HOW TO DYE SPECKLED EASTER EGGS

There are all kinds of techniques for dying Easter eggs... and since the creation of Pinterest, it seems Easter eggs are more and more creative each year. I particularly love the natural look of "straight from the hen house" speckled eggs and the technique is very easy to master. Here's the how-to for easy, natural speckled Easter eggs:

How to easily dye speckled Easter eggs. Photo credit: Arden Photography Location: The Sonnet House Leeds, Alabama

SUPPLIES
Newspaper or something to protect the work surface

Hard-boiled eggs or blown out eggs (I made both)

Easter egg dye- there are tons of brands. Pick one or you can use food coloring or veggies to create a natural dye*

2 black tea bags

Plastic cups

Brown craft paint

Old toothbrush

Rubber or plastic gloves

DIRECTIONS:

Create a drying rack of some sort. I used the top of a Styrofoam cooler and some toothpicks for mine. Push in 4 toothpicks and let the eggs rest on top. But you have to rotate them so they don't have a big drip mark on the bottom side.  You can also use a circle of tin foil on newspaper.  You can use straight pins and a foam board also. 

Cover the work surface with newspaper or Kraft paper. Boil 1 cup of water and add tea bags to steep to make a strong, dark tea. While the tea is steeping, boil eggs as you normally would for dying. As they are cooling, mix dye according to package directions.

Natural looking speckled eggs look best colored pale blue, aqua, pale green, soft tan, and even violet or pale pink. (Yes, hens do lay pink eggs, I promise! ) To achieve a natural look for tan eggs, use the tea to dye the eggs. I also used a small amount of the tea to muddy the bright color of the dye to make a more natural look. Feel free to adjust the colors until you get the dye the color you want. You can re-dip them to get a darker color. I will dip then wipe with a paper towel to set a base color. Then re-dip to make a nice, pale shade.

Once you've dyed the eggs, allow them to dry completely. For the speckle effect: dip the toothbrush in a small amount of the brown craft paint and run your finger over the toothbrush, causing the paint to splatter onto the eggs. A random pattern looks good- but keep it very light for best results. Allow to dry and you've got natural looking speckled eggs.

No matter which way you color your eggs, I hope you create lots of fun memories for you and your family. Happy Easter!

DIY VALENTINE'S DAY: SURPRISE YOUR VALENTINE WITH A COFFEE HOUSE STYLE LATTE AND HEART (WITHOUT A MACHINE)

If you wake up on Valentine's Day (or her birthday or anniversary, etc) and have no gift or card ready, no worries! Your sweetheart will love your clever Valentine's Day coffee 'card' but let's be real. A heart in her coffee isn't going to get you completely off the hook but it might buy you a little time. Even if you are not an artist like the baristas at your favorite coffee shop or you don't have a cappuccino machine or milk frother at home (I don't) you can still whip up a perfectly frothy latte using a Mason jar or a whisk.

Make a latte milk foam heart like coffee shop baristas make as shown in the photo on the left or use a stencil made from tin foil to easily create a heart design in the milk foam as shown on the right. It's easy to make the milk foam, but to draw the heart design with the milk foam does require practice. I watched a video from BaristaJam.com to learn how.

SUPPLIES

Foil

Scissors

Small mesh strainer

Mason jar with lid or whisk

INGREDIENTS

Espresso or strong coffee

1% or 2% milk

Cocoa or powdered cinnamon

HOW TO:

Make a heart stencil from a small piece of tin foil. Fold a 5x5 inch piece of foil in half. With the scissors, cut half a heart like you did back in grade school. Open it up.

Put a teaspoon or less of cocoa or cinnamon into the mesh strainer.

Make strong coffee or espresso as usual. 

Be prepared to use the milk and foam immediately as it will dissolve quickly.

MICROWAVE METHOD: Pour the milk into the Mason jar or heat-proof jar and tighten the lid. Do not fill more than half full because it will expand.  Shake the jar really hard for 40 seconds until it doubles in volume. Take the lid off the jar. Microwave uncovered on high for 30 seconds. The foam should rise to the top of the jar.

STOVE METHOD: Put the milk into a saucepan. Heat through but do not allow the milk to come to a boil. Whisk the milk vigorously until it foams.

Pour the coffee into a mug and spoon the hot milk and foam on top. Gently place the stencil over the foam and dust the cocoa or cinnamon over it.  

SUPER LAST MINUTE IDEAS FOR THE BIG GAME

FOOTBALL .... Even if you don't care about the game at all, getting family and friends together for game day is a great excuse to make all of your favorite guilty pleasure snacks! Here is my party planand a few tried and true recipes to make your own game day party easy!

FAN FAVORTIE MENU

The good news is, people always love it when someone else cooks for them. If you’re ambitious, make everything from scratch. Or you can buy it. Or you can do what I do—a little of both.

Start with a cheese board. I'd even go old school and crank out a cheese ball. (They're making a comeback, did you know?) People love them. Add cured meats, pate, radish, and cornichons. People love to chat and graze and a cheese board makes that so easy. Three to four cheeses is enough if you’re serving other food. Offer a big baguette or loaf of freshly baked bread; cheap and filling if you’re on a budget.

Chips and dip is the number one item people crave for the big game. Break out your best dip recipe or use one of mine. Charred Onion Dip with Baked Pita Chips or Chunky Blue Cheese Dip you can serve with crackers, chips, or veggies.

Wings. In fact, more than 1.23 billion wings will likely be eaten during Super Bowl weekend. Get them from your favorite restaurant or try my spicy, glazed baked Diablo Chicken Wings.  So easy, so good. The cool blue cheese dip is the perfect compliment.

Anything in the shape of a football. Have you seen Pinterest? Pinners have gone football crazy. Shape your food like a football and everyone will ooh and ah over it, no matter what it is.

Chili Cheese Empanadas are fast, even if you make the pastry from scratch. Brown onion and ground beef. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add chili seasonings, cheese, and allow to cool.. Stuff it all in a pastry crust. Bake according to crust instructions.

Serve withmarinara -make my quick marinara- or buy one at the store. You can also serve with a fresh tomato salsa.

EASY TO MAKE DECORATIONS

If you are like me, you have totally forgotten decorations at least one time in your life. Luckily, I had remembered pretty napkins so I was able to come up with a quick backup plan. Simply pinch the napkin in the center and twist, securing with tape. Make at least six and secure them with floral wire. You can make a loop or a hook and hang them with a string, rope, or piece of twine.

Use brown craft paper to cover items like this can, creating a football theme. Use paper or tape for the white laces. If you use a tin can like I did, be sure to cover the cut edge with brown paper to keep guests from cutting themselves. I didn’t have craft paper so I used an old grocery bag. The project was essentially free.

A green chenille rug or bath mat (especially handy if you’re serving drinks on ice) can make a football field. All you need is some white electrician’s tape and some stick on numbers to turn it into a football field table runner. This project cost under $10.  

Ready? Get those friends on the phone and invite them over. We got this!

More of my favorite game day ideas:

Make a Taco Bar

Build a Bloody Mary Bar

Host a Souper Bowl Showdown