Happy Easter 2009

Happy Easter Everyone! Felipe and I had a wonderful day with our Easter brunch. Nicole, Sammi, Mike, Michael and Cord came over and we had a great time eating tons of yummy food and playing apples to apples.

Included in the yummy food was some angel food layer cake with strawberries that Sammi brought over:


Some tasty carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and orange zest (recipe at the end):


And a bunch of other super good food which was consumed too fast for the camera to catch it! (including lamb shish kebab, my very first ever ham, roasted asparagus, rice pilaf, Spanish tortilla, strawberries and other breads). We thoroughly stuffed ourselves!

We also had a bit of fun dying eggs as well :D



(okay, so there is no egg dying in the last photo...but it gives you an idea of the table coming together).

The End Results:

Don't they all look pretty! only thing is that I forgot to have people take some with them...so now I have two dozen hard boiled eggs for Felipe and I....


Recipe for Best-Ever Carrot Cake (Better Homes and Gardens)
Prep: 30 mins Bake: 30 mins Cool: 2 Hours Makes: 24 Cupcakes

4 Beaten Eggs
2 Cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups finely shredded carrots, lightly packed (finely shredded so that it doesn't settle at the bottom of the cake
3/4 cup cooking oil
Cream Cheese Frosting

1. Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Prepare two cupcake tins with paper cups (or grease and flour). In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and baking soda.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, carrots, and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir until combined. Pour batter into prepared cupcake tins.

3. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Cool thoroughly on racks.

4. Frost tops and sprinkle with orange zest, toasted coconut, or chopped pecans or walnuts if desired. Store in the refrigerator for up to three days.