Our church holds Easter Sunday Masses at our local “Expo” center. I remember the first year being a bit upset over the venue. I’ve learned to be grateful for the ample parking and seats, the reason behind the location. Easter at “the expo” has simply become part of our tradition. Silas came down with a cough and fever over the weekend, so he ended up staying home with Jonny Sunday morning while I took everyone else to Mass. On our way inside, Beatrix noticed a policeman standing in front of the building. She began repeatedly shouting, “Look mommy, it’s the po po!” Rather than shush her, I just kept moving forward, not wanting to be late getting in our seats. Thankfully, the officer (and the dozens of people within earshot) had a good laugh and didn’t seem offended.
It sure does feel good to sing the Alleluia again. We were all singing for the rest of the day.
After Mass we had our traditional Easter scavenger hunt (We do this each year rather than Easter baskets. It’s just a tradition that has evolved for us.) At each stop on the hunt there is typically a small gift, although the kids don’t really care about the gifts, but rather figuring out the clues. This year the gifts included a felted basket, knitted Easter eggs, and Bunny Nuggets! We used to picnic somewhere outdoors at the end of the hunt, but for the past two years, the last clue has sent the kids back home to the kitchen where we eat homemade peanut butter cups and lemon cupcakes (cupcake recipe from Gluten-Free Baking Classics.) I don’t know how those treats became our Easter staples, but they have. We don’t eat very much sugar on a daily basis, so these are major treats. Unfortunately, after eating a couple of them, I feel a little sick. If sweets don’t give you a tummyache, you might want to try making your own homemade peanut butter cups. They’re really easy. Too easy really. Somehow we manage to only make them once a year, with Valentine’s Day being an occasional exception.
Peanut Butter Cups:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup peanut butter (we use natural)
3/4 cup cookie crumbs (we use crushed mi-del gluten free animal cookies, you could use graham crackers)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk chocolate chips (or semi sweet, whatever you prefer)
1/4 cup milk
12 foil cupcake liners
Melt butter over low heat, add peanut butter, and sugar, stir until well combined. add cookie crumbs and stir.
Spoon about 2 Tbsp of p.b. mixture into each of the cupcake liners and place in freezer to harden.
Combine chocolate chips and milk in a saucepan and melt over low heat stirring frequently (or use your method of choice for melting chocolate here) until smooth.
Remove peanut butter cups from freezer (they should be firm by now) and spoon melted chocolate over each. Return to freezer to harden.
I keep these in the freezer until we are ready to eat them. They are great cold.
This recipe makes about a dozen cups, but I always double it because twelve isn’t enough!
Melissa L says
Once again, Bea is looking much older! This seemed to happen so quickly. Beautiful Easter day you had; thanks for all of the great ideas!
barbara woods says
love your blog… we had 56 people at our house yesterday and we started with 6 kids so look what your future hold in store for you
Tricia F. says
Happy Easter! And Alleluia! What wonderful traditions you have. I love the felted basket and knitted eggs and bunnies, too. This is the first year not all 6 of my own kids could be home; they grow up fast! Thanks for sharing your Easter.
julia watkins says
love, love the idea of an easter scavenger hunt. hoping i remember to do it next year. and i’m going to pretend i didn’t see the peanut butter cup recipe (for at least a few days until i’ve forgotten that i’m not eating sugar ever again). also we tried your egg mosaics last week – so fun.
Nahuatl Vargas says
Love your photos and Easter knitted gifts.
Lia says
Ok Beatrix’s quote made me laugh out loud. That is too cute!
swanski says
I just swore off sugar and now you tempt me with a delicious recipe….I agree with you, Alleluia was nice to sing as was the Gloria. I never realize I missed them until we sing them. Cute bunny nuggets!
Sharron says
I love the eggs and basket! They are so pretty! Do you remember PB Max? It was a candy bar in the 90’s and your recipe sounds just like them. I loved those things!! I will certainly have to try these.
Emma says
What a lovely Easter time you all had. Your felted baskets are fantastic! I love your bunny nuggets; I made similar crochet bunnys but I didn’t quite get the expression right and they look like they’ve been startled by car headlights!!
Definitely going to give the peanut butter cups a try, thanks for sharing the recipe.
~ joey ~ says
Your knitted Easter baskets are so beautiful!! Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend. I hope your little one is feeling better today.
xoxo
~ joey ~
Kelly says
Happy Easter to you! What fun traditions, and I love the little eggs and bunny nuggets!
Meryl says
I love homemade peanut butter cups–mmmm!
Sarah says
What fun! We made PB cups too. They were HEAVEN! I wish I had cocoa butter to make my own chocolate because the chocolate has some adverse side effects… worth it though.
steph says
Lovely Easter traditions!!! Great knitted things–love the bunny hugging pics!! Happy week!
Apseed says
It sounds like a very wonderful day! Happy Easter!
annita says
Happy Easter, sweet Ginny and family! Alleluia, indeed! +JMJ+
Miu says
Happy Easter!
Anke says
Thank you for sharing that recipe with us. Our oldest LOVES anything peanut butter and these will be a great birthday treat for her.
Lisa G. says
Those knitted bunnies are so cute. Happy Easter!
Janine says
Those peanut butter cups sound good. We’ll have to try them. In a few weeks. When the sugar rush from yesterday wears off. 🙂
Happy Easter.
Andee- Match the Pictures says
It looks like you had a special easter. I hope Silas is feeling better. Thanks for the peanut butter cup receipe. I love the felted baskets, eggs and bunnies.
Molly Makes Do says
sounds like fun! we don’t really have Easter traditions yet what with the little one only being 1, but we’ve got some plans! The scavenger hunt sounds like so much fun!
Tonya - Plain and Joyful Living says
Happy Easter Ginny!
Sounds like a wonderful day of rejoicing and family togetherness.
Julie says
Beautiful pictures and I love your knitted basket! Looks like a very happy Easter!
corrie says
one of my readers told me I had to start reading your blog and I love it:) being a catholic mum to 4 1/2 at the moment
Well I wish we had a policeman at our easter mass, my hubby and I went to the easter vigil with our littlest and a drunken heckler outside yelled and went on and on while the congregation was outside to light the candle at the easter vigil. Police were called but it was too late and it was all a bit scary as there were a lot of elderly people and families there and he was so loud and yelling insulting things. Still there as everyone was leaving harrassing people so I don’t think the police were too bothered to find him when they did arrive!
so glad you had a great easter:)
Corrie;)
Nadja says
I had to laugh out loud on account of the “It’s the po po!” “Po” is a German (or perhaps merely Bavarian) children’s nickname for a posterior. Gemma, getting dressed in the morning, always tells her brothers, “Don’t see my po-po!”
My gang has had colds since Holy Week began, and this morning I got up just after 4 with an incredibly sore throat, so I guess it’s my turn.
I hate sugar. I do buy some treats for Easter (a few chocolates, toffee-coated sunflower seeds, yogurt raisins) and I make maple-cinnamon almonds, but there is an unavoidable Egg Hunt after Mass. All the kids did all afternoon was eat candy. I can’t really eliminate it all together, as my mom, being German, thinks that chocolate is a necessary part of any celebration.
Have a great week, Ginny! Bea is looking so big these days–getting long-limbed and long-haired!
Teresa C says
I used to organize an egg hunt to my nephews, I guess it’s time to restart that with my son!
Annie says
Isn’t it wonderful the way every family makes it’s own traditions. My four kids enjoyed egg hunts and pancakes on Easter Sunday. The pancake tradition started one year when we had been blowing eggs to decorate and had a lot of yolks and whites all in a bowl. We still make pancakes at Easter and the children are all grown up now.
Heather says
Yum, these sound delicious! We have an easter egg hunt at our house, but they are the little plastic eggs with either animal crackers or stickers, or both in them. I really like your idea of a scavenger hunt, although with flurries in the air yesterday morning, I think we would have to have an indoor scavenger hunt, and I am not sure that would be as fun! Love the little bunnies! And those felted baskets are gorgeous!