10 Easy Easter Recipes

Easter is tomorrow! Yippee! I love Easter. It's always such a happy, joyful morning for religious reasons of course but also because it feels like the official 'Welcome Spring' day. When I was a kid, my mom dressed my sister and me in frilly pastel dresses, white lacy gloves and girly hats. Her Southern soul just needed her girls to be dressed to the nines on such an important holiday and, truthfully, I loved it.

I may not wear those things these days (I might get some strange looks if I did) but I do try to make some special dishes to help celebrate Easter with my family. Are you having trouble completing your Easter menu? Not to worry! I've collected 10 of my favorite easy Easter recipes from Set the Table and around the web to help you out!

1. Bourbon Thyme (with Meyer Lemonade) from Set the Table

It's Bourbon Thyme! | Set the Table

2. Japanese Bloody Mary from Set the Table

Japanese Bloody Mary | Set the Table

3. Herb Lemonade Station from HonestlyYUM

(PHOTO CREDIT: HonestlyYUM)

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4. Roasted Carrot Soup with Greek Yogurt from Set the Table

Silky Carrot Soup with Tillamook Farmstyle Greek Yogurt | Set the Table

5. Miso Deviled Eggs from Set the Table

Miso Deviled Eggs | Set the Table

6. Lamb Bolognese from HonestlyYUM

(PHOTO CREDIT: HonestlyYUM)

Bucatini-lamb-bolognese

7. Ham & Sausage Hashbrown Egg Bake from Pinch of Yum

(PHOTO CREDIT: Lindsay from Pinch of Yum)

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8. Magic Custard Cake from White on Rice Couple

(PHOTO CREDIT: Todd & Diane from White on Rice Couple)

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9. No Rise Cinnamon Rolls from Set the Table

No Rise Cinnamon Rolls

10. Lavender Latte from Turntable Kitchen

(PHOTO CREDIT: Turntable Kitchen)

I think serving coffee or tea at the end of a nice meal is a requirement. It provides time for everyone to relax and linger at the table just a little longer, talking about life and how full your tummy is and what you enjoyed the most about the meal. There is nothing like those last, sweet moments around the table reflecting on the time spent with those you love. This lavender latte is the perfect way to close a fabulous meal.

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Cocktail Friday: Spiced Rum & Cranberry Old Fashioned

It snowed here yesterday. It wasn't the big wet flakes I expected; instead, we experienced a pretty, delicate snowfall thanks to chilly temperatures that made me feel like I was home in Minnesota. My heart was happy watching the flakes float slowly through the air, turning the ground a soft white. Finally, after feeling like I would never get into the spirit of the season, the snow brought what my soul needed. Riley

Also, it made me realize that some people just shouldn't drive when it's snowing because they forget how. That's all I'll say on that subject except for BE CAREFUL OUT THERE!

With the white snow and cloudy skies, it seems like the perfect excuse to make a brilliantly colored and flavorful cocktail. This Spiced Rum & Cranberry Old Fashioned uses a little bit of the syrup from my homemade cranberry sauce. The spicy ginger, warm cloves, bright citrus and tangy cranberries are the perfect mate for spiced rum. You may be wondering what on EARTH rum is doing in an Old Fashioned. You're right- it isn't traditional. But the formula for an Old Fashioned is this: spirit + bitters + sugar + water. That's it. Makes you want to play around a little, doesn't it?

When I make an Old Fashioned, I let the ice act as the water. It melts a little as you stir it with the spirit, bitters and sugar, which is really all you need. If you want more water, go ahead and add it.

This is a great cocktail for Thanksgiving because it incorporates a lot of the flavors from other dishes; using aromatics like rosemary, cloves or cinnamon with your turkey? Serving my homemade cranberry sauce? Putting a cinnamon and brown sugar topping over your sweet potatoes? This cocktail is the perfect precursor to all of that and more. It's equally as delicious on any old day when you are feeling thankful for a quiet evening at home with family and friends.

This cocktail recipe concludes my week of cranberries! Stay tuned next week for a fantastically easy apple dessert and a delicious leftover turkey recipe!

Spiced Rum & Cranberry Old Fashioned

Ingredients

• 1 ounce cranberry syrup from [this recipe: http://rachaelwhite.me/homemade-cranberry-sauce/]
• 1 1/2 ounces spiced rum
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 5 dashes bitters
• 1 strip of orange zest for garnish
• 1 rosemary sprig for garnish
• 2 or 3 fresh (or frozen) cranberries for garnish.

Instructions

1. Combine the cranberry syrup, spiced rum, brown sugar and bitters in a cocktail shaker. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add ice and stir for about 30 seconds. Pour the cocktail through a strainer into a cocktail glass filled with ice. Serve garnished with the orange zest, cranberries and rosemary sprig.