Easter Activities

Striped and Checked Eggs

You will need: hard-boiled white eggs, rubber bands or masking tape, Easter egg dye.

1. Arrange rubber bands or masking tape securely on egg where you want stripes or checks.

2. Dip egg into dye. Set aside and let it dry.

3. Remove bands or tape.

Marbled Eggs

You will need: 6″ square piece of thin cotton cloth for each egg, eyedropper, three colors of Easter egg dye, hard-boiled white eggs.

1. Wrap egg in cloth and tie rubber bands tightly around each end.

2. Drop spots of one color of dye at a time onto cloth-wrapped egg. Rinse out eyedropper before changing colors.

3. Let egg dry before unwrapping.

Easter Baskets

By D. A. Woodliff

You will need: ball of string, balloon, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, bowl, scissors, scraps of decorative trim, and glue.

Blow up balloon almost to its fullest extent and tie closed. Wrap string around balloon, overlapping and crisscrossing until the balloon is evenly covered with string. To form a handle for the basket, wind string around the length of balloon until a 3/4″ wide band is formed; then tie off with string. Wind string around width of balloon in the middle to form a top border for basket. Tie off string, adding a temporary loop for handling during basket’s construction.

Dissolve sugar in water. Heat sugar starch until it simmers, then remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes. Hold string-covered balloon by loop over a dish and pour sugar starch over it several times until all strings are saturated. Hang balloon by loop over dish to dry for 24 to 36 hours.

When string is completely dry, cut out with scissors the two quarter sections between the handle and the border (see illustration). Remove balloon remains. Ribbon, rickrack, or lace trim can be glued onto handle and border with white glue; then attach ribbon bow to handle. A base for the basket (to keep it from tipping) can be made by cutting a strip of cardboard 11″ long and 1″ wide. Glue ends of this strip together and cover with decorative tape.

Meat Loaf Baskets
Buttered Carrots
Sunflower Seed Bread
Fluffy Easter Cake

Meat Loaf Baskets

1 egg

1/2 cup oatmeal

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef

1 can whole potatoes

1. Mix all ingredients except potatoes in a bowl.

2. Divide mixture into four equal parts. On waxed paper, roll each piece into a strip 9″ long.

3. Form each strip into a ring and place in an oblong cake pan.

4. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes.

5. Heat potatoes and serve in the middle of meat loaf basket.

Sunflower Seed Bread

2 cups biscuit baking mix

1/2 cup cold water

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1. Mix in a bowl with fork baking mix, water, and garlic powder.

2. Pat dough on ungreased cookie sheet into 10″ circle.

3. Melt 1/4 cup butter in saucepan and brush dough with melted butter.

4. Sprinkle seeds over dough and press lightly.

5. Score circle into pieshaped wedges. Bake at 425° for 15 to 20 minutes.

6. Break into wedges.

Buttered Carrots

Cook 2 cups diced carrots or heat a can of carrots. Dot with butter, sprinkle parsley on top, and serve.

Fluffy Easter Cake

1 angel food cake

1/4 pint cream, whipped

2 2/3 cups flaked coconut

Easter candy

1. Frost cake with whipped cream and sprinkle with coconut.

2. Decorate cake with Easter candy of your choice.

Illustrated by Shauna Mooney