Easter is such a lovely time of year, but the week after I always wonder: What in the world am I going to do with all these eggs? My mom makes the best egg salad in the world (at least I think so, and my husband agrees!) and was kind enough to share her recipe.

Egg Salad

6 hard boiled eggs

½ cup Miracle Whip

2 tablespoons white vinegar

salt and pepper to taste  Read the rest of the story...

• Mash the eggs with a potato masher or fork.

Last year when my son turned three, he shared his birthday party with two of his pals whose birthdays fell in the same week. I like to bake, so I volunteered to make the cake. I asked the other moms what their sons wanted as a party theme. One boy wanted a rocket ship birthday, another wanted Veggie Tales, and my son just wanted everything green. Boy was I sorry I asked! Then, to top it off, one of the other moms (a hen who shall remain nameless) said she thought fondant would look nice on the cake. GULP! I had never done, nor wanted to do, fondant. It’s beautiful, and if you watch an expert do it fondant looks as easy as pie, but in real life I doubted that. It is available for purchase in craft stores, but it’s expensive and many reviews say it tastes awful. But, always ready for a challenge, I started some research. True fondant takes several ingredients you may not have on hand: glycerine, corn syrup and unflavored gelatin come to mind. But I found a recipe that replaces those ingredients with something easy to work with and inexpensive to buy: mini marshmallows. The recipe I originally used was from a website called Fondant Making 101 by Peggy Weaver but some of my technique was borrowed from a Youtube video by a woman named Amber. I recommend both sites for more information.  By the way, the picture above is our final product, a green, Veggie Tales-piloted rocket to the moon. And it tasted great, too!  Read the rest of the story...

I’ve been baking ginger cookies a lot this holiday, but they are so delicious I’m not sick of them yet! A couple of recipients have asked for the recipe, so I thought I’d give it to everybody. These make great gifts for neighbors, teachers or the milkman, and are a great addition to a cookie platter. As a bonus, they are VERY easy to make- a needed attribute this time of year! This recipe was originally given to me by a dear friend of the family, but I’m not sure of her source. You can use it to make either giant or more traditionally sized cookies (I’ve included instructions for both, so be sure to double check baking times). But better make two batches- they are hard to resist until company comes!  Read the rest of the story...

Here at Five Hens, we are on a Thanksgiving recipe kick. I’m certainly getting some great ideas, and I hope you are, too! This is my recipe for Eggnog Pumpkin Pie, the BEST pumpkin pie I’ve ever had (and I’ve done some research, believe me). I got this recipe a few years ago from Morning Fresh Dairy, an all natural, local dairy that provides products to people in Northern Colorado. It is a rich, flavorful pumpkin pie that will wow your Thanksgiving guests. They’ll never guess how easy it is to make!

Eggnog Pumpkin Pie  Read the rest of the story...