Take-out Tuesday, Baked Artichoke Hearts Parmesan, Bunny Spinach Dip and Menu Shortcuts
Happy Tuesday!
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend
We celebrated Easter with an indoor egg hunt and a delicious lunch
I wanted to make it feel special,
but also keep it both kid and adult friendly
You might be thinking, wow, that’s a lot of work,
but let me share a few easy short cuts with you…
Originally I was going to make Spinach Dip in a bread bowl,
but decided to use a ceramic dish so I could make it 2 days ahead
When I set up the buffet I added 2 vanilla biscotti
{from the grocery bakery} for bunny ears
Baby carrots, celery and asparagus spears*
*{1-2 minutes in the microwave for crisp tender}
were placed in bowls nearby for dipping
I bought cheddar cheese cubes from the grocery deli
and put the cubes on a plate in the form of a big carrot
Parsley sprigs were the carrot top
Super simple, very festive, and kid and adult friendly
Bunny Bait Chex Mix is my recipe for Chex Mix
with peanut M & Ms and yogurt covered pretzels mixed in after baking
Bacon Tot Bundles aka Brown Sugar Bacon Bundles are hard to resist
frozen tater tots are wrapped in bacon,
topped with brown sugar and baked to crispy perfection…
AND
you can prep them the day before
and stash them in the fridge until needed
HHjr cut up honeydew, cantaloupe and watermelon the day before
If you have time to cut melon,
it is so much better than the pre-cut fruit from the produce section
I put it on a large platter
with a bowl of peeps on the side
Easter morning was rainy but…
rain or shine, the grilling must go on!
HHjr put up a tent and he and his “sous chef,” Big E,
grilled Lamb Lollipops
{individual chops cut from racks of lamb~
Trader Joe’s has a great price on these}
My family loves artichokes,
so I decided to try a new side dish
which was perfect with the grilled lamb…
Baked artichoke hearts covered with butter,
garlic, Parmesan and breadcrumbs
This couldn’t be easier to make!
Melt butter in a shallow casserole dish
{I used a 9″ deep pie dish}
Drain artichoke hearts well
Add them to the dish and roll them around in the butter to coat
Top with a generous layer of Parmesan
Followed by a generous layer of seasoned breadcrumbs
and then a drizzle of butter
I did this the morning of the party,
but you could definitely make this a day ahead
Pop it in the oven for 20 minutes right before serving
Baked Artichoke Hearts Parmesan
Ingredients
- 4 jars 12 oz., small artichoke hearts
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- finely grated Parmesan cheese
- garlic powder
- seasoned breadcrumbs I used Panko Italian seasoned
Instructions
- Drain artichoke hearts well and pat dry
- Melt 3 Tablespoons of butter in a small shallow casserole dish, I used a 9" deep pie dish. Sprinkle with garlic powder to taste
- Add artichokes and stir and turn to coat with butter
- Top with a generous layer of Parmesan, then a generous layer of breadcrumbs
- Melt remaining Tablespoon butter and drizzle over breadcrumbs
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Increase heat during the last few minutes or put under the broiler for just a minute to turn topping golden if desired.
- Serves 6-8
Bunny Spinach Dip
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 pkg Knorr's or Recipe Secret Vegetable Soup Mix
- 1 pkg 10 oz., frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 2 green onions, chopped, optional
Instructions
- Drain spinach in a colander, squeezing to release juices. Pat dry with paper towels, squeezing again to remove as much water as possible.
- Combine mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir in dry soup mix. Add spinach and stir well to combine. Add chopped green onion if desired.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors. Can be made up to 48 hours in advance
- Serve with a variety of vegetable dippers, crackers, chips or baguette slices
- Add bunny ears if desired with 2 biscotti or pieces of french bread
Notes
Dessert was lemon cookie bars brought by CCOG
{CC’s other grandmother}
my dear friend Sally, thank you!!
Making it special but keeping it easy!
I will be joining these fabulous parties and blogs:
Sundays on Silverado/ Love Your Creativity
What’s for Dinner/ Between Naps on the Porch
All About Home/ Common Ground & Follow the Yellow Brick Home
Oh My Heartsie Girl / Turn About Tuesday
Centerpiece Wednesday / Creative Crafts / Crafty Creators
Full Plate Thursday/ Creatively Crafty/ Thursday Favorite Things
Happiness is Homemade/ Friday with Friends / Share the Wealth
RSS - Posts
What a sensational Easter menu! I love that bunny spinach dip…the biscotti bunny ears are a genius idea. Those grilled lamb chops and bacon rolls are my favourite though.
Thanks so much Angie, the grilled lamb chops are a favorite with everyone, all the kids love them!
Yum Jenna! What a tasty menu…love the bunny ear biscotti tucked in your dip! I wish we had a Trader Joe’s nearby. Glad you were able to Keep Calm and Grill On despite the rain. 🙂 ♥
Thanks so much Mary, after we had the indoor egg hunt THEN the sun came out 😂
Two great artichoke recipes. Your family must love coming to your house. You work so hard on the celebration.
Thank you Bernadette, we all love a celebration!
Jenna, you and HHjr didn’t allow the rain to interfere with your lunch and egg hunt. Your menu sounds so delicious with great appetizers, sides, and the perfect meat for Easter. BTW, I love lemons squares. Thanks for sharing recipes. I am going to make the baked artichoke hearts. Happy sunny Tuesday!
Thanks so much Pam! I hope you enjoy the baked artichoke hearts, they were a hit!
The baked artichokes look delicious! Definitely keeper recipes!
Thanks Dorothy! A tasty and different side dish!
Honest to Pete, you always whip up the best (and most abundant!) food!!! Those lamb chops look finger-lickin’ good, and I’m not even a big lamb eater. Wow! I’m curious about the artichoke side dish. I’ll give it a try. Always open for something good and relatively easy to make to go with the entrée! Sorry the rain literally dampened activities, but I’m glad you guys were able to celebrate Easter together and in peace. Have a terrific week, Jenna!
Thanks so much Alycia! The artichoke heart bake is so easy to make, and the lamb chops are amazing, they are everyone’s favorite!
Jenna, these all look delicious but I’m especially fond of artichokes and have only used them as an ingredient in chicken dishes and pasta/pizza and never baked like this. It’s something I have to try!
Thanks Jeanie, they were so good and a nice change from the usual side dishes!
I guess a little rain is not going to stop someone who has been through hurricanes. Our day started out cloudy and threatening and then by afternoon was sunny and beautiful. It made me smile to think of the kiddos who got to have outside egg hunts after all. You menu is so appealing. That is a fun, Eastery way to have Chex Mix.
Thanks so much Linda, the sun came out right after our egg hunt, such a welcome sight on Easter Sunday!
Looks like you all ate well on Easter Jenna! Love the cubed cheese carrot:@)
Thanks Lynn, the carrot was a “lazy cheese ball” 😂
I’m glad the rain didn’t damped everyone’s spirits and that everyone had a good time. You certainly did have a wonderful Easter brunch. I’ll definitely be trying those baked artichoke hearts.
Thanks so much Karen, the artichoke hearts were a surprise hit, one of my guests even asked to take some of the leftovers home!
I love artichokes, Jenna, and this sounds so heavenly. I also want to try the tator tot bacon appetizers. I have a few leftover tots in my freezer. My daughter made a similar carrot appetizer, which was so cute. Looks like you had a great Easter!
Thanks so much Kitty! The artichokes were a hit and a nice change from the usual side dishes. The tater tots are delicious and easy too…it was all great food without too much effort!
Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us on Full Plate Thursday, 585! Hope you are having a great week and come back to see us soon.
Miz Helen
Thanks Miz Helen!