Easter Party Favors for Kids
March 28, 2009
Happy Easter from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
Get the whole family involved in this easy, economical, Easter craft. Repurpose peat pots and paper cones or cups into charming take-home favors for kids. Grown-ups will love them too!
Use scissors to cut fused peat pots apart to make individual “baskets.” Line with Easter grass and fill with eggs and candy.
To make the paper cone baskets, punch a hole in either side of the cup, thread pretty ribbon through to make a handle and knot it on the inside. (Make the knot nice and big so it holds the handle in place.) Hand the filled baskets out as party favors, or add a nametag and drop one into each person’s glass to create place cards for the Easter dinner table.
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Egg Centerpiece for Spring
March 24, 2009
Happy Spring from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
If you’ve got a cake stand or footed bowl, and a handful of excelsior or Easter grass, you’ve got all you need to showcase dyed eggs in a gorgeous centerpiece. Don’t wait until Easter. Make one now and keep it on your kitchen table. It will provide refreshing eye candy as you usher in spring and new beginnings. You’ll be amazed at how happy it makes you! And, as long as they don’t get any cracks, your eggs will last until Easter and well beyond. (But they won’t be edible!) Simply make a grass nest on the cake stand and nestle your eggs inside. Add jellybeans and/or malted milk Robin’s eggs, if you like. Now wasn’t that easy?
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Almond-Coconut Chicken Bites
March 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
Spring has sprung! Here’s a little spring chicken to help you celebrate.
ALMOND-COCONUT CHICKEN BITES
If you have a fear of frying (as I once did) this is the recipe to help you get over it. You don’t need any special equipment, and it’s not dangerous, difficult, or scary. Fattening, yes. But that’s why I only make this for special occasions. The rest of the time I live on nonfat yogurt and rice cakes. Really!
(Makes about 24 bites)
Ingredients
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¾ cup blanched, unsalted almonds
1 (7-ounce) bag sweetened flake coconut (2-2/3 cups)
½ cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ teaspoon salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)
Directions
- Rinse the chicken breasts in cool water, pat dry with paper towels and cut into 1-inch cubes.
- In a food processor, combine the almonds and 2/3 cup of the coconut. Pulse until finely ground. In a shallow dish, stir together the ground almond-coconut mixture, remaining coconut and flour. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and salt. Set up an assembly line for coating the chicken cubes.
- Dip a few cubes into the beaten eggs, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Roll the egg-dipped cubes in the coconut mixture and gently press with your hands to help mixture adhere. Place coated cubes on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the chicken cubes.
- Pour vegetable oil into a medium nonstick skillet to a scant ½-inch depth. Heat the oil over medium high heat until it shimmers. Fry coated cubes, a few at a time, turning as each side browns, until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-covered platter. Repeat with the remaining cubes. Serve chicken warm with dipping sauce.
DIPPING SAUCE
In a small bowl, stir together ¾ cup bottled duck sauce, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Taste and adjust to your liking. Serve at room temperature with the chicken bites.
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Pimento Cheese Canapes
March 9, 2009
Happy Entertaining from Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets!
With the recession Richter scale just about to tilt, we’re all looking for more economic ways to entertain. Pimento cheese is a southern classic that’s affordable, easy to make, and delicious. And, just a few tweaks will elevate it from an old-fashioned standard used to stuff celery and fill lunch bag sandwiches to an exotic appetizer.
PIMENTO CHEESE CANAPES
Don’t use pre-shredded cheese for this. It’s all about the quality of the cheese. Use finely chopped bottled roasted red peppers instead of pimentos if it makes it seem fancier. Same difference.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar
2 cups shredded extra sharp orange cheddar
1 (4-ounce) jar chopped pimentos, drained
1 teaspoon very finely grated onion (I use a Microplane)
1/8 teaspoon each cayenne pepper, coarse ground black pepper and Worcestershire sauce (or, more to taste)
¾ cup mayonnaise
Salt, to taste
1 baguette, ciabatta, or crusty country loaf
Cilantro or parsley sprigs, for garnish (optional)
DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl, stir together grated cheeses and remaining ingredients, except the bread, and mix well. (Recipe can be made to this point up to 4 days ahead. Chill until ready to use.)
- Preheat broiler. Slice baguette crosswise into ½ inch slices. If using a larger loaf, such as ciabatta, cut slices into smaller squares. Spread with a thick layer of cheese and arrange on a baking sheet.
- Broil 5 to 6 inches from heat until cheese is bubbly and just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove to a platter and serve warm.
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Birthday Banana Cupcakes
March 2, 2009
Cupcakes cure all! That’s the motto here at Elizabeth W. Gift Baskets. Birthdays provide the perfect excuse to whip up a batch. Don’t know anybody who’s having a birthday? No problem. Let your bananas get a little overripe and you too will have the perfect excuse to make these beauties.
BIRTHDAY BANANA CUPCAKES
I tinted the icing with a drop of red food coloring because the birthday girl loves pink, but leave the icing white and garnish with a slice of banana for a more traditional look.
(Makes 16 cupcakes)
Ingredients
2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups sugar
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup buttermilk
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
- Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, beat together sugar and butter until well combined. Beat in eggs, mashed banana and vanilla. Beat in flour mixture; then beat in buttermilk. Scrape the batter into the muffin tins, filling each ¾ full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Let cupcakes cool in the tins for 5 minutes; then move to wire racks to cool completely. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Using an electric mixer, beat one 8-ounce package of room-temperature cream cheese and ½ stick of room-temperature unsalted butter until light and fluffy. With mixer on low speed, beat in 1 cup confectioners’ sugar a few tablespoons at a time, scraping down bowl as necessary. Add ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract; increase speed to high and beat until frosting is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to one week. Bring to room temperature before using. Makes about 1½ cups.
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