Easter Eggs

So I'm back -- after 10 years. :) I've been back in the kitchen but haven't been as prolific as before, so I'm afraid my posts would still be not as frequent as they were. For now I'd like to share the "recipe" for easter egg dyes and how to paint easter eggs.

Of course it'd be a lot simpler to just buy chocolate eggs, or just fill up plastic eggs with goodies, but where's the fun in that? My kids and I spent 2 hours painting last Saturday-- 2 hours less of boredom and inactivity.

Easter Eggs

What's in it?

20 eggs - good for 4 kids/kids at heart (a child can paint 5 eggs and still be bitin!)
food colors: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, violet, pink... you get the drift. :)
tap water
white vinegar


Kitchen Conjugations:

For the eggs:
1. Put eggs in a saucepan and add water, to level that's just enough to cover all the eggs.
2. Bring water to a gentle boil (use medium heat)
3. When water boils, throw in 1/2 t salt (to prevent the eggshells from cracking)
4. Let the eggs boil for 4 minutes.
5. Remove eggs from saucepan and transfer to a deep dish with water. Let cool for half an hour.
6. Remove eggs from waterbath and air dry or wipe with cloth.


For the egg dyes:
Combine 2 teaspoons food color, half a cup of water and 2 teaspoons white vinegar in plastic cups.

To paint the eggs:

(Be sure to line the work area with old newspapers for easy clean-up afterwards.)

Plain, colored eggs - slowly drop the egg into the cup of egg dye. Remove after a minute at least. (Keep the egg longer in the dye if you want a darker shade of the color.) Remove with the use of 2 plastic spoons and lay on an egg tray to dry.

Color-Resist eggs - draw designs and shapes on the egg using crayons. Then slowly drop the egg into a food color cup of contrasting color and let it sit there for about a minute or longer for a darker shade. Remove with the use of 2 plastic spoons and lay on an egg tray to dry.

Double-shade eggs - follow directions for plain colored eggs. When the egg is dry, carefully lower half of the egg into a different-colored egg bath and hold it there for half a minute or more (depending on preferred shade).

Marbled eggs - follow directions for plain colored eggs, but apply new/different colors when the egg is almost dry, using sponges, brushes, etc.

Handpainted eggs -- follow directions for plain colored eggs, let dry then apply drawings (swirls, flowers, stripes, objects, etc.) using tools at hand.

Get adventurous, try mixing and matching . :)