Resurrection Cookies

*Reposting this recipe to help you and your family get ready for Easter!

Resurrection Cookies

Before you begin, gather together the following:

• 1 cup pecan halves (not pieces)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (but keep the bottle handy)
• 3 eggs whites
• salt
• 1 cup sugar
• Plastic baggie
• Rolling pin or meat tenderizer
• Mixing bowl
• Mixer
• Tape (I use masking tape because it's easiest to remove)
• Scriptures

You will also need to preheat the oven to 300 degrees and prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with waxed or parchment paper.

Pull the kids in close and open your scriptures.

• Place the nuts in the plastic baggie, making sure to seal it tight. Either read or have the kids read John 19:1-3. Using the rolling pin or meat tenderizer, have them hit the nuts to break them into pieces to illustrate how Jesus was beaten by the soldiers. Set the nuts aside.
• Let the kids smell the vinegar in the bottle. Does that smell like it would taste good? As you pour one teaspoon into a large mixing bowl, have someone read John 19:28-29. When Jesus was thirsty, the soldiers gave him vinegar instead of water to drink.
• Eggs represent life. Add the egg whites as someone reads John 10:10-11. Jesus gave his life for us on the cross. Crucifixion might need to be explained in terms your kids can understand
• Give each person a sprinkle of salt in their hand and let them taste it. Shake a little into the bowl. Read Luke 23:27. This salt represents the salty tears of Jesus' friends and followers and also the tears we cry over our own sins. Explain that a lament is a great sadness and crying.
• Take a look at the ingredients in the bowl (vinegar, eggs, salt). It's not a very tasty combination, is it? Now let everyone have a taste of the sugar. ReadJohn 3:16 and Psalm 34:8. Pour the cup of sugar into the bowl. There's a lot more sugar/love in there than any bitterness. Explain that this very sad thing happened because of love for us, from Heavenly Father and Christ.
• Using the mixer, start beating on high speed. Point out that the mixture is white, the color of purity. Read Isaiah 1:18. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we are able to be cleansed of our sins. (This is the part where things can get derailed...it takes about 15 minutes to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and your kids are going to get bored. Talk about Jesus but once their attention is gone, send them to go get ready for bed or have a coloring page for them while you work.)
• Once you've got the stiff peaks, fold in the nuts. Scoop up some and drop it on the prepared pan. Read Matthew 27:57-60. These mounds represent the rocky tomb where Christ's body was laid to rest.
• Place the cookies in the oven. Turn the oven off. Read Matthew 27:65-66. Let every have a piece of tape to help seal the tomb. Christ's tomb was sealed and guards were set outside it.
• But where are the cookies? You might get some sad faces; after all, there was talk of treats. Read John 16:20, 22. Christ's followers despaired when he died on the cross but he had told them there would be reason to be joyful soon enough. You might need to have a back-up treat handy...I usually just let my kids lick the beaters. Be sure to close with a prayer if this is your FHE.
• This is the end for tonight! The cookies remain in the sealed oven overnight.
• The next morning, gather everyone at the "sealed tomb." Show them that the tape is still in place. Remove it and them pull out the cookie sheet. Have the cookies changed? Give one to each child and then read Matthew 28:1-9 as they eat the cookies. Just like the rocky tomb, the cookies are hollow and empty. His disciples were just as amazed to find that the tomb was empty. Jesus was no longer there because he had been resurrected.

Happy Easter!

Resurrection Cookies

Just helping you get ready to celebrate Easter!

Resurrection Cookies

Before you begin, gather together the following:

• 1 cup pecan halves (not pieces)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (but keep the bottle handy)
• 3 eggs whites
• salt
• 1 cup sugar
• Plastic baggie
• Rolling pin or meat tenderizer
• Mixing bowl
• Mixer
• Tape (I use masking tape because it's easiest to remove)
• Scriptures

You will also need to preheat the oven to 300 degrees and prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with waxed or parchment paper.

Pull the kids in close and open your scriptures.

• Place the nuts in the plastic baggie, making sure to seal it tight. Either read or have the kids read John 19:1-3. Using the rolling pin or meat tenderizer, have them hit the nuts to break them into pieces to illustrate how Jesus was beaten by the soldiers. Set the nuts aside.
• Let the kids smell the vinegar in the bottle. Does that smell like it would taste good? As you pour one teaspoon into a large mixing bowl, have someone read John 19:28-29. When Jesus was thirsty, the soldiers gave him vinegar instead of water to drink.
• Eggs represent life. Add the egg whites as someone reads John 10:10-11. Jesus gave his life for us on the cross. Crucifixion might need to be explained in terms your kids can understand
• Give each person a sprinkle of salt in their hand and let them taste it. Shake a little into the bowl. Read Luke 23:27. This salt represents the salty tears of Jesus' friends and followers and also the tears we cry over our own sins. Explain that a lament is a great sadness and crying.
• Take a look at the ingredients in the bowl (vinegar, eggs, salt). It's not a very tasty combination, is it? Now let everyone have a taste of the sugar. ReadJohn 3:16 and Psalm 34:8. Pour the cup of sugar into the bowl. There's a lot more sugar/love in there than any bitterness. Explain that this very sad thing happened because of love for us, from Heavenly Father and Christ.
• Using the mixer, start beating on high speed. Point out that the mixture is white, the color of purity. Read Isaiah 1:18. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we are able to be cleansed of our sins. (This is the part where things can get derailed...it takes about 15 minutes to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and your kids are going to get bored. Talk about Jesus but once their attention is gone, send them to go get ready for bed or have a coloring page for them while you work.)
• Once you've got the stiff peaks, fold in the nuts. Scoop up some and drop it on the prepared pan. Read Matthew 27:57-60. These mounds represent the rocky tomb where Christ's body was laid to rest.
• Place the cookies in the oven. Turn the oven off. Read Matthew 27:65-66. Let every have a piece of tape to help seal the tomb. Christ's tomb was sealed and guards were set outside it.
• But where are the cookies? You might get some sad faces; after all, there was talk of treats. Read John 16:20, 22. Christ's followers despaired when he died on the cross but he had told them there would be reason to be joyful soon enough. You might need to have a back-up treat handy...I usually just let my kids lick the beaters. Be sure to close with a prayer if this is your FHE.
• This is the end for tonight! The cookies remain in the sealed oven overnight.
• The next morning, gather everyone at the "sealed tomb." Show them that the tape is still in place. Remove it and them pull out the cookie sheet. Have the cookies changed? Give one to each child and then read Matthew 28:1-9 as they eat the cookies. Just like the rocky tomb, the cookies are hollow and empty. His disciples were just as amazed to find that the tomb was empty. Jesus was no longer there because he had been resurrected.

* This is pretty much a re-post. This time of year, I get a lot of requests for this recipe!

His Sacred Name

If the video gets cut off, view it here.

Happy Easter!

FHE: Resurrection Cookies

Usually, my FHE post is a recap of the festivities/feuds from the week before. This week, I'm opting for something a little different. For the past few years, we've always made Resurrection Cookies the Saturday evening before Easter. I won't be able to do that this year but it's my favorite Easter tradition so we're having them for FHE tonight!

Since I don't know what songs we'll sing or who will say the prayer, we'll skip that and just get down to the gist of it.

Resurrection Cookies

Before you begin, gather together the following:

• 1 cup pecan halves (not pieces)
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar (but keep the bottle handy)
• 3 eggs whites
• salt
• 1 cup sugar
• Plastic baggie
• Rolling pin or meat tenderizer
• Mixing bowl
• Mixer
• Tape (I use masking tape because it's easiest to remove)
• Scriptures

You will also need to preheat the oven to 300 degrees and prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with waxed or parchment paper.

Pull the kids in close and open your scriptures.

• Place the nuts in the plastic baggie, making sure to seal it tight. Either read or have the kids read John 19:1-3. Using the rolling pin or meat tenderizer, have them hit the nuts to break them into pieces to illustrate how Jesus was beaten by the soldiers. Set the nuts aside.
• 
  
• Let the kids smell the vinegar in the bottle. Does that smell like it would taste good? As you pour one teaspoon into a large mixing bowl, have someone read John 19:28-29. When Jesus was thirsty, the soldiers gave him vinegar instead of water to drink.
• 
  
• Eggs represent life. Add the egg whites as someone reads John 10:10-11. Jesus gave his life for us on the cross. Crucifixion might need to be explained in terms your kids can understand
• 
  
• Give each person a sprinkle of salt in their hand and let them taste it. Shake a little into the bowl. Read Luke 23:27. This salt represents the salty tears of Jesus' friends and followers and also the tears we cry over our own sins. Explain that a lament is a great sadness and crying.
• 
  
• Take a look at the ingredients in the bowl (vinegar, eggs, salt). It's not a very tasty combination, is it? Now let everyone have a taste of the sugar. Read John 3:16 and Psalm 34:8. Pour the cup of sugar into the bowl. There's a lot more sugar/love in there than any bitterness. Explain that this very sad thing happened because of love for us, from Heavenly Father and Christ.
• 
  
• Using the mixer, start beating on high speed. Point out that the mixture is white, the color of purity. Read Isaiah 1:18. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we are able to be cleansed of our sins. (This is the part where things can get derailed...it takes about 15 minutes to beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and your kids are going to get bored. Talk about Jesus but once their attention is gone, send them to go get ready for bed or have a coloring page for them while you work.)
• 
  
• Once you've got the stiff peaks, fold in the nuts. Scoop up some and drop it on the prepared pan. Read Matthew 27:57-60. These mounds represent the rocky tomb where Christ's body was laid to rest.
• 
  
• Place the cookies in the oven. Turn the oven off. Read Matthew 27:65-66. Let every have a piece of tape to help seal the tomb. Christ's tomb was sealed and guards were set outside it.
• 
  
• But where are the cookies? You might get some sad faces; after all, there was talk of treats. Read John 16:20, 22. Christ's followers despaired when he died on the cross but he had told them there would be reason to be joyful soon enough. You might need to have a back-up treat handy...I usually just let my kids lick the beaters. Be sure to close with a prayer if this is your FHE.
• 
  
• This is the end for tonight! The cookies remain in the sealed oven overnight.
• 
  
• The next morning, gather everyone at the "sealed tomb." Show them that the tape is still in place. Remove it and them pull out the cookie sheet. Have the cookies changed? Give one to each child and then read Matthew 28:1-9 as they eat the cookies. Just like the rocky tomb, the cookies are hollow and empty. His disciples were just as amazed to find that the tomb was empty. Jesus was no longer there because he had been resurrected.

Peep Wars: Attack of the Calories

It is a tradition to torture our Peeps. I say there's no good peep unless its a dead peep (or a stale one). And every year, people ask just what I mean by "Peep Wars." Well, dear Internet, this year, I took pictures.

Our fearless combatants.

Shake hands...er, wait, no hands. Hmmm...shake...sugar crystals.

Yellow took the opportunity to talk some smack to Pink, saying that Pink was a pansy.
I think Pink might have blushed a little.

Peeps, to arms!

(Toothpicks are deadly weapons when you're made of marshmallow.)

In the arena.

Tensions are running high at this point.
Flustered by Yellow's taunting, Pink is ready for the starting beep.

And the battle ensues!
Both contestants are feeling the heat now.

PINK delivers a mighty blow -- er, rather, poke!

Oh, Yellow never saw it coming. He was looking the other direction.

Oh, the HORROR!

Deflated from their efforts, both peeps are done for.

To the victor go the spoils...or in Peep Wars, the kids get the gooey stuff (but its not nearly as poetic).

Hope you enjoyed our Peep Wars. (I promise, I'm taking a photography class at the Casual Blogger Conference so hopefully, these photos will improve.)

And if you'll excuse me, I'm off to clean my microwave.

Easter Happenings

Easter snuck up on me this year. It seemed like I only had a couple days to prepare and even then, I didn't get everything done. Only one spring decoration was put up. Oh well...

And I found my camera charger! It's a story for another blog post but I blame the gnomes. So I have a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.


We decorated eggs with our Aunt Denise and the Co-ed on Saturday night. That's always eventful. Afterward, we made our traditional Resurrection Cookies. The kids look forward to these. Their favorite parts? Da Boo likes taping the oven. The Boy likes tasting the salt.


Here are my beautiful girls, wearing matching Easter dresses, courtesy of Grandma G. Wanna know the reason why Baby is smiling so big? Because the Man can get her to smile and laugh like no other. I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a little jealous.


And here's how the Boy was dressed for most of Easter Sunday, thanks to an early birthday present. You can see the collar of his dress shirt underneath...I promise I didn't let him go to church like that.

As usual, I like to try something new and crazy for Easter's dessert (and having Peep Wars doesn't count). I love and adore Bakerella (and if you aren't already drooling over her site, then what is wrong with you??) A little while ago she featured a 14 Layer Cake and I was immediately hooked. So I tried it.


It took me 2 1/2 hours to make but oh my! Isn't it pretty? The scalloped effect was created by the disposable pans I used and I must say, it really made it look spectacular. Go see Bakerella's pictures of the inside of the cake because mine all came out blurry. It's definitely got the "WOW!" factor! And the taste? WELL WORTH the time involved!

And now for the low points...

Alternate titles: The Airheaded Adventures of Me, How to Ruin a Perfectly Lovely Holiday

Up to this point, Easter was rather nice. Egg hunts, breakfast and adult interaction at the church. Family fun, decorated eggs and much laughter at home. Even Sunday morning was great! I woke the kids up, they ran downstairs, passed their Easter baskets and headed straight for the oven to get the Resurrection Cookies, because Christ's resurrection is the true meaning of Easter, not marshmallowy treats. And those cookies turned out better than last year. When they finally noticed the Easter baskets, they were both ecstatic over what they contained. They each got a basketful of sugar and a movie. Easter Bunny even brought me a movie. That's one smart bunny.


The Co-ed spent the night so I followed their Easter tradition and hid her basket. That was kinda fun...I might have to start doing that. So we have breakfast, get ready for church and out the door we go! We were only a few minutes late, which is pretty good for us. Sacrament was lovely (especially since I was listening instead of talking). Then comes Sunday School. I am sitting between the Co-ed and the Man (which is a nice change!) when, after 20 minutes, I happen to look around the room. I see a friend and remember that she was recently released from the Primary and can now sit with her husband.

PRIMARY!!!

I was supposed to substitute for da Boo's class today! I made a horrible noise and immediately jumped up and ran from the room. I checked in with the Primary. One of the moms was sitting with da Boo's class but was not teaching. Fortunately, the Primary President knows I am an gigantic airhead. Unfortunately, I had about 15 minutes to get a lesson together. I headed to the library to look through the manual. There's a special lesson for Easter and it had a handout for the kids. Of course, the copier was broken. So home I went! While making copies, I scanned the lesson and tried to calm down. I couldn't focus because I felt like such an idiot. This isn't the first time this has happened...and sadly, I'm sure it's not the last. I decided that instead of stammering my way through the lesson, I would do something else. I gathered up my supplies and copies. I raced back to church. The Co-ed and the Man had corralled da Boo's class. The Man escaped as quickly as possible but the Co-ed stayed with me (ain't she sweet?).

My brilliant plan was to teach them the Resurrection Cookies lesson. I had all the ingredients with me (except I forgot the eggs but oh well!) and went through it just like I had with the kids. One girl nearly threw up after tasting the salt but it went well enough. We did a few things from the lesson manual and then I gave them each a cookie at the end. All seemed well...for now...

Home again, I tried to relax and regain my strength after the whirlwind. It was then that I remembered I was supposed to say the prayer in Relief Society...dang it!

After falling into an exhausted and depressed sleep, I slept too long (of course). While Aunt Denise brought the traditional ham and the Co-ed made a fruit salad, I was supposed to make rolls, funeral potatoes and dessert (it's me, after all). After watching a cooking show on tv, I decided to make coconut cake and had purchased all the ingredients. But once again, this is me, people. I can't do something the easy way...so I tried a new recipe that took twice as long as I thought and had to make it fancier than expected by coloring the coconut. It turned out interesting. Cute enough on the cake plate but had an odd flavor, more like shortbread than like the cake I expected. Disappointing, after all that work. And if fell apart when I tried to cut it. But at least it was pretty, right? Right??


I think I need another nap...

Easter Fun

Saturday morning, the kids and I headed up to the local chapel for the traditional breakfast and egg hunt. This year, they separated the age groups, which I thought was a great idea. I'd rather taking pictures of my kids happily collecting eggs instead of tearfully picking themselves up after yet another bigger kid knocks them down in all the excitement.

Breakfast was served. Pancakes, sliced strawberries, whipped cream, fruit, and sweet rolls. Just as I was getting the kids their pancakes, someone set down two boxes of donuts. Score! There was also Clarabelle, the Easter cow (apparently, no bunny costumes were available). The kids were pleased to see a relative.


Finally, it was time for the eggs! First, the little kids.


They had taken the eggs for the youngest group and basically left them in piles. Also a good idea! Because really? Most kids the Boy's age don't really understand the concept of hunting for eggs. They just pick up whatever they happen across, even if it's not an egg...

Then the middle group.


Da Boo was on the lower end of this group but she held her own and made me proud. She got a little upset when an older friend tried to help her find eggs. She's a whooping five now...she can find her own eggs, dang it! After this group, they unleashed the older kids as a sort of clean-up crew, finding the eggs that had been missed by the younger crowd. Afterwards, there were fun games, like an egg relay, egg toss and seeing how many peeps you could stuff in your mouth at once. No, I didn't play them. But when we headed home, the record was 13 peeps.

Deaf Bunnies At My House

"There is an unwritten rule that says all mothers get to eat the ears off the chocolate Easter bunny."

- From my chocolate calendar, of course.

FHE: How Does Your Garden Grow?

For Family Home Evening tonight, we had an outdoor activity. Since the Man has been laid up with various ailments, he is behind on getting the garden started. We had ready access to willing slave labor so we got the kids all excited about planting seeds.

Opening Song: Give, Said the Little Stream (led by me)

Opening Prayer: da Boo (possibly a record for fastest prayer ever)

Lesson: Quick briefing by Dad as to how we would plant the seeds. We then regrouped outside, where the Man had prepared a trench and set up the wire frame for the bush beans. The kids got to plant the seeds. In her usual style, da Boo was very careful and compassionate, talking to each seed as she placed it in it's new home. On the other hand, I was surprised the Boy didn't opt for eating all of his seeds. After a generous watering (that was briefly delayed by the hysterics that ensued once spiders were discovered in da Boo's watering can), we said goodnight and headed back inside.

Closing Song: Popcorn Popping (very Spring-ish)

Closing Prayer: da Boo (after some non-reverent encouragement to say the prayer)

Treat: Piece of Easter cake that the kids got to decorate with Aunt Denise after Easter dinner. She was very brave and even let them spread the chocolate frosting. As you can tell from their faces, they had a great time!

Easter Morning

Easter morning, the kids were very excited to get out of bed and head downstairs. But it wasn't to see what the Easter Bunny brought. They wanted to check on their Easter cookies. Here is a picture:

They turned out great! Da Boo was simply amazed when she bit into one.

And then there were the Easter baskets. Here is a picture of the kids enjoying the customary breakfast of orange rolls while drooling over their baskets.

Da Boo got new Easter-themed Littlest Pet Shops and a CTR ring. The Boy got the stuffed chicken (which has barely left his side) and a clip-on tie (which has stayed in the basket). They loved the magic capsules (the kind that you put in warm water and a sponge animal comes out). Those were a huge hit.

Church was really great! The sacrament meeting was done by the choir. It was like Music and the Spoken Word, with Easter songs and narration. Very nice. Sunday School was on the transfiguration of Christ. There were several comments on the General Conference talks and the testimonies of Christ. Powerful stuff. We have a really fantabulous teacher. And I'm not just saying that because she reads my blog. I have learned so much in this class. She teaches the gospel and doesn't make me feel like I am a lousy member because I don't know all the deep doctrine. (And she's way cute.) Relief Society was a montage of scripture and hymns. I also discovered my mascara is not waterproof. After church, I got in trouble because I was cropping and editing photos to post for you, my lovely reader, instead of making dinner for the family. So no funeral potatoes. Had baked potatoes instead. And steak. And yummy rolls. And jello salad. And green salad. AND chocolate cake. I'm very full, physically and spiritually.

Happy Easter!

We hope you had a good Easter and were able to think of the many miracles that Jesus worked on our behalf.

Yesterday we had two Easter egg hunts, at the same time. One was up at the church and included breakfast. The second was in our neighborhood and had the Easter Bunny. We went for breakfast first.

Da Boo liked the fact that she could reach the "big kid" eggs. Oh, wow! Another yellow egg! Not surprising. Also not surprising is the fact that Boy has something non-edible in his mouth.

The neighborhood event had the eggs split into three age levels. The Boy's group was scattered over the basketball court. I purposely did not crop the photo so you could see the sort of chaos that ensued. There was a limit of 12 per child but lots of parents were not enforcing it. Notice the girl behind the Boy with the full bucket. The girl next to her only had 2 eggs in her basket. The Boy barely managed the 12 before all the eggs were gone. Da Boo was in the middle group but she was the youngest. She didn't come close to12. I about had to tackle a kid who snatched up an egg my girl was reaching for. Luckily for him, a look was enough for him to drop it.

And here's the Easter Bunny! His name was Peter. The Boy thought he was pretty cool and tried to pull on his teeth. Da Boo suddenly got very shy, like most people do when in the presence of a celebrity. She later was asking me some questions about why a bunny is delivering chicken eggs, where he gets the eggs and if he makes all the candy. Some tough questions to answer! I distracted her with chocolate.