Easter is poised to go down in the record books around here, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. In fact, I would venture to say that Easter party planners within a 70-mile radius from the city in which I reside are probably pulling their hair out right about now. And by party planners I mean moms, dads and other Easter Bunny “helpers” who planned to host kid-friendly egg hunts in the great outdoors this Sunday.
Northern Wisconsin is under a Winter Storm Warning right now. We’re expected to be blasted with up to 10 inches of snow and winds that could exceed 40 mph. Not exactly ideal Eater egg hunting weather.
Needless to say, the fun will have to take place indoors this year. I’m already trying to reconfigure my home so that it is conducive to egg hunting. In addition, I am revamping our Easter brunch menu; so that it includes a few fun dishes given that we’ll be stuck inside all day.
My plan is to create two interactive food stations for guests. The first will be a Loaded Baked Potato Bar and the other a Cookie and Pudding Bar. Here’s how to set it up:
LOADED BAKED POTATO BAR
Ingredients:
Large Russet potatoes
Ham (diced)
Bacon (crumbled)
Chili
Onions (diced)
Broccoli
Black olives
Sour cream
Salsa
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Butter
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place potatoes on baking sheet and bake until they are soft.
Place hot potatoes at end of bar and allow guests to create their own culinary masterpieces with the fixings you’ve arranged on the buffet.
COOKIE AND PUDDING BAR
This simple dessert idea includes large sugar cookies (you can cut them out in Easter theme shapes, such as bunnies, flowers, eggs or baskets) and a slew of sweet toppings. Place bowls of pastel-colored frosting on the table along with sprinkles, licorice, small chocolate Easter eggs, M&Ms, Skittles, mini marshmallows, whipped cream, etc. For people who prefer pudding to cookies, they can use the same toppings to create their own sweet treat.