The Egg-cellent Easter Edition

• March 1st- National Peanut Butter Lovers Day
• March 6th- National Oreo Cookie Day
• March 7th- National Cereal Day
• March 17th- St. Patrick's Day
• March 24th- National Cocktail Day
• March 31st- Easter

Chocolate Bunnies

The tradition of chocolate bunnies originated in 19th century Germany. Hollow chocolate bunnies became particularly popular in America during the 1940s, spurred by chocolate rationing during World War II.

Chocolate Eggs

John Cadbury (yes, that Cadbury) made his first chocolate egg in 1875. The first chocolate egg was dark chocolate filled with dragees, and it wasn’t until 1971 that Cadbury launched their classic creme egg. If they brought back the classic chocolate egg, would you try it?

Dyeing Easter Eggs is a longstanding tradition, so have you ever wondered if you could dye eggs with Skittles? The answer is yes!

I used about half of a 50 oz bag of Skittles. I was nervous about using anything smaller because you never know how many of each color you’re going to get. I really want to try this with Wild Berry Skittles next, so if you do, please send pictures!

I found that the same rules apply as with dyeing eggs normally - adding more Skittles for a darker color, and leaving the egg in longer for a more vibrant color. I used 30 Skittles in each cup and left the egg in for 10 minutes. You can also do fun things to make the egg more interesting, like drawing with a white crayon or cracking the egg for a tie-dye effect.

I used the same mixture for a second round of eggs. They came out a slightly lighter shade, but it was hardly noticeable in pictures. The eggs from the second round did end up with a waxy film on them. I’m assuming that’s just the Skittles melting, and it was easily wiped off.

Supplies Needed:

• Hard-Boiled Eggs
• Hot Water
• White Vinegar
• Skittles

Instructions:

1. Prepare hard-boiled eggs.
2. Sort Skittles by color and place approximately 30 of each color in individual cups.
3. In each cup, pour 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and enough hot water to cover an egg.
4. Add a hard-boiled egg to each cup and wait approximately 10 minutes. For a more vibrant color, let the eggs sit longer.
5. Remove the eggs from the dye mixture, dry them off, and enjoy your colorful creations!

I’ve decided to put a Pretzelicious twist on this classic recipe! Typically made with chow mein noodles, I thought, why not use pretzels? It gives the bird's nest a nice sweet and salty twist. I’m going to be honest; I didn’t measure how many pretzels I used. I noticed that they work best when broken in half and went through half of a 16oz bag. I would suggest just eyeballing it; if you want to make a couple more nests, add more pretzels, or if you want a chocolatier nest, add less. Either way, it’s pretty hard to mess up chocolate and pretzels - they’ll taste good regardless!

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup Milk Chocolate Melts
• 2/3 cup Peanut Butter
• Pretzel Sticks (broken in half)
• Cadbury Chocolate Eggs

Steps

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Melt the chocolate using a double boiler method.
3. Stir in the peanut butter until well combined.
4. Add in the pretzel pieces and continue stirring until fully coated.
5. Scoop clumps of the mixture onto the parchment paper and make an indent in the center of each to form the nest shape. You can shape them by hand if needed.
6. Place Cadbury Eggs in the center of each nest (we suggest using 3 eggs for each nest, but feel free to add more).
7. Allow the nests to cool and set for about 30 minutes.
8. Enjoy your delicious Pretzelicious Birds Nests