What to Eat Wednesday-Resurrection Cookies

Because I couldn't find the recipe quickly this year, I wanted to post it so I have it for next year. Without photos even. Maybe we will try and re-create it sometime, or just wait and take photos again next year.
These really are not hard. I think I was just trying to do too much at once, and I whipped everything all together at once. You can't do that! The pecans have to gently folded in at the end.

Resurrection Cookies
To be made the night before Easter

1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar

*Preheat oven to 300 degrees. (Important! Do this first thing!)
Put the pecans into a ziplock bag have one of the kids beat the pecans with a rolling pin, to break them into pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested, he was beaten by the Roman soldiers, and read John 19:1-3.

Have each child smell the vinegar. Put one teaspoon of vinegar into a mixing bowl.
Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink, and read John 19:28-30.

Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life.
Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life, and read John 10:10-11.

Sprinkle a little bit of salt into your kid's hand. Let them taste it and then brush the rest into the bowl.
Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Now read Luke 23:27.

So far, the ingredients aren't very appetizing. Add the cup of sugar.
Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us, and He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16.

Beat all the ingredients with a mixer on high speed for about 12 minutes, until stiff peaks are formed.
Explain that the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus, and read Isaiah 1:18 and John 3:1-3.

Fold in gently the broken nuts. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper/foil covered cookie sheets.
Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid. Read Matthew 27: 57-60.

Put the cookie sheet into the oven, close the door, and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape, and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed. Read Matthew 27:65-66

Go to bed.
Explain that they might feel kind of sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were in despair when the tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.

On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matthew 28: 1-9

Easter

Our Easter was memorable- We did the things we normally do to celebrate Easter, and added some new things. Some things went just fine, and others didn't go so well.

This (and the following instructions on her blog) is what one of our added things was supposed to look like. But instead it grew mold. I didn't even bother with the pictures of that.

I tested gravity to make sure all laws still applied.


They do.

This is a resurrection cookie that we make every year. I had a hard time finding the recipe. So I got off to a rough start. I added everything in the wrong order- and started mixing at the wrong time. But after the kids went up stairs I did a quick re-do of the dough and we put them in the oven overnight just like we were supposed to.

The idea is that in the morning when you open the oven, the tomb- the cookies are supposed to be hollow, empty inside. But not this year!

So after that- we all just laughed and finished our Easter prep ... our family was speaking and doing some of the music in Sacrament meeting. I don't think I have ever been so thankful for late 2:00 church. We enjoyed a simple Easter brunch with my Mom and then finished our preparations.

Savanna sang All Creatures of Our God and King and it was beautiful. I don't say that just because I am her mother. It really was beautiful. I just sat and took it all in- afraid to blink or shed a tear for fear I would miss a note.

Jack gave a most heartfelt talk and testimony about Christ. I love that he took it so seriously and had it prepared a head of time. I am thankful for his devotion.

Luke played his own version of As I have loved You on the piano. He sat down that week and taught himself by ear chords to go along with the melody in his mind. I am thankful he agreed to play and when it was time he willingly got up and played.

And Tucker helped by being semi-reverent. He sat part of the time down in the pews with my Mom, and part of the time with us up on the stand.


I cried through most of my talk- and Jay spoke with ease. We all felt relieved to have it over, but also very thankful to have been able to speak on Easter. We were asked a few weeks ago, and it gave us ample time to ponder what we felt like we needed to study and speak about.

We subbed out a traditional Easter dinner for simple appetizers. It was a great end to a beautiful day.

The Easter Egg Hunt

There are no eggs in these photos. Our church had a BBQ/Egg Hunt- and my camera battery died. At least I thought it did. I missed all the kids running for eggs, and the mania that ensued. I missed the photo of Jack finding a $10 egg in the youth hunt. But we have all seen egg hunts. Imagine one and put my kids faces in it.

But then I had the idea to double check my extra batteries-and I am so glad. I didn't miss Tucker and Luke on the horses. Our kids love going out to this families farm- when we get there they jump out of the car before its even parked, and I don't see them until its time to go. And even then it is hard to see them because they run away when I call for them.

This family is so giving of their time- I have no idea how many times she walked around, and around giving kids rides. I am sure she was tired by the end, but she never seemed tired or put out.
Luke was kind to share with Tucker- and I think they both liked it. But I think Tucker's imagination took off when he got to ride by himself. These photos are meant to be scrolled through really fast- if I knew how I would put them all together in one of those moving pictures.




It got me thinking of his other cowboy & gun shots- cheese, gun-in-church pistol-to pop, cowboy Christmas to name a few.



And there you have the egg hunt.

Dying eggs Pinterest style

This is by far my most favorite way to dye Easter eggs.

Kool-Aid packets= delicious scent.

Muffin tins= perfect size for hands to reach in and rotate.

No smelly vinegar= everyone wants to participate.

Friends suggestion to get together=fun family night and relief that one Easter tradition turned out.

Bright Kool-aid colors= perfect egg dye.


Pinterest Inspiration= worked this time!

This I Believe: His Sacred Name - An Easter Declaration

Our Easter Weekend

Very long post- lots of photos- I guess you could call this a Grandparent post- something that family would want to see, but maybe not others...

*crazy maniac shopping for shoes for everyday wear not just for Easter Sunday-(but finding sunday shoes would have been nice too)

*easter egg run- (you know, kind of like the land run, except you grab eggs instead of land-and it seems to be just as competitive)

kids with their registration bracelets for the "egg run"

* helicopter dropping eggs from the sky and how wind whipped we were and how Tucker was so afraid.




*How some of our kids did not get any eggs because there were just so many kids and their parents (it probably did not help that most kids are more aggressive than ours)




*How Tucker describes the helicopter and the eggs

*A great friend dropping off a darling gift for one of the kids baskets- just in the nick of time!

*Saturday last minute fast shopping for things for the baskets (it was the only alone moment that I had to do it!)

*Pizza dinner with friends and getting home late

*staying up with the kids to make easter cookies

*staying up later to find pants, shirts, skirts from neglected laundry piles and ironing them

*staying up way later and preparing surprises for after church then having fun creative time after all the work was done

*creating things while listening to the house shaking thunder

*going to bed just as Jay was getting up to finish preparing for his speaking assignment

*waking up and enjoying our morning all together as a family

*opening the oven to find the Easter cookies


*breakfast by candlelight

See the Easter cookies on the plates?
(I was surprised with all the storms and humidity that they turned out so well and did not fall- they really did turn out hollow!)

*not worrying about taking any photos before church


*attending church with Jay to the Ward that he was speaking in and how totally quiet it was-(it was a student ward- no other kids there but ours) and having church in the cafeteria

*thoroughly enjoying watching Tucker sit up on the stand with Jay and only having to manage Luke sitting next to me (Savanna and Jack sitting just fine as usual)




*hearing Tucker sweetly say Amen, then again in a growling voice

*listening to a wonderful talk about what we give our time to, and relating it to Easter-and Christ and his Atonement

*getting to hear Jay's testimony about Resurrection and the assurance that we will all live together after this earthly life


*coming home and checking to see if the Easter bunny had been here
(Our first year to do this - I love, love love, having the Easter bunny come after church! So thankful someone shared this tradition with me!)

*circling the block one more time- silly us, left the doors locked, so we had to unlock the back door and leave a carrot for the bunny

*Luke running in to check and yelling that yes indeed the bunny had been to our house

*Luke finding half eaten carrots by the back door

*Everyone being excited about their baskets



*Tucker getting so excited to see what all this was about- and running around the room to check out what was in everyone's basket









*Tucker getting one piece of candy in each egg- he loved the jelly beans!





*long naps for the youngest and oldest kids

*Jack realizing that he had "Peanut Butter Jelly and a Baseball bat"- (Reeses egg, jelly beans, and the bat)
*candlelight dinner

*followed by me dropping the camera in the sink

* followed by a fire during candlight dinner from a linen napkin being discarded onto a candle-

*Jay fixes camera so I can take photos of Luke sneaking into photos of me and my mom

*photos of me and my mom with my arm trying to keep Luke out of the photo



*end of the day snuggles with the youngest one and a long sleep