No-Fuss Easter Brunch

As I've mentioned, on the Saturday before Easter, we invite some of our extended family over for an Easter brunch and a morning filled with Easter-themed family traditions. This is one way we have chosen to extend the celebration of Christ's resurrection and incorporate some spring-themed fun without encroaching upon the reverence of Easter Sunday.

This year was no different...except for the fact, that all of our cherished extended family unexpectedly came down with illness the morning of our planned brunch. So, our table wasn't quite as filled as we had hoped it would be.

This year's brunch activities were a mixture of some treasured family favorites and some new...but INSTANT...classics.

Resurrection Buns

I've always enjoyed the Scriptural lessons brought forth by baking resurrection cookies together but wanted a new spin on an old favorite. So this year, we made resurrection buns.

To make Resurrection Buns, you will need:

• biscuit dough (homemade or store-bought)
• melted butter
• cinnamon and sugar
• large marshmallows

Using a rolling pin, roll out a ball of biscuit dough until it is about 5 inches in diameter and quite thin. (This is to represent the thin linen cloths that they wrapped Jesus' body in before his burial.)

Spread on melted butter. (Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus anointed Jesus with oils of myrrh and aloe before burial.)

Sprinkle a light layer of cinnamon and sugar over the butter. (The two men sprinkled spices between the layers of cloth.)

Place one large white marshmallow in the center of the flattened dough. (Jesus, the spotless Lamb, took our sin and was buried in a tomb.)

Fold the dough over the marshmallow and pinch the sides closed. (Jesus' wrapped body was placed in a tomb for burial. The tomb was closed and sealed.) At this point, you can brush additional butter and sprinkle some more cinnamon and sugar on the top of each dough ball.

Place all dough balls on a baking tray and bake at 350 for 10-11 minutes or until the biscuits are cooked and lightly browned. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. DO NOT skip the cooling step. It is essential for the "lesson" involved with the buns.

During the baking process, the biscuits will crack and the marshmallow will leak out leaving behind an empty cavern in the middle of the biscuit. (When the women went to the tomb early Sunday morning, the tomb WAS EMPTY!! Hallelujah!)

Brunch

In addition to the resurrection buns, we also ate a very simple egg casserole, some spiced breakfast potatoes, and strawberry yogurt parfaits with homemade granola.

Resurrection Eggs

We have two different homemade sets of Resurrection Eggs and try to rotate them each year. Since we did our main set last year, I put out our alternate set this year. (As a homeschool mom, it was a treat to have one more reader at the table this year than last.)

"Marbled" Easter eggs

I never like to decorate Easter eggs the same way each year.  So as usual, we tried something new.

To make "marbled" Easter eggs, you will need:

• hard-boiled eggs
• a can of shaving cream
• food coloring
• shallow plastic containers and spoons

Spray a generous amount of shaving cream into 3-4 plastic containers. Squirt several drops of one color of food coloring into each container. (It works best if you let each drop fall in a different spot on the shaving cream mound...as opposed to just dropping the dye all in the same spot.) Mix lightly with a spoon. DO NOT over mix. You want the color to be swirled in, not mixed completely.

Roll the eggs into the desired colors and allow them to dry. The shaving cream foam will remain even after the color has dried. After the eggs are completely dried, wipe off the excess foam with a paper towel to reveal a marbled look.

Woolly Bear "Caterpillars"

This simple spring craft brightens any window sill and is easy for little hands.

To make a woolly bear "caterpillar", you will need:

• an egg carton
• potting soil
• grass seeds
• googly craft eyes
• hot glue gun

Cut the egg carton into sections so that every child has a 3-cup section of an egg carton. Glue two googly craft eyes onto the front of one of the cups.

Fill each cup half-full with potting soil and sprinkle a generous amount of grass seeds on top. Complete by covering the seeds with more soil. Water and place in a sunny spot.

Continue watering for 3-4 days until the grass sprouts and a woolly bear caterpillar is revealed.

Easter Basket Scavenger Hunt

Just as I don't like to decorate Easter eggs in the same way each year, I also don't like to reveal my children's Easter baskets in the same way. This year, I put the Hubs in charge of creating a scavenger hunt complete with clues for each of the kids to follow in order to find their baskets.

So that's what we were up to the morning before Resurrection Sunday.  

Did you have any special plans to mark the weekend of our Lord's death, burial, and RESURRECTION?  I'd love to hear about them!