Happy Easter!

Note:  I'm having some camera issues.  If anyone knows why my pictures all have black stripes going across them (especially when I maximize picture size) please tell me!  Does this mean (gasp!) that I need a new camera?  Anyway, don't adjust your screen, the funky pictures are my fault.

Happy Easter!

We've been enjoying a very nice day, today.  The weather at our house is gorgeous!  The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and my children wore shorts outside when we had our egg hunt.  We called our families in Utah to see what they were doing today.....and found out that they had too much snow outside to be able to have an outdoor egg hunt.  Too bad for them!

After the children found their Easter baskets this morning, we hosted an Easter morning brunch for the members of our choir.  (I'm the choir director for our congregation.)  This year, Easter Sunday coincides with our church's semi-annual conference.  (A.K.A. General Conference.)  We participate in Conference via live broadcast, so we don't have a regular congregational meeting, this Sunday.  (Which means we can watch at home in our jammies, if we want!!!!  Spiritual feasting in comfort.....could it get any better than that?)  All that information is so that I can explain that I thought I'd tempt the choir members to come to a practice at our house by offering food, since we'll be singing next week.

(Did you really need to know all that?  Probably not.  But it will be fun to show you some of the yummy food we ate at our first annual Easter Choir Brunch, anyway.)

Mmm.  Bacon Chive and Cheese Stuffed Croissants, Birthday Breakfast Casserole, and fresh fruit.  I'll post a couple of recipes at the end of this post.

After brunch, we had an egg hunt.  The Easter Bunny thought he was being pretty tricky, but he was no match for the kids at our house.  They found all those eggs in no time.  Do you think if I hid candy inside their shoes, they could find those quickly when I ask them to? Between sessions of Conference, we dyed our eggs.  I LOVED that we could go outside for this activity.  LOVED it.  If our Midwestern weather weren't so unpredictable, I'd happily turn outside egg dying into a tradition!

I love Easter.  Since I have an April birthday, as a child I sometimes thought that Easter and my birthday went together.  I love being able to celebrate the miracle of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The promise of eternal life means so much more to me since our little Lily died.  I love the way that Thomas S. Monson speaks of the resurrection, using passages from the New Testament:

The simple pronouncement, “He is not here, but is risen,” was the first confirmation of the literal Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The empty tomb that first Easter morning brought comforting assurance, an affirmative answer to Job’s question, “If a man die, shall he live again?”

To all who have lost loved ones, we would turn Job’s question to an answer: If a man die, he shall live again. We know, for we have the light of revealed truth. “I am the resurrection, and the life,” spoke the Master. “He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.”

Now, here are a couple of recipes from our Easter brunch.

Birthday Breakfast Casserole

1 lb. Monterey jack cheese, shredded

1 Tbsp. flour

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 lb. sliced bacon, cooked, drained, and crumbled

12 eggs

1 cup milk

Toss Monterey jack cheese with flour; place in the bottom of a greased 13x9x2 in. baking dish.  Top with cheddar cheese; sprinkle with bacon.  Beat eggs and milk; pour over all.  Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.  Remove from refrigerator for 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes before slicing to serve.

Bacon Chive and Cheese Stuffed Croissants (from Kraft foods)

1 tub (8 oz.) chive and onion light cream cheese spread, softened

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

2 cans (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix cream cheese spread and bacon in a small bowl until well blended.  Separated crescent roll dough into triangles.  Spread each dough triangle with a generous teaspoon of cream cheese mixture.  Roll up, starting at the widest end of the triangle.  Place, point sides down, on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm.  (These can be re-warmed in the microwave later.)