Foods in tune with this day include eggs, egg salad, hard-boiled eggs, honey cakes, fruits of the season, fish, cakes, honey, biscuits and cheeses. You can also include foods made of seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin, sesame seeds and pine nuts. Sprouts, leafy green vegetables and flower dishes such as stuffed nasturtiums or carnation cupcakes (simply make spice cupcakes,  Ice with pink frosting and place a fresh edible flower petal on each cupcake). Stuff nasturtium blossoms with a mixture made of cream cheese, chopped nuts, chives and watercress. Appropriate Ostara meat dishes often contain fish or ham. 

Deviled Eggs
INGREDIENTS:
6 eggs
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Place eggs in a pot of salted water. Bring the water to a boil, and let eggs cook in boiling water until they are hard boiled, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Drain eggs, and let cool. Cut eggs in half, lengthwise. Remove the egg yolks and mash them together in a small mixing bowl. Mix in the paprika, mayonnaise, and dry mustard. Spoon mixture into the egg shells, cool and serve

HAM AND SPINACH QUICHE  

1 Pillsbury pie crust
1 c. chopped ham
1 c. chopped onion
1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach (10 oz. size)
4-6 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheese

Place pie crust in quiche pan. Bake in preheated 425 degree oven of 5 minutes, remove from oven. Set aside.
Place spinach in microwave oven in package. Cook on high setting for 6 minutes, remove and drain. Meantime place ham and onion in pie crust. Mix together slightly beaten eggs, milk and cheese. Add spinach and pour into pie crust on top of ham and onion. Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Then bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting. Serve in wedges.

SPINACH QUICHE  

1 tbsp. and 1 tsp. reduced calorie butter
1 c. onions, diced
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen chopped spinach
1 c. frozen egg substitute, thawed
3 oz. reduced-fat Swiss cheese, shredded, divided
Dash nutmeg
Dash white pepper
1 med. tomato, thinly sliced

In 9 inch nonstick skillet melt butter, add onions and garlic and saute over medium heat until onions are softened, about 2 minutes. Cook spinach according to package directions and drain thoroughly. Add spinach to skillet, stir. Cook until moisture has evaporated, about 1 minute. Transfer to medium mixing bowl, let cool slightly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add to spinach mixture: egg substitute, half of the cheese, nutmeg and pepper, stir well. Spray 10 inch quiche dish with non-stick cooking spray. Spread mixture in dish, top with tomato slices and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until quiche is set, about 20 minutes.

Cream Biscuits

Knead the dough briefly just until it comes together, but don't work it too
much. Also, don't twist the biscuit cutter. The twisting motion seals the edge
of the dough, which can prevent the biscuit from rising completely.

Ingredients:

4 1/2 cups (or more) bleached all purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup half and half

Preparation:

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Combine 4 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add butter cubes and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles
coarse meal. Add cream and half and half and stir just until mixture is moistened and begins to clump together. Turn out dough on floured work surface. Knead gently just until dough holds together, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if dough is very sticky, about 6 turns. Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Using tines of fork dipped into flour, pierce dough all the way through at 1/2-inch intervals. Using 2 3/4- to 3-inch-diameter biscuit cutter or cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out dough rounds. Transfer dough rounds to 2 ungreased rimmed baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake biscuits until light golden brown and tester inserted into centers comes out clean, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking, about 14 minutes Total. Transfer biscuits to cooling racks and cool slightly.

DO AHEAD: Biscuits can be baked 4 hours ahead. Let stand uncovered at room temperature. Place biscuits on ungreased rimmed baking sheets and rewarm in 375°F oven for 5 minutes before serving.

Hot Cross Buns  myspace.com/granniejen

3 cups flour
¾ cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
¼ cup melted butter
¼ tsp. salt
1 large egg, well beaten
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp.allspice(optional)
¾ cup raisins
1 package (1 oz.) dry yeast

Combine all ingredients except eggs and yeast and mix well. Dissolve the yeast in a ¼ cup hot water. Add yeast and eggs to the rest and mix well. Cover with a cloth and allow the dough to rise in a warm spot until it has nearly doubled. This will take about an hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Shape the dough into round balls about 3 inches across and place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet or jellyroll pan. After five minutes, remove buns and cut into the dough about ¾ of an inch down, slicing equilateral crosses into the tops. Return to oven. Allow to bake for another fifteen to twenty minutes. Remove the buns from the oven and drizzle on the frosting.

Frosting
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tbsp. Milk
2 cups orange juice

Mix all ingredients and drizzle onto hot cross buns.

Ostara Peeps Ambrosia Originally posted to Hestias Hearth

Everyone knows "Peeps", those overwhelmingly sweet little marshmallow critters that appear every Spring in the grocery store. Put your leftover Peeps to good use this Ostara, and make them into a delicious ambrosia salad! For the most
colorful results, use yellow or pink Peeps.

Ingredients:

* 1 pkg of 12 marshmallow Peeps (chicks or bunnies)
* 2 cans mandarin oranges
* 2 cans pineapple tidbits
* 1 jar maraschino cherries
* 2 chopped bananas
* 2 C. shredded coconut flakes
* 4 oz. sour cream
* 1 12-oz tub of Cool Whip or other dessert topping

Preparation:

Dice the Peeps into small pieces. Drain the juices from all the fruit. Mix all ingredients together, and allow to chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. Serve as dessert following your Ostara celebration!

Baked Egg Custard Recipe
Cook Time: 55 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups milk, scalded
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs or cookie crumbs
Preparation:
With a hand-held mixer on low speed, blend together the scalded milk, egg yolks, sugar, and salt. Pour mixture into a baking dish, about 6x10x2-inches. Place in a larger baking pan then add hot water to the larger pan to a depth of about 1 inch. Bake at 325° for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs then bake about 20 to 30 minutes longer, or until set. A clean knife inserted in center should come out clean when egg custard is done.

Custard Pie

1/2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
6 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2 cups milk
1 pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Beat eggs with a whisk. Beat in sugar, milk, and salt. Pour filling into pie crust. Sprinkle nutmeg and cinnamon on top.
2. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F, and continue baking for an additional 45 minutes.

Ostara Egg Hunt Pie  Originally posted to Hestia's Hearth
Ingredients:
1 Ready-made graham cracker crust
8 oz. package cream cheese , softened
1 can (14 oz.) Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk (not evaporated milk)
3/4 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) instant vanilla (or your favorite flavor) pudding and pie filling
1-1/2 cups non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
16 mini chocolate eggs or other holiday candy
Directions:
1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy.
2. Gradually beat in condensed milk until smooth.
3. Add milk and pudding mix; beat on low speed until smooth.
4. Spoon half of filling into crust.
5. Place chocolate eggs evenly over filling. Top with remaining filling.
6. Chill 3 hours.
For young children, you may want to substitute holiday marshmallow candies or
other *soft* candies. Enjoy!

Ostara Mint Tea Cakes from Hearth & Home Witchery

4 C. Flour
6 Eggs, beaten
1 C. Granulated Sugar
Crumbled, dried Mint leaves or 1/8 t. Mint flavoring
1 Quart Milk
2/3 C. softened Butter
Glaze:
1 C. Powdered Sugar
2 T. Milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cream butter and sugar together until light.
3. Beat eggs until very light. Add to butter and sugar mixture.
4. Add mint flavoring - taste. Do you want the mint flavoring stronger?
5. Add milk and mix well.
6. Add flour and mix well.
7. Pour into mini-muffin tins to fill each cup to halfway. Bake for approximately 10 minutes.
8. Allow to cool completely. Remove from muffin tin.
9. Leave tea cakes "upside down" and drizzle with glaze. Garnish with candied violets.

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