Easter Party Favorites......

Over the years, The Hubby and I have hosted many Easter Brunch/Egg Hunt parties.  Our first one was in 2009, I was pregnant with our 2nd child and my oldest boy was just 2 1/2 years old.  Our very good friends from Cincinnati were visiting with their (then) elementary school aged boys and it rained.  Fortunately, we only had about 25 guests, the kids were all toddling around, and we "hid" the eggs around our basement.

Since then, our Easter Party has become an annual event and we have heard from numerous guests that because of us, Easter is now their child's (or even their own!) favorite holiday.  I will say Easter is pretty awesome here in the Valley.  We are pretty much guaranteed to have sun, it won't snow (I grew up in Denver - it snowed or there was at least snow on the ground on Easter), and there is potential for swimming.

I took a year off in 2010 because of the new baby, hosted again in 2011 and have hosted every year since then.  Every year is so much fun!  I used to prepare dishes, craft cute decorations, etc. but we have so many wonderful guests who bring fantastic food to share - I put more focus on the fun, the eggs, and the cocktails.   A couple of years ago, rather than buying new paper plates for the party, I went through my pantry and found all of the partially full stacks of plates & napkins from prior birthdays, holidays, and baby showers.  Perfect.

Starting in 2014, I even planned Easter "dinner" because of the over-stayers we had in 2013.  Easter Tacos were a big hit and may become a tradition.

Here are some of my favorites from past Easters...

Orange Julius Cocktail (bottom right in photo).  This was a mid-party decision to start serving these. Easy, refreshing, delicious.

Tex-Mex Deviled Eggs (bottom left in photo).  Kind of a lot of work for a large crowd, but worth it for an intimate gathering.

Peeps Pops (top left in photo).  These take a bit of time, but the kids LOVE them.  They are sugary and Easter-y.

Carrot Napkin and Forks (top right in photo).  I received TONS of positive comments on these! Didn't take too much time to put these together, but they made a nice impact on the buffet table.

Citrus Sangria (center).  Serving a signature cocktail at a party is always fun.  It makes it even easier to drink dispenser when you have a crowd!

You can see more about my Easter 2012, Easter 2013, and Easter 2014 on my blog.  We are very excited about our upcoming Easter 2015 Party and I will be most certainly sharing photos!