Easter Services, Recipes and Links for Greater Brandon

Church services throughout the Greater Brandon area are underway this weekend to mark the holiest time of the year for Christians and, for many worshippers, the end to a 40-day Lenten period of fasting and repentance.

This report takes a quick look at the holiday, offers links to find church services and concludes with a collection of recipes for Easter meals of celebration.

Good (or Great) Friday is celebrated this year tonight, April 22, and is the most solemn of the church year’s calendar because it marks the death of Jesus on the cross.

Starting with midnight services that begin late Saturday night, Christians will head to traditional Easter services commemorating their belief in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Among the many local churches holding Easter services are:

• St. Andrews United Methodist Church
•  
• Bay Life Church
• Bell Shoals Baptist Church
• The Crossing
• First Baptist Church of Brandon
• Nativity Catholic Church

For a more complete listing, view the BrandonPatch directory of  local churches.

After the celebration of the Resurrection comes the feast, and that’s where these recipes, from allrecipes.com, come in handy. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comment box below. Dining out? Check the Brandon Patch directory for restaurant listings.

EASTER BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bacon
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced green bell pepper
• 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 8 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

 Directions:

• 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 7x11 inch casserole dish.
• 2. Fry the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble.
• 3. In a large bowl beat together eggs and milk. Mix in cheese, bacon, onion and green pepper. Stir in the thawed hash browns. Pour mixture into prepared casserole.
• 4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 30 minutes until eggs have set.

HONEY GLAZED HAM

 Ingredients:

• 1 (5 pound) ready-to-eat ham
• 1/4 cup whole cloves
• 1/4 cup dark corn syrup
• 2 cups honey
• 2/3 cup butter

Directions:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• 2. Score ham, and stud with the whole cloves. Place ham in foil lined pan.
• 3. In the top half of a double boiler, heat the corn syrup, honey and butter. Keep glaze warm while baking ham.
• 4. Brush glaze over ham, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Baste ham every 10 to 15 minutes with the honey glaze. During the last 4 to 5 minutes of baking, turn on broiler to caramelize the glaze. Remove from oven, and let sit a few minutes before serving.

CAMPBELL'S GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

Ingredients:

• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup or Campbell's® Condensed 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 cups cooked cut green beans
• 2 2/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

Directions:

• 1.Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, beans and 1 1/3 cups onions in 3-qt. casserole.
• 2.Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 min. or until hot. Stir.
• 3.Top with remaining onions. Bake for 5 min. more.

CREAMY DILL CUCUMBER TOASTIES

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 French baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick circles
• 1 cucumber, sliced
• 2 teaspoons dried dill weed

Directions:

• 1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, dressing mix and mayonnaise.
• 2. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on a slice of bread, and top with a slice of cucumber. Sprinkle with dill. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

DEVILED EGGS II

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 leaves of lettuce

Directions:

• 1. Place eggs in a pot of salted water. Bring the water to a boil, and let eggs cook in boiling water until they are hard boiled, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Drain eggs, and let cool. Once cool, remove the shell, cut the eggs in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks.
• 2. Place the yolks in a medium-size mixing bowl and mash them. Blend in vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper. You may need to add more mayonnaise to hold the mixture together, but it should be slightly dry.
• 3. Carefully put the egg yolk mixture back into the egg whites but do not pack it. There will be enough mixture so the whites are overfilled. Sprinkle with paprika. Place on bed of lettuce and/or garnish with parsley. Cool before serving.

EASTER EGG NESTS

Ingredients:

• 3 drops green food coloring
• 1/2 teaspoon milk
• 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
• 6 ounces white confectioners' coating

Directions:

• 1. In a small bowl, mix food coloring with milk; add coconut and mix until evenly tinted; set aside.
• 2. Melt confectioners' coating over a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring every 15 to 30 seconds until smooth. Mix with coconut mixture and place by spoonfuls on waxed paper. Shape mixture like a bird's nest, making a slight indentation in the center of each one.
• 3. Cool completely and decorate by placing candies in the center of each nest.

EASTER LAMB CAKE

Ingredients:

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package white cake mix
• 1 (16 ounce) can white frosting
• 3 cups flaked coconut
• 2 black jellybeans
• 1 black shoestring licorice
• 2 drops green food coloring

Directions:

• 1. Prepare cake mix according to package directions and bake in two halves of a stand-up lamb cake pan. Cool completely.
• 2. Stick the two halves of the lamb together using white frosting. Sit the lamb up and frost the entire lamb. Coat the entire lamb with coconut. Decorate with jelly beans for eyes, and licorice for whiskers. Tint any remaining coconut with green food color and use as grass.