Delicious Deviled Eggs With Bacon

{photos by Celebrations At Home}

I never met a deviled egg I didn't love, however, this is not your mama's recipe!  This incredible recipe I discovered years ago in the book Special Occasions by John Hadamuscin.  The addition of horseradish gives it a kick, while melted butter and bacon make it rich and indulgent.  Go ahead and try it.  Your friends & family will thank you!

Deviled Eggs with Bacon

1 dozen large eggs

8 slices bacon, cooked & crumbled

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

2 Tbsp butter, melted & cooled slightly

4 tsp prepared horseradish

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 tsp dry mustard

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped pimiento

Cooking hard boiled eggs:  Place eggs in cold water in a large sauce pan.  Bring water to a boil, then remove from heat and cover.  Let sit covered for 15 minutes.  Drain water and let cool until ready to handle.

Peel and cut eggs in half and scoop out yolks into a mixing bowl, mashing with a fork.  Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

Spoon or pipe mixture into the egg halves and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Tip:  For more interesting presentation, you can cut the eggs across the width.  Cut a small slice off the bottom so they will stand upright on the dish. 
Garnish with a small slice of bacon, a sprinkling of parsley, or a slice of pickled jalapeno.

Easter Peeps Garden Centerpiece DIY

One of the cutest elements (and most commented on) from my Easter Brunch design was the centerpiece for the children's table.  The Peeps garden, or "bunny trail" is simple to make and here's what you need:

A "fence" style planter box from Michael's (or similar)

Craft foam

1 or 2 Faux grass squares from Michael's (or similar)

Bagged moss

Peeps

Skewers

Small wooden sign

Chalkboard paint (and other craft paint is necessary)

Directions:

1. Cut your craft foam to fit inside the box, leaving a bit of room on each side to be filled with the moss.
2. Tuck in some moss to cover the foam for a finished look from the outside.
3. Place the grass patch on top of the foam.  You may need to cut one of the grass squares in order to fill the space you have.
4. Paint small wooden signs from the craft store (these were some I found at Target last year already painted).
5. Once the paint is dry, tape off the borders and paint the center with chalkboard paint.
6. Attach a small wooden skewer to the backside with glue dots.
7. Insert skewers into Peeps.
8. Place Peeps and small sign into the grass patch and foam, and use as your centerpiece.

You can also add tiny flowers, chocolate candy eggs or jelly beans, or other decorative items to dress it up more.

Enjoy!

Ideas For A Peeps Party

Doesn't everyone love Peeps this time of year?!  They are the iconic candy of Easter and it just wouldn't be the same without them.  With that in mind I put together some ideas for using them in a "Peeps Party"!

Why don't you serve up some peeps in interesting ways using chicks and bunnies in any color you like.  Float a chick in a glass of juice or a cocktail, or sit one on top of a cupcake as an alternative to sprinkles.

Bunnies can be served up on skewers (tucked into faux grass using a foam base to hold the stick), or on the rim of a glass of mimosa!

After putting together the displays above, I found some other fun ways to incorporate Peeps into a party. 

Over on Made, there is a fabulous tutorial for a peeps bunting.  Isn't it just darling?

Two more great ideas below are Peeps in tuxedos from Brooke Mclay for Babble, and Peeps cookies made by Sweet Sugar Belle.  Apply all the ideas or just a few for a fun festive twist on an Easter party!

Easter Special Offers

There are so many ideas for Easter in blog land now I thought I'd share just a few special offers with you.  Visit these sites for more information.

Genevieve of Celebrate Today is offering FREE SHIPPING on her too-cute-for-words Easter Kandy Kones.  These are the coolest things that have hit party land since the dessert table was established!  You don't even need a "party" to use these - kids will love carrying them around filled with sweet treats during your private family gathering.

Amanda of Shindig Parties To Go has created a FREE Easter printable set for Operation Shower.  You've seen me talk about Operation Shower many times, and they are doing great things for military families.  The printable set is free but donations are greatly appreciated.

Bird from Bird's Party is offering a FREE pattern template and tutorial on these super cute plush fabric birdies.  These have so many possibilities - Easter, baby showers, baby gifts, etc.  Find out how to make your own at Bird's Party.  

Just thought you'd like to know!

Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt {Part 2}

An Easter Brunch deserves a special table for the adults since the kids have all the fun with egg hunting and eating treats.  You can catch the sweets table and kids table in Part 1 of this inspiration shoot to get ideas there.  This table is a bit more sophisticated and would be ideal for any Spring brunch or luncheon, as well as Mother's Day. 

(click on photos to enlarge)

As usual I began the place settings with my white plates.  These are a great investment for anyone who enjoys entertaining, as you can design easily around them, and food always looks best on this "blank canvas."  Purple doilies found in the $1 bin of Michaels were a great way to add color and a nice base for the place card holders to sit on.  The addition of a simple yellow cotton napkin placed under the plate was all that was needed to complete the look.

The cuppies from Jimemmajack are playful and decorative as they sit on the rim of coffee mugs at each place setting.  Pretty name cards from the Chickabug Easter set are placed in nest card holders filled with wrapped chocolate eggs.   

The centerpiece is pretty simple as it is a small vase filled with pink and yellow carnations, and white daisies set inside a bird cage from Michael's.  Flanking this were 2 smaller bird cages filled with chocolate malt eggs.

Favors were inexpensive and easy to dress up with $1 flower seed bags from Target.  The rustic jute bag was adorable but needed some pizzazz to sit on our brunch table.  I simply cut panels of fabric to size and attached it along with a circle tag using the jute tie already present.  The butterfly & hummingbird flower mix inside will remind guests of the festive time they had!

The nice thing about hosting a brunch like this is that you don't necessarily have to do all the cooking yourself.  You can provide the specialty cookies, drinks, and the main dish - such as a honey baked ham - and have your guests bring the side dishes to go along.  For a brunch, it's a good idea to serve a mix of items that reflect both breakfast and lunch.  Pastries, fruit, mixed salads, and breakfast meats can all be incorporated. 

You can see the recipe for these ham & cheese phyllo cups I made.  These are a delicious way to tie your guests over while anticipating the main course.

Make sure you visit part 1 of our Easter Brunch to see the sweets table and kids table!

Easter Brunch & Egg Hunt {Part 1}

Easter is one of my favorite holidays of the year because it ushers in Spring and provides a great opportunity for entertaining.  It's also very family-friendly providing the ubiquitous egg hunt and mounds of treats afterward.  Here are some simple ideas you can use to host your own Easter Family Brunch & Egg hunt.  Make sure you visit part 2 with our adult table design, also!

I had some amazing vendors help with my design.  Heather at Chickabug customized her Easter set for me by adding a rainbow of colors to her blue Easter set, while Jimemmajack provided their dazzling Easter Cookies & Cuppies!  My designs are always influenced by props & home decor items, which I love because it allows special signage or designer treats to stand out and be the star.  I filled in the dessert table with cotton candy in an apothecary jar, and jelly beans, and m&m's displayed in an egg dish - something you can easily do yourself.

(click photos to enlarge)

Most of the pieces I used in designing this brunch were things I had on hand, with just a couple of additional items found at JoAnn's Fabric store (egg dish, & green hat box set), and Michael's (bird cage). 

You can see the gorgeous decorated cookies from Jimemmajack displayed on a 2-tiered stand.  The details on them are stunning, and they taste as good as they look!  Just as cute (and one of my favorite things) are the "cuppies" they make to sit on the side of your glass or cup!  So adorable!

This kids table is festive and designed to appeal to the young.  With a centerpiece made from a fence planter box, faux grass patches, and Peeps on a skewer, it combines form with function.  By placing some foam beneath the faux grass, I was able to raise it to the height I wanted as well as have a stable bottom for the skewers to stick into.

An adorable "bunny trail" sign was made for the grass patch by taping off the border of a small garden pick I already had, and painting the inside with chalk board paint.

Each little guest chair is adorned with ribbon and a clip on flower.  You can re-create this idea in about 60 seconds! 

Place settings are topped with edible grass nests, with chocolate malted eggs.  You can use the very small clear plastic plates from the Dollar Tree to hold the nest neatly as you move it about.  Name cards and circle tags from Chickabug's Easter collection mark the spot for each little person, and help identify his/her bottle of lemonade.

You can also use them to top off the Jimemmajack cookie favors, and to personalize each Easter basket for the egg hunt.

Another great idea if you have older kids who don't want to participate in an "Easter Egg Hunt" is to try an Easter "Treasure Hunt" instead, and write down clues for them to look for instead of simply looking for eggs.  There could be treats to find at each clue, or one special prize at the end.  Either way this activity may appeal to their maturity level a bit more.

You can see  Part 2 of this Family Brunch featuring the adult table!

DIY Chocolate Easter Bowl

I was beside my self when Debbie of Wants and Wishes submitted this Easter Chocolate Bowl tutorial!  I knew right away that you fabulous readers would enjoy this.  Not only does it make for an adorable display, but the fact that it's also edible makes me giddy!  Here are directions from Debbie:

You will need:

•  mini balloons
• dipping chocolate
• shortening
• wax or parchment paper
• peeps! chicks or bunnies (I love these)
• candy eggs (I used speckled jelly beans & chocolate filled egg

1. Melt your chocolate using the microwave, or double boiler, according to package directions.
2. While your chocolate is melting blow up mini balloons and coat the bottom half of the balloons with shortening. (this will help the chocolate not stick to the balloon).  Use a cookie sheet or plate with parchment/wax paper placed on top.
3. Roll the bottom half of the balloon in the chocolate, while holding on at the top half of the balloon. I wanted the chocolate bowl to have a little rough feel to it, since it is suppose to be a basket. No two will be alike and this makes it easier as it not suppose to be perfect. You might have to apply more than one coat. If a small area is a little transparent or you need to smooth a spot out, take the back of a spoon with a little chocolate on it and swirl in the direction of the chocolate
4. With the balloon in your left hand. Place a small circle of chocolate on the plate/cookie sheet with your right hand. Place the balloon on top of the chocolate disk. Place in the freezer to set faster.

When the chocolate is set, pop the balloon with a pin and take out the balloon remains.  Fill with jelly beans, chocolate eggs and other candy. Top with a bunny or chick peep.  You can package them in boxes, cellophane bags or on top of individual platters at each place setting.

Thanks again to Debbie for sharing this great project.  You can find some cute Easter printables to go along with this in her Etsy shop.

  If you have a DIY tutorial you'd like to share, please send me an email with your idea.  Good photos are essential.  Cheers!