Easter Party Ideas

Let your kids celebrate spring by helping them throw their own garden party, complete with an Easter Egg hunt.

Bring spring indoors with fresh or potted flowers.
Give your home a springtime makeover with light-colored fabrics.
Hide clues in hollow eggs for an Easter Egg treasure hunt.
Grow an Easter Egg Tree.
Decorate Easter cookies and cupcakes.
Create a Bunny Cake centerpiece.
Freeze flowers and fruit in an ice ring for your punch bowl.
Delight your guests with homemade chocolate eggs.
Hatch a brood of marshmallow chicks.
Be someone's Secret Easter Bunny.

Turn your house into a joyful flurry of activity with our hints on decorating and dyeing eggs with natural colorings, making your very own Chubby Bunny Easter basket, and coloring egg stands: perfect for decorations, place cards or just playing!

Throw the Perfect Easter Party
Let your kids celebrate spring by helping them throw their own garden party, complete with an Easter Egg hunt. Set up a table or two in the back yard or your local park, enjoy the sunshine and spring breeze, and take part in some of these fun Easter activities:
Beautiful Baskets. Before the egg hunt can begin, all the little bunnies will need a container to collect their treasures. You can supply the materials for them to make their own custom-designed Easter baskets.
Start collecting plastic pint-sized strawberry baskets now; these are the perfect size.
You'll also need inexpensive colored ribbon or construction paper cut into strips, and a selection of pipe cleaners.
Let the kids weave the ribbon and construction paper through the holes in the strawberry baskets, and then twist the ends of a pipe cleaner around opposite sides of the basket to form a handle.
Put a small amount of Easter grass in the bottom of each basket to cushion the eggs.

Hunt Hints. The Easter egg hunt is one of the most anticipated events of the season. The only disappointing part about this occasion is that it's over so quickly! It doesn't need to be: this year, let the kids in on the fun of hiding the eggs. Each child can take a turn hiding the eggs around the house or yard and let the rest of the children look for them.

Easter Party Tips

Bring spring indoors with fresh or potted flowers.
Give your home a springtime makeover with light-colored fabrics.
Hide clues in hollow eggs for an Easter Egg treasure hunt.
Grow an Easter Egg Tree.
Decorate Easter cookies and cupcakes.
Create a Bunny Cake centerpiece.
Freeze flowers and fruit in an ice ring for your punch bowl.
Delight your guests with homemade chocolate eggs.
Hatch a brood of marshmallow chicks.
Be someone's Secret Easter Bunny.

Hosting an Easter Egg Hunt

Instead of schlepping kids to a commercial Easter Egg Hunt, plan a small neighborhood party. These games and activities will keep your party hopping!

Easter Egg Hunt Tips
Tuck a small piece of paper with party details into hollow plastic eggs. Let kids hand-deliver them.
Sprinkle baby powder “paw prints” around the house. Invite kids to follow the Easter Bunny to where the hunt begins.
Before guests arrive, hide eggs in both easy and difficult places to keep kids challenged.
Check your weather forecast if you plan an outdoor hunt.
Award special prizes for eggs rolled in glitter or marked by special stickers.
Assign each child a color of egg to find, or limit the number of eggs each child can keep so no child gets left out.
Have colorful beach pails on hand for collecting eggs.

Party Games
Engage kids with all kinds of games: assemble kids into teams for an egg relay race. Eggs are carried on spoons or forks (more difficult) and first team to finish is the winner. Or have players on hands and knees, using only their noses to nudge eggs past the finish line.
Use old pillowcases for an old-fashioned "bunny hop" sack race.
Forget pinning the tail on the donkey! Tack up a drawing of Peter Rabbit. Pass out cotton balls with double-stick tape for tails.

More fun Easter activities
Enlist older children's help in face-painting. Use non-toxic colors found at your local craft or costume store to draw bunny noses and whiskers, flowers, and butterflies.
Let kids decorate their own "basket" desserts to bring home: spread icing on sugar cookies or cupcakes; sprinkle with green tinted coconut for grass, and top with jellybean "eggs."
Consider treats beside sweets. Art supplies, kid-sized gardening tools and seeds, or cool bath things (don't forget the rubber ducky) make fun surprises.

Easy Bunny Cake

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
3 3/4 cups flaked coconut
1 (16 ounce) package vanilla frosting
30 small jellybeans
4 red licorice

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven and prepare two 9 inch round baking pans as directed on cake box. Prepare cake batter with as directed on package adding in 1/2 cup of coconut. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake and cool cake as directed on package.
When cooled, place one whole 9 inch cake layer on serving tray, forming the bunny's head. Cut 2 convex shaped ears from each side of the second layer, place on each side of head to form ears. Use concave shaped piece for the bowtie, place about 1/2 inch below head.
Frost entire bunny covering top and sides of bunny. Pat remaining 3 1/4 cup coconut evenly over top and sides. Decorate the bunny face and bowtie with jellybeans and use the licorice to make whiskers.

Easter Lamb Cake

INGREDIENTS
2 1/4 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg whites

DIRECTIONS
First, prepare your mold. Coat with vegetable oil, let sit for a few minutes then wipe clean with a paper towel. Then grease and flour your mold, making sure to get all the little areas.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Sift the cake flour, then sift again with the baking powder and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk. Stir the batter until smooth after each addition. Add the vanilla.
In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then quickly fold in the remaining whites.
Fill the face side of the mold with batter. Move a wooden spoon through the batter GENTLY, to remove any air pockets. Make sure not to disturb the greased and floured surface of the mold. Put the lid on the mold, making sure it locks or ties together securely so that the steam and rising batter do not force the two sections apart.
Put the mold on a cookie sheet in a preheated oven for about 1 hour. Test for doneness by inserting a skewer or wooden toothpick through a steam vent. Put the cake, still in the mold, on a rack for about 15 minutes. CAREFULLY, remove the top of the mold. Before you separate the cake from the bottom let it cool for about 5 more minutes so that all the steam can escape and the cake can firm up some more. After removing the rest of the mold, let the cake cool on the rack completely. DO NOT sit the cake upright until completely cooled. Frost with Seven Minute Icing or any other white icing of your choice and decorate to look like a lamb.

Bunny Cookies

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 1/4 cups white sugar
2/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 cup cinnamon red hot candies

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and shortening. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended. Mix in the orange juice and orange zest.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out rabbit shapes with a cookie cutter. Place rabbits onto an unprepared cookie sheet and place the cinnamon candies onto them for eyes. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Frost if desired.

Emily's Famous Marshmallows

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups water, divided
4 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Dust a 9x9 inch square dish generously with confectioners' sugar.
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together white sugar, corn syrup and 3/4 cup water. Heat to 250 to 265 degrees F (121 to 129 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a rigid ball.
While syrup is heating, place remaining water in a metal bowl and sprinkle gelatin over the surface. Place bowl over simmering water until gelatin has dissolved completely. Keep in a warm place until syrup has come to temperature. Remove syrup from heat and whisk gelatin mixture into hot syrup. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, whip egg whites to soft peaks. Continue to beat, pouring syrup mixture into egg whites in a thin stream, until the egg whites are very stiff. Stir in vanilla. Spread evenly in prepared pan and let rest 8 hours or overnight before cutting.

How to Make Marshmallow Chicks

Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting
2 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups water, divided
4 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. We used Emily's Famous Marshmallows recipe to make approximately 25 marshmallow chicks. The ingredients you will need are sugar, light corn syrup, eggs, unflavored gelatin, water, colored sugars, and vanilla extract. The cooking materials you will need are a large pastry bag, a whisk, an electric mixer, a candy thermometer, and waxed paper.

2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together sugar, corn syrup, and 3/4-cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil. While boiling, attach a candy thermometer to the pot so the tip is immersed in the liquid, but not touching the bottom of the pot. Watch the temperature carefully until it reaches the hard-ball stage--when the thermometer reads 250 to 260 degrees F (121 to 129 degrees C).

3. While the sugar mixture is heating, place the remaining water in a metal bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Place the bowl over simmering water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved and the mixture becomes liquid. Keep this gelatin mixture warm until the sugar comes to the proper temperature. As soon as the sugar mixture reaches the hard-ball stage and you remove it from heat, carefully whisk in the gelatin mixture. Meanwhile, use an electric mixer to whip the egg whites into soft peaks. (You can tell eggs have reached the soft-peak stage when you take a spoon, dip it in and out of the egg mixture, and a peak is formed that is soft enough to quickly bend over.)

4. Once the peaks have formed, set the electric mixer to medium speed and slowly pour the sugar mixture into the bowl of whipped egg whites. When pouring the sugar mixture into the mixing bowl, never let the stream of liquid grow larger than a pencil's width. Once all of the sugar has been incorporated into the egg whites, add the vanilla extract and continue mixing at a medium speed until the mixture cannot become any fluffier. Add any additional colorings or flavorings at this time.
5. Line a flat surface with waxed paper and sprinkle it with a generous coating of sugar. Use a large pastry bag with at least a 1/2-inch opening or tip. Carefully spoon the sticky marshmallow fluff into the bag and twist the top closed. Pipe the body of the chick shape first by making a thick line on the paper. Hold the bag at a 45-degree angle to the surface so that the piping will stand tall.

6. When the body is long enough, pipe backwards on top of the body, and then make a little head.

7. Place little candies onto the marshmallow chick's head to make eyes (if you like) and sprinkle colored sugar over the chick's body. To coat the marshmallow chicks completely, let them set for 30 minutes before buttering your hands (for easier handling) and rolling them in bowls full of colored sugar.

8. Let the marshmallow chicks rest for approximately 4 hours to allow them time to fully set. Homemade marshmallow chicks look adorable in everyone's Easter egg basket and they make an attractive centerpiece for any festive table!

Easter Bunny Mask

What you'll need:
½ sheet craft foam
4”x 1” strip of craft foam in contrasting color
Glitter glue (pink and white) optional
Scissors
12” elastic
Stapler
Electrical tape
Pattern

How to make it:
Print the pattern and cut out. (See photo.)
Place pattern onto the craft foam. Leave enough room on the left side of the foam as you will fold the foam and cut it.
Trace the pattern onto the foam. (See photo.)
Fold the foam in half so that the left side of the pattern is in line with the fold.
Hold the foam firmly so that it does not move around and cut around the pattern. Unfold the craft foam and you should have a full face mask. (See photo.)
Cut the eyes out.
Using glitter glue is an optional step. If you are short on time, simply cut the inner ears and nose from a contrasting color of craft foam and glue in place. If using the glitter glue, draw the outline of the nose and fill it in. (See photo.) Repeat this process for the inner ears. (See photo.) Allow to dry. You can use a paintbrush to spread the glitter glue. If the glue is too thick, or if you want it to dry quicker, use your finger to carefully scoop up some of the glitter glue and wipe on a paper towel. Smooth the remaining glitter glue with your finger or paintbrush. (See photo.)
Cut whiskers from the 4”x1” strip of craft foam. Glue three whiskers on each cheek. (See photo.)
Staple the elastic to the mask, stapling to the back side. (See photo.)
Trim any excess and cover the sharp edges of the staples with black electrical tape. (See photos 1, 2)

Tips:
Glitter glue can be found at discount department stores, or in a larger and more colorful collection at craft supply stores.
Craft foam is sold in large sheets or in value packs containing several colors.
Pink is great for girls, blue for boys, and green or yellow for anyone!

Fancy Boot Christmas Stocking

This boot was made for stuffing, and that's just what Santa will do this Christmas Eve.

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Scissors
2 pieces of purple felt, each 24 by 15 inches
2 pieces of black faux fur, each 24 by 15 inches
Long sewing pins
Large-eye sewing needle
Purple embroidery floss
Costume jewelry buttons and chains (sold at many fabric stores)
Clear tape
9 inches of black twist cord

Time needed: About 2 to 3 Hours
1. The Basic Stocking: Click here to download the fancy boot stocking pattern.


2. Cut 1 boot shape from each piece of the purple felt and 1 from each piece of the black fur. Be sure to cut the fur boots so the toes point in opposite directions with the fur sides up.

3. Pin together the boots with the fur boots on the inside, furry sides in, and the purple boots on the outside.

4. Using the floss, whipstitch around the edges, sewing the boots together. Leave the top edges unsewn.

5. At the top, sew together the front 2 edges, then the back 2.

6. Fold down the top to make a cuff.

7. The Trimmings: Use floss to sew the buttons and chains to the boot.

8. Tape the ends of the cord to keep them from fraying, then sew the cord to the stocking for hanging.

Tips:
A Stitch for All Stockings
Thread your needle with a length of floss and knot one end. Begin sewing by pushing the needle up through the underside of the fabric and then out the top. Loop the needle back under the fabric and repeat the stitch.

Barbie Doll Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 (16 ounce) packages vanilla frosting
1 drop red food coloring

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart ovenproof Pyrex glass mixing bowl with shortening and dust with flour.

Prepare cake as directed on box. Pour batter into prepared bowl.

Bake 50-60 minutes or until cake tester inserted into center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes.
Invert on cake plate with widest part of cake on the bottom. Cool 3 hours before decorating.

Insert a clean doll into center of cake. Decorate the skirt with icing tinted any color or use more than one color. Use a decorator tip to make the skirt as fancy as you like and decorate the top of the doll for the top of the dress also.

Soccer Ball Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (16 ounce) container vanilla frosting
12 black licorice whips
3/4 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 2 1/2 to 3 quart ovenproof bowl. Place sugar in a bowl and stir in black food color until desired color is achieved. Set aside.
Pour prepared cake batter into the prepared bowl and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let cake cool for 15 minutes in the bowl then invert and let cake cool completely.

Once cake is completely cool trim flat side of cake and place on a cake board. Trim edges into a ball shape. Frost with the white frosting. Next using a toothpick draw a pentagon in the center top of the cake. Surround the pentagon with five hexagons. Repeating to cover entire cake.

Cover lines with black licorice cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Fill the pentagon shapes with black colored white sugar.

Bacon Cheeseburger Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (13 ounce) package brownie mix
2 (12 fluid ounce) cans vanilla frosting
yellow food coloring
red food coloring
3 vanilla wafer cookies
1 large roll of red fruit leather
4 caramels, with stripes
8 yellow chewy fruit-flavored candy squares
1 (16 ounce) container chocolate frosting
1 large roll of green fruit leather
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven according to instructions on cake mix box; prepare mix. Grease and flour a 9 inch pan, and a shallow metal bowl at least 9 inches in diameter. Fill the 9 inch cake pan 2/3 full with cake batter; pour the remaining batter into the prepared metal bowl (this will be the top of your "bun"). Bake according to directions, remove from pans, and cool on a wire rack.

Grease and flour a 9 inch pan. Prepare brownie batter, and bake according to instructions on box. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack. Shave off the sharp edges of the brownie, making it resemble a hamburger patty.

Place 1/4 cups of vanilla frosting in a heavy duty plastic sandwich bag, and color with yellow food coloring to make your mustard. Repeat a second time using the red food coloring to make your ketchup. Place remaining frosting in a bowl, and color with a mix of red and yellow food coloring until you arrive at the color of a hamburger bun.

Cut the cookies in half and wrap with pieces of red fruit leather to create your tomatoes. Unwrap the caramels, and heat in microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to slightly soften. Roll the caramels individually between sheets of waxed paper to create bacon strips. Microwave the chewy fruit-flavored candy squares, place together, and roll between sheets of waxed paper to create your cheese slice; trim into a square shape.

To assemble, place bottom bun on your serving dish, and spread with some of the hamburger bun frosting. Place brownie on top of this, and spread it with chocolate frosting. Decorate edges with the tomatoes, bacon, cheese, mustard, and ketchup; use the green fruit leather as lettuce. Place top bun over this and spread with the remaining hamburger bun frosting; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Serves 20

Ice Cream Baked Potatoes

INGREDIENTS
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 (1 ounce) envelope instant cocoa
4 tablespoons sweetened whipped cream

DIRECTIONS
Scoop out 4 balls of ice cream roughly the size and shape of small potatoes. Roll in the hot cocoa mix until coated. Place on a plate and top with a dollop of whipped cream. The ice cream will look like baked potatoes with sour cream on top. Eat and enjoy.

Spaghetti Cake

What you'll need:
Vanilla frosting
Yellow food coloring
Piping bag with a round tip, approximately 1/8 inch in diameter
Sliced pound cake
Strawberry sauce
Malt balls
Grated white chocolate

Tint the frosting pale yellow--the color of cooked spaghetti--and spoon it into the piping bag.
Lay a slice of pound cake on each plate. Pipe the frosting onto each piece of cake, using big looping motions to create the appearance of spaghetti piled on the plate.
Top with strawberry topping for "spaghetti sauce."
Make malt balls look like meatballs by roughing up the outsides with a butter knife or fine cheese grater.
Add a sprinkle of grated white chocolate for the parmesan cheese.

Fish Stick Surprise

Candy bars coated in toasted coconut look like just like fish sticks, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce can look suspiciously like mashed potatoes and gravy--or try the recipe for Ice Cream Baked Potatoes .

What you'll need:
Cylindrical candy bars (like Mounds™, Twix™, Baby Ruth™, or Kit Kat™)
Toasted coconut
Vanilla ice cream
Caramel sauce
Gummy candies in the shapes of vegetables--peas, carrots, corn--available in bulk at most candy stores.

Place the candy bars on a microwave-safe plate and zap them on high power for about five seconds--just long enough to soften the chocolate without completely melting it.
Sprinkle the toasted coconut on a sheet of waxed paper and roll each candy bar in it until completely coated.
Arrange two or three "fish sticks" on each plate alongside a small handful of gummy veggies.
Just before serving, use a round scoop to adorn each plate with a serving of vanilla ice cream "potatoes" and top with a drizzle of caramel "gravy."

The Meatloaf Cake

Everyone will look at you wide-eyed when you serve dessert first. But, surprise! It only looks like dessert...

The Meatloaf Cake

What you'll need:
Two round cake pans
Your favorite meatloaf recipe
Mashed potatoes
Ketchup
Cherry tomatoes

Prepare your favorite meatloaf recipe as you normally would, but, before baking, divide the mixture into the two round cake pans and pat it flat.
Bake as usual, but shorten the cooking time (these thinner meatloaves won't take nearly as long to cook).
While the meatloaf is in the oven, make a batch of mashed potatoes, adding a little extra milk to them and whipping them with an electric beater until they are fluffy and spreadable.
When the meatloaves are done, invert one of them onto a round plate.
Cover the meat with a thick, even layer of mashed potatoes.
Place the other meatloaf on top of the potato layer, and finish frosting the "cake" with the remaining potatoes.
Garnish with halved cherry tomatoes to look like cherries.
Just before serving, decorate the top of your cake with ketchup. Write a personalized message, or just a simple "Happy April Fool's Day!"