Easter is Sunday. The first Easter the Other Fisherman and I celebrated as a married couple, we had spaghetti with meat sauce and I’m not sure why I didn’t make ham.

He was newly enlisted in the U.S. Navy and I wasn’t working; we didn’t have much money and it was just the three of us. My little sister drove down from Wisconsin and spent the weekend with us. We had a great time and didn’t miss the ham dinner at all.

Nowadays, our Easter dinner menu is comprised of cherished family recipes and traditional fare. We’ll enjoy deviled eggs and I’ll make a bone-in ham and glaze it, with Gramma Robl’s beans, a baked and cheesy potato dish, roasted asparagus, homemade dinner rolls, a fresh and creative green salad, and Gramma Bloom’s Sunshine Jello salad followed by dessert and special chocolates from Wisconsin. Happy memories and tummies.

Make sure you save a little room for dessert. I can’t imagine Easter dinner without being followed up by fluffy, pretty, pastel colored desserts. Many years ago, the Other Fisherman’s family introduced me to Blitz Torte. It’s of German origin, as we are of German heritage. It’s a perfect dessert, as it looks like it took a lot of work to prepare; it’s beautiful and has components of moist cake, creamy filling and sweet meringue. The recipe is sacred in our family, and I will be preparing one for dessert Sunday. It can be prepared with different flavors and fillings, but the basic torte recipe remains the same. Feel free to adorn it with fresh berries, nuts, grated chocolate or coconut.

Blitz Torte

Serves 6-8

Best made and enjoyed on the same day.

Ingredients:

Meringue

• 4 egg whites

• 1 cup granulated white sugar

• Sliced almonds

Cake

• ½ cup softened butter

• ½ cup granulated white sugar

• 4 egg yolks

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

• 1 cup nuts, I used sliced almonds

• ¼ cup granulated white sugar mixed with ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Filling

• 1 package instant pudding mixed with 1 1/4 cups milk.

I used vanilla, but feel free to use whatever flavor you like. Coconut, banana cream, chocolate, pistachio, white chocolate or chocolate.

Instructions:

Meringue

1. Pre-heat oven to 325° F.

2. Grease and flour 2 8-inch layer pans with removable bottoms (if you have them, if not, regular pans will work). Set aside.

3. In a very clean mixing bowl, beat the egg white until just frothy (soft peak stage).

4. Gradually beat in sugar and baking powder until stiff and glossy. Place in fridge until ready to bake.

Cake

1. In another mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg yolks.

2. In a separate small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt.

3. Add to the creamed butter and sugar. Add milk and extract.

4. Spread batter evenly among the pans. It will be thick and resist spreading. Use a wet spoon to help spread it out.

5. Spread half of meringue over batter in each pan.

6. Sprinkle each pan with a little cinnamon sugar and sliced almonds.

Finish Cake

1. Bake cake until cake test done and meringue is set, about 35 minutes. Cool.

2. While cake is baking, prepare filling.

3. When cake is done, remove one from pan and set meringue side down on serving plate.

4. Remove the other to a cooling rack.

5. Spread filling on cake layer.

6. Place second layer on top with meringue side up.

7. Decorate with fruit or grated chocolate, coconut, whipped cream, whatever!

Keep refrigerated until serving. A serrated knife works well to cut the torte.

Pistachio Pie

This pie is easy, tastes of springtime and the pistachio pudding is always a winner.

Ingredients

For the pie:

• 2 prepared graham cracker crusts

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream or Cool Whip

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened

• 1 package (3.4 oz) Instant Pistachio Pudding Mix

• 1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple, do not drain

• 1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream or Cool Whip

• 2 Tbsp powdered sugar

• Maraschino cherries and nuts, optional

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat heavy whipping cream until stiff peaks form. This will take several minutes. Set aside.

5. In mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese with pistachio pudding mix. Beat until light and fluffy. Add entire can of the crushed pineapple and juice.

6. Mix until combined. Fold in marshmallows and homemade whipped cream or Cool Whip until blended.

7. Spoon into pie crust and chill for several hours or overnight.

8. When ready to serve, make homemade sweetened whipped cream by beating 1/2 cup heavy cream in mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Beat in powdered sugar. Pipe onto pie or spread thin layer over top. Decorate with cherries. Add chopped pistachios or sliced almonds if you’d like.

9. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve, store covered.

Happy Easter. I hope the Easter bunny hides your basket full of goodies so well that it takes you a long time to find it. Once my dad hid mine up in a tree, hung high on a branch. He loved to make mischief and he loved his family so.