Easter Menu Planning for the Busy Mom

By
Stacy
-
Many thanks to Pioneer for sponsoring this article. These products have been taste-tested and approved by OKC Mom!

We love Easter at our house…it is a much-anticipated holiday amongst my kiddos. My husband’s family – the only family that lives near us – are THE best Easter hosts around. Traditionally, after an Easter church service, we head out to my in-laws’ house for an Easter egg hunt and Easter brunch. For the best egg hunt ever, talk to a gardening aficionado. My in-laws are dedicated gardeners and their “Easter Armadillo” hides color-coded eggs in various colors of flowers all over the yard. Even adults have a hard time finding them! Why an armadillo, you ask? Because we live in Oklahoma, of course.

We missed our “normal” Easter last year as the world shut down, so this year better be GOOD. As a busy mama, though, I need recipes that aren’t horribly time-consuming, without sacrificing the taste or quality! Last winter, I was introduced to Pioneer, whose mixes have the same quality as made-from-scratch foods without spending all day in the kitchen. Even better: you can use the same baking mixes for dozens of different recipes!

Below are 3 Pioneer Easter brunch recipes to impress – without missing out on any of the Easter celebrations with your kiddos. Brunch not your thing? I don’t know who doesn’t love brunch, but just in case – I added a lunch and dessert recipe, too! Whatever your Easter celebration looks like, Pioneer has you covered!

5 Easter Recipes the Whole Family Will Love

Cinnamon Rolls:

Grocery List:

3 Cups Pioneer Original or Buttermilk Baking Mix
1 cup Milk
1/2 cup Butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins or chopped nuts (optional)
1/4 cup Powdered sugar
4 tsp. milk
1/4 tsp. vanilla or maple extract

Preparation Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan lightly.
  2. Blend Pioneer Baking Mix and 1 cup milk; mix thoroughly.
  3. Turn dough onto a surface sprinkled with additional mix. Knead 10 times. Roll dough into a 12 x 14-inch rectangle, 1/4-inch thick.
  4. Brush dough with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle on top of butter. Allow butter to absorb sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins or nuts if desired.
  5. Roll dough from long side and seal edges.
  6. Cut into 1-inch slices and place in prepared pan. Brush tops with 1/4 cup melted butter.
  7. Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Brush tops with remaining butter.
  8. Blend powdered sugar, 4 teaspoons milk, and vanilla or maple flavoring. Drizzle over warm rolls.

Southern Biscuits and Sausage Gravy:

I grew up in Minnesota, but my kids are Southerners through and through. Brunch wouldn’t be brunch in our house without biscuits and gravy, and this recipe is super easy (only 4 ingredients!) AND delicious.

Grocery List:

3 cups Pioneer Buttermilk Biscuit and Baking Mix
1 cup Milk
½ lb. Breakfast Sausage
1 pkg. Pioneer Country Gravy Mix

Preparation Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Prepare biscuits according to Pioneer Buttermilk Biscuit and Baking Mix packaging.
  3. In a skillet over medium-high heat, crumble sausage and cook until golden brown. Set aside.
  4. Prepare Pioneer Country Gravy Mix to package instructions.
  5. Using a slotted spoon, add crumbled sausage to the prepared gravy.
  6. Split open fresh-baked biscuits and spoon warm gravy on top.

Use 2 pouches of Pioneer Country Gravy mix if cooking 1 lb of Breakfast Sausage!

Breakfast Pot Pie:

Grocery List: 

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cup frozen hashbrown potatoes
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 lb. cooked and crumbled breakfast sausage
12 each cooked scrambled eggs
1/2 cup chopped pickled jalapenos
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 cups prepared Pioneer Peppered Gravy
1/4 lb. cooked chopped bacon
2 cups Pioneer Baking Mix
3/4 cup milk
6 green onions, white and light green parts, sliced thinly

Preparation Instructions: 

  1. Heat butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
  2. Mix together onion, potatoes and mushrooms and add to the pan. Sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Shake pan occasionally to prevent burning.
  3. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  4. Grease a 9″ x 13″ pan.
  5. Mix together hashbrown mixture, sausage, eggs, jalapeños, cheese and gravy.
  6. Add mixture to pan.
  7. Mix together Pioneer Baking Mix, milk and bacon. Crumble mixture loosely over the top of the ingredients in the pan.
  8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until top is nicely browned and biscuit mixture is baked all the way through.
  9. Top with sliced green onions and serve immediately.

I’m gonna be honest…I leave out the mushrooms and jalapeños from this recipe because…kids.

Chicken Broccoli Bake:

Lunch more your thing? Try this Chicken Broccoli Bake!

Grocery List: 

3  cups Pioneer Buttermilk Baking Mix
1 ¼ cup Milk
1 tbsp. Garlic, minced (dried or fresh)
½ tsp. Dried thyme
2 cups Pioneer Roasted Chicken Gravy, prepared
2 ½ cups Cooked chicken, shredded or diced
1 ½ cups Broccoli florets, chopped
½ cup Cheddar cheese, shredded

Preparation Instructions:

  1. PREHEAT conventional oven to 425˚F.
  2. ADD milk to a mixing bowl, then add Pioneer Buttermilk Baking Mix on top. 
  3. MIX ingredients together until a thick, smooth batter forms; then fold in garlic and dried thyme until combined.
  4. ADD prepared Pioneer Roasted Chicken Gravy to a 13×9 inch casserole dish, top with chopped chicken and broccoli florets, then top with cheddar cheese.
  5. DROP a spoonful of batter at a time on top of chicken and gravy mixture (leaving about ½-inch or so in between spoonfuls) until entire casserole is topped with batter.
  6. BAKE for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and serve.

Fruit Cobbler:

I could eat a cobbler any day of the week – I can trick myself into thinking that it’s health food. Or something.

Grocery List:

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup Pioneer Original or Buttermilk Baking Mix
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup half and half
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cans (21 oz) fruit pie filling or fruit of choice

Preparation Instructions:

  1. Heat oven to 375°F.
  2. Mix sugar and Pioneer Baking Mix. Cut in butter. Mix in half & half and vanilla.
  3. Shape dough into ball and refrigerate 30 minutes.
  4. Pour fruit into 7 x 11 pan; heat 10 minutes.
  5. Roll chilled dough out on floured surface. Place over hot fruit.
  6. Bake 25 minutes or until golden.
  7. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar.
 

Pro tip: I got super excited to learn that Pioneer makes a Pumpkin bake mix – yes, I realize it’s not fall, which is what makes it SO MUCH BETTER. Pumpkin any time of year? Yes please. Use Pioneer Pumpkin Spice mix to make pumpkin pancakes, scones, and bread. Or save these recipes until fall. You do you.

Happy Easter! What are YOUR family Easter traditions?

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Stacy
Stacy
Stacy grew up in Minnesota, but spent the next several years of her life traversing the globe, temporarily setting down roots anywhere and everywhere. Stacy is extremely passionate about the world of adoption and foster care, having spent a year in Uganda adopting her oldest daughter in 2008. Stacy married her husband Jesse in 2011, and they moved to Oklahoma City to grow their family. After a brief hiatus in Minnesota, Stacy and her beloved family of five returned to Oklahoma City in June of 2017. They are thrilled to be back "home" where sweet tea flows like water and they can fully embrace saying "Y'all". Stacy obtained a Master’s degree in child psychology in 2007, but currently uses it only on her own children! A stay-at-home mama since Baby #3 was born, Stacy has stayed busy keeping her children alive and relatively entertained. She loves her little crazy crew fiercely and is enjoying returning to all of their favorite local haunts. When she’s not chasing her kiddos, Stacy is likely traveling or daydreaming about traveling. She also enjoys coffee shops, copious amounts of “cop drama” shows, and perusing pinterest for ideas that have little chance of ever getting done. But they’re good to have. Just in case.
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