Easter Fun.

It isn’t all about chocolate eggs and bunnies at Easter, you know. There are other treats for children of all ages which you can make if you want them to eat more veggies, or if you don’t mind them playing with their food, or if you are just a kill-joy who thinks chocolate is bad for them.

From the British wartime Ministry of Food’s ‘Food Facts No.247 of March 25, 1945, we have:

Birds’ Nests.

Make pastry tartlet cases in the usual way, and when cold fill with tiny soya marzipan eggs, some plain and some rolled in cocoa. Little cress baskets filled with small marzipan eggs and chicks, and tied with ribbon, also make attractive nests.

Soya Marzipan Paste.

Ingredients: 2 oz margarine, 2 tablespoons water, 1-2 teaspoons almond essence, 4 oz soya, 4 oz sugar.

Method: Melt margarine in water. Draw saucepan off heat, stir in almond essence, sugar, and soya. Turn out, knead well, and shape into little eggs and chicks.

And from The Washington Post of March 27, 1937.

Potato Ducks.

4 baked potatoes

4 small carrots

1 tablespoon butter

Milk, salt, and pepper.

Scrape carrots, cut in half lengthwise, wash and boil in small amount of water until tender. Remove from cooking vessel and brush with butter. Cut hot freshly baked potatoes in half lengthwise, carefully remove potatoes from skins. Add butter, salt and pepper, and mash potatoes until all lumps are removed. Add milk and beat until potatoes are light and fluffy. Reserve eight tablespoons of mashed potatoes and fill skins with remainder, allowing them to form small fluffy mounds.

In each mound places slantwise a carrot half to form a duck’s bill. Place a teaspoon of the reserved mashed potato at the point where the carrot has entered the mound. This makes the duck’s head. Celery seed may be used for the eyes, but this is not necessary. These ducks may be prepared the day before they are used, stored in the refrigerator, and then heated in the oven about 10 minutes before serving time. A blue or green platter makes an excellent lake on which to serve the ducks.

Quotation for the Day.

The best part of Easter is eating your children’s candy while they are sleeping, and then trying to convince them in the morning that the Easter rabbit came with one ear.
Anna Quindlen