Good afternoon everyone, so glad you decided to check back in. Another typical day in England, gloomy, sticky and rainy. I can't tell you how much I love this weather. It romanticises everything I have ever heard or read about England. We live just a few short miles from Cambridge, and let me tell you words could never describe the beauty of that community. They are bringing in another harvest today, you can see the dust in the air, and for me you can breathe it. Not a good thing on most days.
But the grass is so green again, it comes back so quickly after a heat wave here in the Fens. And the local stands are beaming with fruits and vegetables, free range eggs, fresh chickens, bits and bobs to sell from their homes. It is truly a lovely place to live, if even for a short time.
So today lets talk eggs, free range if you can afford them, or raise them yourself. One half dozen are running about $1.40 here(after the exchange rate from US dollar). So we often when cooking alot, which I admit I do, we purchase ours by the dozen from the commissary. They are running about $1.80 a dozen for large eggs. Not very large though and they are shipped in from Denmark, year round. These are very bland eggs the yolks being almost as transparent as the whites. But you have to figure from chicken to shop it may take months to arrive.
Your eggs will perform better for cooking and baking when at room temperature. When cold they do not let any air into them so they can stay nice and lite. And by the time they reach temperature in a pan they are rubbery. When baking you want the egg at room temperature so it mixes better and more even with the other ingredients. When beating you want them to take in as much air as possible. And last but not least if using for breakfast you want them room temperature so they stay moist.
So you should keep your eggs in the refrigertor for long term storage, but if you are going to use them for baking or cooking remove them from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before using them. Oh yes, and the older the egg the easier to peel after boiling. And if you question whether the eggs are good to eat, just lay them into a glass or bowl of water. If they sink they are good, if they float, toss them. Never eat raw eggs!
So todays recipe of course has to be an egg dish. Can you tell eggs are one of my favorite foods, I can and do eat them everyday. Where would we be without eggs in the culinary world? There are alternatives to eggs when baking.
I use a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise per egg called for in the baking recipe. But here are a few others:
2 tablespoons corn starch = 1 large egg
2 tablespoons arrowroot flour = 1 large egg
2 tablespoons potato starch = 1 large egg
1 heaping tablespoon soy powder + 2 tablespoons water = 1 large egg
1 tablespoon soy milk powder + 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water = 1 large egg
1 banana = 1 large egg in cakes
Interesting huh?! Now when you run out of eggs either at the end of the week or during all that bad weather, you can still bake. So on to the recipe...
Egg 'n Bacon Delish
This is so good, the bacon and the potato can be done the night before if for breakfast.
Ingredients:
8-slices bacon
4 large or 1-1/2 pounds boiling potatoes
3-tablespoons bacon drippings or butter ( I use the bacon drippings)
1- yellow onion, finely diced
salt and fresh ground pepper
8-large eggs
1/2-cup milk
Directions:
Fry and crumble bacon, saving about 3 tablespoons of the drippings. Boil the potatoes and then dice. Heat the bacon fat in a 10" skillet, cast iron if you have one, pan goes into a 400ยบ F oven about 10 minutes. Test for doneness by placing a knife into the center of the dish, if it comes out clean, remove from the oven and serve immediately. This is just as good the second day.
*Please note: I have prepped this dish and frozen it before baking. The finished product has a different texture although it is just as good in flavor. But the bacon is not as crisp and it tends to come apart easily. After it has been baked it can be frozen in meal sized portions for up to one week otherwise the potatoes tend to get very mushy.
You can serve this for any meal including a Sunday brunch, a tea, or a backyard picnic breakfast. Enjoy it folks!
Here is a recipe for making your own egg substitute, very good for you and very easy to make.
Homemade Egg Substitute
These do have few calories. But here's a low cholesterol egg substitute.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of nonfat dry milk powder
2 egg whites from large eggs
4 drops of yellow food color
Directions:
Sprinkle powdered milk over egg whites, then beat them with fork until smooth. Add food color, and beat until blended. This makes 1/4 cup, which is equal to 1 large egg. If you use this homemade substitute for scrambled eggs, cook it in vegetable oil or margarine so the eggs won't be too dry.
But the grass is so green again, it comes back so quickly after a heat wave here in the Fens. And the local stands are beaming with fruits and vegetables, free range eggs, fresh chickens, bits and bobs to sell from their homes. It is truly a lovely place to live, if even for a short time.
So today lets talk eggs, free range if you can afford them, or raise them yourself. One half dozen are running about $1.40 here(after the exchange rate from US dollar). So we often when cooking alot, which I admit I do, we purchase ours by the dozen from the commissary. They are running about $1.80 a dozen for large eggs. Not very large though and they are shipped in from Denmark, year round. These are very bland eggs the yolks being almost as transparent as the whites. But you have to figure from chicken to shop it may take months to arrive.
Your eggs will perform better for cooking and baking when at room temperature. When cold they do not let any air into them so they can stay nice and lite. And by the time they reach temperature in a pan they are rubbery. When baking you want the egg at room temperature so it mixes better and more even with the other ingredients. When beating you want them to take in as much air as possible. And last but not least if using for breakfast you want them room temperature so they stay moist.
So you should keep your eggs in the refrigertor for long term storage, but if you are going to use them for baking or cooking remove them from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before using them. Oh yes, and the older the egg the easier to peel after boiling. And if you question whether the eggs are good to eat, just lay them into a glass or bowl of water. If they sink they are good, if they float, toss them. Never eat raw eggs!
So todays recipe of course has to be an egg dish. Can you tell eggs are one of my favorite foods, I can and do eat them everyday. Where would we be without eggs in the culinary world? There are alternatives to eggs when baking.
I use a heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise per egg called for in the baking recipe. But here are a few others:
2 tablespoons corn starch = 1 large egg
2 tablespoons arrowroot flour = 1 large egg
2 tablespoons potato starch = 1 large egg
1 heaping tablespoon soy powder + 2 tablespoons water = 1 large egg
1 tablespoon soy milk powder + 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water = 1 large egg
1 banana = 1 large egg in cakes
Interesting huh?! Now when you run out of eggs either at the end of the week or during all that bad weather, you can still bake. So on to the recipe...
Egg 'n Bacon Delish
This is so good, the bacon and the potato can be done the night before if for breakfast.
Ingredients:
8-slices bacon
4 large or 1-1/2 pounds boiling potatoes
3-tablespoons bacon drippings or butter ( I use the bacon drippings)
1- yellow onion, finely diced
salt and fresh ground pepper
8-large eggs
1/2-cup milk
Directions:
Fry and crumble bacon, saving about 3 tablespoons of the drippings. Boil the potatoes and then dice. Heat the bacon fat in a 10" skillet, cast iron if you have one, pan goes into a 400ยบ F oven about 10 minutes. Test for doneness by placing a knife into the center of the dish, if it comes out clean, remove from the oven and serve immediately. This is just as good the second day.
*Please note: I have prepped this dish and frozen it before baking. The finished product has a different texture although it is just as good in flavor. But the bacon is not as crisp and it tends to come apart easily. After it has been baked it can be frozen in meal sized portions for up to one week otherwise the potatoes tend to get very mushy.
You can serve this for any meal including a Sunday brunch, a tea, or a backyard picnic breakfast. Enjoy it folks!
Here is a recipe for making your own egg substitute, very good for you and very easy to make.
Homemade Egg Substitute
These do have few calories. But here's a low cholesterol egg substitute.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of nonfat dry milk powder
2 egg whites from large eggs
4 drops of yellow food color
Directions:
Sprinkle powdered milk over egg whites, then beat them with fork until smooth. Add food color, and beat until blended. This makes 1/4 cup, which is equal to 1 large egg. If you use this homemade substitute for scrambled eggs, cook it in vegetable oil or margarine so the eggs won't be too dry.
posted by MichelleCarr at 12:59 PM
1 comments
