Thursday, April 9, 2009

Easter Greetings...


We find ourselves in the middle of Holy Week, Passover began last evening, and this Sunday many of us will gather with friends and family for more celebration and time together. Hi, this is Jamie, and I got Easter. Easter is celebrated in my home in this neighborhood. Thanksgiving and Christmas are celebrated elsewhere, so I took over Easter years ago. It is a wonderful time to serve the foods of Spring that we love and celebrate the renewing time that it is.
We feast on the traditional offerings of ham, scallop potatoes, fresh vegetables and the like. Along with that fare, there are a few dishes saved just for the occasion of Easter.
One of those raved about essentials is Spinach Berry Salad. This is served with strawberries and toasted almonds, and I would love to share it with you.

Spinach Berry Salad
2 bags baby spinach
1-2 baskets strawberries; sliced
2 ounces sliced almonds, toasted
dressing (as follows)

In blender, combine until blended:
½ cup sugar
2 T sesame seeds
1 ½ tsp dried minced onions
1 T poppy seeds
¼ tsp paprika
¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup cider vinegar
Slowly add ½ cup vegetable oil while blending, until mixed and thickened.
Toss with spinach, berries and almonds. Serve.

There is another Easter tradition that I prepare and it’s dessert. Well, it’s one of many desserts found on the table on Sunday. This one is Berry Trifle, and oh! is it a favorite.

Berry Trifle
1 cubed cake (this can be a packaged pound cake, I usually make a sponge cake homemade.)
1 10 ounce package frozen blueberries
1 10 ounce package frozen raspberries
1 10 ounce package frozen blackberries
1 5 ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix
½ cup milk
1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
2 cups whipped cream (yes, the real thing!)
chopped almonds, optional

Mix berries together, no need to thaw yet, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine pudding mix, milk, condensed milk and 1 cup of the whipped cream, stir well.
Place half of cubed cake on bottom of large trifle bowl (any round serving bowl will work; the trifle bowl makes a great presentation).
Layer half of the berries on top of cake. Layer half of the filling on top of the berries.
Repeat all layers with rest of ingredients.
Sprinkle top of last filling layer with chopped almonds.
If you prepare this dish about an hour before dinner, the berries will thaw in the bowl, and juices will run beautifully down the side.
Enjoy!




And a beautiful Easter celebration to you and yours.

3 comments:

Trish said...

You must have been reading my mind!! I was looking for a salad that was a little different, and this is it!! Thanks for sharing--it sounds delish...

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Easter my friend!! Hugs to you!

Mary - said...

thank you so much for sharing these recipes - they both look delish & i was just trying to figure out what dish to take to the lake this weekend for easter... yummy!! :) hugs, m-

Colleen said...

oh yummy
thanks for sharing these!

happy easter sweetness