EGGHEAD CLOWN / EASTER SPECIAL | RECYCLED CRAFT

WIKI NOTE: It is thought that the origin of the tradition of eating eggs at the end of winter is reminiscent of the Ice Age in prehistoric times. After the hard winter, when only remaining provisions, with the arrival of spring birds returning from the south (this only applies to the northern hemisphere) began to lay eggs, of which humans are fed until they could return hunting with the advent of better temperatures.

EGGHEAD CLOWN / EASTER SPECIAL
NOTE: This is just one proposal of a character. All you need is an egg and a cardboard roll of toilet paper to create thousands of different characters. Now, it just depends on your imagination.

• RECYCLED MATERIALS:

• HEAD

1 egg: brown or white
Marker: red and black
White tape
Some colored wool (red)

• BODY 

1 cardboard roll of toilet paper
3 colored thumbtacks (pink and blue)
Some colored serpentine paper throw (green)
1 colored cupcake case (white)
Clear tape

• HOW TO MAKE AN EGGHEAD CLOWN

1. EGGHEAD: How to get an empty eggshell?
*First of all, wash the egg with soap and water. This is the way to get rid of any germs (specifically salmonella).
*Place the egg with one end up. Use carefully the thumbtack to make a hole at the center.
*Turn the egg over. Repeat the process on the other end of the egg. In this process, the eggshell could break badly. If this happens, do it again carefully with another egg.
*Then, take a big breath and blow through the hole. Keep blowing and repeat until there is no longer liquid inside the egg.
*Run water into the empty eggshell, shake it around, and blow the water out.
Yeah, the egg is ready to make the clown!

NOTE: If this process seems a bit complicated, just boil an egg. That way, it works well too.

2. CLOWN FACE/egghead:

• Eyes and mouth / Draw the eyes and mouth on a white tape piece with a black marker. Cut and paste them into the egghead. 
• Nose / Draw the nose between the eyes and mouth with a red marker. 
• Hair / Make a small wool pom pom and paste it with clear tape on the top of the egg.

3. BODY/cardboard roll of toilet paper:

• Striped costume / Cut the serpentine into pieces for the number stripes of the clown costume. Place them one by one on the cardboard roll of toilet paper. Fix them inside the cardboard roll with clear tape. 
• Clown ruff / Once the striped costume is done, fit a white cupcake case as a clown ruff on the top of the cardboard roll. Cut it a bit on the center to fit well the egg clown head. 
• Buttons / Put 2 or 3 thumbtacks as buttons on one stripe of the clown costume. 
• Bow / Cut two identical small pieces of serpentine, make a cross with them, and fix it with a thumbtack on the clown ruff.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• RELATED POSTS

• EASTER MENU

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• MARCH MENU

    

• APRIL MENU

   
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Snowpaperman / recycled craft

IRISH CAKE | ALTERNATIVE VEGAN RECIPE INCLUDED

WIKI NOTE: The name shamrock comes from the Irish seamróg, which is the diminutive of the Irish word for clover (seamair) and means simply "little clover" or "young clover". A shamrock is used as a symbol of Ireland. The Irish have considered shamrocks as good-luck symbols since the earliest times.

IRISH CAKE

• FOR THE CAKE

YOU WILL NEED:
2 cups plain wheat flour (plain or all-purpose)
2 cups panela sugar or unrefined cane sugar
1 cup vegan-friendly stout beer / Guinness
¾ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
¾ cup non-dairy sour cream
10 teaspoons unsalted vegan butter/margarine
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sunflower oil or veggie oil, any neutral flavored(instead of 2 eggs)

NOTE: All Guinness draught and Original XX produced in St. James´sGate Brewery for bottle, can and keg format is now brewed without using isinglass to filter the beer and vegans can now enjoy a pint of Guinness. / January 2018, Guiness Company.

NOTE: Homemade measurement units

LET´S BAKE!

1. Preheat the oven to 180 º C. Grease a spring-form tin or round/large cake pan with vegetable oil.

2. Melt the butter into the Guinness in a saucepan over low heat.

3. Add the brown sugar and unsweetened cocoa powder to the warm liquid.  Add sugar and cocoa. Whisk until completely incorporated. Take the saucepan off the heat.
4. In another bowl, mix non-dairy sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until combined. Add this to the beer mix and blend, making sure it is really blended together.
5. Add the baking soda and start adding the flour a small amount at a time.  Whisk well to get rid of any lumps of flour.
NOTE: Sift the flour for cakes. Sifting helps to remove any lumps and/or unwanted debris from the flour and also helps to combine the flour with any dry ingredients. If you don't have a strainer handy, you can also mix flour with a wire whisk or a fork.

6. Pour the mix into the tin and bake for about 45 minutes. Then check it as many times as you need, until the needle comes out clean when poked in the center. It means that the cake is well done. The middle of the cake may still be slightly wet when you take the cake out. It is quite a damp cake.

7. Let it cool completely.  Remove the spring-form tin/round cake pan and sit it on a flat platter/plate.

• FOR THE TOPPING (OPTIONAL)

YOU WILL NEED:  
2 and 1/2 cups cream cheese
1 and 1/2 cup  icing sugar
1/2 cup  double cream
VEGAN OPTION
1/2 cup *vegan shortening (homemade or vegan-friendly brand)
1/2 cup regular vegan butter/margarine
3 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

LET´S ICE THE CAKE!

1. Lightly whip the cream cheese until smooth. Sieve over the icing sugar. Beat the cream cheese and the icing sugar together. Add the cream and beat until it makes a spreadable consistency.
VEGAN OPTION: Beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Add the vanilla and soy milk, and beat until fluffy.

NOTE: For a firmer icing, add more icing sugar, a ¼ cup at a time. For a softer icing, add more soy milk or soy cream, a tablespoon at a time.

2. Use the spatula, start in the middle of the cake, and spread the icing evenly over the top. It looks kind of like the froth of the famous pint.

• LET'S MAKE THE IRISH SHAMROCK ON THE TOP!

1. Trace out the shamrock shape with a pencil (A5 paper size) and cut out the shape. Keep both papers, the shamrock-shaped piece of paper and the A5 paper with the shamrock hole.

2. Dry the top of the cake with paper towels if it is necessary, then put the shamrock shape piece of paper on the top center of the cake, sprinkle icing sugar, and carefully take out the piece of paper.
-TOPING OPTION:  Put the A5 paper with the shamrock hole on the top-center of the icing, and sprinkle inside with dark chocolate grated or cacao/cocoa powder.  

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• RELATED POSTS

• Ideas to celebrate St. Patrick´s Day + 4 veg recipes

• Red wine chocolate vegan cake 

• Chocolate salami / +vegan version

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• MARCH MENU