Zucchini Egg Bake

A few months ago, my mom found this recipe on Taste of Home and we have eaten it with relish several times since then. It's very easy to whip up and is quickly making its way into our list of Family Favorites.

Modifications: We've never had marjoram and so left that out. We also found that the extra cheese at the end of the original recipe isn't needed because the dish is already so flavorful. We also modified it to be a stove top recipe so as not to heat up the oven on a hot summer day. See above link for oven-baked version.

Zucchini Egg Bake

3 c. chopped, peeled zucchini
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. butter
4 eggs
1/4-1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 c. minced fresh parsley
1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. salt

In large skillet, saute the zucchini, onion and garlic in butter until tender; set aside.

In large bowl, whisk eggs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, and salt. 

Stir egg mixture into zucchini mixture.

Simmer until eggs are completely cooked. 

Note: In the stove top version, the juice from the zucchini doesn't cook off all the way (as seen in the photo), but we haven't minded the extra moisture.

German Pancakes

I originally posted this recipe over three years ago and it has remained a beloved family favorite.

Original post:
This is one of our Saturday morning breakfast variations. Super easy to make, as well as delicious and filling.

German Pancakes

1 c. milk
1 c. whole wheat flour
6 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
6 Tb. butter

Mix all ingredients except butter in blender until smooth.
In a 9x13" baking pan melt butter in oven until hot and sizzling.
Remove pan and pour batter into hot pan.
Bake immediately at 480 degrees for 15-25 minutes (varies depending on your altitude).
Cut in squares and serve with honey drizzled over the top.

The Permaculture Egg

I've been learning about permaculture (a close-looped system) lately and it's fascinating! Here's a little video about an ingenious idea for raising chickens and gardens in a mutually beneficial system that is much more cost-effective, humane, and "green" than the industrialized process of egg production:

Quiche

I was first introduced to a truly savory quiche by a dear friend and roommate, over 10 years ago. This is her recipe and I've never found one to equal it. This is not a quick dish to whip up, unless you already have most items prepared already (which I rarely do). As a result, I don't make quiche very often--but when I do, we savor every bite.

Note: Omitting the bacon to make it a vegetarian dish is easy to do and still makes for a delicious meal.

Quiche

Make pie crust for 9" one-crust pie. (Do not use store-bought pie crust meant for sweet pies, as it will be too sweet for quiche.)

6 slices bacon, crisply fried and crumbled
1 c. shredded cheese (I like to use cheddar)
1/3 c. minced onion
4 eggs
2 c. whipping cream or 1 can of milk or 2 c. milk
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. red pepper or cayenne

Prepare pie crust.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle bacon, cheese, and onion into pastry-lined pie pan.
Beat eggs slightly. Beat in remaining ingredients. Pour cream mixture into pan.
Bake 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake 30 minutes longer or until tested. (Done like custard.) Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

More Surprises in the Chicken Coop

A couple weeks ago I posted about the wonderfully large, two-yolked egg one of our chickens laid. Well, last week, we got the exact opposite: a teeny, tiny egg with a yolk that looked like a little splash of yellow paint (and the membrane under the shell was so tough!). Here is a picture of how small it looked in my husband's hand.

Needless to say, it was useless--but it did provide lots of laughter.

And the hen who laid it seems to have finally figured things out in the egg laying business (knock on wood).
Hmmm... Maybe that lecture I gave her about pulling her weight and earning her keep did the trick...

Medium-sized homegrown egg (left) next to teeny egg (right)

Homegrown Eggs: The Process

Our most mature hen finally started laying a couple weeks ago. Let me tell you, that first time was an exciting day!

And so were the next few, because it took Red a while to get accustomed to it. I don't know exactly what happened or what went through her mind (do chickens think?) when she laid her first egg. But since I discovered it, broken, in the dirt of the chicken run one afternoon, I imagined Red didn't know it was coming or what to do about that feeling, that it came out unexpectedly and maybe she was even standing up (hence, the break). I was so glad to see none of the chickens had eaten it, and after that I paid close attention each morning. The next day Red made it to the nest box (smart chicken!), but either she or one of the others pecked it. So we didn't get that egg either. The next egg was also pecked, but not very deep, so I was able to salvage it. The following day, Red laid a "nude egg" (meaning it had no shell)--ugh. So we potentially had two problems: 1) Red needed to be broken of her egg-pecking tendencies, and 2) maybe she needed more calcium in her diet.

To address the first problem, I decided I needed to put golf balls in the nest box (an "old wives" remedy that often works) to train her to think eggs can't be pecked into anymore than golf balls. But I don't have any golf balls and didn't want to spend money on a pack of them when I only needed one or two. Then I spotted a couple of rocks about egg-sized that were also egg-shaped and thought it was worth a try. It worked! No more pecking.

The second potential problem I addressed by adding oyster shell to the chicken food, even though there is calcium in their feed--just to be safe. I don't know if that helped or not, but the shells are plenty tough now.

Pretty soon I noted that Red goes into the coop about the same time every morning and spends about half an hour in there. When she comes outside again, I know I can go in and collect her egg. What's funny is how the other two keep her company sometimes, while she's busy in there, as if encouraging her.

Last week, Daisy (the yellow one) started clucking so loud we could hear her from inside our house. It was pretty funny and went on and on, two mornings in a row. (My husband jokes that she was in "labor" for two days.) By the afternoon of the second day, she had laid her first egg, so we were excited all over again. Although, one day there was also a very smashed egg in the nest box (with only a bit of shell left to hint that it had really been an egg). A few days ago, Gizmo (the black and white) must have also laid an egg because we found three eggs that day. Now we just need to work on consistency!

The funnest surprise so far was the huge egg Red laid (on the right)--larger than a Large egg from the store (on the left):

Come to find out a couple days later, it was so big because it had two yolks! 

(See the egg at the top of the picture with two yolks touching?) 

I have also noticed how much yellower--sometimes even orange--the homegrown eggs are. In this picture the store bought egg is the big one on the left. 

Homegrown eggs make this whole backyard chickens journey worth it!

Homemade Eggnog (refined sugar-free!)

Like everyone else in my family, I love eggnog and look forward to savoring it each holiday season. We've always just bought it at the store (even though it's loaded with sugar), but last year my mom figured out this recipe, which uses raw sugar instead of refined, and ensures the eggs are pasteurized. She made it for us last year when we were visiting and I decided it's better than store-bought! (I shouldn't have been surprised, since most things are better homemade.) I haven't tried making it yet, but I will shortly...

Homemade Eggnog

7 large eggs
½ c. plus 2 Tb. raw sugar crystals
¼ tsp. salt
6 c. whole milk
1 Tb. vanilla extract
½ tsp. nutmeg

Whisk eggs, then add sugar and salt while whisking. Continue to whisk while pouring milk in slowly. Turn burner under pan on medium low and stir continuously until reaches 160 degrees F. Pour straight into a strainer over a large bowl to remove any egg bits. Add vanilla extract and nutmeg. Stir. Pour into a container with lid and refrigerate until well chilled.

Broccoli Casserole

We've been getting a lot of broccoli lately and I wanted to try something new. So I found this recipe on about.com and tried it out. We loved it!

Broccoli Casserole
Serves 6

10 to 12 ounces frozen chopped broccoli, cooked and drained (I think the fresh bunch of broccoli I used was closer to 16 ounces)
2 Tb. butter
2 Tb. finely minced onion
2 Tb. all-purpose flour
Dash pepper
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. half-and-half or light cream (I didn't have either, so I used milk and it worked just fine)
1 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar (6 ounces) (I used a little more regular cheddar)
3 large eggs, beaten

Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 9 x 12 dish. Arrange the cooked and drained broccoli in the casserole.

Heat the butter in a large skillet; add onion and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes, until onion is tender. Stir in flour until well blended and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pepper, nutmeg, salt, and half-and-half (or milk). Continue cooking over low heat until thickened. Stir in cheese and cook just until cheese is melted. Add beaten eggs, blend well. Pour over broccoli. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the broccoli casserole comes out clean.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

Another less-used produce item we received in our Bountiful Basket was long, sweet peppers (green).*  I was relieved they weren't jalapenos, since my heat tolerance is now back down to low, due to my not-often-enough contact with real Mexican food. (Sigh.) I decided I wanted to make chiles rellenos with the peppers, but not wanting to actually fry them in oil, I found a recipe on allrecipes.com (which I modified, surprise, surprise) for a casserole that looked quick and easy. While my kids weren't thrilled by it (they don't like peppers), my husband and I thought it was delicious! In fact, if we hadn't finished it already, I'd like some right now...

*I also make this with red, yellow, and orange peppers, as seen in the picture.

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

About five medium long, green chilies, cut in half with seeds and pulp removed, sliced into small pieces.
About 1 c. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
About 1 c. Mozzarella or Cheddar cheese, shredded
3 eggs, beaten
1 (5 oz) can evaporated or regular milk
2 Tb. flour
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

Lay half of the chilies evenly in bottom of baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and cover with remaining chilies. In a bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, and flour, and pour over the top of the chilies.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, pour tomato sauce evenly over the top, and continue baking another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and serve.

Deviled Eggs

There are a lot of deviled egg recipes out there and everyone probably has their favorite. I have tried a few different ones but always come back to this very simple one from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. (The vinegar is the "secret" ingredient, I've decided.)

Deviled Eggs

6 hard-cooked eggs
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1 tsp. vinegar
paprika or parsley springs (optional)

• Carefully halve hard-cooked eggs lengthwise and remove yolks. Set whites aside.
  
• Place yolks in bowl; mash with fork.
  
• Add mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar; mix well.
  
• Stuff egg white halves with yolk mixture. If desired, garnish with paprika or parsley.
  

Are Store-Bought Eggs Pasteurized?

As noted in my ice cream recipe, I always make sure the eggs in my recipes are thoroughly cooked and/or pasteurized. I know the risk of salmonella is pretty low, but I've been in the habit ever since I was young and my mom stopped letting us eat homemade raw cookie dough (sad day). But thanks to a comment I received, I decided I'd better look into the facts and find out if store-bought eggs are actually pasteurized.

Verdict? They're not. See the sites below for more information.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/HealthEducators/ucm082362.htm
http://www.safeeggs.com/eggs/safe-eggs-for-everyone.html

And here's an excellent website with more instructions on how to pasteurize the eggs in your recipes (in case you make sauces or other foods that call for raw eggs).

Of course, if you buy items such as cookie dough, eggnog, or hollandaise sauce from the store, the eggs in them are pasteurized.