Before we get too far away from Easter, there are two things I want to share, no three.  Easter is probably my favorite holiday because of the hope it symbolizes for all mankind through the resurrection.  I also like it for the beautiful colors and spring timing.

Here are two other things that added to this Easter's creative fun.  

One treat I was able to make were these turtle cookies that

I saw on Pinterest from the Pixelated Crumb.

Here's me making them.

Can I just say,

"OH MY GOSH! I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE COOKIE!!!"

Holy moly.  If you like nuts, chocolate and caramel... 

Run, do not walk to the Pixelated Crumb!

And last, I chose to use my late 1930s Homer Laughlin Organdy Swing Pastel china on the Easter table.  I only have four place settings of this hard to find china (hard to find in grown up sizes).  I had been holding out until I acquired more settings, but decided instead of waiting, to use it now and mix it up with my cream colored Wedgwood.  The pastels are just too perfect for Easter.  Mr. bunny approves.

Ghosts of Easter Past

What I'm really loving about this Easter picture of my brothers, sister and I are those very cool, snappy white Texas blazers and narrow dark ties my brothers are wearing.  Pretty cool.  And they actually look proud to be photographed in them.

The sisters get equal strut time two years later on Easter Sunday 1965.  We are awfully proud of our Easter hats, full skirts and white gloves.  And I'm really tripping on that cool paisley print my sister is wearing.  I wonder what color it was?  How I'd love some of that yardage now!  Brad and David are synchronized in their head tilting "Aw, do I hafta get my picture taken?" pose or maybe there's a breeze blowing through the new house in Wisconsin.  Who knows?

Here's to your Easter finest.

Happy Easter!

p.s. I'm trying some silk dyed eggs as I write this.  

I'll post some pics if they turn out.

Happy Easter

I get to teach a lively bunch of four-year-olds every Sunday at church. 

They are world class cuties and give the best hugs ever!
I love teaching them.
Last Sunday we had a big lesson on Easter.
We talked about:

 Easter baskets

the Easter Bunny

and Easter Egg hunts.

They were so excited it was hard to redirect their enthusiasm. 

After they settled back down.
We had a serious talk about the real meaning of Easter...
and they understood.

Happy Easter.
My favorite holiday.

Dying to Dye

Every year on the Friday or Saturday before Easter, it's time to dye eggs at our house.  Finding new and creative ways to dye Easter eggs has always interested me.  I've made plaid eggs, rainbow eggs, tie-dyed eggs (those were cool), crackle eggs, and batik eggs - among other methods.  I wish I'd taken pictures!  When my daughter came along, she joined me in my quest to find new ways to dye eggs.  She was the master rainbow maker... plaid, too.  With plaid eggs, it takes just the right eye to know how deep to hold the egg in the dye bath and how to work the colors in reverse order and what color you end up with by overlapping dye minus a quarter inch.  Much trickier than you would imagine.  A few years ago I cut apart a magazine and slapped on letters with glue water.  Those were fun, too.

What creative things do you do with your Easter egg dyeing?

Cookie of the Month - m&m

I know.  I just squeaked by with the March cookie of the month!  Actually, I made them on Sunday.  I've gotta move my game up.  This month I chose m&m cookies and to make them a little more in keeping with the upcoming season, I used pastel candies.

 

 Ingredients

(doubled)

1 1/2 cups butter

2 2/3 cups packed dark brown sugar

4 eggs

1 Tbs. vanilla

4 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups m&ms

 

Beat together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

 

Blend in eggs and vanilla.

Add flour, soda and salt; mix well.

Stir in candies.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet a couple inches apart.

Press extra candies into each.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes.  

Remove from cookie sheet and cool.  Cookies may seem a little brown due to the absence of white sugar in the recipe, but they are oh, so yummy.  Enjoy!

A Death in the Family

Say it ain't so.  But, oh my friends, it is.  Anyone who knows me much, knows my favorite candy of all time is the Brach's Fiesta Malted Milk Egg.  I have had a lifelong love affair with those little nuggets of malted milk chocolate crunchy goodness.  My hips will testify.

Yes, that's me in college - drunken with malted milk fiesta egg intoxication.

I have long been devoted to the Brach's Candy Company... afterall, they are the ones who gave me 50 grand for a cookie house...  

My sister first noticed something was "up" last summer and reported to me that the Brach's malted milk balls were completely different and not so good anymore.  I could not, I would not believe it until I bought a bag and tasted for myself.  Oooh... not nearly as good as usual.  Even my husband who was raised on cheap chocolate could taste the difference.  WHAT?  Next it was confirmed again with the purchase of chocolate covered raisins... not as good... waxy... oh no.  I waited with mounting dread for the Fiesta Eggs to come out around Valentine's day.  Would they be the same?  I shuddered to think that they, too would be tampered with. 

Friends, I am so sad to report that it's true --  the Brach's egg recipe that's been around as long as I have, has been compromised.  It seems to be the quality of the chocolate... very sadly lacking.  How could this happen?  Brach's, how could you let us down?  Dear blog reader, have you noticed a difference in Brach's chocolate lately?

From what I can gather on the history of Brach's, the company was sold to Farley's & Sathers in 2007.  I'd bet a million dollars they changed to an inferior chocolate since last Easter.  Emil Brach, the founder of Brach's, would turn over in his grave.

Why bother?

One less temptation in the world.

Update Easter 2018:  Thankfully, Brach's did not keep producing these inferior eggs!  After a couple years, they went back to the best ever malted milk egg to be found world wide!  Yipee!  The only trouble is how hard they are to find.  Every year I start looking after Valentine's Day and there only ever seems to be one grocery store that sells them -- and always a different one year to year.  What the heck?  Last year I hit the jackpot and found them at Target where I could order them online and my husband could just go pick them up!  (Much better than being seen with 10 bags in your cart!  Har har!) How much easier can that be?  This year looks like another Target jackpot.

Happy munching!

Kathy