E is for EGGS!

We buy fresh eggs from a neighbor.  FRESH EGGS are THE BEST!
They taste better, hands down!  The yolks are very bright yellow-orange & quite perky in the skillet!

Do you know that the egg shell color depends on the breed of chicken & there are hundreds of different breeds?  Despite the higher prices for brown eggs or free-range chickens or whatever else is out there, all eggs have the same nutrition. 

I chuckle when I remember a TV episode of "Little House on the Prairie" when nasty Mrs. Olsen snubs Ma's brown eggs & would have been willing to pay more for WHITE eggs. And now lots of people pay more for brown eggs!

Here are my favorite egg tips:

HARD BOILING EGGS
I've always read & heard that you should put the just-boiled eggs into ice cold water so the shells peel easily. One day I just turned off the pan of water after the eggs had boiled for a couple of minutes & left it on the stove with the lid on. An hour or so when I got back to it, I found that the eggs were VERY easy to peel. (no cold water bath) I thought maybe it was a fluke but I have tried it dozens of times now & it is much easier to peel the eggs when I just leave them alone for awhile.

The most reliable cooking method seems to be to cover the eggs in tap water, put a lid on the pan, turn the stove to medium heat & then set the timer for 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes, the water will rise to boiling temperature & start to boil the eggs. The timer will draw your attention back to the stove.  When the water begins to boil, turn off the heat & leave the pan on the stove. Come back later (when it's all cooled) & peel your eggs!

EGG SALAD
After you have peeled the hard boiled eggs, dice them into tiny pieces with an Egg Slicer or a Food Chopper or a Mix 'n Chop or (the messiest way is) with a knife. Add 1 T. of your favorite Ranch dressing & then 1 heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise for each egg. I also sprinkle in some celery seed (1/4 of a teaspoon) & a quick shake of onion power. Serve on sourdough toast spread on one side with Classico brand pesto & crunchy lettuce. You'll be licking your lips all day!

GUACAMOLE OMELET
Ever have a little left-over guacamole? Whisk together 2 eggs & 2 T milk. Melt a smidge of butter in your pan & cook the eggs in a small saute pan. Once the eggs are not runny, spread the left-over guacamole on the egg circle & then flip it in half to make an omelet. Top with some shredded cheese & you have a delicious, protein-rich omelet!

QUICHE doesn't have to be full of cream to be good!
Make or buy a pie crust. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a pie pan with the crust. Add 1 cup of finely chopped raw broccoli or bite-sized raw asparagus pieces, 4 or 5 pieces of crumbled cooked bacon & evenly spread in the bottom of the crust. Top with 2 cups of cheese - use mozzarella or white cheddar or Monterey jack or a combination of two.
Whisk together 4 eggs & 3 cups of milk (I use fat-free milk). Carefully pour this over the veggies & cheese.
Salt & pepper the top of the pie. Bake for 10 minutes at 425 degrees then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees for 35 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a table knife into the center of the quiche. When the knife comes out clean, the quiche is done. It's great when the cheese is golden brown on the top. Serve with a green salad & a warm chunk of buttered bread!

Now where was I? Oh, yes, I'm on "D" for Dressings!

DRESSINGS!
You can buy dozens of bottled dressings & they will last for months in your frig because they are filled with preservatives. That's okay, really.
Or you can make a few homemade ones & compare... see which flavors you like the most!

I LOVE to mix these in my Measure Mix 'n Pour from The Pampered Chef.
The jar has the recipes right on the side & the top has a built in whisk so you can mix them
since the ingredients separate. The dressings from a store have chemicals that act as stabilizers so they don't separate so much. As far as ingredients go, I've never really WANTED to add stabilizers to anything.

Here are a few of my favorite homemade ones:

Asian Dressing
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 t. ground ginger (or if you are feeling adventurous) a 1/2" wide peeled piece of fresh ginger pressed through a Pampered Chef garlic press (much better flavor with the fresh ginger!)
1 clove of fresh garlic, pressed through a Pampered Chef garlic press
2 T orange juice, mandarin orange juice or Sunny D (Add the mandarin oranges to a salad.)
Mix well before serving.
This dressing is outstanding not only on salad but also on baked potatoes & used as a marinade for chicken or beef.

Italian Dressing
1/4 cup of vinegar (my favorites are balsamic, red wine or raspberry)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T. Italian Seasoning (my favorites are McCormick or Pampered Chef)
1 T. granulated sugar

Avocado Vinegarette
1/4 cup vinegar (see my list of vinegar faves above)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T. Italian Seasoning
1 T. sugar
1 T. fresh lemon or lime juice
1 ripe avocado mashed & whisked into the liquid ingredients
(Go back to my blog entry on Tuesday Sept 15th, 2009 for avocado info!)

Once you have whisked a dressing together, pour it into a clean recycled glass jar with a secure lid. Label it with masking tape & a sharpie with the name of the dressing & the date you made it & refrigerate.
The avocado one will last a few days because the avocado is very perishable but the others will last a month or more.

Here's a GREAT WAY to serve salad to please the pickiest of salad eaters:
Serve your salad on a large platter or large shallow bowl. Put the greens in the center & then put the other veggies around the edges. Have all the tomatoes together in a clump then next to them put all the broccoli in a clump then the shredded carrots together, then the bell peppers, onions, shredded cheese, etc. Alternate the colors of your add-ins around the edge so all the greens are separated by the reds & oranges.

This way those poor folks who don't like all those veggies can pick & choose what they want in their salad & you (maybe you are like me?) can have some of everything. No more little pile of peppers left on the plate & wasted because everything was initially mixed together. (Hi Mom.)

And did I mention how PRETTY it is to serve it this way?? It is SO pretty!