Poached Perfection

Well, I went and did it. I wanted to try poaching eggs to see what all the fuss was about. How hard could it be really? Turns out if you have the super secret weapon you'll do just fine. I love it because it gives me a way to make eggs without having to add butter or oil into the mix but, still gives me the ability to sop up a mush middle with my remaining bits of toast or english muffin.

I asked my 9 year old if he'd like to learn how to make poached eggs. He got wide eyed, looked at me and with great concern said, "You mean you unlawfully took eggs from the store?!?"

Um, no. The word poached must sound too rebellious for him. I'll let him stick to scrambled for now.

If you'd like to join me on the wild side here's what you'll need:
sauce pot
slotted spoon
pyrex
timer
whole raw egg (duh)
water
vinegar (any kind should do as I've used rice wine and cider with the same results, cider is just smellier)
salt & pepper to taste


Fill the pot 1/2 way with water. Set to high. You're looking for the water to begin to boil. Not the rolling kind but, the kind where the bubbles are starting to get bigger. This is key.

Add approx. 1T of vinegar to the water. This is the super secret ingredient. Granted, it's not secret anymore. Might not have been before. I might have been the only one to not know about it. Apparently, the vinegar is what keeps the egg together and prevents it from floating all over the water (think how much a fried egg expands on a griddle but picture it doing that in water).

For better results with the eggs I always crack them into a container first. For one thing, I know if the egg is grody but, it also allows for more control when pouring it into the water.

Once the egg is in the water set your timer for 4 minutes. Leave the pan on the burner but TURN THE HEAT OFF. My stove is electric. The residual heat does it's job and finishes cooking the egg to perfection.

Your lid might get steamy making it hard to see the deliciousness cooking but, resist all temptation to peek! The egg needs the heat. Just trust in the magic.

I use a slotted spoon because I don't like all the water that comes with scooping the egg up. I also don't have a super perfect looking egg. I was impatient. I cooked two eggs at once. I also thought I heard the baby stirring so in great haste might have put the eggs in 15 seconds too soon. Oh well. They still tasted delicious, were perfectly cooked. The only problem is that crack on the left side. You see it, I know. I'm not ashamed.

Breakfast on the Go

I've seen pictures of these everywhere and decided it was time to try them. I've adapted my recipe from several recipes that I've seen. I'm guesstimating on some of the amounts as I eyeballed most of it. It's easy to make and can re-heat. Excellent for on the go mornings too.

I'll be giving you a recipe for 4 servings. You can increase/decrease from there.

You'll need:

regular size muffin tins
pam spray
4 eggs (size large or smaller, jumbo will be too big)
1c. hashbrowns
1/4 c. shredded cheese
2 strips bacon (chopped)
salt
pepper
1 T olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Spray muffin tin with pam. Mix hash browns, shredded cheese (reserve a bit for later), salt, pepper, olive oil in bowl. Divide mixture into 4 tins. Cook for 17 minutes.

Reduce oven to 350. Crack one egg on top of each hash brown filled cup. (This is where I learned that a jumbo egg was too big.) Sprinkle top with bacon and a bit of cheese.

You can poke the yoke with a fork and it will cook through in the oven. If you like the runny middle, don't poke it. I thought it was good either way. Put back in oven and cook for 15 minutes max.

If you let them sit in the pan for a couple of minutes it will release from the pan easier. Be sure to run a knife around the edges just in case. Again, you'll want to trust me on this one.

I like to serve mine with a bit of fresh fruit.

Awesome Up Your Desk Stuff and Beat the Winter Blahs!

Here's a recipe to fight the winter blahs at work (and play with markers):

Get one box of staples,

and a bunch of AWESOME permanent markers.

Color the tops of the staples and KA-BOOM!
You have brightly colored staples.

I have been doing this at school for months now without mentioning it to anyone. A couple of co-workers wanted to know where I got my fancy staples. I felt quite posh. Try it, have fun, and enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day Freebie

I've been feeling crafty and wanted to whip up something easy to throw in a frame and decorate for the holidays. This season: St. Patrick's Day.
If you'd like to print a copy, enlarge photo and right click with mouse. Copy image to your desktop and print. Voila! It's been sized for standard piece of paper. I trim it to fit 8 x 10 picture frame. Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Sorry I've been away for so long. We've had a busy house this year. I hope every had a wonderful 2011 and are just as excited as us about what 2012 has to bring!

Family Vacation Here We Come!

The last time we took a family vacation we landed in Branson, MO. It was fun. We were a family of 3 then.

Now, we are a family of 4 with one under one. Choosing a place that offered something for everyone (that could walk and talk) was easy. Deciding on a destination that would work us given the age of our boys was completely different.

We decided to drive instead of fly because we were afraid we'd be "that family". You know the one: baby crying, parents drinking, sibling crying because baby was crying... You get the idea. So, we decided we'd rent a mini-van. This would give us easy access to the back in case big brother had a hard time with little brother. This would also give us a DVD player. We already have a DVD player, but, it's not part of the car. This allows for more lap room for the big kid. Mini-van also accommodates the loads, and loads, and loads of stuff the smallest person in the family needs in order for this to be a happy family vacation. We'll see if we use it all.

Packing tonight and then we're off. I'm not telling where we're going. I thought I'd post pictures and let you give it your best try. Who knows, if you're someone close and don't already know of our plans, you might find a small treat upon our return. I can't say anymore as it will ruin the fun.

Tonight it's all about packing, packing, packing. We're hoping to leave early enough so the little kid can get two naps in during the drive. Cross your fingers and wish us luck!