I made the cheesy braids (from your recipe index) this past week for Easter morning. The dough recipe is slightly different than this lemon version, but I did use Buttery Sweet dough emulsion in the dough recipe. I added a bit of Princess cake and cookie emulsion to the cream cheese mixture. It was fantastic. I added a layer of homemade apple pie filling down the center. The braiding was not difficult but I found two things to be very important: First, keep the filling off the dough strips. If they get moistened with filling, they don't overlap and adhere to each other very well. Second, stretch them over each other (each previous) strip quite far, so they lock each previous strip in- so it stays tucked in. I used Baker's Shine and sparkling course sugar. It was beautiful. I will try this lemon version next time. I love lemon, too, and might add some lemon emulsion or oil to the cream cheese. Good luck with those chickens! We have 10 from last year, and just brought home 5 new ones. Our daughter's girl scout gold award project will revolve around using donated eggs from "backyard" chicken owners to supply community-based soup kitchens and food distribution sites with fresh eggs for clients to take home. It will include teaching people how easy it is to have your own chickens- even just a few, for your own needs, with a bit left over for charity. E-mail me if you think KAF chicken owners would like more info. Thanks for the tips Cindy Leigh, they are very helpful especially if you are just starting out with braiding. Thank you very much for the great tip on donating eggs. I have never thought of that, and with 12 chickens, we are definitely going to be up to our ears in eggs by fall. What a great way to spread the wealth. I'll keep your email on hand for when I get stuck with the chooks. ~ MaryJane

• Reply