A Lesson in Easter Eggs...

From the Queen of Good Things...

Decorating Easter Eggs should be simple and fun, right?

Well, leave it to Martha Stewart to elevate the process to something not so simple and only fun when we were finally done.

I am great at following directions, but this time my attentions were elsewhere and the poor little blotchy eggs suffered.

Here is how it went down...

Step 1:
With an egg blower, pierce the top and bottom of each egg, puncturing the yolk; carefully expel the contents. Rinse, and let dry.

Step 2:
In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and a few drops of food coloring. Place egg in dye, and leave it submerged until it turns the desired shade.

Step 3:
In a wide, shallow bowl, prepare a second batch of dye -- which will provide the swirls -- in a darker shade or a different color. Liquid should be 1/2 inch deep. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Run a fork through this mixture, creating curlicues of oil on the surface.

(This is the face you get when the swirly things do not turn out the way you want them too and obviously there is nothing wrong with the way you did it and he must be the culprit.)


Step 4:

As oil swirls, place dyed egg in mixture, and roll it once around the bowl to pick up oil streaks; remove the egg.

Step 5:
Gently pat egg with a paper towel.


Step 6:
Let it dry. You can experiment with color combinations: Vary the base tints and the swirls to achieve striking contrasts, subtle shadings, or multihued richness.

And the end result...

Maybe we didn't use enough dye, maybe I was a teensy bit too impatient and we didn't let them bathe long enough.
Needless to say, my eggs look nothing like Martha's.
Long live the Queen!