Dye your eggs with veggies and spice / Cook up some sweet & savory Dutch babies / Fun stuff to do this spring

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Spring sure is taking its soggy time this year, but it seems like sunnier days are finally around the corner. To brighten your days until then, get busy dying your Easter eggs with natural sources straight from your pantry or veggie drawer. Show the planet some love with a local Earth Day Celebration at Oz Farm. And if you are stuck inside on a rainy day, make some delicious sweet and savory mini Dutch babies. Soon enough all this rain will be a faded memory!

Soft Hues with Natural Egg Dyes

You can dye your Easter eggs in beautiful hues from your own garden or farmers market. Use white eggs for the most vibrant colors. Wrapping with rubber bands or scotch tape can add an extra flourish.

Red = 1 cup Shredded Beets
Pink = 1 cup Red Onion Skins
Yellow = 2 Tbsp. Turmeric
Orange = 1 cup Yellow Onion Skins
Blue = Purple Cabbage
Lavender = Red Zinger Tea, 1 bag

Add each ingredient to one cup of water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. The dye is ready when it looks slightly darker than the shade you want. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out the solids (not necessary with turmeric) and add 1 Tbsp. vinegar to each color. Separate into cups and plunk in an egg until completely submerged. Refrigerate until the dyed the desired color. Try multiple colors to add complexity. Store eggs in the refrigerator until the Easter Bunny comes to collect.

Impress your friends and family with these dramatic goodies.

Easter Brunch – Sweet or Savory Mini Dutch Babies

4 Large Eggs
1 cup Milk
½ tsp Salt
1 cup Flour
¼ cup Butter
1/3 cup Green Chilies, diced
½ cup Chedder Cheese
1/3 cup Fresh Strawberries, diced
¼ cup Meyer Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 450º adjust rack to center with a rimmed cookie sheet or tin foil on the bottom rack to catch drips. In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, salt and flour and whisk until smooth. Place a pea-sized dollop of butter into each space in a muffin tin. Place in oven until melted and starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven and pour batter into muffin cups until three quarters full. In two separate bowls combine diced chilies and cheese and then strawberries and lemon juice. Add one tablespoon of each filling into the batter-filled muffin tin. Bake until puffed up and starting to brown. These beauties will start to collapse as soon as you pull them from the oven so make sure to serve immediately. Sprinkle the sweet babies with powdered sugar and lemon slices. The savory ones can be topped with pico de gallo. Happy Spring!

Stuff to do! The Small Bites Event Calendar

Join forces with Hipcamp and Oz Farm to celebrate Earth Day this year! Volunteer projects range from planting redwood trees to tending to the orchards and gardens. After a day of work, volunteers are encouraged to camp overnight, and bask in the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor over a communal potluck with a local band. We guarantee to make your 2017 Earth Day a little greener. The fun starts Saturday, April 22nd. Find out more here.

Spring Fling, Wine in the Garden in Redwood Valley April 28th and 29th. Redwood Valley wineries will open their doors for a full weekend of tasting. A wine maker dinner at Graziano will kick off the event and a Saturday pass will gain you access to all the best spots.

Join the Mendocino Area Parks Association for a night to remember, their annual Progressive Dinner on May 6. Experience the best of Mendocino Village as you move to a new location for each course of the meal. Begin with appetizers at the Odd Fellows Hall; followed by your choice of entrée paired with Anderson Valley wines at the Mendocino Hotel; then finish at the Ford House for dessert, port, auction and raffle. This will surely be a night to remember. Contact the Ford House museum for tickets and information: fordhouse@mcn.org or 707-937-5397.

Vine and dine for your mind? The MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) program of Mendocino College is hosting their fifth annual wine and food pairing on May 9 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Jepson Winery to support their educational program and scholarships. Enjoy a wonderful meal paired with the wines of Lake and Mendocino County. Maybe they will test your IQ throughout the evening.