The arrival of spring took place last week and with it, thoughts of Easter. As with most holidays, Easter for our family is full of traditions handed down from generation to generation.

We are now forming Easter traditions with our grandchildren. We have them over for a couple of days before Easter, and we color eggs, make some potato candy and make Hot Cross Buns.

My husband and I will be hosting Easter dinner this year, and because I love cooking, baking and entertaining, I couldn't be happier.

This year, though, we are not having the traditional Easter ham. I have a lot of English ancestry, so we decided to have roast beef and Yorkshire pudding.

Yorkshire pudding is an English dish very similar to popovers except that the batter is poured over some of the roast beef drippings and baked.

It rises quite high and when done, it is basically hollow and delicious with gravy. We used to have roast beef for Easter dinner when I was a girl, and now I will be sharing that tradition with our children and grandchildren.

My husband, proud of his traditions also, insists that we have some of Indelicato's Kielbasa with dinner. If you've ever had Indelicato's Kielbasa, you know it's the best in Auburn, so order early.

Today I will share some of my Easter recipes for this year. The fruit salad and the cold broccoli salad will add great color to your table as will the strawberry-kiwi smoothies that everyone is sure to love. In addition to the Yorkshire pudding, we will also have some wonderful melt-in-your mouth homemade rolls that are really a snap to make.

I usually bake them about an hour before dinner so they are nice and warm on the table.

The black-bottom pie is one of my favorites that my mother made. It's a nice change of pace from a fruit or berry pie or a cheesecake, and is very light after a big meal. Try some of my recipes for your Easter dinner, I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

Plan your meal in advance, get all of your grocery shopping done prior to the day before, and enjoy your time in the kitchen and with your family. Remember, the heart of the home is the kitchen.

Karen Luziani, who lives in Union Springs, is a self-taught pastry chef who specializes in cookies and decorating cakes. She can be reached at underwood50@hotmail.com

Black Bottom Pie

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 cups milk

4 slightly beaten egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoon rum extract

4 egg whites

Baked pastry shell

Single crust pie crust

1 cup flour

1/3 cup shortening

2 tablespoons hard butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3-4 tablespoons water

Cut in the shortening and butter with the flour and salt with a pastry blender. Roll dough and place in 9-inch pie plate.

Dock the crust with a fork and bake in 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Cool.

For pie:

Soften gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water, set aside. In a pan, combine 1/2 cup of the sugar and cornstarch. Stir in milk and egg yolks. Cook and stir until bubbly. Cook and stir 2 more minutes. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Divide mixture in half. Add chocolate chips to one portion, stirring until melted. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pastry shell. Chill. Stir softened gelatin into the remaining hot mixture until the gelatin dissolves. Stir in rum flavoring.

Chill until it is the consistency of corn syrup, stirring occasionally. When the consistency is right, remove from the refrigerator (the gelatin mixture will continue to set). Immediately beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar, beating until stiff peaks form.

When the gelatin is partially set (consistency of unbeaten egg whites) fold in the stiff-beaten whites. Chill until the mixture mounds when spooned. Spoon over the chocolate mixture. Chill 8 hours or overnight.

Fruit Salad

1/2 cup lemon or orange juice

1/2 cup pineapple juice

2 eggs

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup whipping cream-whipped

1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Combine juices and stir slowly into sugar and flour mixture. Cook in double boiler until it thickens. Add beaten eggs and cook 1 minute longer; remove from heat and cool. Fold in whipped cream. Mix with your choice of cut-up fruit such as mandarin oranges, pineapple chunks, bananas, maraschino cherries and walnuts, if using, and serve in sherbet dishes Keep refrigerated.

Easy Dinner Rolls

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast

1 1/2 cups warm milk (110-115 degrees)

1 egg

2 tablespoons butter, softened

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 cups all-purpose flour

Melted butter

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the egg, butter, sugar, salt and 2 cups of flour. Beat on low for about 30 seconds, then beat on high for 3 minutes. Stir in remaining flour (batter will be thick). DO NOT KNEAD. Cover dough and let rest for 15 minutes. Punch dough down after 15 minutes and divide dough into 15 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and place apart on a greased cookie sheet. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake in 400 degree oven for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pan.

Strawberry-Kiwi Smoothie

1 banana, sliced

1 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced

1 1/4 cups apple juice

5 large frozen whole strawberries

1 1/2 teaspoons honey

In a blender, combine banana, kiwi fruit, strawberries, apple juice and honey. Puree until thick and smooth. Pour into chilled glasses and serve.