To dye the eggs using natural colors. The most common way is to dye eggs with onion skins.
Place onion skins in boiling water and simmer for a while. The shade can vary form yellow to dark brown, depending on the amount of onion skins. To produce an intensive brown shade, take lots of onion skins and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Wash eggs, place in the pan with onion skins and cook all together for 10 minutes. Take eggs out of the pan, let cold water run over them to cool and dry. Rub eggs gently with vegetable oil to give them a nice shine.
For marble effect, stir a bit of vegetable oil into the saucepan with eggs and onions skins.
For a dot pattern, roll wet eggs in rice, wrap eggs in a piece of nylon to fix the rice and cook on onion-skin brew.
Hints and Tips for Proper Eggs
Use these simple rules to make sure the eggs not only look nice but also taste good:
Never boil eggs that come straight from the fridge. Bring eggs to room temperature to prevent cracking.
Never boil eggs over high heat. Reduce to simmer as soon as they reach the boiling point.
Choose a stainless saucepan just large enough to keep all eggs in one layer. This prevents eggs from rolling around and hitting each other.
Prick the large end of the egg before cooking to let the expanding air escape.
Eggs should be fully covered with water by 1 inch.
Add some salt or vinegar into the water to keep the white from running out.
Don’t cook eggs too long as they might get gummy.
Very fresh eggs take 3 minutes longer to cook.
Place boiled eggs immediately under cold water to stop the cooking process. This also helps peel the eggs.
The best way to boil eggs is to place them into a saucepan, add cold water. Heat until the water is just about to boil and reduce the heat. Set the clock and simmer.
Cooking time is affected by the size and age of the eggs, the btu of the stove top and altitude. Here are average cooking times:
3 minutes – runny yolk and white
4 minutes – firm white and runny yolk
5 minutes – firm white and soft yolk (especially in the middle)
7 minutes – firm white and yolk (hard-boiled)
For Pork:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Pat pork dry and season with 1-3/4 teaspoon salt and 1-1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Straddle a flameproof roasting pan over 2 burners, then heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat until it simmers. Brown pork on all sides, then transfer to a large plate.
Put a metal rack in pan and arrange half of herbs down middle of rack. Stir together shallots, garlic, mustard, and 1 tablespoon oil and smear over top and sides of roast, then put roast, fat side up, on top of herbs. Roast 1 hour. Toss remaining herbs with remaining teaspoon oil and arrange on top of roast.
Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer registers 140° to 145°F, 5 to 15 minutes more (temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees as it rests). Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 15 to 25 minutes.
Make sauce while pork rests:
Remove rack from pan and discard herbs from rack. Straddle pan across 2 burners on medium heat. Add vermouth and mustard and deglaze by boiling, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half. Add broth and simmer 3 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a 2-cup measure. If you have more than 1 ½ cups, boil to reduce; if less, add water.
Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, until pale golden, about 3 minutes. Whisk in vermouth mixture and simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
Serve pork with sauce.
Feastive Cupcakes
2 cup sugar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup hershey's cocoa or hershey's europe; an style cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
3 3/4 cup sweetened coconut
flakes, (tinted)*(10-oz pk)
suggested garnishes
(marshmallows, hershey's
mini kisses chocolates,
licorice, jelly beans)
Creamy Vanilla Frosting:
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line muffin cup (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups.
2. In large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of electric mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely.
4. Prepare Creamy Vanilla Frosting; frost cupcakes. Immediately press desired color tinted coconut onto each cupcake. Garnish as desired to resemble Easter basket or bunny. About 33 cupcakes cakes.
Creamy Vanilla Frosting: In medium bowl, beat softened butter or margarine. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract; beat well. Add powdered sugar alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency. About 2 Cup frosting.
* Note: To tint coconut, combine several drops desired color food color with 3/4 teaspoon water; add to 1-1/2 C coconut. Stir until evenly tinted.
Easter Lamb
5 lb leg of lamb; boneless
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon garlic; minced
1/2 cup parsley; chopped
1/2 cup dill; chopped
4 tablespoon dried oregano; rubbed
1 black pepper
Whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, parsley, dill, and oregano. Butterfly the lamb and pepper generously on both sides. Cut some slits in the meat. Marinate the lamb for 2 to 24 hours
Drain marinade from lamb and put lamb in 425°F oven in shallow roasting pan for about 45 minutes. You want an internal temperature of 135°F. Let lamb rest before serving
Egg Candy: Mix thoroughly. Mold in egg shapes and chill in freezer. Dip in 2 pounds of dipping chocolate. (Take only a few eggs from freezer to dip so the peanut butter does not soften too much.)
Easter Eggs: Soften and mix together butter and cream cheese. Add: salt, vanilla, peanut butter or coconut and confectioners' sugar Place in refrigerator to chill. Form into egg or ball shape. Dip in melted chocolate coating.
Peanut Butter Eggs: Cream margarine and cream cheese; add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly. Roll into small eggs or balls. Place on cookie sheet on waxed paper and freeze about 2 hours. For chocolate, use chocolate chips and a small bar of parafin or chocolate coating melted on top of double boiler. After 2 hours remove peanut butter eggs from freezer and dip in melted chocolate. Place on wax paper to cool. Makes 12 dozen eggs.
Rice Krispie Eggs: Mix together and mold into eggs. Place on cookie sheet and freeze about 2 hours. Dip in chocolate coating to which a small amount of oil or butter may be added. Cool on waxed paper.
Peanut Butter Balls or Eggs: Cream margarine and peanut butter together. Add sugar and vanilla. Mix together and form desired shape. Place on cookie sheets lined with wax paper and place in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. Melt chocolate and paraffin wax over low heat. (Use less wax, if preferred). Put toothpick into balls and dip into chocolate. Put back on waxed paper and remove toothpick. You can also use a spoon to dip them.
Peanut Butter Balls
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoon butter
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon solid vegetable shortening
Combine peanut butter, butter and powdered sugar, stirring until smooth. Shape into balls. Melt chocolate and shortening over hot, (not boiling) water. Dip balls into chocolate, cool slightly, and roll in chopped nuts. Put balls on waxed paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until firm.
Sweet And Sour Leg Of Lamb
1 leg of lamb; butterflied,
boneless (6-8 lbs.)
1/2 cup pineapple preserves
1/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke
2 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
Put butterflied leg of lamb on rack of roasting pan and place in preheated 325°F oven. Combine all ingredients except cornstarch and water in saucepan over low heat. Stir cornstarch into cold water until smooth, then add to saucepan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Allow to simmer 3 minutes, or until thickened and clear. Baste lamb with sauce every 10 to 14 minutes through roasting time (1 1/2 hours, or until meat thermometer registers 170°F for medium doneness). Serves 6 to 8.
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