make the perfect easter meal with tastefully simple

The Easter meal can be a tricky one. Since my morning is spent at church, I like to be able to make as much ahead of time as I can–but still have a special meal with my family.  This year I decided to try The Easter Collection by Tastefully Simple to take care of everything from breakfast on Easter morning to the appetizer, sides, drinks, the main dish and Easter desserts (yes, that is plural–one cannot have too many desserts).  There are even ideas for decorating and recipes to use to kick things up a notch for a special Easter meal.

My first Tastefully Simple purchase was the Bacon Bacon dip many, many years ago.  After a few more Bacon Bacon dips, I started trying out a few more products and finally decided to jump in and get the full Easter Collection.  And my family was very, very lucky that I got to review these amazing products before Easter, so we’ve been enjoying eating very well over the past week or two!  First of all, I was amazed at how much actually comes in the Easter Collection:  Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix (think Easter breakfast here), Bountiful Beer Bread Mix (we absolutely loved this with the Italian Garlic Seasoning and the Artichoke and Spinach Warm Dip Mix, also included in the collection), Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix (super simple side), Pomegranate Chipotle Sauce (pairs perfectly with ham for a simple main dish in the slow cooker), Sangria Slush (can be made kid-friendly or for adults only), and a few amazing desserts–Key Lime Cheese Ball Mix, Absolutely Almond Pound Cake with or without the included Rhubarb Strawberry Fruit Spread and Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix.  A shopping list for additional items is also included, so you can grab everything you need in a quick trip to the store.

I’m not sure I can even describe how impressed we all were with this collection–I’m going to highlight just a few of them, but we were so impressed with everything!   Bountiful Beer Bread has always been a favorite of mine, so I made it the moment The Easter Collection arrived.  And when my kids got home from school, they were so excited to have a slice of warm break as their snack.  We loved it plain, with butter, with Italian Garlic Seasoning and with a dollop of Rhubarb Strawberry Spread.  We may have finished off the entire loaf by the end of breakfast the next morning–and, if I’m being honest with you, I could have easily eaten the whole loaf myself in that amount of time.

Next up I used the Cinnamon Muffin Melt Mix to make the Sour Cream Coffee Cake using the recipe provided by Tastefully Simple in the Easter Collection package.   Again, I had to hold myself back from eating the entire coffee cake.  This would be such a special, but simple breakfast for Easter morning.  I made this the night before and just sliced it in the morning to serve for breakfast.  I added some berries, but it’s delicious all on its own.

The Perfectly Potato Cheddar Soup Mix was next on my list and I decided to make it for myself for lunch.  Unlike the first two mixes, this is one I really didn’t share (until my husband discovered it and ate the rest).  This was as simple as it gets to make.  Add some water and simmer.  Such an easy side to have simmering while you snack on some appetizers.  And so, so good.  I absolutely loved it with some leftover broccoli and a little shredded cheese and bacon crumbles on the top.  But my husband and I also ate it without any embellishments and loved it that way as well.

Lastly the Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix makes the richest brownies I’ve ever had from a mix.  These are definitely worthy of a glass of milk.  If you can’t tell, my daughter was pretty pleased with them as well.  What Tastefully Simple products would make your Easter meal complete?