Easter Basket Ideas for the Big Kids

Does your family do Easter baskets? We go back and forth. In lean years, we haven't done any Easter baskets and in fat years we sometimes did. Some years the baskets were just filled with candy and other years, we added a fun present or two.

My children are all "grown up" now. At ages 19, 18, 17, and 12 (the 18-year-old is my daughter's boyfriend), I felt like stuffed animals and hot wheels might not cut it! This year, I put together an Easter basket for each of the kids that I think fit them perfectly.

Devyn - age 19

Devyn has her own apartment now and is all about decorating it. Her basket included a cute bunny, socks, purse compact, and candy. Some other ideas for the college age girl may include:

1. kitchen/home decor items
2. HGTV home decor magazine subscription
3. gift cards
5. Crest teeth whitening kit
6. healthy food items (Devyn would NOT like healthy food items, so we stuck with candy!)

Zach - age 18

Zach is also on his own now and works hard in the construction and heavy equipment business. He is a no-nonsense kind of guy and likes the practical. His basket included a tape measure, O'Keefe's Working Hands Unscented Lotion, and candy. Some ideas for the hard-working young man may include:

1. socks
2. work gloves
3. small tools
4. super hand lotion
5. gift cards for gas or lunches
6. candy

Derek - age 17

Derek is a Senior in High School and is a young man with high functioning autism. He is not easily impressed with "kid" stuff, so we had to get out the big guns and go with a Switch game. Other ideas we considered for him included:

1. Visa card, so he could purchase his own items
2. gift card to Game Stop
3. wireless ear buds
4. new book series
5. favorite foods (cheetos, spicy Ramen noodles, beef jerky, cookies)
6. candy

Delanie - age 12

Delanie is still young enough that she likes just about anything and is by far the easiest to prepare an Easter basket for. Her basket included a book from her favorite series, bunny socks, a bracelet, and candy. Some other items for a fun-loving, young woman might include:

1. journal or diary
2. new sandals
3. Switch game
4. lip gloss
5. hair accessories
6. candy

How about you? What did you include in your "big kids" Easter baskets this year? Leave us a comment below!

Extra Special Easter Treat

It's not quite Easter yet, but we are celebrating all things spring here at The Fletcher Farmhouse. I made an extra special Easter treat for Sunday's family dinner and I am sharing all the details! I hope this fun "garden" dessert will be a big hit for your family.

Who doesn't love chocolate pudding and Oreo cookies? Added to these two main ingredients you will need the following:

9 oz plastic solo cups
Green sprinkles
Plastic shovel spoons
Wilton Dot Matrix Pastel Bunny Icing Decorations
Your favorite jelly beans

Putting Together Your "Garden"

1. Put about a 1/2 to 3/4 cup of chocolate pudding in each cup. Use a large ice cream scoop to avoid getting pudding on the sides of your plastic cup.

2. Hide a few jelly beans deep in the pudding. It's a fun surprise to find something growing in the "garden"!

3. Crumble several Oreo cookies in a plastic bag. I used a small hammer to get all the cookies crumbled nicely.

4. Sprinkle some cookie crumbs over the top of the pudding in each cup. It should look like lumpy dirt.

5. Next, sprinkle some lime green, Cake Decorating Jimmies, to look like sprouts of garden plants.

6.. Now, place a Wilton Dot Matrix Pastel Bunny Icing Decoration at the side of each cup.

7. Lastly, add a cute shovel spoon for the perfect touch! (Just click on the words "cute shovel spoon" and find where you can purchase them from Amazon)

And, that's it! This is a quick, easy, dessert for any day...especially a spring day.

Happy Easter!

- Mandie

The Fletcher Farmhouse has entered into an affiliate relationship with Amazon. Clicking on links provided in this blog post may result in a commission being paid to The Fletcher Farmhouse at no additional cost to you.

Chicken Salad for the Picky Eater

Do you have a picky eater in the family? We do. It's me! I was picky as a kid and I am just as picky now. Drives my family crazy! But, it has forced me to learn what I like and what I don't and how to get around it.

I'm also not a very handy cook, so I do things the easy way. Today, I am sharing my chicken salad recipe with you. It's simple and doesn't have a lot of ingredients. Hopefully, even your pickiest eater will like this one!

What You Will Need

• Tyson Premium Chunk White Chicken (2 12.5 oz cans)
• Onion powder
• Purple or red seedless grapes (green grapes don't look as pretty in the salad!)
• English cucumber (yep, an English cucumber makes a difference. A regular cucumber is just not crunchy enough!)
• Mayonnaise (mayo...no Miracle Whip...too tangy)
• Salt
• Pepper

(Ingredients will make enough salad for 8 sandwiches)

Wash and half or quarter about 1 cup of red seedless grapes. Purple grapes are great too, but I just don't think green grapes work for the overall look of this chicken salad (IMHO).

Cut your English cucumber into tiny pieces. Like I said above, it does make a difference using an English cucumber. I have found using a "regular" garden cucumber does not provide the crunch you expect in the chicken salad. Most people use celery in their chicken salad. I hate celery. An English cucumber is the same color as celery, has crunch, and tastes delicious! I like about 3/4 a cup of diced cucumbers.

If I have time, I use fresh chicken, but normally, that is not the case, so I pop open a can of Tyson Premium Chunk White Chicken. Drain the water off and pour the 2 cans of chicken in a bowl. Salt and pepper it well. Now, add a dash or two of onion powder to taste. I love the flavor onions provide, but I hate the texture. Onion powder for the picky eater is perfect.

Stir up the seasoned chicken with a fork to get it nice and separated.

Add your grapes and cucumber pieces and give it another stir.

Now add the 3/4 cup mayo. I use the generic Good Value mayo from Walmart. I love it and it is a great price!

Be sure to mix the chicken salad well. If you want your salad to be moister, add a bit more mayo.

Serve as-is or chill in the fridge for an hour.

I love to serve my salad on a bed of lettuce (watching my carbs) but you can add it to a mouth-watering croissant or a simple piece of toasted bread.

A perfect meal for a spring day!

- Amie

Book Review: The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters

A book review for a perfect spring or summertime read for any age! Andrea at The Fletcher Farmhouse talks about "The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy," by Jeanne Birdsall.

Our family has been reading a new book series and the girls are loving it! "The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy," is the first in a series of five books written by Jeanne Birdsall.

This National Book Award winner and New York Times Bestseller is perfect for my little gaggle of girls, but would be a favorite with boys or girls!

Amazon gives the following description of the book, saying:

This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon, they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundle's sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel's owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures.

The icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is not as pleased with the Penderwick's as Jeffrey is, though, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Which, of course, they will ---won't they? One thing's for sure: it will be a summer the Penderwick's will never forget!

My three girls have become obsessed with this new read-aloud. They work on their copywork while I read, they eat their lunch while I read, and they sit and snuggle before bed while I read. They can't get enough of the adventures of the Penderwicks'! I have a feeling we will fly through this series!

How about you? Have you read this series? How did your children like it? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
 ---Andrea

The Fletcher Farmhouse has entered into an affiliate relationship with Amazon. Clicking on links provided in this blog post may result in a commission being paid to The Fletcher Farmhouse at no additional cost to you.