Cupcake Success

Evidence the cupcakes were a success.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! I have spent the past week finishing the remodeling and moving, but I did manage to find a bit of time for some baking. I made cupcakes for Dan and Sheila's Easter Egg Hunt for the kids and a cake for the adults. Take a look. Very simple. Green food coloring. Red licorice. Marshmallow candies and peanut M&Ms. 

Happy Easter from Australia

I got an early Easter present from Dave - a picture of him on his Easter Day hike in Australia. I miss him a ton and can't wait to see him soon.

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Having a PhD scientist for a sister-in-law has it's upsides. Not to mention that Sheila helped me with the yard since she has a PhD in plant biology, she also prevailed in cooking us up some really cool Easter eggs, using natural foods as dyes. We used blueberry juice, beet juice, cabbage, and tumeric. As the eggs aged, they oxidized and changed colors. You basically use 2 cups of juice to 2 tablespoons of distilled vinegar and a bit of salt for good measure. 

Egg-stra Special Day

Not that I have stopped the home renovations, but I am taking a mid-day break with Laura and Sheila to finish the limoncello, which has fermented and to make 48 Easter eggs. There has been a challenged posed as to what to do with the egg centers, which we will not need for Laura's Mexican Egg Craft project.

1. Freeze them - To freeze whole eggs or yolks crack them into a bowl and gently stir to break up the yolk somewhat. Try not to incorporate air into the eggs. Label the container with the date and the number of eggs. They can be kept frozen for a year, and should be thawed in the refrigerator the day before you intend to use them.
2. Make a Quiche - I love quiche. The easiest way to do it is to buy pre-made phyllo dough as the crust, add your meats, veggies and cheese and bake for 45- 1 hour in a 350 degree over until firm. I found recipes on Cooking Light for a Brie and Egg Strata, Whispery Eggs with Crabmeat and Herbs, 
3. Everybody have scrambled eggs for dinner - There you go. I love breakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs, French toast, breakfast burritos (if we want to continue the Mexican theme all day long). Check out Cooking Light's Egg and Cheese Breakfast Burrito with Homemade Salsa.

Even better than that are the additional egg craft projects and other Easter-theme projects I have found on the web:

1. Terra-Cotta Easter Baskets
2. Adorable & Creative Egg Creatures
3. Easter Centerpieces
4. Martha's 39 Ways to Decorate Easter Eggs
5. Martha's 15 Beautiful Baskets