Easter Recipes + Delirium Discussion

Happy hump day! The weekend is on the horizon and I've been brainstomring what to make for Easter Sunday. We will begin the day with church with Shaun's parents and then back to their house for some breakfast. I'm thinking a little baked oatmeal will be in order...

In the afternoon, we will head to my aunt's house and I'm thinking of bringing some cupcakes! I have these adorable cupcake liners that just need to be used. I also used them in last year's malted chocolate cupakes. So cute. I think that a nice chocolate cupcake with vanilla buttercream is the ticket...

I also have a number of other Easter recipes that I'm contemplating, but those two are leading the pack. If you're on the hunt of some other Easter recipes, here are some more ideas:

Chocolate cookie peepza pie. So cute and fun and can be whipped up in a snap.

Jelly bean brown sugar cookies. Ah I love these. They are so cute and fun. The jelly beans look like little jewels and keeps the cookie nice and chewy!

Chocolate peanut butter eggs. I mean...what more can I say? They are super easy and cute.

Chick cake pops. I haven't tried making these, but someone who is better at dessert decorating than I am should.

White chocolate pretzel Easter bark...in case you missed it yesterday, this bark is sweet, salty and festive.

So there you go. Some fun recipes for you!

What are your plans for Easter or Passover?

On another note...let's talk about Delirium!

Did you read it? (And if you didn't...read no further!)

I really, really loved this book. I was immediately sucked into this world where love is a disease and members of society have 'the procedure' when they turn 18 in order to prevent them from feeling love.

Of course, our heroin, Lena, who is completely for the procedure, ends up meeting Alex...and falls in love just weeks before her scheduled procedure.

Ah Alex.

Sigh.

I started thinking about this concept of not feeling love...and what a scary concept that is! Can you imagine that? What is life worth living without love for parents, siblings, children, husbands, wives...even pets?! No world I want to live in, that is for certain.

For me, the ending happened as expected, but I didn't mind. I thought it was exciting and a fun, easy read. I love getting sucked into books like this!

So here are some questions to get the discussion going. Also, please note that this is JUST for Delirium...if you've already read Pandemonium (the second book), please do NOT post any spoilers for Pandemonium...mmm k?

How do you think this idea of 'no love' came about in this world?

Did you identify with Lena before her 'deliria'? Her desire to follow the government and do what she is told, since it 'must be in her best interest'?

Why do you think that cameras were suddenly installed at the house?

And as for the ending...what do you think Alex's fate might be?

I hope that some of you read this book and join in the discussion! I'll post my thoughts in the comments!

White Chocolate Pretzel Easter Bark

In case you missed it, we're giving away a box of gourmet candy bars...enter the giveaway now!

We're just a few days away from Easter and I'm basking in this beautiful Spring weather and daydreaming about the long weekend ahead. You know I love any opportunity to make some themed eats and so this weekend I whipped up a little Easter bark to celebrate.

The idea for this came to me on a whim. For some reason Easter and white chocolate always seem to go together and luckily enough, I had a large jar of white chocolate chips just itching to be used. After a little digging through my baking supplies, I also had some sweetened coconut. And so my Easter bark was born!

 

This was so easy to make and the result is nothing short of cute, fun and delicious to boot. It's got that sweet and salty yumminess going on, while the coconut adds just a little bit of extra flavor. Oh and the little Cadbury eggs? How cute are they?! Like little eggs lying in the grass, just waiting to be plucked.

 

White Chocolate Pretzel Easter Bark
4 C pretzels
4 Tbsp+ butter, melted
3 1/2 C white chocolate chips
1 C shredded sweetened coconut
a few drops of green food coloring
5 mini bags Cadbury chocolate mini eggs
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 13x9" pan with two sheets of foil, one sheet laid out each way so that extra droops over the sides. Spray generously with cooking spray.

Finely chop the pretzels in a food processor, or place them in a zip top baggie and smash with a rolling pin.  Mix in the melted butter.*

Spread into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool. Meanwhile, mix the coconut and food coloring until it looks like 'green grass' and set aside. You can also dump the chocolate eggs into a separate bowl and set aside.

Melt half of the white chocolate and very carefully spread over half of the pretzel crust. Now. I didn't use a lot of butter and so my crust wasn't set. I spread it as best I could, quickly and carefully, working to not pull up the pretzel mixture as I went along. Top immediately with half of the coconut and half of the chocolate eggs, lightly pressing it all into the warm chocolate to set.

Repeat with the other half.

Let cool completely in the refrigerator. When cooled, remove from the baking pan using the foil handles.

Carefully cut into pieces of bark while still on the foil. A lot of the pretzel crust will not have stuck to the chocolate. That's ok! Some of it did and that will be enough. Enjoy immediately or freeze for Sunday!

*If you want a crust that will stick together a bit better, use more butter. I wanted to keep butter usage down, so I ended up with not so much a 'crust' as a whole lot of pretzel bits, a lot of which still stuck to the melted chocolate. It's still delicious and doesn't have to be perfect! The pretzels will fall off and they will be messy. But that's what the foil is for!

 

So there you have it. A fun, easy treat for Easter that can be made in advance and one that everyone will love!

I know I had planned to do a little Delirium discussion today, but Easter bark prevailed. Tomorrow we will talk Delirum!

Questions of the Day:

Do you celebrate Easter or Passover?

What are your favorite seasonal eats? I can't wait for a nice Reester egg!

A Knife-and-Fork Style Candy Bar + a Giveaway!

Hello Monday!

I had a great weekend...but how is it over?! Yesterday I finally saw The Hunger Games! Though some parts of the book were not quite adapted how I had hoped (or left out completely?), overall I really, really loved this film. I thought it was a really great adaptation of a fantastic book. And I adored the cast.

What did you think of the movie?

I'm really excited today because not only am I talking about decadent chocolate candy bars, but I also have a great giveaway! So happy Monday to you!

When the Main Street Bakery & Cafe sent me one of their signature candy bar desserts to sample (along with some other yummy goodies), of course I said a big, fat yes, thank you!

This 'candy bar' is not your average drug store chocolate bar. It's a thick, rich candy bar that is to be eaten with a knife and fork...kind of like the candy bar that Mr. Pitt dawned in an old Seinfeld episode. Remember that one? And you KNOW I love a pop culture food reference! I was smitten before I even opened the package.

In case you didn't know, you may see my Dexter cupcakes, Giants Superbowl cupcakes, and all of my ideas for a True Blood theme party.

Anyhow.

I have to admit that I'm not really a chocolate-eater. Sure I love a good chocolate cake, but typically not totally interested in chocolate candy or anything too 'chocolatey'. But this candy bar? Ooooh my.

Layers of chocolate, ganache, caramel, krispies and nuts make this a decadent treat that can't just be eaten by one person. It's so rich that it's the perfect dessert to share.

The buttery, soft caramel is the stuff dreams are made of.

Oh and my absolute favorite part? Some sea salt crystals sprinkled on the top. You know I love a sweet and salty combo. And I loved that the little salty flakes actually crunched when I bit into them. Yum.

Though it's not exactly inexpensive ($4 per bar), I really enjoyed this candy bar, especially since it could easily be shared for two people. Main Street Bakery & Cafe is located in Port Washington, NY but fortunately for all of you not in the area...they are generously offering up a box of 6 candy bars to one lucky TAA reader! Now doesn't that make your Monday just a little better?!

To enter the giveaway do one or all of the following for extra entries:

1. Leave a comment below telling me your favorite candy bar of all time.

2. Like The Avid Appetite on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you did (or if you already do!)

3. Follow @theavidappetite on Twitter and leave a comment telling me you did (or if you already do!)

4. Head over to The Main Street Bakery's website and leave yet another comment telling me what other goodies strike your fancy.

5. Like Main Street Bakery & Cafe of Port Washington on Faacebook and leave yet another comment telling me you did.

The giveaway is open until Tuesday 4/3 at midnight. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday and have your goodies shipped out to you just in time for Easter...er, you know, in case you are interested in sharing your winnings ;) Sorry, this giveaway is only open to the continental US.

Hope you have some chocolately daydreams today, friends! Have a great week!