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| Lily the Dalmatian Easter bunny welcomes you to the holiday dinner! |
The color scheme for my Easter table this year came from some new Dalmatian-themed salad plates I found in The Company Store catalog:
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| The Company Store Dapper Dog Melamine Salad Plates (other Dapper Dog designs are available) |
Yellow, spring green, white, and touches of navy and sky blue are all found on these plates, and all make an appearance in my tablescape. I normally avoid melamine dinnerware, but of course I had to have these plates with their Dalmatian design! Easter bunnies also dominate the table, as do four bright yellow hedgehog votive candle holders that I have not used in a while. The result is a bright and sunny table guaranteed to bring on thoughts of spring, even if the weather should refuse to cooperate!
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| Yellow cotton placemat; navy blue dinner plate; Dapper Dog Melamine Salad Plate; yellow and white bunny napkin (from HomeGoods a few years ago); white-handled flatware; green egg cup; bunny napkin ring as decoration (from Birch Lane a few years ago); blue goblet. |
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| At the head of the table a Dalmatian Easter basket carries little Daffodil, a Dalmatian Easter bunny in training. Lindt Milk Chocolate Gold Bunnies flank the basket, and Dalmatians Tulip and Azalea sit on either end, wearing their bunny ears and carrying a spring flower in their mouths! |
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| A closer look at the Dalmatian Easter basket, and the egg-shaped salt and pepper shakers in front. |
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| A bright yellow egg-shaped candle sits surrounded by sky blue glass beads and a row of even brighter yellow hedgehog votive holders. |
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| A closer look at a hedgehog votive holder sitting atop the yellow and white bunny table runner that matches the napkins. |
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| I found this lovely bunny platter at HomeGoods last year. |
For some reason Easter always makes me think of foods flavored with lemon, and my menu reflects that thought as every dish includes lemon as an ingredient. Some of the dishes even contain touches of green or blue foods, which are two other colors besides lemon yellow in my color scheme. I do like a menu that color coordinates with my tablescape!
Lemon Love Easter Menu:
Easy Chicken Piccata*
Lemon Orzo with Parsley and Scallions**
Lemon-Roasted Asparagus***
Lemon Cream with Blueberries****
*Easy Chicken Piccata
1/2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
3 T. grated Parmesan cheese
4 thin chicken cutlets
4 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
1/2 C. dry white wine or chicken stock
2 T. lemon juice
4 T. capers
2 T. minced parsley
Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and cheese in a large shallow bowl or pie plate. Rinse the chicken cutlets and dredge in the flour mixture, shaking off excess flour.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the dredged cutlets two at a time, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the cutlets. Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.
Add the wine or stock, lemon juice, capers, and about 2 T. of the flour mixture to the pan juices. Cook until thickened. Top each chicken serving with the caper sauce and sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4.
**Lemon Orzo with Parsley and Scallions
3 C. water
1 1/2 C. orzo
1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. butter
grated peel of one lemon
2 T. lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
2 T. minced parsley
4 T. sliced scallions
Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the orzo and salt, and cover. Cook until the all of the water has been absorbed and the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes (check and stir occasionally to be sure the pasta does not begin to dry out and stick to the bottom of the pan).
Add the butter and stir until it is melted. Stir in the lemon peel and juice. Add the parsley and scallions. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
***Lemon-Roasted Asparagus
16 oz. asparagus, tough ends removed
1-2 T. olive oil
1-2 T. lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
salt and pepper to taste
Arrange the asparagus on a baking pan with all spears in a single layer. Drizzle with the oil and lemon juice. Season to taste and toss the asparagus until well coated. Rearrange in a single layer. Roast at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes until crisp-tender. Serves 4.
****Lemon Cream with Blueberries
1 C. lemon curd
1 C. mascarpone
1/2 C. heavy whipping cream
1/2 C. blueberries
additional whipped cream for topping
Combine the lemon curd and mascarpone in a medium bowl until smooth. In a separate small bowl, whip the heavy cream until fairly stiff peaks form. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the first mixture. Divide the lemon cream evenly among 4-6 small custard cups. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm. To serve, top each serving with a spoonful of blueberries and a small dollop of whipped cream. Serves 4-6.
🐥🌼🐶🐣🐰🍋🌼🐶🐣🐰🍋🌼🐶🐣🐰🍋🌼🐶🐣🐰🍋🐥
Two small blue bowls containing a variety of Lindt Lindor Truffles (white chocolate, coconut, and caramel with sea salt) in appropriately-colored wrappers, all recycled from previous holidays, sit on the Easter table for anyone craving chocolate:
On the credenza sits an adorable ceramic bunny I found at Tuesday Morning a few years ago:
I just cannot celebrate Easter without some spring flowers. I could not resist these bright yellow tulips in their pot with the checked yellow wrapper:
I almost forgot to mention that the only other Easter candy I bought this year was marshmallow Peeps in two flavors - a dark chocolate-dipped coconut flavor that actually looks pretty good, and a rather surprising new choice called "Pancakes and Syrup"! We have not actually eaten them yet, so I will have to let you know later how they tasted! And now, in honor of Easter and Peeps, I will once again end an Easter post with my annual tradition of this video from YouTube:
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