A-Tisket A-Tasket

Pysanky in a basket

Yes, all of our eggs are in one basket.

Is it really true that it's better an egg today than a hen tomorrow? Or that all the goodness of a good egg cannot make up for the badness of a bad one?

There is no shortage of egg puns, egg jokes and sayings, that's for sure. And there has been no shortage of egg yolks and whites around here this past weekend as the Smith girls decorated eggs, Ukrainian-style. Although I didn't create my own ovoid decoration, I was right there with the girls, egging them on. The end results are beautiful! 

We used a cool tool, Blas-fix egg blower (see below), to empty the whites and yolk from the shell, so we saved the egg "guts" to be used later. 

When life gives eggs, make quiche. So I did. 

Easter brunch was tasty. 

Q: Why did the egg hide? 

A: He was a little chicken.

More good eggs:

I decided to play around with changing the color images to black and white.

The older the Smithlings get, the more difficult it becomes to get a picture of the three of them all looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. I took at least twenty pictures in order to get one decent pose.

 Sisters!

These Peeps didn't mind posing for the camera, and it only took one shot to get this picture. ;-) But try as I might, I could not get them to crack a smile.

I'll bet you didn't know that each Easter, Americans eat around 700,000,000 Peeps. The most popular color is yellow, followed by pink. I didn't know those details until I did a little research on Just Born, Inc., the candy maker who is responsible for cranking out Peeps for every major holiday. Not only are there Peep chicks, there are bunnies, stars, pumpkins, ghosts, black cats, snowmen, reindeer, Christmas trees, hearts, and bears. Enough already! I am sure I've missed a shape or two in there, but you get the idea.


I am not Peep eater. It doesn't matter what shape they are in.

I very much dislike Peeps, but I have to buy them to honor Grandma Florence. When the kids were little, Mr. Smith's mother would include multiple packages of Peeps in her Eastertime care package. (I think she preferred to use Peep packing material over styrofoam popcorn. Peeps might actually have a little more flavor than styrofoam, but I've never done a side-by-side taste test.) Often times, the price to ship the big box from OK to CA cost more than the value of the contents inside the box, but that didn't matter. It was such a treat to see all of the goodies she lovingly packed for her grandchildren.  If the Peeps would have been absent from the Easter box, the kids would have definitely noticed. Traditions.


Years ago, when they were too young to know any better, the Smith kids actually ate Peeps raw, right out of the package. Peep consumption proves the point that sugar junkies will eat almost anything to get a quick buzz. I really hate to throw things away, but I have no problem tossing unopened Peeps in the rubbish bin. Have I mentioned my great disdain for Peeps?


As the Smithlings got older, instead of tossing our Peeps directly in the garbage, we'd put 'em in the microwave. After taking a spin in the nukebox for a few seconds, those lil' guys really transform. In my opinion, this is DEFINITELY one food item that it's okay to play with. At the 11-second mark, the marshmallow chicks get really puffy and BIG. After removing the Peeps from the microwave, they deflate in about two seconds flat. Microwaving a Peep does absolutely nothing to improve its taste or texture. On the upside, the deflated, gooey globs of sugar take up less space in the trash can than they do in their original form.

You are no doubt thinking that I am a wasteful person. And a Peep hater. I actually bought Peeps this year just so I could throw them away. Aside from their use as a decoration or for entertainment purposes, I really do wish there was something worthwhile one could do with those cute, yellow, marshmallow chicks. Believe me, I've tried to come up with ways to use and actually enjoy eating a Peep.


Many years back, I melted the sugary chicks and bunnies to make Rice Krispie treats for the kids. The results? The treats were edible, but they had a grainy texture from the coarse sugar coating. We've also tried putting Peeps in hot chocolate and we've made s'mores with a Peep on the inside. It's just not worth the effort. I'll stick with traditional marshmallows for s'more production.


What about the nutrition facts?
One serving of 5 Chicks = 140 calories and 34g of sugar. Oh, and 1g of protein (I certainly wouldn't want to overlook that fact.) For 140 calories, I'd much prefer dark chocolatey (at least 65% Cacao) yumminess. Scharffen Berger, Ghiradelli, Trader Joe's, or Green & Black's will do nicely.


Perhaps the one redeeming quality of this Eastertime favorite is the name. "Peeps" is cute.


"What's in a name? That which we call a Peep
By any other name would "taste" as sickening sweet."
(My apologies to Mr. Shakespeare.)

If you want to know what I'm up to this week, you'll likely find me just chillin' wif ma Peeps and the microwave -- at least until trash day.