Brown Sugar and Ginger Glazed Ham

1/4 cup water -- lukewarm

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 package active dry yeast [1 tb]

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup milk -- warm

1/4 cup butter -- melted

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup currants

1/4 cup mixed candied peel -- chopped

***GLAZE***

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

***ICING***

1/2 cup icing sugar

2 teaspoons water

1. in measure, combine warm water with 1 tb of the sugar; sprinkle yeast

over top. Let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. Meanwhile, in large

bowl, blend together remaining sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and

cloves; make a well in centre.

2. In small bowl, whisk together milk, butter, egg and egg yolk; pour into

well. Pour in yeast mixture. Using wooden spoon, stir until soft dough

forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface; knead for 8 minutes or until

smooth and elastic.

3. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic

wrap; let rise in warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Punch

down; turn out onto floured surface; knead in currants and peel. Shape into

12-inch log; cut into 9 even pieces.

4. Stretch, tuck and pinch sides of dough all around to meet underneath.

Using cupped hand, roll into seamless ball. Place 2 inches apart on greased

baking sheet. Cover and let rise for 35 minutes or until impression remains

when dough is poked.

5. Bake buns in 400F 200C oven for about 16 minutes or until golden brown.

Glaze: In saucepan, stir sugar with water over medium heat until

dissolved. Brush over buns. Let cool.

6. Icing: Stir together icing sugar and water. Using piping bag fitted with

round tip, pipe cross on top of each cooled bun.

Jello Easter Eggs

6 large eggs

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

1 3 ounce pkg fruit flavored gelatin

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1) To prepare egg shells, use large needle to pierce wide end of egg.

Tap with needle to make a hole one-half inch wide. Stick needle into egg and break yolk.

Empty eggs into bowl, carefully rinse inside of shells and let dry thoroughly.

2) Combine unflavored gelatin and fruit-flavored gelatin in mixing bowl.

Add boiling water and stir until dissolved. Let cool 10 minutes.

3) Using a measuring cup, carefully pour gelatin mixture into egg shells,

then place in egg carton with hole side up. Refrigerate until firm, 5 hours or overnight

. 4) To peel, remove outer shell first, then the membrane.

For easier peeling, QUICKLY dip chilled egg (with the shell) into bowl of warm water before peeling.

World's Best Chocolate Easter Eggs

These delicious cream filled eggs taste just like a very famous store bought one. They are easy to make and kids and adults love them.

Ingredients:

1 cup soft butter

2 tsp salt

4 tsp vanilla

1 can condensed milk (Eagle Brand)

10 cups icing sugar

1 tsp. yellow food coloring

1 lb. semi-sweet chocolate

What you do:

Beat butter, salt and vanilla until fluffy. Add milk, beat in sugar. Blend until stiff. Dust with brown sugar. Knead until smooth.

Set aside more then 2/3 of mixture. To the remaining mixture add yellow food coloring. Blend in well. Divde yellow and white into 16 or 24 pieces. Shape yellow into ball, mould white around yellow to form an egg shape. Dry at room temperature on paper towels for 24 hours.

Melt chocolate in double boiler or in microwave until smooth. Dip eggs in chocolate. (parafin wax may be added and melted with chocolate to prevent chocolate from melting in your hands). Once dipped cool at room temperature. Refrigerate after cool.

When sliced these eggs will have a white cream filling with a yellow filling that appears to be the yolk. They look nice sitting in an Easter basket!!

Easter Placemats

Make some personalized placemats for each of the friends or family members that will be attending your Easter dinner! You can use photos, personal artwork, or Easter cards to make each placemat super special!

You'll need:

Easter cards, photos, or pictures cut from magazines

Drawings and other artwork

Light weight cardboard or heavy construction paper

Glue

Contact paper

Select some special pictures from magazines, Easter cards, photos, or your own art collection, Cut them out in different and fun shapes. Glue the cut-outs onto a piece of light cardboard or construction paper in a decorative fashion.

Cover your collage with clear contact paper to seal the placemat. Be sure to date and sign it! Use your personalized placemats for your Easter dinner!

Easter Bonnet

Every little girl needs an Easter bonnet to go with her fancy Easter dress! This one is very easy to make, and especially fun to wear!

Paper plate

Construction paper

Crayons or markers

Glue

Yarn

Decorate the paper plate however you wish! Get creative with your crayons and markers. Glue on pieces of pastel paper, draw flowers onto your plate, use your imagination! Punch a hole on opposite edges of the plate, and tie pieces of yarn to each side of plate so it can be tied under child's chin.

Easter Eggs

Use hard-boiled eggs for your easter eggs (raw eggs can break if pressed on too hard). Here are a few different ideas for decorating your easter eggs:

simply use crayons or felt tip markers to draw designs on the eggs

wet the eggs and place pieces of colored crepe paper on the eggs. When the crepe paper is removed the color will stay behind.

soak different colors of crepe paper in hot water. Use a different bowl for different colors. Add the egg to the desired color and leave until desired color is reached.

place the eggs in food colouring with a few drops of vinegar added. Leave the eggs in the dye until they're nicely colored.

to dye your eggs more than one color just use scotch tape or masking tape to cover parts of the egg and dip into a light colored dye. When the eggs are totally dry leave the tape on but now add more tape and dip them again into a darker color dye. Continue doing this using more tape and darker and darker colored dyes until you have the effect you want. When the dye is totally dry then just peel off all the tape and you'll have beautifully colored easter eggs.

Place eggs in egg cups. Fill paper cups about halfway with different colors of food coloring. Cut a sponge into small pieces and attach it to a clothespin and dip the sponge into the food coloring. Lightly dab the sponge over the top half of the egg. After the egg is dry then turn the egg over and repeat the procedure.

Glue stuff on the easter eggs. Some ideas are: sequins, buttons, lace or ribbons, small pressed flowers, decals, stickers, glitter

Easter Bunny Basket:

Fold a paper plate in half and staple the sides, leaving it open at the top.

Using any color construction paper, cut out ear shapes and a strap about 12 inches long.

Glue the strap into the opening on the curved side of the plate and glue on the ears to one side of the strap. Using a crayon, color an eye on each side of the plate. Glue on a small pink pom-pom for the nose, and a small black line on either side of the plate for the mouth.

Fill with Easter grass and load up with jelly beans, easter eggs, Hershey kisses, etc.

Easter Cinnamon Ornaments

1 c Applesauce

1 oz Cinnamon

1 oz ground. cloves

1 oz ground nutmeg

1 oz ground. ginger

Cinnamon for cutting board

Combine ingredients to make a stiff dough.

Roll out on board dusted with ground cinnamon. Cut with cookie cutters of rabbits, eggs, baskets.

Put hole in top for string. Lay out flat to dry. Turn over every 12 hours until completely dry or dry slowly in a 100 degree oven for about 4 hours .

Growing Easter Baskets

Take empty 1/2 gallon milk cartons and cut down to about 4" high. With the leftover carton, cut a handle to staple to the basket.

Cover with construction paper and decorate as desired.

Fill about 2/3 full with potting soil, then generously cover with grass seed.

Water daily; grass will appear in 4-6 days.

Fill easter basket with decorated eggs.

Egg and Spoon Races

Eggs, spoons and an area to run are all you need for this game. Variations could include relays and obstacle courses. To make it easy for younger kids, place something on the spoon to make the egg stick.

Easter Guess the Number Game

Take a jar and fill it with Easter eggs, jelly beans, etc. Count the different candies as you put them in the jar

Leave a piece of paper and a pencil next to the jar and have all the children guess how many candies are in the jar. Be sure they write their name on the paper beside their guess.

The child who is the closest without going over wins the jar (and maybe a chocolate easter bunny).

Fun for All Easter Egg Hunt

To make easter egg hunts fun for ALL the kids, have eggs painted a certain color for each child. At the start of the hunt, give each child a different colored egg for their basket. Tell them this is the color that they're supposed to hunt for (any other colors don't count) and also the number of eggs that are hidden. The first child to find all their eggs wins a special prize. The prizes can be anything from chocolate easter eggs or bunnies, to easter baskets, or even money.

Pin the Tail on the Easter Bunny

The same idea as "pin the tail on the donkey".

Have the kids draw a picture of the easter bunny on white construction paper; have them color the picture.

Decide which child will go first and then blindfold him. Give him a cotton ball to be pinned onto the easter bunny (for small children use tape instead of a pin).

Spin him around three times and let him go at it.

Once he pins the cotton ball on the bunny make a small circle in a special colored crayon to tell where abouts on the bunny his tail got pinned.he pinned (a different color for each child).

The next child then has a turn, etc.

When the last child has had their turn that's when the colored crayons will show who pinned the tail where.

The child who pinned his tail the closest to the easter bunny's real tail get's a prize. You can also offer prizes to the one who pinned the tail closest to his nose, ears, paws, etc... (everyone's a winner so there's no hard feelings).