A whole lotta Easter.

Nate and I hosted Easter brunch for his family after church this year. I love hosting. Love having family and friends crowd my tiny house. Love baking yummy things for everyone to enjoy, and sending people home with happy, full bellies. And I love setting my table pretty and having an excuse to get out my china (and glue gun).





I'm especially partial to my little place cards — I cut small styrofoam balls in half, stuck them into small terra cotta flower pots, and then covered them in reindeer moss. The cute little cards were sold as a set (Martha Stewart, my hero) and I just glued a toothpick between the pink card and its corresponding envelope. Took me all of 45 minutes to complete, and made a huge impact. The centerpiece is jelly beans around a candle. (Did you know they sell just red and pink Starburst jelly beans? Thank goodness, too, otherwise I would have been picking them out of the regular multi-flavor pack.)



My coffee cake was delicious. And so was the quiche Nate made. Since I like you, I'm going to include the recipes below. Make them.




The Easter Bunny came after church, for fear we'd never it make it to church if he came beforehand. He's thoughtful like that.

Also, newsflash: Calvin enjoys candy.







Still no smiles from Miss Audra, but didn't she look CUTE? The closeup of her shoes is for my mom. They totally made the outfit. I wish I had them in every size.






The Easter bunny had to do a mad dash in order to get all of the eggs hidden after church without being noticed. I'd say he's pretty skilled, especially given the fact that he was doing it in a dress and heels.



Love my sweet family. Now, onto the food!

The Best Quiche Ever (unofficial title)
Courtesy of: All Recipes
Serves: 8-10 (makes two)
Prep and cook time: 1.5 hours

1/2 lb thick sliced bacon
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 8 oz container sour cream
2 9 inch unbaked pie crusts
2 T olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, finely diced
2 cups finely diced smoked ham
8 oz Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream
1 T dried parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Cook spinach according to package instructions. Allow to cool, then squeeze dry. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Saute onions until soft and translucent, then stir in mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes or until soft. Stir in ham and bacon. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, combine spinach, sour cream, salt and pepper. Divide, and spread into pie crusts. Layer with bacon mixture. Mix together cheeses, and sprinkle over pies. Whisk together eggs, half-and-half and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over pies. Place pie plates on baking sheet, and bake on middle rack for 40 minutes or until the top is puffed and golden brown. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Note: If you aren't a fan of mushrooms, those are easily omitted. We make one with and one without. The one without is not for us, though, as we are mushroom enthusiasts.

Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Courtesy of: Barefoot Contessa Parties! Cookbook
Serves: 8-10
Prep and cook time: 2 hours

Cake:
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups sour cream
2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp kosher salt
3 T cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional

Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 T real maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Finish stirring with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.

For the streusel, place the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, and butter in a bowl and pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble. Mix in the walnuts, if desired. Spoon half the batter into the pan and spread it out with a knife. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup streusel. Spoon the rest of the batter in the pan, spread it out, and scatter the remaining streusel on top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. Carefully transfer the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. Whisk the confectioners' sugar and maple syrup together, adding a few drops of water if necessary, to make the glaze runny. Drizzle over the cake with a fork or spoon.

Note: I used an angel food cake pan. I wouldn't recommend a bundt pan since you serve it bottom-side-up.