Today I wanted to share with you some of the food and treats from our kids’ Easter party. You know me — it was all easy and all make-ahead. Here are the recipes and links you so can make my Shabby Chic Easter party food.

Easter Party Menu

Instead of creating a straight dessert table for this party, I combined a lunch with desserts.

• Ham and cheese crescent rolls
• Strawberry soup
• Vegetable skewers
• Baby carrots
• Deviled eggs
• Vanilla cake, topped with a “bird’s nest”
• Mini carrot cheesecakes, topped with mini sugar cookies

Key Lime Vanilla Cake

This cake from Southern Living is what was intended for our dessert table. It’s actually been one of my most popular Pinterest pins. Despite my fail on the frosting this time, I’ve made it in the past with no problems and it gets raves from the Vice President of Special Projects.

Bird’s Nest Cake Topper

I looked at a few recipes for making chocolate covered pretzel bird’s nests and then did it my own way.

Ingredients:

• Robin’s egg candy
• Two full-size chocolate bars
• Pretzel sticks
• Cooking spray

Instructions:

• Break up two full-size chocolate bars and place in a bowl.
• Melt chocolate in the microwave on power 3, stirring every 30 seconds until melted.
• Add pretzel sticks to the melted chocolate, a small handful at a time. Gently stir and toss to coat with chocolate.
• Generously spray a second small small bowl with cooking spray.
• Add a layer of chocolate covered pretzels to the bottom of the bowl. Build up the sides with pretzels. Criss cross the pretzel sticks to make a nest look.
• Add robin’s egg candy to the pretzel nest.
• Put nest in the freezer until ready to use.

Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls

This is so easy and good for a weekend lunch, too. Use the regular size Pillsbury crescent dinner rolls. Add about 1/4 of a slice of ham, sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese (or a narrow slice of cheese) and roll up the dough. Bake as directed. Yum! If you make them ahead, you can cover them with a damp paper towel, and then reheat in the microwave on power 5 for 30 seconds.

Mini Carrot Cheesecakes

These were very good, so a big thanks to Sugar Cooking for dreaming up the recipe. Since I made these in a mini muffin tin, I would reduce the amount of graham cracker crust recommended in the recipe. Also, the carrot cheesecake was not very carrot-y, so I might add an extra carrot. I topped these with mini cookies from Crafted Cookies.

Swan Strawberry Soup

If you ever visit Atlanta, you must see the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. And make reservation for a southern ladies’ lunch at the Swan Coach House. This is their soup, as republished in my SIL’s church cookbook.

• 1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Recipe can be easily doubled.

Vendor Credits

• Party styling: The Party Teacher
• Photography: Viridian Images Photography
• Printables: Libby Lane Press
• Furniture rental: Woodstock Antiques
• Easter pails: Brodders Tubs
• Cookies: Crafted Cookies
• Flowers: Kroger