the Love Welcome Serve Easter menu + coconut tres leches cake

It's Easter week! The week we celebrate the resurrection of the Son of God! What a game changer for all mankind! If it weren't for my faith in what happened on the cross and and three days later, I wouldn't have hope. I sure am grateful for Jesus and for salvation! He has made all the difference in my life! So THAT'S worth celebrating, right?!

Our Easter tradition is simple. On Good Friday, Sam, my kids, and I go to our quiet sanctuary and take communion together. Then on Sunday, we worship and lunch together. 

The Easter menu this year is primarily out of the pages of the Love Welcome Serve cookbook plus this recipe for coconut tres leches cakes that I'm sharing with you here! It's a lighter, more Springtime menu that we just love! 

So before we get to the cake of my dreams, let me tell you what the rest of the menu will be! The main dish will be G-Dad's Pork Tenderloin with Parmesan Garlic Cream (pg. 67). Then I'll be serving a whole slew of sides including Potluck Broccoli Salad (pg. 36), Mama's Cranberry Salad (pg. 41), Cheesy Garlic Potato Gratin (pg. 146), Blistered Green Beans (not published), Euna Mae's Macaroni and Cheese (pg. 140), and Sunday Sweet Tea (pg. 157). 

And then there's cake. Not just any cake, but this tender, sweet, creamy, cool, Spring-y cake. Every single bite of this coconut tres leches cake is Heavenly. It's so subtly coconutty that even those not fond of coconut have told me this cake makes them a believer! You'll never believe how the cake absorbs the sweet milks, but it does! It's cake perfection, y'all. And it starts with a boxed mix. Hallelujah! What a menu! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

So Happy Easter to you and yours. May you be blessed around your table with your people! And may the eatin' be good! 

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COCONUT TRES LECHES CAKE

1 Duncan Hines white cake mix

1 small box instant white chocolate pudding mix (not sugar free)

3 Tablespoons flour

1 cup water

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 egg whites

1/2 of a 14.5oz can coconut milk (7oz)

1/2 of a 14oz can sweetened condensed milk (7oz)
1/2 of a 12oz can evaporated milk (6oz)
1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, lighted toasted in a nonstick skillet

Preheat oven to 350F. Separate eggs, keep whites in a small bowl; set aside. In the bowl of a stand  mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all ingredients except the egg whites. Mix for 1 minute on low. Add egg whites. Increase speed to medium high and mix for 2 minutes until well combined. Spread batter into a prepared 9x13 cake pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Whisk together the three milks and coconut extract. Poke holes all over the cake using a toothpick or fork with long tines. Carefully and slowly pour the milks over the cake. It will fill the pan and drown the cake! Allow the cake to absorb the milks at room temperature for about an hour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until thickened. (You may add 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract if desired.) Spread the whipped cream over the cake and sprinkle with lightly toasted coconut. Keep refrigerated.

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Order a signed copy of Love Welcome Serve from Amy at www.ShopEunaMaes.com
Need a copy fast? Order an unsigned copy HERE and get it in time to cook for Easter!

Euna Mae's Best-Selling Gift Items for Christmas 2013

I haven't really even told y'all right here on Euna Mae's about the wonderfully successful and REALLY fun time we had at the Northwest Arkansas Boutique Show last weekend. I'm still trying to get settled and back in the swing of things around here, but it was the most thrilling weekend for me and my team. We got to meet a gazillion of you who are already EM's faithfuls. I hugged necks. I shrieked. I shared recipes and ideas. I heard y'all say you'd made your own chicken stock and lemon glazed cake! I even got choked up with a few of you and squeezed your hands. It was a special weekend because you all received Euna Mae's so beautifully. And it encouraged my soul. So hugs to every one of you who came and who wished you could've come. It was a big huge treat!

In the very first hour, there were items that sold plum OUT! The VIP shoppers who paid to come early are a hard-core bunch of women! They swept through the Euna Mae's booth grabbing arms-full of spoons, vanilla, measuring cups, and salt and pepper shakers!  And the rest of the weekend I was just sick to tell the rest of the shoppers that these items were long-gone. BUT because these four items sold so so SO quickly, I'm reordering these best-sellers for the holiday season!! Here's how you can get your hands on these fun kitchen goodies!

{best-selling gift items}

SET OF FOUR OLIVEWOOD UTENSILS FROM TUNISIA

(2 classic rounded spoons and 2 flat-edged spoons: 11.8" tall)

$32.00

If you've never laid eyes or hands on olivewood utensils, then you're missing out. This Middle Eastern wood is stunning the way it is swirly and grained. And it's the silkiest smooth wood ever.  I bought my first set on my trip to Israel last year, and I'll never buy another wood for as long as I live. Keep or give all four utensils OR break them into singles or pairs and gift them with baked goods or kitchen towels!

VINTAGE SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS

$29.00

These reproduction American glass shakers are stunners. The color is fabulous. They're significant in size (4.5x2.5) which makes them heavy and feel so good in your hands! This pattern is called "eye-winker"....look at the picture closely and you'll see the eye and lashes looking at you in the pressed glass. What a one-of-a-kind gift!

JADEITE ONE-CUP MEASURING CUP

$12.00

Jadeite makes my heart flutter. This reproduction jadeite color is great! And this one-cup measuring cup makes an everyday item a little bit fancy. Three pour spouts for convenience (and charm!) with the measurements embossed in the side of the cup. So. Cute.

EUNA MAE'S HOMEMADE VANILLA EXTRACT

$18.00

8 oz. homemade vanilla extracts are made right here in my own kitchen with premium imported vanilla beans that are so rich and fragrant! Euna Mae's homemade vanilla extract comes in simple, clear bottles reminiscent of old-fashioned glass medicine bottles. Because the vanillas require time to cure, all vanillas ordered in this special offer will be cured and ready to use in mid-to-late December. Just in time for holiday baking and tucking in stockings!

{how to order}

 Please email EunaMaes@gmail.com and include the following:

Your name

Your mailing address

Your phone number

The number of items you're ordering

EMAILED ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED BY MONDAY, NOV 18 AT 9AMCST.

  

Invoices will be sent to your email address for you to pay with any debit/credit card. Invoices must be paid before the order ships. Unpaid invoices by November 30 will be canceled and the items will be available for others to purchase. Your items will not be held or reserved.

All items will ship to you with minimal shipping charges since everything is light-weight. Sorry but there will be no local pick-ups available! Orders should arrive around December 10-12 if not sooner.

Merry Euna Mae's Christmas!!

Shop Euna Mae's Heirloom Kitchenware

If you're following Euna Mae's on instagram (@eunamaes), you've already heard the news! Euna Mae's will be offering a full line of heirloom-quality kitchenware and gifts at the Northwest Arkansas Boutique Show on November 8-9.  Everything you need for hosting, housewarming, and the holidays!  See the detailed description below that includes all of the goodies that you'll be able to find at the Euna Mae's booth - #172!

There have been lots of questions about how, where, what, when and more. So not only am I sharing a product preview overload, but I'm also going to give you a little FAQ overview so you're in the know! You do NOT want to miss this chance to shop Euna Mae's heirloom kitchenware!

GENERAL SHOW INFORMATION

The NWA Boutique Show is sponsored by the Junior League, and it is the premier shopping event in Northwest Arkansas and beyond. It is Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9 at the NWA Convention Center in Springdale. 

There is VIP shopping available on Friday morning that allows you the very first shopping experience, which means you get the goods before they're all gone!  Plus you get all kinds of perks! There is also a Girls' Night Out on Friday evening with fun music, prizes, and more perks! 

You can find out everything you need to know about the event by visiting their website: NWA Boutique Show.

EUNA MAE'S INFORMATION

Euna Mae's is a first-time participant in this annual, weekend shopping event, offering heirloom-quality kichenware for hosting, housewarming, and the holidays! There is nothing in the EM's booth that I have not personally used in my own kitchen. So every single item is endorsed by me! 

Euna Mae's booth is #172 and is located in the very center of the back wall - just walk in and walk straight to the back! Our neighbors are Swanky Sooie (my licensed Arkansas Razorback brand).  So it'll be a fun spot to be with lots of activity and squeals and holiday joy! We have leased a big, ol' huge area because we have lots to share with you! And we'll have anywhere from 5-6 workers ready to help! 

Euna Mae's (and Swanky Sooie, too) will accept VISA, Mastercard, and Discover.  And we will also gladly accept cash. Sorry, but no American Express or personal checks will be accepted.

I have ordered a lot of dreamy products that will last for years and years. I have, however, ordered limited numbers of all items. And I will NOT be taking special orders for post-show shipping.  It's first-come first-served!

Some of the items are beefy like the Mason Cash mixing bowls and the jadeite/milk glass cake stands. We will offer you the original boxes for those big items to go back in so you can transport them easier; but we will not able to hold items for shoppers in the booth.  All items must be purchased and taken at  the time of purchase. Many items you may carry around the show; but a few of the items you will wisely want to take to your car. (The cake stands are 10lbs. each!)

FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT ATTEND THE SHOW

At the moment, I do not have plans to offer products online - at least not before Christmas.  If the response is good to the Euna Mae's product line, then I plan to have a select product offering available online after the start of the year. IF something changes and I feel ambitious, then I may sell a few items online before the holidays; but I really try not to work in December at all so I can bake and put my feet up and watch The Holiday and make pralines.

In the event that there is left-over inventory after the boutique show, I hope to have a one-day, drop-by for locals to come buy up the remaining stock. My apologies to out-of-towners and out-of-staters who have expressed wishes to buy Euna Mae's goods. Just cross your fingers that we have an overwhelmingly fabulous show and that the demand leads to an online store in 2014! (I hope that's the case!)

I'm nervous and excited! I'm not ready, and I can't wait! We've worked and worked, and I really hope it's a big treat for you, as I feel sure it'll be a joy for me! I can't wait to see your faces and hug your necks. I look forward to helping you buy thoughtfully for your friends and family.  And I love that I have the opportunity to help you buy a great kitchen piece and inspire you to make something memorable.