Easter made easy: celebrate spring with a colorful, festive party for kids

Sunset, April, 2004 by Kate Washington, Jil Peters

Shrimp Salad Biscuit Sandwiches

PREP TIME: About 15 minutes

MAKES: 8 sandwiches

NOTES: If you are feeding kids who won't eat onion or celery, omit these ingredients.

In a fine strainer, rinse 1/4 cup chopped red onion (optional; see notes) under cold running water; let drain. In a bowl, mix 1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon coarse-grain mustard. Add 1 cup (8 oz.) cooked tiny shrimp, 1/4 cup finely chopped celery (optional; see notes), the red onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Cut herb biscuits (recipe below left) in half horizontally. Spoon shrimp salad onto bottom halves, then set tops in place.

Per sandwich: 257 cal., 39% (99 cal.) from fat; 10 g protein; 11 g fat (5.9 g sat.); 28 g carbo (1 g fiber); 624 mg sodium; 81 mg chol.

Honey Limeade

PREP TIME: About 10 minutes

MAKES: About 2 quarts; 8 servings

NOTES: If you use a light-colored honey, such as star thistle, the limeade will be prettier.

    1 cup lime juice
  1/4 to 1/2 cup honey (see notes)
    2 cups ice cubes
    1 lime, rinsed

1. In a pitcher (at least 2-qt. capacity), stir lime juice and 1/4 cup honey until blended. Taste; if mixture is too tart, add up to 1/4 cup more honey. Add 5 cups water. Chill until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day.

2. Just before serving, add ice cubes. Thinly slice lime crosswise (discard ends), cut slices in half, and add to pitcher.

Per serving: 43 cal., 0% (0 cal.) from fat; 0.2 g protein; 0 g fat; 12 g carbo (0 g fiber); 0.9 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Coconut Nest Cookies

PREP TIME: About 30 minutes, plus 3 hours to bake and cool

MAKES: About 20 cookies

NOTES: You can make these cookies up to 1 week ahead; cover airtight and store at room temperature. In humid or rainy weather, they may soften.

      4 large egg whites, at room temperature
    1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    3/4 cup sugar
      1 teaspoon dark rum or vanilla
  1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded dried coconut
        Egg-shaped candies or jelly beans

1. Cut two pieces of cooking parchment to fit two 10-by 15-inch baking sheets. With a pencil, draw 10 evenly spaced 2-inch circles on each piece of parchment. Place each, marked side down, on a baking sheet.

2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a standing mixer, with a hand-held mixer or the standing mixer's whisk attachment, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at high speed until foamy. Add salt and beat until stiff peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Gradually add sugar, beating mixture until sugar has dissolved completely (rub a little between your fingers to check; if it feels gritty, sugar is not dissolved) and mixture is glossy, thick, and very billowy, 2 to 5 minutes. Beat in rum, then gently fold in coconut.

3. Mound mixture in 3- to 4-tablespoon portions in marked circles. Using a spoon, make a shallow depression in the center of each so it resembles a nest.

4. Bake cookies in a 250[degrees] regular oven (convection not recommended) until light golden, about 1 hour, switching pan positions halfway through baking. Turn oven off, leaving cookies inside, and let stand until dry and firm to the touch, about 2 hours longer. Remove from oven and let cool completely on sheets, then peel off parchment.