combine the confectioner’s sugar with the raspberries, and whisk until smooth. Dip the top of the cupcakes into the glaze, then let them sit to firm up before serving. I ended up with thicker glaze because I used raspberries instead of strawberries, which she called for, and didn’t reduce the powdered sugar. I added some milk back in to thin it out a little. However, I reduced the amount of powdered sugar in my recipe, so it should work out for you. Always keep adding either liquid or sugar, depending on the consistency, in VERY TINY amounts until you get it right. It would be a good idea to reserve some of the raspberry juice from thawing them for this purpose.