Working with Easter Eggs
Submitted by: Molly
How To Blow Out Eggs
1) Wash and dry the egg. Puncture a small hole at the small end of egg with a big needle.
2) Puncture a bigger hole at the large end, making sure you puncture the egg yolk.
3) Place egg over a bowl and blow through the small hole until all of the inside is removed. Rinse the shell with cold water and allow to dry thoroughly. (Use the raw egg for an omelette, quiche or scrambled eggs).
Starting Seeds in Eggshells
A selection of seeds you’ve sown in eggshells makes a delightful Easter gift for a friend of family member. What’s more, the process is simple, and when the time comes to transplant them, the shells can be placed in a larger pot or directly into the ground, as they’re biodegradable. Use scissors or the tip of a knife to crack off the top of an egg. Empty out the egg (you can reserve the white and yolk for cooking), and create a drainage hole in the bottom by piercing it with a pin or needle. Set the eggshell in a carton, and use a spoon to fill it with a seed-starting mix. Use one or two seeds per shell, and follow the instructions on the seed package for proper planting depth (the general rule is to plant three times deeper than the size of the seed). If you germinate two seeds, you can pinch out the less-healthy one after they begin to grow. To water, remove the shells from the carton, and mist, letting any water drain into a bowl. Place the tray in a sunny window.
Source: Martha Stewart

Working with Easter Eggs I
 Submitted by: Molly
Egg Decorating Tips
First, using an acrylic paint, cover the egg with a uniform or patterned layer of colour and allow to dry. To paste on a design, use regular woodworking glue to add a small amount of pasta, rice, or beans in the shape of a butterfly, star or letter of the alphabet. Allow to dry for 30 minutes before painting the design.
Use wax crayons, magic markers or paints (acrylics, tempera, enamel or poster paints) on your eggshell. Then coat it with clear nail polish to prevent smearing. To make the eggshell glisten, use pearl-coloured nail polish. For a porcelain finish apply many coats of Elmers glue diluted with a bit of water, over the egg and any designs. Allow to dry between coats and before finishing with a fixitive spray or lacquer. Any eggs you wish to keep can be coated with spray lacquer or acrylic sealer.
For egghead faces, use felt pens and paints or dye eggs flesh colours of brown, pink or yellow. Glue on ribbons, lace, buttons, cotton balls, wool, sequins, macaroni, feathers, glitter, pencil shavings, fabric, yarn, dried plants, buttons, or jewellery.
To make stands for decorated eggs, glue on small plastic curtain rings, buttons, spools, stones, pieces of wood or bottle caps. Strips of coloured heavy paper can be rolled up until small enough to hold an egg and secured with tape.
Egg Shell Mosaic
1) Recycle broken eggshells to create pretty mosaics. Prepare a variety of dye colours in plastic containers. To dye eggshells, simply immerse them in a little amount of hot water with a few drops of food colouring. A drop of vinegar added to the water will help set the colour (Leaving the shells in for varied lengths of time will create different shades of colour to work with). Remove shells from dyes and spread them out on paper towels to dry. When the shells are dry, gather the different colours in separate containers.
2) The shell pieces should be arranged in the basic mosaic design before beginning to glue. When satisfied with the mosaic placement, the shell pieces can be glued into place with white glue. If you prefer a shiny glaze on the completed project, use a clear spray lacquer to coat the entire mosaic.
Source: Martha Stewart

Roasted Fresh Figs with Gorgonzola
Submitted by: Merribuck
12 ripe figs
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin Olive oil
1/2 cup Gorgonzola 		1/3 cup good-quality honey
4 pinches finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Using a paring knife, carefully trim any tough portion of the stems from each fig. Rub each fig all over with extra-virgin olive oil, then slice down through the stem about 3/4-inch. Make a second cut perpendicular to the first cut, so that you have an X-shaped cut in the top of each fig. Gently pry the edges apart and stuff each fig with about 1 teaspoon of the Gorgonzola. Place the figs upright on a baking sheet and bake until the figs are plump and shiny but have not burst, about 10 minutes. Drizzle equal amounts of the honey on each of 4 serving plates and place the figs on top of the honey. Sprinkle each plate with a pinch of the chopped rosemary and some of the remaining Gorgonzola. Serve immediately.

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