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Hop To Spring

With Easter just around the corner, I thought it would be a good idea to send all my faithful readers tips that help make this great holiday special for my family. I have always LOVED Easter as a special day of the year. Whether it is the delicious Cadbury eggs, the great feast, the family festivities, or even the fun, bright colors that go along with, I love it all! Easter is a great time to celebrate so many things. However, it wouldn’t be a blog if I didn’t have some tips for you! Let’s first talk about the styles we can wear this weekend without looking like an Easter egg.

Fashion:

Spring is all about fun, bright colors. However, there is always a chance you can overdo these candy colors. Remember to consider that extreme neon colors should probably be left only for our kids to wear. If you are going to do a bright color, mix it with something neutral. I love to wear bright pink with simple black pants. It looks fun while maintaining some professionalism. I also have an amazing purple dress that I try to wear as much as possible in the spring. Let’s not try to scream ‘attention’ by wearing the extra bright colors. If you aren’t a fan of a bright shirt, why not try a bright accessory instead? Carry a cute straw green handbag or one of those great spring hats. Also, if you aren’t so much into the fashion side, you could always liven up your makeup. This year I think I will do a fun pastel pink on my eyelids. Pastel pinks are great to brighten up blue eyes, purple shades look great for green, and oranges even look good for those with brown eyes. All these options make me so excited just thinking about it!

At Home:

As far as the home decorations go, try and make your house look a little festive this year! I’m so excited to decorate in a fun way for my one year old and to have the family over. Here are a few of my simple and favorite decorations that I like to do around my house: Make Easter flower vases, spring has sprung and the flowers at the market look amazing right now! Give your drinking glasses an Easter feel and turn them into lovely flower vases instead. How? At a craft store such as Michaels, buy Easter ribbon (they even have this for cheap at Wal-mart). Cut strips of ribbon and tape them around drinking glasses. Then, put them on display with yellow or pink tulips from your garden or the local flower store. I love tulips! My other favorite thing to do is make an Easter lemon centerpiece. Fill a glass large water jug with small yellow, ripe lemons. Tie a pink and yellow ribbon around the center of the jug and place this display on a bookshelf or windowsill. It brightens up a room and adds a little bit of sunshine!

Remember What’s Important:

Lastly, make sure to spend some time with your family on this memorable day. This is a time to express your feelings of love and emotions to those that you care about most. Try sending Easter cards to friends and making a fun Easter egg hunt for your kids. You can even make your own chocolate-caramel covered Easter eggs from home! Use this recipe if you do! This recipe is great and I will be making some yummy Easter eggs for my family with it! I hope everyone has a great Easter. I appreciate everyone who continues to read these blogs!

Ingredients

Egg Shells

Caramel Filling

  • 3 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup sour cream

Chocolate Filling

  • 3/4 cup whipping cream
  • 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 pound imported bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate, chopped
  • 6 tablespoons sour cream

Assembly

  • Reserved chocolate in double boiler

To Decorate

  • 8 yards (about) silk ribbons
  • *The exact molds specified in the original recipe are no longer available, but these molds from Life of the Party are a good substitute.

EggShells

  • Line cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently until smooth and candy thermometer registers 115°F for bittersweet and 105°F for white chocolate. (If making both bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate eggs, melt chocolates separately in two double boilers.) Remove chocolate from over water. Spoon chocolate into 1 set of large egg molds, filling molds completely (do not fill decorative base section of mold). Turn mold over above prepared cookie sheet, allowing excess chocolate to spill out. Shake mold to produce uniformly thick shell. Turn mold right side up. Run fingertip gently around edge of eggs to remove excess chocolate. Refrigerate.
  • Tilt foil-lined sheet with melted chocolate over top of double boiler, scraping chocolate into double boiler. Reheat to 115°F for bittersweet and 105°F for white chocolate, stirring frequently. Repeat coating process with remaining 2 large egg mold sets and 2 small egg mold sets, removing chocolate from over water while working and reheating chocolate after each set of egg molds is coated. Refrigerate molds. (If using white chocolate, the molds will need a double coating. Refrigerate molds after first coating is cold. Refill with barely lukewarm chocolate, shake out excess and wipe edges clean, creating double-thick shell.) Return remaining chocolate on foil to top of double boiler and set aside. Refrigerate molds while making caramel filling.

Caramel Filling

  • Stir sugar and water in heavy large saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, washing down sides of pan with pastry brush dipping into water and swirling pan occasionally. Remove from heat. Add whipping cream and butter (mixture will bubble vigorously) and whisk until smooth. Whisk in sour cream. Let caramel filling stand just until barely cool (mixture will be sticky), stirring occasionally, about 50 minutes.
  • Spoon 2 scant tablespoons caramel into each small egg half. Spoon 1/4 cup caramel into each large egg half. Refrigerate while making chocolate filling.

Chocolate Filling

  • Bring whipping cream and butter to simmer in heavy medium saucepan, stirring until butter melts. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth and melted. Remove chocolate filling from heat. Whisk in sour cream. Let stand until cool but still pourable, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
  • Spoon filling over caramel in egg halves, filling to 1/16 inch below top edge. Chill until set, about 40 minutes.

Assembly

  • Rewarm reserved melted chocolate in top of double boiler to 115°F for bittersweet and 105°F for white chocolate. Remove chocolate from over water. Working quickly spread enough melted chocolate (use bittersweet for dark eggs and white chocolate for white eggs) atop 1 set of filled eggs just to cover. Use icing spatula to scrape excess chocolate from eggs and clean sides. Place mold in refrigerator. Repeat with remaining egg molds. Refrigerate all molds until chocolate is firm, about 1 hour.
  • Line cookie sheets with aluminum foil. Remove 1 egg mold from refrigerator. Turn mold over onto foil. Gently bend and twist mold side to side several times to release halves of chocolate eggs. Repeat unmolding process with remaining eggs.
  • Rewarm remaining melted chocolate in top of double boiler until warm to touch. Turn bottom half of 1 egg over so flat sides face up. Spread small amount of melted chocolate over flat side of egg, leaving 1/4-inch border. Working quickly, cover bottom half of egg with corresponding top half of egg and press together gently. Refrigerate whole egg. Repeat with remaining egg halves and melted chocolate. DO AHEAD Can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

To Decorate

  • Wrap ribbons around seam of each egg and tie bow at top. Refrigerate until ready to eat. Serve eggs chilled.
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