Eggs For Easter
The egg is one of the oldest symbols known to mankind. It most often stands for new life.
As Christianity became an important religion, the egg took on even more importance as a symbol of life. Most often it stood for the Resurrection. Sometimes eggs were dyed red to commemorate the passion of Jesus Christ. For some, the egg symbolized the stone that was rolled away from the tomb.
Eastern Orthodox people gave eggs on the morning of the Resurrection as a renewed commitment of faith and love. Early Christian graves were sometimes found to contain ostrich eggs.
Today, Easter egg decorating is something in which almost every family takes part. There are many different customs, depending on nationality and background. Some families hard-boil their eggs and dye them in many different colors. Other blow the uncooked egg out of the shells before they paint and decorate the eggshells. Many families participate in traditional egg rolls.
Since the time of Abraham Lincoln, the White House has hosted an Easter egg roll on the lawn for children under 12. It was discontinued in 1941, during World War II, but resumed in 1953 on the order of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
If you plan to hard-boil your eggs and then dye them, start with fresh, clean, white eggs. Let them sit at room temperature for about an hour. If they are at room temperature, the shells will not crack when they are cooked.
Put the eggs in a clean pan that is large enough to hold them without crowding. Do not use an aluminum pan because a harmless chemical reaction occurs between the eggshells and the pan that prevents the dye from adhering to the shell.
Cover the eggs with cold water about 1 inch above the tops of the eggs. Heat until water boils. Then cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let it stand for 25 minutes.
Rinse the eggs with cold water and let them cool to room temperature. Dye them with any of the commercial colors available in your local grocery store.
If you wish to use the eggs on an egg tree or for some other decoration, you must blow the eggs. Blown eggs can be dyed. You need clean, fresh eggs; a clean darning needle or an ice pick; and a straw (optional).
Using the ice pick or needle, make a hole in one end of the eggs, making sure to pierce the egg's membrane. Then make a slightly larger hole in the other end, again piercing the egg membrane and the yolk of the egg.
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Put your mouth over the smaller hole and blow out the liquid egg through the larger hole into a bowl. You can also hold a straw to the smaller hole and blow through it.
Rinse out the egg with water and allow it to dry. The dry eggs can be dyed, painted or decorated in another manner.
But how can you color those eggs? One way is to use any of the commercial Easter egg dyes that are available in your local supermarket or discount store. If you want to make your own coloring, some foods and plants make a colored dye. Red beets, spinach, blueberries, fennel, dandelions and elderberries are all natural sources of coloring. You really have many choices.
If you don't want to dye your eggs, you can decorate them by painting on designs using poster paints, watercolors or India ink. Felt-tip markers also work well.
If you choose to paint your eggs, try using a potato stamp. Cut a large potato into thick slices with at least one flat side. Then carve a design -- a flower, geometric shape, etc. -- on the flat side. Carve around the design so that the design itself is raised, like the design on a rubber stamp.
Spread poster paint in a flat pan, press the stamp into the paint, and then gently transfer that painted stamp to the egg's surface. If you want to keep your egg for a long time, cover the dried painted surface with varnish.
You can also scratch designs onto dyed eggs using a craft knife or paring knife.
Other ways to decorate eggs include using flowers cut from tissue paper, strands of wool, dried leaves, wood shavings and beads. All of these can be glued on.
Perhaps the most famous Easter eggs were designed by jeweler Karl Fabergé for Czar Alexander III of Russia more than 100 years ago. His father, Czar Alexander II, had been murdered, and he wanted a gift for his grieving mother.
It was close to Easter and he commissioned Fabergé to make the most beautiful Easter egg ever seen. Fabergé covered his egg with gold and precious jewels. Every year after that, Fabergé created an egg for a member of the Russian royal family.
Whether you create eggs as dramatic as Fabergé's or whether you just dye your eggs using commercial colors, decorating Easter eggs is a fun family activity that allows you and your child or grandchild to express your creativity.
But ... what is to be done with the contents of those eggshells? The following recipes are good egg dishes for using the eggs left in that bowl. They make fine additions to your Easter brunch or Good Friday supper.
Oven Omelet
- American cheese slices
- 8 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- Pinch salt
- Pinch pepper (optional)
- 10 strips bacon, fried crisp
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Line bottom with American cheese slices. Mix eggs, milk, salt, and pepper if desired; pour over cheese.
Crumble six bacon strips and sprinkle over egg mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Lay remaining bacon strips on top and bake for 10 more minutes.
Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into squares. Serves 15.
This recipe came from an old family friend. She said that cooked ham or sausage can be substituted for bacon.
Covenant Strata
- 1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 12-14 slices white bread, crusts removed
- 3/4 pound grated cheddar cheese
- 2 cups cut-up fresh asparagus, steamed
- 6 eggs, slightly beaten
- 3 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Butter a 13 x 9-inch pan. Sauté mushrooms with onion.
Layer bread, cheese, asparagus, mushrooms and onion in pan. Blend eggs, milk and salt; pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Uncover pan and bake for 1 hour. Serve immediately. Serves 12-15.
This recipe came from the group at the Covenant Church. We served it at a shower.
Karen's Quiche
- 1 unbaked pie shell, chilled
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 can white tuna or 1 ham slice, cut in chunks, or like amount of chopped, cooked chicken
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- Pinch salt
- 8 ounces grated cheddar, Swiss or Colby cheese
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bake chilled pie shell for 5 minutes. Remove pie shell from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees.
Melt butter in small saucepan. Stir in green onions and cook until tender.
Cover bottom of pie shell with tuna, ham or chicken. Pour onion mixture over meat in shell.
Blend eggs, half-and-half and salt until well mixed. Pour over ingredients in pie shell. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake for 30-45 minutes, until crust and contents are golden. Knife inserted in center should come out clean.
Let stand a few minutes before cutting into wedges. Serves 6.