6.14.2010

boiled, poached, over-easy, sunny side up..................

I love eggs! So, today, I thought I’d share some silly trivia, great facts, and some yummy egg recipes.
As I am preparing for the chicken coop in my future, I've learned alot of things about chickens and their special presents. Chickens are incredible little birds who work hard for the money. And those eggs are quite a versatile little food in it's own packaging.
So lets go, here’s a little useless information tossed with a great big helping of eggseptional tips. Sorry, that was sad. Let’s start with the birth of the egg, and how fitting since the egg actually represents new life. We will focus only on chicken eggs-but I’m sure most of this applies to any egg that you’re willing to stick in your beak.
Chickens lay eggs, and don’t need a roosters help unless you want baby chicks// The average hen lays 245 eggs per year// Most hens start laying when they are 4-5 months old and up through their teens// Egg colors are often determined by the colors of the hens lobes// In addition to white eggs, you may find brown, blue and even green eggs// How to find the boiled egg: spin it, if it spins and doesn’t wobble, it's a boiled egg.// Eggs are very good for you (in moderation)// Some say an eggs flavor can be affected by the chickens diet- I'm gonna give it a try;)// If you accidently drop an egg on the floor, sprinkle it heavily with salt for easy cleanup// There are approximately 2.5 million egg recipes in the world (I just made that up)

How to Boil an Egg

gently place your eggs in the saucepan/pot
cover eggs with cold water and bring to a boil
turn off the heat
put a lid on the pot
start timing your egg at this point:
Runny egg-- 2 1/2 minutes
Soft egg-- 3 minutes
Soft egg with no gooey middle-- 4 minutes
Hard-boiled egg-- 15 minutes
drain and put eggs in cold water
when cooled, peel and enjoy

When I was young my mama told me that there was only one real mayonnaise, everything else is nasty. So I’ve always used that mayo that begins with an ‘H’. And I discovered that making my own mayo was very similar in taste to the superior 'H' mayo. I love to use homemade mayo in chicken, ham, and egg salads, and deviled eggs. Homemade mayo is easy and fun to make. Try this, you may actually like it:

Homemade Mayonnaise
2 egg yolks at room temp
1 tsp mustard (yellow or dijon)
mix in food processor
add oil slowly 1 cup+ (vegetable or canola)
blend until thick- for thicker mayo add more oil a little at a time
then add
salt
pepper
herbs( add as much as you like. Parsley, dill, basil etc)
lemon juice - a fresh squeeze
whip it a couple of seconds
Refrigerate, and eat within a week- it's best when you make it as needed.




Eggsellent Deviled Eggs sorry again:)

1 dozen boiled eggs, chilled and peeled
carefully slice eggs in half lengthwise
scoop yolks into small bowl
arrange whites on platter, put in fridge

mash yolks with a fork and add
2 tsp. mustard
1/3 cup homemade mayo
2 tsp minced onion (Mince- to cut or chop into very small pieces)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
3 tbsp. canned ham
1/2 tsp pickle juice
mix well

To make the deviled egg look purty, I prefer to fill the deviled egg using a cake decorating tip, or you can just scoop the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle paprika over the top for good measure. These are quite yummy.

I encourage you to pull the eggs out of the fridge this week. Cheap, easy and quite good for you.

photos courtesy of: themissiah, food network, jaroslawpocztarski, & perpetualplum

2 comments:

  1. Susi, I lived with my grandma and great grandma until I was 8 years old. We had a huge chicken coop with lots of chickens. I never even had a store bought egg until I got married at 19! I would love to have chickens and gather fresh eggs everyday! But, since those pesky city officials frown upon "livestock" within city limits, I guess that dream can't come true for me anytime soon! But, when you get yours, I will buy fresh eggs from YOU!!

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  2. Girl, I'll give you some eggs, friends don't pay for eggs:) I can't wait, I've been researching breeds, and planning my coop, It'll be next year, some time & I'll definitely give you a call!

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