The hidden dangers in Easter eggs

Bright shades of pink, purple, yellow and green make a pretty sight in a basket. But be careful if you plan to eat decorated Easter eggs; if handled improperly they can be contaminated with salmonella. Some tips:

• Hard-boil your eggs thoroughly, and cool completely before coloring.
  
• Use a food-quality, non-toxic dye.
• Don't apply color to eggs with any cracks in them.
• Put colored eggs back in the fridge after coloring them; the eggs shouldn't be left out for more than 2 hours before eating.
• If kept chilled, they can be stored for up to 1 week.
• Don't hide real eggs for an egg hunt -- they can be inadvertently exposed to bacteria (and what a stink it would create if you neglected to find one).
  

Or, you can really play it safe and blow out the eggs like I did. That way, you can leave them out as long as you want and even save your masterpieces for another year.