Friday is PIE DAY!

It is another bulk pie making day for me.
I have an order for Easter pies, and the last batch is in the oven baking away.
Choosing an Easter pie is always a tough choice for me,
but I seem to end up with a pie containing citrus, coconut, or both.
(unless I make my other Easter favorite-carrot pie)

A few weeks ago, I made an assortment of coconut goodies,
and I obviously still had coconut on the brain.

This year's winner?
Coconut custard.
An amazingly simple and classic pie.
Because this pie relies on just a few ingredients, I like to use fresh local eggs and organic milk.
It makes such a difference in the custard!

Coconut Custard Pie
my recipe
makes one 9" pie

single 9" pie crust

4 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
2 cups whole milk
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

-in medium bowl, lightly beat eggs

-add sugar, salt and vanilla

-whisk to blend
-add milk

-whisk by hand for two minutes
-stir in coconut

-carefully pour into prepared pie crust
-bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes
-reduce heat to 350 degrees
-bake an additional 25-30 minutes
until custard is set and toothpick comes out clean

-cool and serve with fresh whipped cream (and maybe fresh berries!)

 (c) copyright Pies and Aprons April 2012

Easter egg displays

If you're running short on preparation time for your Easter brunch, brown eggs are a time-saver.

No dying necessary, just hard boil, add some Easter grass and a clever container,

and your centerpiece is ready.

Here, a vintage bundt pan forms the base and simple petals are cut from brown paper bags.

A wooden cheese box and burlap table runner make for a rustic and understated table.

Now that the table is set, you can focus on Easter dinner, and of course, Easter pie!

collecting: egg plates

Deviled eggs are a treat, and I like to have a few deviled egg plates on hand for serving.  Lots of fabulous ceramic egg plates are out there, but I have always found them a bit cumbersome to store.  Their egg cradles (that is a technical term, I'm sure of it) make them wobbly and apt to tumble when stacked in a cupboard.  Enter my old faithful of collectibles-plastic...............

These lovelies stack neatly and come in a dreamy palette of springtime pastels. 

Use them to serve deviled eggs at your Easter brunch, or showcase an array of colored Easter eggs.

natural easter egg dyes

I have tried natural egg dyes in the past, and it always seems hit or miss.  There are a few things that work really well, and a lot of things that are rather iffy.  This year I experimented with whatever I could find in my kitchen that might work as a dye, and the results were much the same. 

Blueberries seemed like a sure bet-they always seem to stain things that you don't want them to stain, right?

The color was a rather nice shade of blue, but spotty and inconsistent.

Dandelion tea produced a nice shade of pale brown.

Considering that I can easily buy eggs of this color, it seemed like wasted time and resources-hmmphh.

I bet that you will never guess what produced this moonscape of a green egg....

cranberries. yup.

I know, it shocked me too.

I pulled it out of the dye with visions in my head of a pale pink beauty.

Chemistry types, please feel free to offer up explanations

of cranberry and egg reactions.

Yellow onion skins were my fallback, because they have always produced beautiful eggs for me.

This year was no exception.  Eggs with a rich and wonderful orange-yellow coating.

For all of these dyes, I started with about a cup of my dye materials in heat proof bowls.  I then added

about 2 cups of boiling water and 2 T of vinegar.   Let the eggs soak until the water cools a bit, then move them, still in the dye, to the refrigerator overnight.

Easter egg tote

Last week, I was browsing around Home Depot looking for inspiration for an upcoming backyard project.
I didn't find much inspiration for our backyard, but I did find some for a simple Easter project. 

These wire frames-rebar chairs-grabbed my attention and brought to mind the old wire drinking glass carriers.  At 57 cents each, I grabbed a few to take home.  With Easter projects on the brain, it didn't take long to realize that the frame was just about the same size as an egg carton.  I cut the lid off of the egg carton, leaving a bit of a lip and angling the cut to match the other side. 

Next, I stitched the frame onto the egg carton using a large needle and some colorful yarn.

(does that count as sewing?!)

With some Easter grass and freshly dyed eggs, this makes an adorable  (and inexpensive!) Easter egg tote.

I am packing this week's Pies and Aprons posts with simple Easter projects, so keep hopping by,

and your Easter celebration is sure to be a hit.

a few more Easter treasures

I am always wondering about the history of the things that I collect.

Who sat down at their kitchen table and made this oh so sweet eggs?

They are my favorite Easter treasure, gleaned from a jumble of junk in an auction box.

They are carefully wrapped in crepe paper, then adorned with rick rack, sequins and flowers.

Each one has a tiny stand attached to the bottom.

Such care and artistry went into the making of these.

I'd like to meet the person behind these little gems.