With this bounty on hand we've been eating egg dishes such as scrambled eggs and deviled eggs and this week I remembered this colorful quiche recipe from Taste of Home magazine. We still have green onions in our garden and I have the last of the cherry tomatoes in the garage so it was a perfect recipe to utilize things on hand. The cornmeal crust is quite tasty, but you could use a pre-made crust to make things easier.

Years ago when I was teaching home economics I went to a demonstration put on by the South Carolina Egg Board showcasing eggs and how versatile they are. They even blindfolded one audience member and had her prepare an omelet to show how easy egg cookery can be! Eggs are very versatile and nutritious. They also can be prepared quickly and can be used in place of meat or to add protein to meatless or nearly meatless dishes such as Fried Rice or a chef salad.

Do you have any favorite egg dishes?

Becka

We celebrated three birthdays while we were all together. Here Jim and Megan are celebrating at a birthday party for Topher:

Here is Drew:

Nora and Topher are planning to be married in April, so some wedding planning was going on during the visit. Here they are while we were waiting for lunch at Hubba Hubba Barbecue in Flat Rock, NC:

Mark and Katie were waiting for their lunch there too. They are also awaiting the birth of their first child in April. We are thrilled that we will have another little grandchild.

And, finally, here's a picture of Rob and me during the birthday celebration:

While everybody was here I baked a ham. We had a couple of meals from it with the family and now Rob and I are finishing up the leftovers. I made this casserole with a portion of it. It is sort of like a cheese souffle, but much less fussy. It will "fall" after you remove it from the oven and let it sit for any length of time, but it still tastes good and the leftovers can be reheated in the microwave. I cut the recipe in half for the two of us.

Cheese Puff

6 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or whatever you like and have on hand)
1 cup cottage cheese
1 cup cubed or ground ham

Beat eggs. Add flour and baking powder, then milk. Beat until smooth and then fold in the cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, and ham. Pour into a greased two quart casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the mixture is set. If you insert a knife in the middle of the dish it should come out clean. Serve immediately.

We usually have this for supper, but it would work for a breakfast or brunch if your family is apt to arrive at the table promptly.

Becka

You can use any printed silk fabric, but the sources I found suggested using old silk neckties. Here's how you do it:

Deconstruct an old necktie (it must be silk):

Cut a piece large enough to cover the egg. Wrap around the egg with the outside of the silk facing the egg and secure with string or a twistie.

Cut a piece of white fabric large enough to cover the egg and wrap this around the silk-wrapped egg and secure with string or a twistie.

Place the eggs you have prepared as described above in a large saucepan of water and then add 1/4 cup white vinegar. Bring to a boil and boil for 20-25 mins. Remove the eggs from the saucepan (I used a slotted spoon) and place in a colander to cool.

When the eggs are cool enough to handle unwrap them, shine them with a paper towel dipped in a bit of vegetable oil and then step back and admire your finished work!

The sources I found suggested that you use these eggs for decoration rather than eating since the dyes used for the silk are not necessarily food safe. Some said you could reuse the silk several times if desired, but I haven't tried reusing it. You can also stitch together small pieces to make them usable.

I'm hoping to make some more eggs closer to Easter to use along with another experiment I began last weekend. I soaked some wheat kernals overnight and then planted them in hopes of growing some wheat grass in time for Easter. The kernals have grown tremendously fast. Here is a picture of the wheat grass after just five days:

One of our cats, Adelaide enjoys eating greens, so I planted her some wheat grass too:

Do you do any creative egg dyeing at your house?

Becka

Deviled Eggs

6 hard cooked eggs (see directions below)
3 Tbsps. mayonnaise (approximately)
1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of white pepper
1 tsp. mustard
paprika for garnish

Split eggs in half and place the yolk in a flat bowl. Mash the yolks with a fork and then mix in the mayonnaise, vinegar, salt, pepper, and mustard. Fill the whites and then sprinkle with paprika to garnish. You can also pipe the filling into the whites with a frosting bag and tip and you can garnish them with parsley, dill, or with olives.

Older eggs will be easier to peel than extremely fresh eggs. I try to let the eggs come to room temperature before boiling them to help prevent cracking and to make them easier to peel. Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover them with water that comes up over them by about an inch. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, and remove from heat. Let stand for 12 mins. Drain off the hot water and then shake the pan to crack the eggs. Run cold water over them and add some ice cubes and let stand to cool. Peel the eggs starting from the wide end. I usually cook one or two extra eggs when I'm making deviled eggs just in case one happens to crack or doesn't peel well.

Shortly after we were married I decided to make deviled eggs for Rob for the first time. I reached into my small larder and grabbed one of the few spice cans that we had and proceeded to sprinkle the eggs with cinnamon! Needless to say, it did not become a new family favorite, and Rob teases me about it to this day.

Becka