Easy Egg Salad

I think this is the first thing I'd ever made without a recipe.  It's no Creme Brule but hey I was 16!  I used to work for a place called the Flight Deck Cafe.  One day the owner told me to make a batch of egg salad.  He told me what went in it, but no measurements, and left me at it. So I created my very own version. Everyone said that mine was way better than any other. I had one customer that would come in faithfully and order a bowl of egg salad.  She said it didn't need any bread it was so good.  She would just eat it with a spoon.  If that doesn't make a teenage girl feel like a million bucks, I don't know what does.

Easy Egg Salad

5 Eggs (hard boiled and smashed with a fork)

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients and serve on bread or eat with a spoon.

Basic Breakfast Burritos

Another burrito recipe for ya.  The one is the last of the 4 burritos we have been making at our burrito class.  These freeze really well for up to 3 months.  Just wrap them individually with foil and toss them into the freezer.  One thing to remember, is you will not want to add moisture to your eggs, (such as milk) if you are going to freeze them.  They will get to soggy if you do.  The freezing process naturally moistens things, so keep them on the dry side and they will be perfect after they have been frozen.

If you are going to eat them right away, feel free to add a splash of milk.  This recipe will make about 6-8 burritos give or take. So if you are going to make them to freeze, I triple the recipe to make about 30 burritos. Use the Scrambled Eggs For The Masses recipe for big batches. 
We also found that when you add cheese to them, it holds it all together a little better.  The eggs and such, don't fall out all over the place as easy. Plus cheese just makes everything better eh?

Basic Breakfast Burritos

2 dozen eggs,

1 lb of ground breakfast sausage

salt and pepper

splash of milk (optional) (I wouldn't add if you are freezing them)

Cheese (I use the cheddar or the jack and cheddar mixed)

Brown the breakfast sausage in a large skillet.  Remove meat, reserving the fat.  Scramble the eggs in a large bowl and add milk if desired.  Pour into the large skillet with the fat from the sausage. (not necessary but it adds flavor to the eggs.) Season them with salt and pepper. On medium heat, cook the eggs through, stirring constantly. Pour both the eggs and sausage in a large bowl and stir to combine.

Place desired amount of mixture onto a tortilla. Sprinkle with cheese.  (I use about a tbsp.) Wrap and eat or freeze.

Scrambled Eggs for the Masses

I grew up in a family with 9 kids.  I don't know how my mom cooked scrambled eggs for 11 people but it couldn't have been easy.  After needing to scramble 26 dozen eggs to do my first burrito class, and only being able to fit about 2 dozen eggs in my pan at a time... I decided it was time for a change. 

I got online and tried to look for answers.  Then I found out that you can bake them.  Makes sense, you can bake them in casseroles etc, so why not.  I gave it a whirl, and voila!  It worked! I only had to make 3 batches total instead of 12-15 batches.  If you have a load of people to feed, or you are making a few hundred breakfast burritos... (I'll share my recipe with ya on Monday)  Then this is the way to go!

Scrambled Eggs for the Masses

Eggs

Milk (if desired)

salt

pepper

large baking dish

Scramble the desired amount of eggs in a large bowl and stir in a splash of milk.  The more eggs you will use, the more milk you will need.  It also depends on how creamy you like your eggs.  I left the milk out for the burritos, because the eggs naturally moisten up when frozen in the burritos.  Stir well, making sure that each yolk is scrambled.

 Pour into a large baking pan.  Do not fill more than 2/3 full.  The more eggs you want in there, the bigger the pan needs to be.   Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees until eggs are cooked through. Again, depending on the size of the pan.  Plan on about an hour for a good sized load. 

Stir every 10-15 minutes. To help them scramble.  When finished, remove from the oven and add your favorite add-ins if desired, cheese, bacon, sausage etc.

Tip: if you are lazy and forgetful like me... you can just leave them in the pan without stirring.  I think I stirred them once about half way through... Bake it like you would a breakfast casserole, and then just pull it out and dump it into a huge bowl.  Then you can just chop it up with the spatula to scramble them.  I found two slight problems with this method... You don't get the nice even color that scrambled eggs have, because you haven't stirred them frequently. The yolks and whites won't combine as well.  But it still tastes the same, so no big deal to me! PLUS, because I didn't have to stir it, I could fill the pan fuller without worrying about over spillage.

Also, I used an aluminum pan and found that the bottom part took on a slight greenish/silver color in some areas. Probably just a few extra minerals in it. he he he. That's why people push STAINLESS steel so much I guess. :) 

This is what it looks like about half way through.  Not so appetizing right now but I comes out much better in the end. 

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

My desire for this blog, is to help others feel more confident in the kitchen.  I have been cooking all my life but really found my confidence in following other food blogs and trying new things. I decided that I wanted to help others the way that it helped me.  I have talked to many people who don't know much about the basics in the kitchen. Cooking is not one of those things that you were born knowing.  We all have to start at the beginning. My goal is to post even the little things that make a big difference in the kitchen. A confident chef is a happy chef!

I don't pretend to know everything about cooking or baking. I just want to share what I have learned.  When in doubt. Google it!!! That is how I have found a lot of my information.  Like how to boil the perfect egg.  My husband and I were talking about how sometimes our eggs peel really nicely and other times they are a pain to peel. So we looked it up.  The number one key to boiling the perfect hard boiled egg is using eggs that are at least 5 days old.  They peel perfectly and easily every time. I wanted to pass on what I learned with you.  I got the info for this at Simply recipes.  I usually just boil them for 10 minutes instead to the way that they do it. They still turn out great.

Place desired amount of eggs (single layer) into a pot. Add cold water, enough to cover the eggs by at least 1-2 inches. Make sure that they are at least 5 days old.  Farm fresh eggs won't peel very well. Add about 1/2 tsp to your water. This will help them peel easier too. Bring water to a boil. Boil 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. (they can sit in the hot water for a bit.)Run under cold water to cool and refrigerate until ready to eat.

Deviled Eggs

You can't have Easter without eggs right?  These Deviled Eggs will make a great side to add to your Easter dinner. I used to always make these with Mayonnaise.  Then for a family bbq, my mother-in-law made them with Miracle Whip. It gets it a little more of a tangy flavor. Either way... super yummy! This recipe is for just two eggs, to make 4 deviled eggs.  So depending on your crowd, you can double, triple etc the recipe.
The main thing is to add enough mayo to make it really moist.

Deviled Eggs

2 hard boiled eggs cut in half

3-4 tbsp mayo or miracle whip (enough to make it good and creamy)

small squirt of yellow mustard (about 1/8 tsp at most)

pinch of salt

generous amount of pepper

Cut eggs in half and remove yolk.  Combine yolk and all other ingredients in a bowl and smash with a fork or beat with egg beaters until creamy. Pipe or spoon mixture back into each egg. (Only in the part where the yolk was.)

Sprinkle each egg with a pinch of paprika and garnish with finely chopped parsley and/or green onion curls. (see how to, below)

How to make green onion curls

Trim the green parts of the green onion into long narrow strings.  Place in a bowl of ice water. (make sure they are submerged) after about a minute, they will curl themselves. 

English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich

This is such a quick and easy breakfast to shake up the usual, cold cereal.  You can also make up a bunch ahead of time and freeze them.  Just wrap them individually in a sandwich bag and stick them in the freezer.  Then you can microwave them for about a minute. You can add whatever kind of meat you want.  Ham, bacon, a sausage patty etc.  You can also add any type of cheese that you prefer.  I like my eggs fried. But you can easily make them scrambled, or omelet style.  This is how I like to make mine. Although I completely forgot the sliced cheese.  The best part!

English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich

4 slices of bacon

2 fried eggs

1 English muffin

sliced cheese

Layer ingredients on a toasted English muffin.  Serve immediately, or freeze for future meals.

One-eyed Sandwiches

Do you remember as a kid, your parents getting really creative with your food to get you to eat it?  Like calling broccoli, trees.  I've got a few recipes like this one up my sleeve.  This is a really cute way to get your kids to eat their breakfast.  My husband had these when he was a boy and still loves to eat them to this day. He likes to make them for our kiddos as well.  This is a good one to let them help out with too. It's quick and easy.

Step one: tear or eat a hole out of the center of the bread.  Melt about a tablespoon of butter on an electric griddle or frying pan and lay the bread on it.

Step two: Crack and egg and pour into the hole in the bread. Top with salt and pepper.

Step three: fry each side for a few minutes until egg is done and bread is crispy. Enjoy!

Macaroni Salad

Here is another pasta salad that I love!  It isn't the prettiest salad to photograph but it sure is tasty. My friend gave me this recipe about 10 years ago and I have enjoyed making it many times since,  You can use any type of pasta for this dish. I usually like to use Ditalini but the store was out of it, so I used small shells this time.

Macaroni Salad



16 oz of cooked pasta

1/2 bell pepper chopped

1/2 onion (I usually just use a couple dashes of onion powder)

1/2 can olives chopped  ( I use the whole can)

3-4 large pickles chopped

1-1 1/2 C. diced cheddar cheese (I like sharp in this one)

6 hard boiled eggs, diced

salt and pepper to taste

dash of garlic salt

1-2 C Mayonnaise

1/2 C. Sour Cream

2-3 Tbsp pickle juice

Boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.  Then add next 6 ingredients.

Dressing- In a separate bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, pickle juice, salts and pepper.   Mix together and add to salad. Refrigerate for several hours before serving. You may need to add more mayonnaise and salt prior to serving.

Tip: Make sure to cool the pasta before adding the cheese. It will melt it if you don't.