Easter Kitchen Krafts

By Julie Wardell

Eggaroni

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 1/2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

9 hard-cooked eggs (6 chopped, 3 whole)

2 cups cooked elbow macaroni

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

1/4 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon marjoram

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan.

2. Mix in the flour, stirring until smooth and boiling. Add the milk and continue stirring until the mixture comes to a boil again.

3. Stir in the chopped eggs (save the whole eggs) and the remaining ingredients.

4. Pour the mixture into a greased 1 1/2 quart casserole. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 35–40 minutes.

5. Just before serving, slice the remaining hard-cooked eggs and place them on top of the casserole.

Easter Cake

1 package (18.25 ounces/517 g) white cake mix

1 cup milk, divided

1 package (8 ounces/227 g) cream cheese, softened

1 package (3.4 ounces/96 g) instant vanilla pudding

1 can (20 ounces/567 g) crushed pineapple, drained

1 container (8 ounces/227 g) frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 cup coconut

Easter candy of your choice

1. Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions. Bake in a 9″ x 13″ (23 cm x 33 cm) pan. Let cool.

2. Blend 1/2 cup milk into the cream cheese. Add the pudding mix and the remaining 1/2 cup milk and beat until smooth. Spread on the cake.

3. Spoon the crushed pineapple on top of the cream cheese mixture. Cover the pineapple with the whipped topping, then sprinkle on the coconut.

4. Refrigerate at least one hour. Just before serving, decorate with Easter candy.

Ham on a Stick

mustard

mayonnaise

6 thin slices ham

6 thick bread sticks

toothpicks

1. Spread mustard and mayonnaise on each slice of ham.

2. With the spread side on the inside, roll each ham slice around a bread stick. Secure it with a toothpick and serve.

Make Your Own Egg Dyes

For each color, combine in a bowl: 3/4 cup boiling water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1/4 teaspoon food coloring. To make a marbled egg, also stir in 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.

Eggheads

To make Eggheads, you will need: hard-cooked eggs, dyed: scissors; yarn; glue; and markers.

1. For each egghead’s hair, cut several strands of yarn the length desired and tie them in the middle. Glue the tied yarn to the top of the egg. Hair options: cut bangs, add a bow, or tie into pigtails (see illustrations).

2. Using the markers, paint a face on each egg (see illustrations).

Bunny Place Card

To make this place card, you will need: tracing paper, a pencil, scissors, pink paper, white paper, a small white pom-pom, crayons, and glue.

1. Trace the bunny and egg patterns on this page onto the tracing paper and cut them out. Using the bunny pattern, cut out a bunny from the pink paper.

2. Draw eyes, a nose, a mouth, and whiskers with crayons.

3. Glue on a pom-pom for the tail.

4. Fold the bunny along the broken lines (see illustration).

5. Using the egg pattern, cut out an egg from the white paper. Write a name on it, then decorate it with crayons.

6. Glue the egg in the bunny’s paws.

Illustrated by Shauna Mooney Kawasaki