Hello Everyone!

Spring is here and you can look around and see the grass is verdant green and lilacs, daffodills and roses are all blooming. My Passion Flower Vine is once again creeping with life. It's a wonderful time of the year to set the table with delicious dishes and fragrant flowers to welcome nature's loveliest season of all!

This year, I was inspired by the "Spring Cuisine" menu featured in the Spring 2006 issue of Taste of the South, one of my very favorite magazines. It virtually took all my ham ideas out of my head and made me think pink! The Pink Lemonade Spritzer is at fault as well as the pretty picture of the Creamy Strawberry Salad. And the picture of the Blue Willow's Inn Coconut Cake, oh my.....

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This year's Easter menu is definitely a Southern treat!

This is the menu:

Pink Lemonade Spritzer
Deviled Eggs
Creamy Strawberry Salad
Chicken with Rosemary-Garlic Butter
Broccoli Casserole
Peas & Carrots
Ginger-Ale Spiked Sweet Potatoes
Cheesy Smashed New Potatoes
Dinner Rolls
Blue Willow's Fresh Coconut Cake from Scratch & 7-Minute Icing

Happy Easter to all and may the Spring of new life refresh and renew you.

The Recipes:

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CREAMY STRAWBERRY SALAD
Source: The Taste of the South, Spring 2006
Yield: 8-10 servings

1 (6 oz.) pkg. strawberry flavored gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cup cold water
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen sliced strawberries, thawed
2 containers (8 oz. each) strawberry yogurt
1 (16 oz.) container nondairy whipped topping
garnish: sliced almonds, fresh strawberries & lettuce

In a medium bowl, mix together the gelatin and boiling water, stirring until completely dissolved. Add cold water. Whisk in sour cream until smooth. Stir in berries and pour into a 9x13-inch pan. Chill for 4 hours or overnight.

In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and nondairy whipped topping until well combined. Gently spread this mixture over the gelatin and chill. Garnish with almonds, fresh berries and lettuce leaves.

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PINK LEMONADE SPRITZER
Source: Taste of the South, Spring 2006
Yield: approx. 2 quarts

1 (12 oz.) can pink lemonade frozen concentrate, thawed
2 1/2 cups cold water
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 liter sparkling mineral water, chilled

In a large pitcher, mix together pink lemonade concentrate, water and almond extract. Gently add mineral water. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve chilled or over ice.

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DEVILED EGGS
Source: Cook's Country, April-May 2006
Yield: 1 dozen

6 large eggs
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. sour cream
1/2 tsp. distilled white vinegar
1/2 tsp. spicy brown mustard such as Gulden's
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. each of salt and pepper

Place eggs in a medium saucepan, cover with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove pan from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes. This method avoids the green tinge around the egg.

Meanwhile, fill medium bowl with 1 quart of water and 1 dozen ice cubes. Pour off the water from the pan and gently shake pan back and force to crack eggs. Put eggs in ice water and let cool 5 minutes.

Peel eggs and slice in half lengthwise. Transfer yolks to fine-mesh sieve and use spatula to press them through sieve and into a bowl. Add remaining ingredients mashing to get a smooth mixture.

Arrange whites on a serving platter and fill with yolk mixture. Sprinkle paprika over.

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CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY GARLIC BUTTER
Source: Taste of the South
Yield: 6-8 servings

1 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup fresh chopped rosemary
4 tsp. chopped fresh garlic
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (5-6 lb) whole roasting chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine butter, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture under skin and all over chicken. Truss chicken with butcher's twine. Place chicken breast-side up on a rack on a roasting pan.

Cover loosely with foil and bake 1 hour.
Remove foil and continue roasting, basting occasionally for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until meat thermometer inserted in thigh reaches 180 degrees F. Remove pan from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

To serve, slice chicken and pour pan juice on top.

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BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
Source: Taste of the South, Spring 2006
Yield: 8-10 servings

2 qts. water
1 tsp. salt
1 lb. fresh broccoli florets
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 (16 oz.) container sour cream
1 (10.75 oz.) can of cream of chicken soup
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 (8 oz.) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 (6 oz.) box chicken flavored stuffing mix
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a 4-qt. saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and cook 4-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked broccoli, onion, sour cream, soup, cheese, water chestnuts and pepper. Stir well.

In a small bowl, combine stuffing mix and melted butter. Add 1/3 stuffing mix to broccoli mixture. Pour into a 9x13-inch casserole dish and top with remaining stuffing mix.

Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes or until bubbly.

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CHEESY SMASHED POTATOES
Source: Taste of the South, Spring 2006
Yield: 6-8 servings

3 lbs. new potatoes, washed and quartered
1 Tbsp. salt
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Place new potatoes and salt in a 4-qt. saucepan with enough water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat, cover with lid and cook 15-20 minutes until fork tender. Drain well.

Mash potatoes with a fork or masher and add milk, cheeses and butter, combine well. Season with salt and pepper.

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GINGER-ALE SPIKED SWEET POTATOES
Source: The Great New American Writers Cookbook
Cook: John T. Edge
Yield: 4 servings

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
salt and pepper to taste
1 (12 oz.) bottle Blenheim ginger ale

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Dot the bottom of a small casserole dish or deep dish pie plate with butter. Layer the sweet potato slices so that they overlap. Sprinkle on a bit of salt and pepper. Pour the ginger ale over the top.

Bake for about 1 hour until the potatoes are browned and the sauce is caramelized. Serve hot.

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BLUE WILLOW'S FRESH COCONUT CAKE
FROM SCRATCH AND 7-MINUTE ICING
Source: Taste of the South, Spring 2006
Yield: 1 (3 or 4) layer cake

1 fresh coconut (choose one with lots of liquid)
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, beaten
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1 recipe 7-minute icing

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Pierce one eye of coconut with a sharp pointed knife. Drain liquid into a glass. Taste a small amount of liquid to be certain that coconut is fresh. Refrigerate liquid until ready to use.

Bake coconut in the shell for 6 minutes. Break it with a hammer and remove coconut meat. Using a vegetable peeler or a knife, remove brown layer from coconut. Wash and grate coconut. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 3-4 (9-inch) pans and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add beaten eggs, beating well.

In another bowl, sift all dry ingredients. Add the dry to the wet alternating with milk, beginning and ending with dry. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Mix well. Divide batter equally into prepared pans.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Let the layers cool 10 minutes in pans, invert and cool completely on racks.

Frost cake with 7-Minute Icing. Spread icing between layers and sprinkle with coconut. Spread icing on top and sides and sprinkle coconut all over.

7-MINUTE ICING
Yield: approximately 6 cups

3 egg whites
1 2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup white corn syrup
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

In the top of a double boiler over simmering water, cook egg whites, sugar, corn syrup, coconut milk, and salt for about 7 minutes.

Beat at high speed with a hand mixer. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Continue beating until it is a spreadable consistency.