Happy Easter!
Every year we follow tradition and as part of our Easter celebration we color eggs.
While Easter is a Christian religious holiday, using the egg as part of the holiday celebration has its roots in the pagan festivals of spring as the egg represents an emergence of new life. From the Christian perspective, the egg represents the emergence of Jesus from the tomb and his resurrection.
The coloring or dying of Easter eggs can be traced back to at least the 13th century, when eggs were forbidden during the lenten season and people dyed or decorated eggs to mark the end of their penance.
When I was young, the Easter Bunny hid the real eggs...so with three kids and usually about 24 hard-boiled eggs, the hunt didn't last too long.
When my kids were small plastic eggs populated the stores and I hopped on board and bought about a 100! Our Easter egg hunts went on for quite a while as the Easter Bunny had to be pretty darn creative to hide 100 eggs around the house...sometimes we found those elusive well-hidden eggs days later!
Even though the kids have grown up and we don't hide eggs any more, we still color eggs. Then we spend the next week (at least!) eating them. Here's a great recipe to put some of those hard-boiled eggs to good use:
PESTO STUFFED EGGS
8 hard-boiled eggs, halved
1/3 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons pine nuts
1 small clove of garlic
3 Tablespoons warm water
Pine nuts and basil leaves for garnish
Place the eggs yolks, basil, mayonnaise, butter, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor or a blender. Process mixture until smooth. With the machine on, add the warm water. Taste for seasoning, add salt if needed. Using a pastry bag or spoon, fill egg white halves. Garnish as desired with pine nuts and basil leaves.
Enjoy!
