Eggs for Easter

[susyp]

So, as my daughter can't eat chocolate, I am thinking of ways to mark Easter for her as it's the first one she is really aware of (she's 2 1/2). One idea is to decorate chickens eggs but - how does it work? Don't they get really smelly? I get that you have to hard boil them but how long for and then how long can you keep them?!

thanks!

susypx

[anna_r]

I seem to remember making a hole in the top and bottom of an egg (not cooked) and blowing the insides out so that you're left just with a shell - which then doesn't smell...I'm sure if you google it you'll find the instructions. Fragile though for 2.5 year old. My daughter's the same age and I can't see it lasting long with her around.

[EDmummy]

How about Easter eggs she can eat. If she is lactose intolerant then there are alternatives. There are also cocoa free chocolates if that is a problem. If you are someone who just doesn't want to give their child chocolate in any way or form, I would suggest reconsidering with very small, limited number of chocolate eggs hidden in the garden. We also hide fury chickens and small and large fury rabbits (the same fury rabbit comes out year after year and is still enjoyed by our 10 year old). Not sure about using eggs unless you pierced them to remove insides or only used hard boiled for a day or two.

[susyp]

hmm yes. i could take advantage of her short attention spam and dispose of them at the end of the day I suppose! (sorry that one was to anna r thing edmummy and i posted at same tme).

My thing about giving her chocolate alternatives is that she will get a taste for it but could always be allergic. We have given her cocoa cakes cocoa is ok. It's anything with milk or anything remotely cow related in it!. Hiding bunnies is a really good idea though. I shall shop..

[buggie]

At the market in blackwater court (behind William Rose) on Saturday, there was a stall that had hollow eggs that could be filled with sweets/present of your own choosing... they were about the same size as commercial chocolate eggs.

Unfortunately I don't know where you could buy them from (and I can't remember the name of the stall), but could be a good idea and again something that could come out again every year.

[Fuschia]

Plaster of Paris eggs could be painted and kept

Sure you can get egg moulds

Or make Easter marzipan eggs and chicks with food colouring

Would be a nice tradition also could do similar for Xmas stocking and tree

[Zaardvark]

Hi - ditto re milk protein for us - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moo-Free-Dairy-Tasting-Easter/dp/B004ODM2Z0 is one solution.

ed for awful spelling

[Gubodge]

Divine usually do dark chocolate mini eggs around this time of year. The Oxfam shop in Herne Hill sometimes sell them. I'd always rather my children had chocolate rather than sweets (Not that they don't get sweets as well.) and from a very early age my dairy allergic one has known the difference between dark and milk chocolate and which she is allowed. She loves chocolate but happily goes through any party bags she's given to take out the smarties or chocolate buttons to give to her sister.

When we played the chocolate game at her sister's 6th birthday party and supplied a bar of dark for when it was A's turn, 50% of the guests announced they prefered dark chocolate too. Only in East Dulwich!

[cactus]

When growing up, we used to hard boil the eggs, but wrap them in layers of onion peelings first,

followed by a couple of layers of newspaper tied tightly around with string. We added a few more onion peelings into the pan and boiled for 10/15 mins. The results were lovely, marbled patterns in deep red, orange and yellow, we

used to keep them for about a week before eating them, or rolling them down the biggest hill on Easter Sunday.

I think that is a northern tradition however, have yet to meet anyone else who did the same!

[susyp]

thanks everyone loads of good ideas we'll take some of them up.

Dark chocolate sounds good except they often have soya in - she's also soya intolerant which is actually more of a problem as I can't just give her anti-histamine! Maybe we will make a cake and decorate with marzipan etc and chicks. :-).

susypx

[Otta]

Post removed, because I hadn't read the op properly.

[Otto]

Susyp - I used to be allergic to chocolate - had more than a few Easters of - Jelly Beans and American yellow marshmallow squashy chicks (yum). We also used to dye eggs and decorate. Put some food coloring in boiling water (or anything natural like the afore-mentioned onions, beets, tea...if you inclined), add a tablespoon or so of white vinegar and water. Add eggs. Boil. You can also draw designs on them with wax crayons before throwing them in the pot - the dye will not adhere in those areas - suffice to say, a white crayon works wonders, but, can really mystify a child..;). If you'd rather decorate them after you dye, any permanent pen works well - especially the gold and silver ones...Good Luck, Otto

edited a lot for spelling - speed typing...!

[sunbob]

Decorating an Easter Bonnet is fun too :)

[Zaardvark]

Hi

We have soya+milk allergy also with our daughter (20% of milk protein suffers have that also apparently) - the easter eggs I posted http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moo-Free-Dairy-Tasting-Easter/dp/B004ODM2Z0 are milk+soya free.

You could also try Vegan Cupcakes Take over the world http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegan-Cupcakes-Take-Over-World/dp/1569242739 for easy recipes where you can use canola/rapeseed oil and rice milk to make milk and soya free cakes, etc.

Best

Z

[zeban]

There's loads of ways to cook vegan now, it's brilliant. I've found some great recipes from Dan Lepard on The Guardian website

[suzisoo]

Cactus, I grew up with the hardboiled egg thing. Boiled in beetroot or the onions then on easter sunday took it up the glen and rolled from the highest hill. Guess it must be a northern thing never knew about chocolate eggs until we moved down to sarf london. Our neighbours would have heaps of them, I felt I had been cheated for years! (almost as bad as finding out the streets were not paved of gold in London)

[cactus]

I haven't tried beetroot though, will give it a go this Easter, thanks for the tip.