An Eggstra-special Hello from Miss Amy!

I hope your Easter, Passover, or Spring time celebration brought you joy in unexpected ways! Maybe you had the chance to bring to life new traditions to celebrate your holiday together…I’d love to hear about what you did. Were eggs hidden in your house or yard? Were they laid by a chicken? Did you know that chicken are not the only ones who lay eggs? Here is a poem from the beginning of another favorite book of mine…called “Chicken Aren’t the Only Ones” by Ruth Heller.

Chickens lay the eggs you buy,
The eggs you boil or fry or dye…
Or leave alone so you can see
What grew inside naturally.
Chickens aren’t the only ones.
Every bird wild or tame
Does the same!

I wonder if you know which bird lays the largest egg? (hint: this bird does not fly but can run quite fast and its egg would be so heavy you would need both hands to hold it!)
How about the smallest egg? (hint: this tiny bird’s wings move so quickly it is hard to see them, and the nest is the size of a golf ball)
Try not to peek until you guess, I’ve pictured them below…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How about this?  The mother seahorse actually lays her eggs inside the father’s pouch (see it on his stomach below? It’s dark yellow in this beautiful Eric Carle illustration from “Mister Seahorse”) and he keeps them safe and warm there until they hatch! Amazing!

Here’s an idea of how to use your plastic Easter eggs for a family game.  If you have small play animals, insects or reptiles you can use them…but if not, draw small pictures or have your older siblings or family members write the names of some of your favorite animals/insects/reptiles on small pieces of scrap paper that can be folded to fit inside the each egg.  They can add some too!  Put them together in a basket and each person take an egg and guess if what is written inside comes from an egg or a live mother.   The one with the most eggs, who guessed correctly, is the winner.  You all win because you learned more amazing facts about egg laying and the animal and insect world!  Just wait until you look up what some of the eggs look like….

Cool word fact:  (more from the poem)  Chickens aren’t the only ones.  There’s no more to discuss.  Everyone who lays and egg is called…. OVIPAROUS!

Eggs are delicious to eat and are great for your body!  Just think, an egg comes inside its very own container, its shell!  It’s packed with protein and can be cooked and eaten in many ways.

In case you have extra hard boiled eggs from you egg dyeing last week, here is a recipe for deviled eggs that’s hands-on fun for all…

  • 12 hard boiled eggs
  • 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt or mayo
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Slice eggs in half and scoop out the yolks.  Here’s the fun hands on part….instead of mixing the scooped yolks and ingredients above in a bowl, put them in a ziplock bag or several little ziplock bags, so our young chefs can smoosh them with their hands.  You may have to tweek the proportions above depending upon how many chefs you have and how many eggs in a bag.  It feels soooo good….take a taste and add more of what you need.  When you are happy with your smooshing, cut a small slice off the corner of the bag and Voila!  Your young chef can pipe the yolk mixture right back into the hardened egg white!  Or onto a cracker, or …..

They look festive sprinkled with paprika or chopped garden herbs…

 

 

 

 

 

This recipe even dyed the egg whites with food coloring…

Are you thinking of Dr. Seuss?

Some other mix-ins to try:

  • Mashed avocado
  • Pickle relish
  • Worchester sauce
  • Hot sauce
  • Soft cheese (such as goat or feta)
  • And everything bagel seasoning on top is delish!

And if you have extra raw eggs, here is another recipe that works wonderfully for just about any meal. They are simple to make ahead and freeze too.

Egg Muffins:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 6 eggs lightly beaten
  • 6 ounces of your favorite cheese shredded or crumbled
  • Approximately 2 cups your favorite mix-ins (such as): cooked spinach, onion, cubed ham, crumbled bacon, cooked crumbled sausage, cooked mushrooms…what else can you dream up?
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Coat a muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray
  3. Add mix-ins of your choice to the lightly beaten egg and divide evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
  4. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
  5. Cool slightly before removing from muffin tin. Muffins should come out smoothly.
  6. Muffins store easily in the fridge for 4 days or can be frozen in a single layer on a plate for 30 minutes before transferring to a freezer safe bag.  Re-heat in a microwave oven for 1 minute.  YUM!

I’ve included two EGGS-tra special book readings for you this week….one geared for a younger (preschool) audience, “First the Egg” by author/illustrator Laura Vaccaro Seeger and another if you have older siblings who would enjoy a longer, beautifully illustrated story by Patricia Polacco …”Rechenka’s Eggs.”

Spoiler alert…there is a special guest appearance for the first reading by another one of my furry friends!

“First the Egg”

“Rechenka’s Eggs”

May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful and may you feel the love from all of us at St Thomas’….

Xoxo,

Miss Amy