Easy Easter Brunch Ideas

Two Egg-Decorating Ideas, Over Easy

Boil up a bunch of eggs in advance, then invite guests to create simple, no-mess Easter beauties. For the polka-dot version, make tissue paper dots with a hole punch. Apply a glue stick to the egg, then adhere the dots. (Use a wet cloth to dampen your fingertip so that the dots will cling to it, then press them onto the egg.) To make the striped eggs, wrap them with pieces of pretty washi tape or patterned paper tape (available for around $3 to $5 per roll at craft stores and craft-supply websites).

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Bread Blossoms

Put a new twist on the traditional braided Easter loaf. This yeasty treat is blooming with rich, sweet flavor -- and the dyed eggs are edible, too.

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Egg-ceptional Cereal Treats

The bake-sale classic gets all dressed up for Easter Sunday. To put this seasonal spin on your favorite marshmallow-cereal treat recipe, add 10 to 12 drops of food coloring to the warm butter-marshmallow mixture (for multiple hues, first divide the mixture, then color it). Stir in the crisped rice cereal as usual, then spoon it a bit at a time into plastic egg halves coated in cooking spray. Join the halves, let the egg sit for about 10 seconds, then pop out the treat. For the polka- dot version, press some fruity cereal rings onto the plastic egg's oiled surface before spooning in some undyed marshmallow-cereal mixture.

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Yogurt & Fruit Nests

Your peeps will love these cute fruit salads. To make four servings, toast 1 cup of shredded coconut in the oven at 300° for about 9 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. Mix in 1 cup of granola cereal. Fill four small bowls with cubed fruit. Create a loose nest by topping each bowl with 1 cup of vanilla yogurt and 1 cup of the coconut-granola mixture. Add green grape eggs and a marshmallow chick.

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Bunny Brunch Burrito

Make this crowd-pleasing main dish before guests arrive, then keep it warm until chow time. For each burrito, place a scoop of scrambled eggs (save the eggshells for making the Perfect Little Posies on the next slide) and a tablespoon of shredded cheese at the center of an 8- or 9-inch tortilla. Fold up the bottom, then fold in the sides. Place it on a baking sheet, seam side down. Use kitchen shears to cut a slit into each burrito's open end. Gently fold the flaps into ears as shown. The burritos can be kept in a 200° oven for up to an hour; just before serving, add quartered grapes for eyes, the tip of a baby carrot for a nose, and chive whiskers.

Carrot Cutlery:

Pay homage to the rabbit with a fun and functional utensil wrap-up. Fold one corner of a square orange napkin toward the napkin's center. With its opposite corner pointed at the bottom, wrap the napkin around a set of green plastic flatware and tie it with two 11-inch lengths of green rick-rack.

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Perfect Little Posies

These tiny bouquets double as table decorations and take-home favors. Stick play clay in the bottom of rinsed eggshells, insert real or artificial flowers, and make stands from strips of scrapbook paper shaped into rings and secured with tape.

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Strings of Spring

These winsome garlands are also an engaging hands-on project for the whole family. For extra party fun, tuck little treats inside the eggs before hanging them and invite guests to choose a critter to open for a sweet surprise.

You will need:

• Plastic eggs with holes at each end (see note, below)
• Black and pink dimensional paint
• White, pink, and orange felt, plus other colors as desired
• White glue
• Crafter's Pick The Ultimate glue or hot glue (adults only)
• White pom-poms, 7 mm size (for bunny tails) and 3- to 1-inch size (for garland)
• Colored craft wire String or yarn Darning needle Buttons with large holes

NOTE: Many plastic eggs have two or three small holes at each end. If yours don't, heat the tip of a darning needle over a candle flame, then poke the holes where needed to accommodate the string or wire (an adult's job).

1. Use the dimensional paint to draw facial features on what will be the top half of each animal. Let the paint dry.
2. Cut bunny ears and bird wings from the felt. For beaks, cut felt diamonds and crease them at the center. Use white glue to assemble the bunny ears. Attach ears, wings, and beaks to the eggs with the Crafter's Pick or hot glue. For bunny tails, add 7 mm white pom-poms.
3. To add legs to a bird, bend a 6-inch length of craft wire in half. Insert the wire through the holes in the egg's bottom half. Bend the ends into small loops to create feet.
4. For the garland, cut a piece of string or yarn to the desired length and knot it 12 inches from one end. Thread the needle onto the string. Thread on pom-poms or buttons and birds or bunnies, running the needle through the holes in the eggs.

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Color-Coded Hunt

Here's a clever idea that ensures the big moment of the morning is equally fun for toddlers and tweens. Sort treat-filled plastic eggs by color and wrap buckets (we used plain half-gallon paint buckets, $3.48 at Home Depot) with matching strips of colored paper. Assign a color to each child. A younger guest's eggs can be set in easy-to-spot places, while the older kids' can be tucked into trickier nooks and crannies. When it's time for the hunt, give each child her bucket and let the quest begin.

Originally published in the March 2013 issue of FamilyFun magazine

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