Easter Egg EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!

Easter is this Sunday, and most of you know that I"m pretty excited about it!  So alright, I found out that PEEPS aren't really one of your favorite things to eat over this holiday...but I am pretty darn sure no one has a complaint about this Easter tradition.  Dying Easter Eggs! 
I mean really, how can you not love it.  It's your chance to be as creative as you can be with after all what is just an egg.... and truly, for every child this is their BIG chance to get in the kitchen with mom or dad and make essentially their own Picasso!

I couldn't wait as a kid to get in there with my mom and bust open the box of PAAS dye and drop those little pellets into the vinegar water.  It smelled so bad but I loved to watch it bubble and the water slowly changed color to that lovely hue of blue black and how shocked I always was that when I took it out, it never quite looked the color I thought it would be. 


Here is a step by step to dying the perfect egg... and some tips and tricks I've picked up along the years... yes, I am qualified to call myself a professional egg dyer... ha ha ha. 

Preparation of the eggs for dyeing... 
Before decorating your eggs, you need to hard boil them.  About 12345 years ago (yes, I'm not revealing my age just yet) when I was in culinary school, the first lesson they taught us was how to boil an egg.  You didn't read wrong... I said, how to boil an egg.  Let me just say this... I didn't pass the first time, or the second or even the third.  I ate lots of eggs that day before I got it right!  So one might think to them self, is there a trick to boiling a perfect egg... well... yes and no. It's all about timing... and if you follow the guideline for time, you and your eggs will be just fine! 
First, place your eggs into your large saucepan or deep pot.  Add cold water, enough to completely cover the eggs.  Place the heat on high and bring the eggs to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to medium.  Allow to simmer for 12 minutes.  Remove from heat and run under cold water for 90 seconds.  In order to dye the eggs and get nice results, you have to wait until the eggs are completely cool and dry.  I suggest preparing your eggs the night before. 


So now let's get to the fun part!!! There are ton of ways that you can decorate your eggs!

The first being a traditional PAAS (most popular) Easter egg kit.  That was what we did for as long as I can remember! It came with 5 colors and 2 wax sticks and some wire looking thingie that was supposedly going to actually hold your egg and help you remove it, but somehow you always ended up using a spoon.  Nowadays, PAAS has over a dozen different types of kits! 


You can also make your own food color dye.  It's simple, its easy and it's relatively inexpensive.  It just requires some food coloring and 2 teaspoons of white distilled vinegar.  Combine in a bowl that's deep enough for the eggs, 1 tablespoon of food coloring with 2 teaspoons of the vinegar and fill about 1/2 way up the rest of the bowl with water.  Gently place the eggs into the cups.  The longer they're left in, the darker the color shade.  Mix it up and try different combos... try making different textures  by coloring on the egg with a crayon...try doing polka dots, swirls, lines and shapes.  

Rubber band eggs were also another one of my favorite kinds of eggs to decorate! Wrap elastic bands around the eggs as tight as you can (with out cracking them) and drop them into the dye.  Remove the egg after a few minutes and pat dry with a paper towel and allow them to dry for a few minutes.  Carefully remove the rubber bands see the cool design it makes. 
And then there's old faithful... if you can't find PAAS or don't want to use food coloring, you can go au naturale. 

Cold Dyes - Pink:

Mix 1 cup strained juice from canned beets,
½ teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.
Soak cooled eggs in the dye for ½ hour.

Purple: 

Mix 1 cup purple grape juice, ½ teaspoon
vinegar, and 3 cups water. Soak
cooled eggs in the dye for ½ hour.

Boiled Dyes - Orange:

In a pot, mix 1 cup yellow onion skin (about 2 onions' worth), packed loosely, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.
Boil mixture for ½ hour, cool to room temperature, strain out the onion skins, then add cooled eggs and soak them in the dye for ½ hour. 

Light Blue:

In a pot, mix 1 cup red cabbage leaves, torn and loosely packed, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.
Boil mixture for ½ hour, cool to room temperature, strain out the cabbage leaves, then add cooled eggs and soak them in
the dye for ½ hour. 

Yellow:

In a pot, mix 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 3 cups water.
Boil mixture for ½ hour, cool to room temperature, strain out stray turmeric grains, then add cooled eggs and soak them in the dye for ½ hour. 

I hope these tips and tricks inspire you to create some beautiful decorated eggs! Please feel free to send me your Easter pictures to michelle@foodfromthehearttv.com or post them on the facebook fan page! 

**sidenotes**

Some post Easter egg precautions to keep in mind: 

Storage time: In the shell, hard-cooked eggs can be refrigerated safely up to one week. Refrigerate in their original carton to prevent odor absorption. Once peeled, eggs should be eaten that day.


Food safety precaution: Piercing shells before cooking is not recommended. If not sterile, the piercer or needle can introduce bacteria into the egg. Also, piercing creates hairline cracks in the shell, through which bacteria can enter after cooking.


Never microwave eggs in shells. Steam builds up too quickly inside and eggs are likely to explode.


Hard-cooked eggs are best when you want a sturdy egg for hiding and when you want to eat them when you’re done. They are also easier for younger children to handle.