Chow Mein Noodle Nests and Happy Easter To You!

I'd like to wish all of you who celebrate, a very Happy Easter! I will be hosting Easter dinner here on Sunday with our family and decorations and preparations are under way! Easter and spring are a time of renewal and rebirth (although spring has been excruciatingly slow to arrive here this year!). Eggs and nests are perfect symbols of the season. These Chow Mein Noodle Nests were made for my families upcoming Easter dinner and you will find the recipe below

Once again, I made natural dyed Easter eggs using onions skins, herbs and early flowers from the garden.

I picked pansies from the pots on the front porch and other early flowers from the garden like scilla and dwarf irises and included some parsley and other leafy herbs to decorate my eggs.  The flowers/herbs are placed on the unboiled egg, then it is wrapped in onion skin.
 

The next part takes a little patience. The egg and the flowers or leaves are carefully wrapped tightly in either nylon stockings or muslin cheesecloth. You need about 3 hands to do this but perfection isn't important. Then they are lowered into simmering water and allowed to gently simmer for about 30 minutes. 

I had an unexpected surprise this year after my eggs were finished cooking.  I didn't have time to unwrap the eggs when they were done so after cooling them in an ice bath and draining them, I put them, still wrapped in onion skins and cheese cloth, into the refrigerator overnight. They turned out more vivid and colorful than ever after their overnight stay in the frig!

I also tried growing real Easter grass for another Easter table decoration this year. I lined a favorite bowl with a double thickness of plastic wrap, filled it with vermiculite and then added grass seed.  The bowl was then covered with another sheet of plastic wrap until the seed began to sprout.. I then kept it misted with water each day. It was amazing how quickly it grew in just one week!

There will be more eggs nestled in this grassy 'nest'. 

Here is the recipe for the Chow Mein Noodle Nests. They were not only cute but the nests are delicious too!

Chow Mein Noodle Nests

One bag of white chocolate chips
One bag of chow mein noodles
Sweetened coconut - toasted lightly in the oven
Candies to fill the baskets such as Jordan Almonds or M&Ms

Melt a bag of white chocolate chips in the microwave.  Add chow mein noodles and some toasted coconut.  Stir to coat, and press the mixture against the bottom and sides of a non-stick 12 cup muffin tin sprayed with additional non-stick spray. Cool in the refrigerator and then gently remove with a knife.  Jordan almonds fill these edible nests. 

My best wishes Easter wishes to you whether you celebrate with an Empty Nest, Partial Nest or a Full Nest!

~Susan