Eggs and Friends

I'm not going to lie, we use a lot of eggs in my house. Whether they are used to make breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack, in baking, or as a wash of some sort - we use them. Vincent loves eggs and I try to do different things with them so that the thought "oh, scrambled eggs again" never enters his mind. I think that I'm fairly successful at varying my uses of the edible incredible egg!

So, without further consideration - here are 2 uses of the egg for you to try!

Perfectly Boiled Eggs with Fresh Raspberry Muffins

Boiled eggs. I'm not talking about those nasty dry and crumbly boiled eggs with a green ring around the yolk that smell like a baby's diaper that needs changing. You know, the ones that you find on salad bars and things. These are creamy, light, and perfectly egg-y. Place the eggs in a medium saucepan and cover with about 1 inch of water above the eggs. Bring the water to a boil, remove from the heat and allow the eggs to soak in the hot water bath for exactly 10 minutes. Run cool water into the pot until all of the water is cool to the touch and keep the eggs in cool water for 2 minutes. Roll them on the counter to crack the shells and remove the shell and membrane. Slice in half, sprinkle with sea salt and cracked black pepper and serve! Yum. These are a tasty dose of protein that you can add to any meal at any time of day. Be careful not to eat more than 7-8 yolks a week in order to prevent a spike in cholesterol. Studies show that just 7-8 eggs are an okay (and paleo friendly) part of your diet.

I made these eggs with a batch of absolutely delicious muffins. The muffins were a plain milk batter with a layer of fresh sugar coated raspberries in the center. I love surprises like these! The concept behind these muffins was to maintain the integrity of a delicate berry like raspberries by placing a tablespoon of them in the center of the muffin batter, rather than folding the berries into the batter as a whole. So, I filled each muffin liner up half way with the batter and spooned some fresh raspberries, which I sprinkled with sugar to taste, and topped each one with another heaping tablespoon of batter. To top it off with a little texture and flavor - cinnamon sugar! Each muffin came out light and fluffy with a dense middle layer of raspberries. They were absolutely delicious; Vincent ate 3 before I ever even sat down at the table! (you know that means they were good!)

Another use of the egg is one that I find to be a great quick dinner when you really don't want to dirty a million dishes, but you want something tasty and whole. Roasted asparagus with scallion scrambled eggs and havarti. Okay, you don't need cheese to make these eggs wonderful, but I had some creamy havarti in my cheese drawer - and I thought why not? Roasted asparagus are essentially a staple in my kitchen. We eat them with roasted chicken, rice, salmon, whatever - so eggs are just another good partner for this favorite. Wash the asparagus and "trim the stems." It may be upsetting, but the best way to do this is to hold the flowering end of the asparagus spear with one hand and bend the blunt end back until it snaps off. Usually more asparagus snaps off than I desire, but you just need to deal with it. This is the best way to serve the fresh part of the spear and you can save the ends for use as vegetable stock or in soup. Drizzle the asparagus spears with a light coating of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and cracked pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until bright green and tender. The time will vary with the thickness of spears. While the asparagus are roasting, you can whip up some homemade biscuits or toast and the eggs. I like to use a few whole eggs and a few egg whites, but use your better judgement. Also, I buy eggs that have extra Omega 3 because we really need this vitamin in our diets. (as if I don't eat enough salmon!). Whip the eggs with a fork until your forearm hurts - this will keep them fluffy. I add a tablespoon of milk or ice water to keep the fluff up, also. Dice 2 scallions for every 4 eggs and add them about 3/4 of the way through the cooking process. Now I cook my eggs over medium heat, because there is nothing worse than burnt eggs. Another tip is to remove the pan from the heat when there is still a little liquid left to the eggs because the pan will continue to cook them without overdoing it. Sprinkle with grated havarti for extra umph and serve them over a bed of roasted asparagus. You will go to bed happy that night. I promise.