1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Combine dry ingredients; blend into mixture. Chill dough for easy handling; roll out on lightly floured surface. Cut out Easter shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees F for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Let stand a few minutes before removing to cool.

Frosting
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons hot water
Candy decorations

Combine ingredients in bowl; beat until smooth. Divide into 4 bowls; tint with food coloring. Spread on cookies; decorate as desired.

36 Spring Oreo or Oreo Double Stuf
    Chocolate Sandwich Cookies
1 (18.25 ounce) box yellow cake mix, batter
    prepared according to package directions
1 (16 ounce) can prepared vanilla frosting
Decorator frosting or gel, assorted colors

Split cookies, leaving filling on 1 side of each cookie. Coarsely chop plain split cookies; set aside. Cut 12 split cookies with filling into quarters. (You will have 24 split cookies and 48 quartered split cookie pieces, all with filling on one side.)

Fold chopped cookie pieces into prepared cake batter. Spoon batter into 24 paper-lined (2 1/2-inch) muffin-pan cups.

Bake cupcakes according to package directions or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.

Frost cupcakes with prepared frosting, a few at a time. Place a whole split cookie, filling side up, on each frosted cupcake. Attach 1 cookie quarter to front of whole cookie for head and another cookie quarter onto whole cookie for wing, attaching with frosting as needed. Repeat with remaining cupcakes and cookies.

Decorate chicks with colored decorator frosting or gel as desired. Let dry.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Tip: Green-tinted coconut can be sprinkled on frosted cupcakes for grass.

Lettuce
1 can pear halves
Whole cloves
Almond halves
Cottage cheese

Put a lettuce leaf on a plate. Lay half a pear on lettuce flat side down. And place a clove on each side of the narrow part of the pear for eyes (2 cloves). And two almond halves for the ears. And 1 teaspoon cottage cheese for a tail.

Posted by bettyboop50 at www.recipegoldmine.com

2 boxes confectioners’ sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine
1 teaspoon salt
1 small can Carnation evaporated milk
1 package chopped nuts
1 small bottle maraschino cherries, drained well and chopped
1 can coconut
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix or beat together the sugar, butter, nuts, cherries, pineapple and coconut. Add salt and enough milk to bind the mixture together, but not runny. Shape into eggs and allow to dry on a lined baking sheet until firm.

Melt chocolate chips in double boiler. If you like, you can add shaved paraffin to chocolate chips to make the chocolate shiny. Dip shaped eggs into melted chocolate and set on baking sheet to firm up. Once firmed, you can decorate the eggs with frosting.

Source: Scottsdale Culinary Institute, Scottsdale, Arizona

2 racks of lamb, 6 bones each
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons oil
4 ounces sliced persillade butter (recipe follows)
4 ounces fine bread crumbs
4 ounces demiglace sauce (available in specialty cooking stores)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Season lamb with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet or heavy roasting pan set over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the lamb to the pan and brown. Remove from heat.

In a small bowl, mix the persillade butter and bread crumbs. Press mixture onto the browned lamb.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 130 degrees F.

Prepare demiglace sauce according to package directions.

Remove lamb from oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into two-rib chops. Serve with demiglace sauce.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Persillade (parsley) butter: In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup softened butter, 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Chill until firm enough to mold, then shape into a brick and return to refrigerator.

Makes approximately 4 ounces.

Approximate values per serving: 939 calories, 75 g fat, 237 mg cholesterol, 49 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 543 mg sodium, 72 percent calories from fat

Yield: 10 servings

6 white chocolate squares
6 ounces soft ladyfingers
2 (250g) packages Philadelphia cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lime juice
1 envelope unflavored gelatine
2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel (zest)
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
Strawberries
Lime slices

Melt chocolate.

Halve lady fingers lengthwise. Line bottom and sides of an 8 1/2-inch springform pan with ladyfingers, rounded sides facing out.

Beat cream cheese on lowest speed of electric mixer until smooth. Blend in sugar and chocolate; mix well.

Sprinkle gelatine on top of lime juice in saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes to soften. Stir mixture over low heat until gelatine is dissolved. Blend warm gelatine and lime peel into cheese mixture.

Fold cheese mixture into whipped cream. Pour into pan.

Chill at least 3 hours.

Garnish with strawberries and lime slices.

Layer the following in a quart-size jar, packing down well between layers:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup coconut flakes

Attach the following instructions on a gift tag:

Lemon Coconut Cookies

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large mixer bowl, combine contents of jar with 1 cup softened butter, 2 eggs and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Beat at low speed, scraping the bowl often, for 2 to 4 minutes until well mixed. Drop rounded teaspoonsful of dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from the pans immediately.

Source: Great American Home Baking

Makes 3 dozen.

Pastries
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg

Filling
1/2 cup almond paste
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons chopped candied orange peel
1 large egg
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Topping
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 to  tablespoons water
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped candied orange peel

To prepare the pastries, in a medium bowl, mix together the flour and salt.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer set on medium speed, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the flour mixture until a dough forms.

Shape the dough into a flat square, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a small bowl, mix together the almond paste and butter. Stir in the orange peel, egg and flour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Grease 2 baking sheets.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 15-inch square, then cut into thirty-six 2 1/2-inch squares. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of filling onto each square. Roll up; pinch seams and edges to seal.

Place pastries, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until firm, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool.

To prepare topping, in a small bowl, stir together confectioners’ sugar and water until smooth. Drizzle over pastries. Sprinkle with the orange peel.

1 box Betty Crocker confetti or white angel food cake mix
1 cup flaked coconut
Jelly beans
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
6 drops green food color

Bake and cool cake as directed on package; remove from pan. Frost with whipped topping. In tightly covered container, combine coconut and food color; shake vigorously until evenly tinted. Sprinkle over top of cake. Arrange jelly beans on coconut. After serving, refrigerate any remaining cake.

Serves 12.

1 (4 pound) boneless, fully cooked ham, boneless
3 cups fresh rhubarb or 1 (16 ounce) package frozen cut rhubarb
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cinnamon stick

Do not preheat oven. Place ham, straight from the refrigerator, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Add 1/2 cup water. Insert an ovenproof meat thermometer into the thickest part of the ham. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, leaving the thermometer dial exposed. Roast at 325 degrees F until thermometer registers 135 degrees F, about 19-23 minutes per pound.

Meanwhile, combine rhubarb, sugar, orange juice, orange peel, dry mustard and cinnamon stick in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove cinnamon stick. Remove aluminum foil from ham and spoon a small amount of sauce over the ham 15 minutes before end of cooking time. Remove ham when meat thermometer registers 135 degrees F. Allow ham to stand, covered, about 10 minutes, or until the thermometer registers 140 degrees F.

Serve remaining sauce with ham.

Makes 2 1/4 cups sauce.