Easy Ways to Bring Fun-- and Yum-- to Easter

By DIY Diva Malia Karlinsky, GalTime.com

Peanut Butter Birdie Nests
Peanut Butter Birdie Nests

Are you hosting the Easter Party this year? When it comes to feeding a crowd, it's usually best to use what's in season. What's everywhere right now? Peeps! Those popular pastel-hued marshamallow treats. They come in all sorts of colors and shapes including bunnies and chicks.

Although they're tasty on their own, here are a couple easy ways to dress them up and your include them in your Easter parties.

Peanut Butter Birdie Nests

Ingredients: 1 twelve oz package of dry chow mein noodles, 2 ten oz package of peanut butter chips and Peeps marshmallow chicks. (This recipe makes approximately 16 nests, so you'll need 16 Peeps). Also, grab the cooking spray and a muffin tin and/or cupcake cups.

Directions

1. Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spary. Empty the two 10 oz packages of peanut butter chips into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave at one minute intervals and stir until chips are melted. To make stirring a little easier, spray cooking spray on a rubber spatula so the peanut butter goodness doesn't stick as much.

Related: Easter Recipes: Breakfast through Dessert

2. Dump 9 oz (about 3/4 of a large package) of the chow mein noodles in a large bowl. Add melted peanut butter chips. Stir, stir, stir. When the ingedients are combined, form little nests in the muffin tin or cupcake cups. It's easiest to spoon some of the mixture in and push down a little in the middle, make the "walls" and a place for the birdies to hang out.

3. Let the nests set. You can put them in the fridge for 15 minutes or so to hasten the process. Pop the birdies into the nests. If you are having a hard time making them "stay," a dab of frosting on the bottom of the birds will secure them.

Chocolate Dipped Bunny Peeps
Chocolate Dipped Bunny Peeps

Chocolate Dipped Bunny Peeps

Ingredients: chocolate cake mix, vanilla frosting, green food coloring, green sprinkles, 5 Baker's semi-sweet Baking Chocolate Squares, 2 dozen Bunny Peeps, cookie sticks, cupcake liners and muffin tins. Recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate squares in the microwave, stirring at 1 minute intervals until melted.

2. Dip the bottom of "Bunny" Peeps in, gently roll them in sprinkles and put them in on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet, then into the fridge to harden.

Related: Eco-Friendly Easter Ideas

3. Follow directions on the cake mix box to make chocolate cupcakes.

4. Tint vanilla frosting green, spread on cupcakes and cover with green sprinkles (making it look like grass).

5. Insert the cookie sticks into the Peeps and pop in the cupcakes.


Easter Decor
Easter Decor

Easter Decor

Using Easter baskets to decorate or create a centerpiece can be fun but isn't always practical.

Make it easy by using what you have. Shop your home for see-through containers. Then grab some brightly colored Easter candy and large chocolate animals (a dollar store is a good place to score them for a steal).

Create an eye-catching display by layering the treats by color and adding in chocolate bunnies or chicks. To add height, use a cake stand or a plate on a drinking glass. After the party, send guests home with these sweet takeaways.

Related: 3 Tips for a Fabulously Frugal Easter

Mailing Easter Eggs
Mailing Easter Eggs


Mailing Easter Eggs

What if you can't celebrate Easter with your favorite people people-- either kids or kids at heart? Send them some Easter fun in the mail!

This is pretty cool-grab a large plastic egg… fill it up with candy and Easter grass, seal it with tape, and affix a mailing label... and you can send it to your friend of family member.

It's so much more fun that a traditional greeting card! The price of postage will vary with weight so you'll want to check that before you mail it.

Free Easter Party Printables

For a complete set of free Easter Party Printables (many used in this story), including invitations, place cards, a "Happy Easter" banner and more:

1. Click this link for the Hop With Me Easter Party Collection

2. Click actions, then view all sizes, then select "original," save to your computer and print.

More from GalTime: