Eggs

The Herald-Mail interviewed four Washington County families that raise chickens for food and hobby.     David Gray Sr. and his son, David Gray Jr., keep three chickens on their quarter-acre lot in Boonsboro. Deb IntVeldt keeps nine chickens on her 1.25 acre lot on Beaver Creek Road. Susan Simonson and her family keep about 30 chickens on a 5-acre hobby farm on Beaver Creek Road. Bob and Kristin Garrett keep seven chickens on their 10-acre property near Fairplay.

Kelly Rajahpillay and her husband moved to Hagerstown in 2001. They emigrated from the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius. Rajahpillay said the cuisine of Mauritius is influenced by foods from India, China, France, England and Africa. It is often spicy. This recipe is an adaptation from a traditional food from the Chinese region of Canton. Rajahpillay said when she serves these eggs, Americans wonder what the dish is. But when they try it, they like it, she said. These roasted eggs are like a snack.

I occasionally get a craving for eggs, for over-easy, cooked egg whites and runny yolks to dip my toast in. But too often that hankering turns into regret when I taste a few mouthfuls of fried egg. Cracking the egg onto heated butter and seasoning with salt and pepper had just become sooooo boring to me. So a few weeks ago I experimented by tossing some dried rosemary in with the butter and then seasoning my eggs with McCormick's Montreal...

The Smithsburg Lions Club and the Smithsburg Community Activities Committee recently hosted an egg hunt for the children of the surrounding communities.  There were more than 1,000 eggs filled with candy by the two groups. There were 52 special eggs with monetary and door prize tickets. Approximately 85 children with their parents attended the event to find the eggs. Children also received a bag of candy, refreshments provided by the Smithsburg Market and snack cakes provided by Little Debbie's distributors.

Two-year-old Fenris Bennett seemed just as happy ripping up grass at Shafer Park as he did later chomping down on a Tootsie Roll from his pink basket of candy. Nichola Maynard filled about a quarter of her white plastic grocery bag with candy, but no plastic eggs. “I'm good at finding candy, but I'm not very good at finding the eggs. I've only found an egg once,” said Nichola, 9, of Boonsboro. Nichola, who was wearing white furry rabbit ears at Boonsboro's Shafer Park, didn't find any plastic eggs Sunday either.

It’s Easter egg time again at St. Andrew’s UMC. The church fundraiser committee is making creamy peanut butter eggs and coconut eggs. They cost 75 cents each — the same price for the same size as last year.   Orders will be taken until March 27 by calling 301-739-7431. Please leave a name and phone number, along with the order. Buyers will be called when the order is ready for pickup. St. Andrew’s UMC is on Maryland Avenue across from South End Shopping Center and behind South Hagerstown High School.

Dying eggs this weekend? Try this Instructions: HEIGHT="6" ALT=" "> Place eggs in a deep, nonreactive saucepan. Add your coloring ingredient, then cover with a quart of cold water and 2 tablespoons of white vinegar to fix the dye. HEIGHT="6" ALT=" "> Gently simmer eggs for 20 minutes or up to 3 hours, until you like the color. HEIGHT="6" ALT=" "> For a delicate, shattered look, remove a few eggs and gently roll each in a soft towel. Return eggs to pot for another half-hour.

1 large onion (for about 1 cup chopped) (see Cook's note) 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil or vegetable oil, divided 6 fresh button mushrooms (for about 1 cup slices) 1/2 red or green bell pepper (for about 1/2 cup pieces) 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt, such as Lawry's 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste 8 large eggs 1 tablespoon water or milk 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded or grated cheese of choice, or more to taste (see Cook's note)

By RICHARD F. BELISLE / Staff Writer, Waynesboro photo: RICHARD T. MEAGHER / staff photographer MONT ALTO, Pa. - Every year, a dozen or so members of a little church in Mont Alto spend the month before Easter mixing peanut, coconut, and butter cream recipes, forming them into egg shapes and dipping the concoctions in melted chocolate. Before the month is over, volunteers at Wesley United Methodist Church will have made upwards of 14,000 chocolate Easter eggs.

WASHINGTON COUNTY Colored with a technique Darc Easton knew as a girl, the Easter eggs at Washington County Rural Heritage Museum featured none of the eye-popping pastels younger people might expect. For 11-year-old Chad Hutzell, that was just fine. "They're pretty cool," Chad said, twirling an egg dyed with boiled onion skins as he played checkers with his sister, Alyson, 8. Chad and Alyson were among the children who received eggs dyed the old-fashioned way during an event Sunday at the museum.

The Smithsburg Lions Club and the Smithsburg Community Activities Committee recently hosted an egg hunt for the children of the surrounding communities.  There were more than 1,000 eggs filled with candy by the two groups. There were 52 special eggs with monetary and door prize tickets. Approximately 85 children with their parents attended the event to find the eggs. Children also received a bag of candy, refreshments provided by the Smithsburg Market and snack cakes provided by Little Debbie's distributors.

The three newest members of Boy Scout Troop 412 - Sean Maguire, Brendan Heisler and Joshua Macias - recently participated in the Easter egg roll at the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 1. They represented their troop and the Mason-Dixon Council at the traditional event that dates to 1861. On that date, President Abraham Lincoln's son, Tad, hosted the first documented informal egg-rolling party. The tradition today, known as the Easter egg roll, was established by President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife, Lucy.

On Saturday, Memorial Recreation Center hosted its annual Easter egg hunt. After receiving many donations from the community, children gathered in two age groups and were sent on a ready-set-go mission to collect as many eggs as they could. Some of the eggs had special stickers that signified a prize to be collected after the hunt. There were 75 children in attendance and 500 eggs stuffed with candy and 17 prizes of stuffed animals given away. Memorial Rec thanks all those who contributed donations to help make this year's hunt a success.

Two representatives of the Maryland Competitiveness Coalition were critical of the state's public policies that deal with issues such as private business at a breakfast meeting Wednesday. At the same time, they praised Maryland's emphasis on such areas as education during the Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce's Eggs and Issues breakfast at the Ramada Plaza. The chamber is a partnering organization of the coalition. Kathy Snyder, president and chief executive officer of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, and Tom Lynch, principal of Miles & Stockbridge in Frederick, Md., partnering organizations of the coalition, spoke about the coalition to local business leaders.

If you offer candy, they will come. Municipal Stadium in Hagerstown became a field of dreams on Saturday as thousands of children realized their biggest fantasy - the ground covered in sweets. In an area of the ballpark where players prowl for line drives and home runs are smashed over the fences, children scrambled for plastic eggs filled with treats. It was a free communitywide egg hunt organized by Lifehouse Church, an event held in partnership with local businesses. “It's our way of reaching out to children and families, sharing our love and providing everyone with a fun day,” said Sheliea Athey, administrative assistant for the church's outreach team.

Saturday's Easter egg hunts • 10 a.m. Hagerstown Church of the Nazarene, 141 N. Edgewood Drive, Hagerstown. For ages 1 to 12. Bring Easter bags. • 10 a.m. Byron Memorial Park, off U.S. 11, Williamsport. Sponsored by Williamsport Fire and EMS. Call 301-223-9112. • 10 a.m. to noon. Municipal Stadium, 274 Memorial Blvd. East, Hagerstown. Lifehouse Church hosts event open to children 12 and younger. Children ages 1 to 4 will participate from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Those in kindergarten through third grade will participate from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m. Fourth- and fifth-graders participate from 11:30 a.m. to noon.  Go to www.lifehousechurch.org . • 10:30 a.m. Pleasant Hall Volunteer Fire Co., 9722 Cumberland Highway, Pleasant Hall, Pa. The Easter Bunny will attend for parents to take photos.

This week many eggs will be hard-cooked and dyed for use in Easter baskets and egg hunts. Hard-cooked eggs are easy to prepare and easy to keep safe.  1. Place eggs in a saucepan and fill with cold water to one inch above eggs. 2. Cover the pan and quickly bring the water to a boil. 3. Turn off the heat, remove the pan from the burner, and allow the eggs to stand (covered) for 12 minutes for medium-size eggs; 15 minutes for large eggs; 18 minutes for extra large eggs and 21 minutes for jumbo eggs.

Lifehouse Church is partnering with local businesses to provide a free Easter egg hunt for the children of Hagerstown. The church will host a communitywide egg hunt Saturday, March 30, at 10 a.m. at Municipal Stadium. “Our church volunteers have graciously provided over 30,000 eggs, and we're so pleased with the donations we've received from local businesses. We're now able to provide goodie bags that include items from Chick-fil-A, Monkey Joe's, Burger King, Turner's Bowl, Yo Swirl and Tony's Pizza,” said Brandon Shank, the church's outreach director.

Hearty Pet will host two community events this weekend that will be family friendly and benefit two local pet rescues. A spring-themed pet photo shoot will be Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. with Wertman Photography and an Easter egg hunt will be Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. with the egg hunt starting at 2 p.m. Both events are at Hearty Pet. Hearty Pet has teamed up with Hagerstown-based Wertman Photography to help give local residents a...

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail ... or so the song goes. And to get the kids in the mood, we have a listing of Easter egg hunts in the Tri-State area. As always, look in TheCalendar for more additions. Friday, March 15 Easter Bunny at Valley Mall Visit the Easter Bunny for a keepsake photo. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Continues through Saturday, March 30. Valley Mall, 17301 Valley Mall Road, Halfway.