Image: Epicurious.com

Maybe this is the year to get back into the decorating groove!  Matthew Mead has brought us three amazing egg decorating tutorials that may help us to rediscover the joy!  How stunning are these?

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Do You Miss Decorating Easter Eggs?

- Get all the items needed BEFORE Easter
- Have everything ready for the big day
- Keep a list

IMG: Sxc.hu

I’m probably sure you are wondering about a few of these things but I think they’ll be very useful, especially the lists. Items can be bought the night before Easter yes, but that’s only if they aren’t all sold out. Keep in mind you may get something broken or downright ugly. You may get it cheaper but is it what you really want?

When it comes to being ready I like to make sure I have all the ingredients that will be needed.

- eggs
- dye kits for eggs (Paas)
- baskets
- plastic eggs
- grass for baskets
- whatever I’m making for dinner
- toys or trinkets for eggs

The big one though are my lists. I like to dye my eggs and hide them, this of course is done early in the morning so the sun doesn’t bake them too much. But having a list of where all the eggs are can really save you. Why? You can locate it quickly and you won’t have that horrible egg smell. Yes, it has happened but that’s all I’ll sayon the matter. It wasn’t my fault….well not entirely, but I keep a list now. Trust me, you want to find ALL the eggs.

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Make Sure to Find All those Easter Eggs

I told them about Ukrainian Easter eggs and encouraged the youngsters to take their time and do a really great job coloring.  The results were lovely.

Ukrainian Easter eggs, or Pysanky, has evolved into a year-round art, not simply something done at Easter time.  They are lovely and painstakenly done and really are art pieces.

I’ve discovered a site, LearnPysanky, where you can learn how to do this intricate coloring, as well as  learn the history and legends.  There also are coloring pages to print for youngsters, recipes, egg designs and more.

Share your experiences about making Ukrainian Easter eggs.  Are they a tradition in your home?

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Making Ukrainian Easter Eggs or Pysanky

image: C Findlay-Harder

It’s a great way to play with the embroidery stitches on your sewing machine.  I’ve also made a variation that only uses plain old zig-zag stitches,  if your machine doesn’t do the “fancy stuff”.

The eggs can be used flat as decorations, stuffed and popped into Easter basket.  You could even make little mini eggs, stitch pins onto the back and wear them as Easter jewelry!

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Easter Crafts from the Archives

Photo: SXC

I usually make boring egg salad sandwiches, but I thought it might be nice to try a few more interesting recipes this year. Here are a few that I’m considering:

These pickled eggs got rave reviews on the recipe site, so I’m thinking they’re definitely worth a try.

And I’m thinking to try this twist on an egg salad recipe that is made with caramelized onions.

My final choice is a recipe I was reminded of by this one for spicy chili sauce with eggs. It is a spaghetti egg recipe my friend Connie passed on to me:

Peel a dozen hard boiled eggs. Place them in a pot of spaghetti sauce and let the sauce simmer until it is thoroughly heated. The eggs will have a nice saucy flavor and are great as a snack the next day or can be served sliced on top of the spaghetti.

* Do not eat eggs that have been left out for several hours. We decorate ours and then stick them in the fridge. We use plastic eggs for our Easter egg hunts.

Do you have a favorite recipe that uses hard boiled eggs?

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What To Do With Leftover Easter Eggs

 May this be a blessed and lovely Easter for you and yours.  Even though the grandchildren are older (beyond believing in the bunny), they still enjoy the Easter egg hunt their mom arranges each year.  They were up early before church for it this morning.

However, the bunny did make a visit for Easter!  The youngsters brought their bunny from her home in the basement to the kitchen for a visit.  She seems to know that the refrigerator contains carrots and lettuce.  Whenever anyone opens the door, she hops over.

Do you have favorite Easter traditions…and Easter related quilt patterns and projects? 

(c) 2008 Mary Emma Allen

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Happy Easter from Quilting & Patchwork