SPECIAL

Prepare Your Heart For Easter

Easter, the day on which the resurrection of Jesus had taken place. Easter always falls on a Sunday with Good Friday just before, followed by Easter Monday the day after. Generally on Easter, people go to church in the morning. Special church services are held on that day. Easter is one of the most festive events among Christians worldwide.

Easter Food Food is a big part of the Easter celebrations with family and friends getting together for Easter lunch. But, what about snacks/ deserts! We always slack off when it comes to desserts and sweets. We bring out 3 Easter treats that you can try. SPECIAL |

Peeps Bunny Cupcakes

Ingredients 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups cake flour 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 4 large eggs room temperature 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 24 Bunny Peeps Sprinkles

For the frosting 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature 4-6 cups confectioners’ sugar 1/4 cup whole milk 1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. While the butter and sugar are mixing, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. With the mixer on low, add the eggs to the sugar/butter mixture one at time until completely incorporated. Add the milk and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture until well mixed. Turn the mixer off. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake liners and fill each halfway with batter. Bake in a 350 oven for 20-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy, slowly add 2 cups of confectioners’ sugar until well blended. Add the milk, vanilla and then slowly add the remaining sugar. Turn the mixer on med-high and beat until fluffy and white. Turn the mixer down low and stir in the food colouring until the desired colour is achieved. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature.

To decorate: Cut the heads off the bunnies and discard the bodies. Pipe a small dot of frosting in the middle of the cupcake and gently press on bunny head onto the frosting. Using a “grass” tip, pipe the frosting all around the top of the cupcake to make it look as if the bunny is peaking out of tall grass. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Repeat procedure until all the cupcakes are decorated.

Ingredients

Cookies 2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. Kosher salt 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 3/4 c. granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Icing 3 large egg whites 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar Gel food colouring

Instructions

Make cookies: In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Using electric mixer, beat butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and then vanilla. Reduce speed to low; gradually add flour mixture just until incorporated. Shape dough into 4 disks; roll each between 2 sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes. Heat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment. Using egg-shaped cutters, cut out cookies. Place on sheets. Reroll, chill and cut scraps. Bake, rotating positions of pans halfway through, until cookies are light golden brown around edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets 5 minutes; transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Make icing: Using mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until foamy, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low; gradually add confectioners’ sugar until incorporated. On high speed, beat until medium-stiff glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes. Add water 1 teaspoon at a time to icing to make thin drizzling consistency. Spoon 3 tablespoons onto plate. Add a couple of drops of food coloring; swirl using wooden pick. Place cookie top down directly into frosting, then slowly peel cookie away to one side, turning upright, and let excess fall off. Transfer to wire rack until set. Repeat with remaining cookies, changing icing colors as desired.

Ingredients

Cake All purpose flour Unsweetened cocoa powder Baking soda Baking powder Salt Brown sugar Granulated sugar Eggs Oil Buttermilk Vanilla extract Instant Expresso powder

Chocolate frosting Unsalted butter, Powdered sugar, Cocoa powder, Whipping cream, Vanilla extract, Salt

Decorate 8 ounces marshmallows, 3 tablespoons cocoa, Green Shimmer Sugar, Malted Milk Candy Eggs

Instructions

Cake First things first, start by spraying your cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and lining them with some parchment paper. Tip: Turn your cake pan upside down and use the bottom of the pan as a guide for cutting out your circle of parchment paper. Next, sift together your dry ingredients – all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. It’s important to sift together the ingredients to remove any lumps in your cake batter. Then whisk in some brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined. After the sugar is thoroughly mixed with the dry ingredients, you’ll whisk in some eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until just combined. Your batter should be pretty thick at this point, similar to a fudgy brownie batter. Then, pour in a cup of boiling water mixed with a teaspoon of instant espresso powder. It doesn’t make your cake taste like coffee, but instead, it enhances the chocolate flavour in the cake. You can also just use 1 cup of strong brewed hot coffee instead. Once you’ve mixed up the batter, you’ll pour it into your prepared cake pans and bake them for about 30 minutes.

Chocolate Frosting You’ll start with two sticks of unsalted butter that have been softened to room temperature. I suggest using unsalted butter since the amount of salt can vary between different brands of salted butter. Next, beat the butter for 1-2 minutes just until it’s nice and smooth. Then, mix in the powdered sugar. You can sift your powdered sugar if you prefer, but to be honest I always skip this step. It’s also best to mix the powdered sugar in 1 cup at a time so that it’s thoroughly mixed with the butter. Be sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as well once you finished mixing the last cup of powdered sugar in with the butter. Once the powdered sugar is mixed with the butter, sift in your cocoa powder. I know I said you can skip sifting the powdered sugar, but I never skip sifting the cocoa powder because no one likes a huge lump of unsweetened cocoa powder in their frosting. Mix in the cocoa powder until it’s well combined, the mixture will be pretty thick at this point. Finally, mix in some heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and a tiny pinch of salt. I suggest starting with 3 tablespoons of heavy cream and then add another tablespoon if you think you need it. You can frost this chocolate cake.

Decorate Combine marshmallows and cocoa in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 30 seconds.Stir marshmallows. {Warning. Hot marshmallows will burn. And it hurts!} Keep stirring. Stir, stir, stir some more! Stir until marshmallows are cool enough to touch and cocoa is completely dissolved. This is where it gets messy. Or fun, depending on how you look at things. Using both hands, stretch a small glob of marshmallow out into a long, thin, stringy strand. Start wrapping the stringy marshmallow around your cake. Go around and around the sides of the cake in a circular motion. Go light at first until you get the hang of it. Less is more! And thinner strands look better in the end. Continue to stretch and drape marshmallow strings. Move up and down the cake as you continue to pull more marshmallow around the cake in a circular pattern. Continue to add more marshmallow. Start overlapping the strings to completely cover your cake and create a woven appearance. Think of grapevine baskets as you go. Call it quits when you like what you see. Fill a disposable piping bag (or zip lock bag) with sprinkles and cut a small hole at end. We’ll use this to carefully cover the top of the cake with sprinkles. We don’t want any stray sprinkles falling because they will stick to the sides of the cake. Build your top layer of sprinkles by first outlining the edges. Get as close to the edge as possible without going over. Then move inward to completely cover the cake in a solid layer of sprinkles. Place candy Easter eggs on top of cake. And you’re finished!

Easter basket It’s so fun to give and take gifts on Easter. But don’t make it simply. Have an Easter Egg Hunt and get your baskets ready! Here are few tips to make Easter Basket for different age group. Choose yours and pick it up! SPECIAL |

2 - 4 Years Old Filling up Easter baskets for kids is almost as fun as watching little ones open them. Treat them to non-messy art supplies like colouring books and coloured pencils, bath toys, plush stuffed animals, and games they can enjoy solo or with a friend. If you’re feeling crafty, make one of our fun and kid-friendly Easter crafts to add to a toddler or baby Easter basket.

Plush toys Easter activity pages Puzzle blocks DIY stuffed animals Bedtime books Finger paints Bubbles ($10.97, Amazon) Building blocks Bunny-theme bath toys DIY sidewalk chalk Bunny slippers or socks Colouring books Hair bows Coloured pencils or crayons

5 - 7 Years Old Give young school-age children gifts that match their active lifestyles. A few of our favourite Easter basket stuffers include sports gear, puzzle books, modelling clay, and building blocks. Bonus points if you fill their personalized Easter basket with no-mess activities or outdoor crafts since they’ll likely want to start right away.

Silly Putty eggs Easter LEGO set Rainbow slime Sticker book Grow-in-water bunny or towel Easter bunny masks Sports balls Mad Libs or puzzle books DIY Sidewalk Paint Bike bell or horn

8 - 11 Years Old Because this is the age when kids start to fine-tune their interests and commit to hobbies, fill their Easter baskets with activities. Have a budding Picasso or future scientist on your hands? Try a paint set or age-appropriate science experiment kit. Small hair accessories also make wonderful Easter egg fillers.

3-D puzzle games Hair clips, headbands, or baseball cap Surprise-inside Easter eggs Art or paints set Magic tricks Unicorn slime Gel pens Science experiment kit Notebook or notepad Kids craft kit DIY Chinese checkers game Card games

12 - 14 Years Old Just because they’ve outgrown the egg hunt doesn’t mean they’re too old for Easter treats! Give the gift of music, science experiments, and brain teasers. Small electronics like a basic music player, earbuds, or a mini speaker keeps alive the magic of opening a basket of goodies on Easter morning.

Crossword puzzle book DIY jewelry Mini marshmallow shooter Sudoku or brain teaser games Earbuds Book light and new book DIY travel game Blank journal Headphones

15-Plus Years Old As kids get older, they’ll appreciate practical gifts more than toys or activity books. For high schoolers, gifts that make a busy schedule less hectic will be appreciated. Consider items they can use at school and home, like USB drives, charging stations, and smartphone accessories. Because this can be a stressful time for teens, fun or relaxing gifts like movie passes or a gift card for dinner with friends will be greatly appreciated.

USB flash drive Charging station DIY fabric catchall Headphones Pretty journal Movie tickets or a gift card to a favourite restaurant Scented candles or travel hand sanitizer DIY framed art or quotes Locker accessories or fun magnets Smart watch or fitness tracker accessories

Adult Compared to kids, gifting an adult is much easier. Whether it’s your parents or wife or husband or friends or relative, this list of gifts will sure impress them. Watches for men and jewelry for women make an awesome egg filler in the basket.

Gift cards Wine Tea leaves Gourmet food Perfume Scented candles Art pieces Electronics Roasted coffee beans Watches Jewelry

Easter signifies the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. All the family celebrations. We pray and attend church services. We have potluck family meals. We decorate eggs with the kids and perform an Easter egg hunt. The hunted eggs are filled with chocolates, jelly beans and cash. Kids are given an Easter basket full of gifts. The gifts include chocolates, jelly beans, colouring books with crayons and stuffed animals, hot-wheels or Barbie’s. All kids get new clothes to wear to church and for the family festivities.

Time with my entire extended family was the most memorable time of Easter. The gifts were exciting too, but spending time with my siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents were more memorable than any gift I ever received - except for that $50 dollar bill inside the egg during an Easter egg hunt.

This year I plan to pray during breakfast, gifting my children with new clothes and an Easter egg hunt inside our home. Last year, I prayed during breakfast to give thanks to God and then took my family to Goa for a week on a beach vacation. I also gifted my child with a new shirt clothes and put together an Easter basket for him. These are the Easter baskets I gifted my child. Erica Littlejohn Project Manager

Easter is always special to us. It represents hope, faith and forgiveness. I love preparing for Easter with egg decorating. The kids love the Easter Hunt for chocolates and goodies. We always go to a brunch at a hotel. It means a lot for us to celebrate with family to share in symbolism of unity and eternal love. My father used to get us a big Easter basket each year. That was always the memory of Easter I have. Last year, we went to a hotel brunch at Westin. But, this year due to travel restrictions we have to stay home but at least we are with family. JaneKeyl Gemologist

T U LIP - APRIL, 2020 59 As a kid, Easter was very special because I am Irish Catholic and was in a church choir, and Easter was big like Christmas. We practiced all though lent for Easter We gave up things (usually sweets) for Lent and Easter was the end of that. In the middle of Lent is St Patrick’s day and that was always a big celebration -- still is. We have a party at our house ever year. Have hosted St Patrick’s parties in Beijing, Kobe Japan, Colombo, Lima Peru and Hyderabad for past 27 years. At the end of Lent would have Holy Week with Maunday Thursday and Good Friday, where we could not eat meat and then Easter Saturday, where at noon, Lent was over. In England Easter Eggs (chocolate) were massive and still are -- all relatives would buy them and my brother and I would usually have around a dozen each. After church on Easter Sunday (where I would sing and play the guitar), we would have a Sunday roast and then eat our Easter eggs! No easter hunt in the UK! Today, in Hyderabad we go for Easter Sunday brunch. It is about new beginnings for me. I always decorate the house with eggs and bunnies etc and enjoy that spring is here and lent is over. A Thornton’s Chocolate easter egg with my name on it in about 1989 from my now-husband, Mike Aside from easter eggs, gifts are not given in my culture for easter. Previous year, we went for Easter brunch at the Park Hyatt - they always do a great job!! But this year, with COVID 19 - who knows -- Our older son Patrick (23) is with us and we hope to be at the PH-- if not a BBQ in the back garden. Dr Oli Tooher Hancock Head of School - International School of Hyderabad