Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts

‘Twas the day before Easter and all through the kingdom,

the children were snuggled to rest for a bit.

When all of a sudden, in the blink of an eye,

a light bulb went off and the Queen said, “Oh, My!”
In all of the prep and all of the clamor,

she forgot to make eggs for the prince and princess to color.

O.K. That doesn’t really rhyme, so I’ll stop now.

It was Saturday afternoon and we were about to leave for our church Easter egg hunt. I remembered that I forgot (I can do that you know!) to make eggs for the prince and princess to dye at home. I scrambled (get it?) to the kitchen to get the eggs boiled. Tidy Mom posted great directions on “boiling” eggs. So, I won’t do that. I will tell you what I do with the leftovers.

Here’s what you’ll need for ingredients:

Eggs, mayo, mustard, cider vinegar, and sweet pickle relish

Peel the eggs, by tapping them a little and gently squeezing them or rolling them gently on the counter. (Tip: If you use older eggs and peel them under running water, they peel easier. Start peeling from the large end and let the water get under the shell membrane.)

Place them on a paper towel to dry a little.


Cut each egg in half lengthwise.

Place the egg white on your serving dish and the yolks into a zipper bag. (Don't say anything about the green edge on the yolks. I got distracted and they boiled a little before I turned them down.)


Add all the other ingredients to the bag. Zip the bag and mix the ingredients by “smooshing” the bag. You want to make sure all the egg yolks are smooth and the relish is the only lumpy part.


Cut the tip off one corner of the bag.


Squeeze the bag to let the yolk mixture go into the egg whites. Don’t squeeze to make it stop. Don’t be too heavy handed. You can add more later, if you have extra. (You could also use a bowl to mix and a spoon or piping bag with a BIG tip to fill the whites. But then, you have more things to wash.)


I like to top the eggs with something colorful for serving. Here I used paprika. You could use a slice of olive, a sprig of parsley, or "whatever cranks your tractor." (I borrowed stole that line from Christy over at Southern Plate. I told her I was going to a long time ago. Check her out. She's a hoot.)


I fill the center of my plate with something colorful too. I usually put a bowl of sweet gherkins, olives, or this time… Easter Eggs! (Say anything about the heavy-handed paprika and I'll deny knowing you. They are going to disappear just like the other ones.)


Easy Deviled Eggs
6 boiled eggs
¼ cup mayo
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. cider vinegar
Pickle relish, to taste
Peel and dry eggs. Add egg yolks, mayo, mustard, vinegar, and relish to a zip bag. Mix by mashing together. Snip the corner from the bag and pipe yolk mixture into the whites. Garnish as desired.

This is a great way to use the leftover colored eggs and eggs that cracked during boiling. The princess saw the cracked eggs and said, “Mama, they’re hatching. We have to keep them warm.” And she proceeded to do just that.


I'm linking this post to Mouthwatering Monday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday. Hop on over to see other yummy recipes.

The grass is green. It’s good to be The Cow Queen.

date Monday, April 5, 2010

date Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Queen made cookies similar to these while growing up. We called them "Forgotten Cookies" because you put them in the oven and "Forgot" them overnight. A few years ago, I saw a slightly different version of the recipe and a lesson to go along with them. You can make them any night during Holy Week for Easter preparation.


What you'll need:

pecans (The prince has nut allergies, so we use mini chocolate chips), vinegar, egg whites, salt, sugar

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. DO IT NOW. Don't wait.


Place the nuts (or chips) in a zipper baggy and let children beat them with a wooden spoon. (If using nuts, you want them broken into small pieces. The mini chips are fine if left whole.) Explain that Jesus was arrested. He was beaten by Roman soldiers. (save these for later in the recipe)


Let each child smell the vinegar. Put the vinegar into the mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, He was given vinegar to drink.


Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life.


Sprinkle a little salt on each child's hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the salty tears shed by Jesus' followers.

Add the sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us.

Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form. Explain the color white represents the purity in God's eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.


Fold in the nuts (or chips). Drop by teaspoons onto waxed paper lined cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus' body was laid.



Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and TURN THE OVEN OFF.

Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus' tomb was sealed.


You may have to tell the children that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus' followers were sad when the tomb was sealed.

The next morning, open the oven and give each one a cookie. Take a bite. The cookies are hollow! On the first Easter, Jesus' followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty.

Edited to add: This was a basic level of discussion for the prince and princess. You could add scripture study to the discussion for older children ... or even adults.

Resurrection Cookies
1 cup pecans or mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
a pinch of salt
1 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. NOW!
Place nuts or chips into zipper bag and crush with wooden spoon.
Put 1 tsp. vinegar, 3 egg whites, pinch of salt and 1 cup sugar into a mixing bowl. Beat with mixer on high speed for 12-15 minutes until stiff peaks form. Fold in nuts or chips.
Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper-lined cookie sheet.
Put cookie sheets in oven and TURN OVEN OFF!
Leave in oven overnight.

I'm sharing this recipe on Tidy Mom I'm Lovin' It, Bake at 350, Strut Your Stuff, Foodie Friday, and Sweet Thursday. Stop by and see what other recipes and ideas you can find.

The grass is green. It is good to be The Cow Queen.

date Friday, April 2, 2010

It just might be sinking in. The Queen and Prince Charming often wonder if the lessons that they teach the prince and princess are getting through to their busy little minds and hearts. Evidence reared its head on Saturday.

The Queen took the prince and princess to a local church for their Easter Egg hunt. It is the church in which Prince Charming grew up and his father still attends. The royal family attends another church in the area. We arrived to find approximately 20 children excited to hunt for colorful eggs filled with yummy treats.

The leader gave the signal and all 17 dozen eggs were found in a matter of minutes. The prince gave his basket to The Queen for inspection. Since he is allergic to certain tree nuts, he must have his confections checked for possibility of contamination. In addition to the prize egg ($5 and jelly bean center), he had many eggs with questionable chocolates. After The Queen confiscated the chocolates, the prince started to pout. He was convinced to try the cake and juice. After getting his plate, he came back to his basket and took the jelly beans. "I'm giving these to Granddaddy," he said.

Prince Charming picked him up from the church on his way to do a farm errand. The pouting continued. When we got home, the pouting continued. He was upset that he couldn't have the candy and only knew one child at the event. I asked, "Prince, why did you give your jelly beans to Granddaddy?" His reply almost made The Queen cry. He said, "Because he didn't find a single egg."

He gets it. He really gets it. And that is the Easter message ... selfless love!

The grass is green. It's good to be The Cow Queen.

date Monday, March 29, 2010