Easter Treats

Happy Easter!!! Our friends in Weehawken hosted an Easter egg hunt and an early Easter supper yesterday.  They hid ~200 eggs in their basement and backyard, and watched as 10 of their friends ran around, frantically trying to collect the most eggs.  KK had never participated in an Easter egg hunt and, with beginner's luck, he collected the most eggs.  KK won $5, but also managed to pickup one of the reward/chore eggs, and was on bartender duty for the next 1.5 hours.  I think the "punishment" was fair considering he won cash and picked up the most candy! My reward was something from the 21+ grab bag - no chore for me! One of our friends also won the same 21+ reward, but his reward was accompanied with a chore - wearing pink bunny ears for the rest of the evening!

The Easter supper spread was amazing! Unfortunately I forgot to snap a picture of it, but we had salad, rolls, ham, rotisserie chicken, green beans, potatoes au gratin, and a savory pineapple casserole.  My favorites were the potatoes and the pineapple casserole... I hope my lovely friends are willing to share their family recipes with me.

Luckily most of us saved room for dessert! There were cupcakes, chocolate trifle, and cake batter & sprinkles dip.  After devouring the sweet treats, we played LCR and Fast Track.  Our friend's grandfather made the Fast Track game board himself.  KK was on a winning streak, so he of course took home the winning title (no prizes this time) in Fast Track.  

Trifle tips: I made the brownies on Friday night to ensure there was enough time for them to cool completely.  I also thawed the whipped topping in the refrigerator overnight.  The chocolate pudding layer was a bit thick, so be careful as you're layering so it doesn't get all over the sides of your trifle dish.  In a festive mood, I used Easter M&Ms for my topping, but feel free to get creative and use anything that comes to mind - Heath bars, crushed Oreos, sprinkles, fresh fruit - the possibilities are endless! 

Dip tips: After stirring the ingredients together by hand, I noticed the mixture wasn't very smooth.  I wasn't going to, but I'm glad I pulled out the hand mixer because the consistency of the dip was perfect afterwards!

Chocolate Trifle
Adapted from All Recipes
Time: 1 hour + cooling time
Serves: 12

Ingredients
1 (19.8 oz.) package brownie mix
1 (3.9 oz.) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1/2 cup water
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
20 oz. frozen whipped topping, thawed
Chocolate candy or candy bar

Directions
1. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions.  Cool completely and cut into 1 inch squares.

2. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water, condensed milk, and 8 oz. whipped topping.  Mix until smooth and no streaks remain.

3. In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the remaining whipped topping (6 oz.). Top with chopped chocolate candy.  Repeat layers, topping off the trifle with the remaining chocolate candy for garnish. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving.

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Cake Batter & Sprinkles Dip
Adapted from I'm Topsy Turvy
Time: 10 minutes
Serves: A lot!

Ingredients
2 cups whipped topping
1 (18 oz.) package Funfetti cake mix
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
Sprinkles

Directions
1. Place whipped topping in a large microwave-safe bowl; heat in the microwave for 20 seconds to slightly thaw it.

2. Add cake mix and yogurt to the bowl.  Mix until smooth, with a hand mixer if necessary. Stir in as many sprinkles as you'd like!

3.  Chill for at least 1 hour before serving with cookies, pretzels, or fruit.