The weekend of April 4 through 5 includes two holidays: Easter and Passover. These holidays are both considered token spring festivities, so what better way to celebrate (if you choose to do so) than with some Easter crafts and Passover recipes.
Easter crafts:
1. DIY Easter egg garland
Hardware stores like Home Depot offer paint swatches like those above. You can gather a collection, trace the shape of an Easter egg with the white stripe in the center of the egg, and cut out the oval shape. Cut two small holes at the top of the egg (with a large needle or small hole punch) and thread string through as shown below. Waxed cotton is recommended to prevent the eggs from sliding around. You can also use regular string and glue the string in place.
2. Universe Easter eggs
You can use fake eggs like wooden or plastic eggs for this, or you can use real eggs by using a needle to poke a hole in the top and bottom of a raw egg and blowing the contents out through one end. These are fragile, however.
The decoration itself is relatively easy since it’s a messy look – perfect for kids or talentless college students. Gather different shades of dark purple, light purple, black, and pink paints and splatter and splotch it on the egg. Include thick textures and blotches to make it less uniform. Then take white paint onto a bristled brush or old toothbrush and flick the bristles to splatter white droplets on, representing stars in the night sky. Glitter is optional.
Passover recipes:
1. Matzah s’mores
As simple as it sounds, matzah s’mores can be made from broken pieces of matzah, an oozing roasted marshmallow and some squares of Hershey’s chocolate. Of course you can get more creative by using nutella or peanut butter too, but this is just like a basic s’more but with matzah instead of graham crackers — a little crunchier and little less sweet.
2. No-bake matzah cake
Begin with nine pieces of matzah, then slather them with melted bittersweet chocolate (or nutella) and espresso powder using a knife. Separate one container of whipped topping (like Cool Whip) into two bowls. In one, add in almond extract and 1/4 cup sugar. In the other, add in 1/2 cup of melted chocolate to make mousse. Layer each piece of matzah with the almond whipped topping or the chocolate mousse. Follow it with a layer of chopped nuts or oreos. Garnish with some fresh berries if you’d like.
Projects courtesy of Adventure in a Box, Modern Parents Messy Kids, Delish, and Cooking on the Side.