Happy Easter! This year I have a new batch of apps for the occasion covering recipes and how-to crafts to add a bit of magic and togetherness for the long weekend. Hope they serve you and your family well. Make sure to tune in each Monday on Moore in the Morning to head me deliver my app picks on Newstalk1010.
Dash Eggs!
Free
Chocolate isn’t the only ingredient that can make Easter eggs exciting. In this collection of free recipes assembled by the editors of Dash magazine you’ll find creative ideas for breakfast and brunch as well as the sweets everyone is expecting.
Pizza omelets, Denver scrambled sliders (mini-burgers with egg patties), and bacon & cheddar deviled eggs are among a number of original dishes to bring a sense of occasion to the table along with frittatas, snappy salads, and stuffed French toast. Orange whoopie pies, coconut macaroons, and flourless chocolate cake make for good get-together desserts while a section on puppet spoons and silk-dyed eggs will help with Easter activities for both young and old.
Hello Cupcake!
Free
This kid-friendly cookbook uses touch-and-play sounds and animations to take you through the creative process of transforming yummy cupcakes into decorative animals such as ducks, penguins, polar bears, and butterflies. Parents may groan at the cuteness overload of it all, but it makes for a fun project to work on with the kids.
A basic selection of animal designs are included for free and then for occasions throughout the year, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, there are additional packs you can download for $0.99 each.
Instructables
Free
Instructables is a popular DIY website where crafty people submit step-by-step how-to articles for original projects spanning every theme you can imagine. This free app makes it easy to browse the collections by category, but also to create and submit your own articles.
If you search for Easter you’ll find an impressive collection of how-to crafts and cooking recipes. There’s guides for creating eggs with carved shells, with M.C. Escher designs, and chocolate eggs poured into a mould. There’s cupcake toppers, hand-made toys, and suggestions on how to hide your surprises for Easter morning.
The how-tos are submitted by users who represent a wide range of experience, from amateurs to professionals, so you’ll have to dig around to find the best. The originality of what you will find will make it worth the effort.
Martha Stewart Eggs
$0.99
I’ve carried this one over from last year’s list because, well, it’s that good. Video tutorials and step-by-step guides will take you through a wide range of egg decorating techniques as well as the steps needed to create dyes and empty eggs properly. You’ll find directions for sponging, stenciling, marbling, embossing, and speckling among many other approaches.
It requires some investment, but the results will be very satisfying.
