The Easter Bunny suggests these tips

Have you bought your eggs for Easter yet? If you plan on celebrating the holiday in the traditional dyed-in-the-shell way, it's not too soon to squirrel those eggs away.

Eggs destined for hard-cooking should be purchased at least a week in advance in order to ease the job of peeling.

Here are some fail-proof tips for hard-cooking eggs, from the state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: Place eggs in a saucepan large enough to hold them without crowding. Cover with cold water extending an inch above tops of eggs. Quickly bring water to boil and then remove pan from heat. Cover pan and let eggs stand in hot water 15 minutes for large eggs, 12 minutes for small and 18 minutes for extra-large. When time is up, immediately run cold water over eggs to cool them quickly. This will prevent discoloring around the yolk. Store in the refrigerator. For safety, eggs you plan to eat should be kept at room temperature no longer than two hours. So Easter egg hunts should be planned, and edible centerpieces set out, accordingly. You might want to cook two separate sets of eggs, some for eating and some for display only. For dyeing, be sure the eggs are at room temperature and absolutely free of grease. This includes traces of oil from fingerprints. A quick wipe with white vinegar or rubbing alcohol will remove any smears. Hollowed shells are an alternative for Easter decorating, and they can be saved (carefully) from year to year. To hollow a raw egg, poke small holes on each end of the egg with a sharp, thick needle. Thrust the needle into the egg to break the yolk to make it a little easier to remove the contents. Put your mouth over the small hole and slowly blow the egg yolk and white out. (Be patient.)

The contents will come out more easily if the eggs are at room temperature. Or, run the eggs under hot tap water just before piercing the shells.

Dye as you would hard- cooked eggs. Hard-cooked eggs kept in the refrigerator will remain fresh and ready to eat or decorate for seven days. The possibilities for using leftover hard-cooked eggs are endless. Egg salad is a favorite and can be dressed up with diced ham, herbs, celery, green or red pepper, cucumber, salsa or cheese. Slices of egg can top a chef's salad. Chopped eggs make a healthful and tasty addition to casseroles or sauces. Or, sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and enjoy a whole egg in its simplicity.

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