The Incredible Edible Egg: Food Musings

Looking at this blog of mine, it's really hard to believe that more seven months have passed since I've posted something and even harder to believe that what I'm about to post is far from fabulous. So how do I explain months of inactivity?  One word: child. Isn't it amazing when you have the hang of something and a monkey wrench is thrown into the mix?  Well our littlest monkey is quite a handful, she is.  And add her to the mix of the two that came before and I'm a nutty mom with too many extra-curricular activities and overall lunacy in the house.  Don't get me wrong - in the past seven months, I've made dinner nearly every night, I cooked Christmas Eve for 12, a one-year old birthday party for 15 and assisted with desserts for Thanksgiving, among many other special things.  So I am still at it...it's just that the night seems to end there - with me finishing the last of the dishes, sweeping the floor for the 8th time that day, and staring blankly at the television set.  Writing and posting has taken a real back seat to surviving the every day that is our life.

So why am I writing today? Well, for one thing, I was inspired by a recent post of a new friend on her blog - and thought; "Crap, I'd better get back to blogging before someone pulls the plug on all that I've done thus far." And for another, it occurred to me as I swooped in to pick up my oldest from a playdate, that it was nearly 6:30 p.m. and no dinner was going to be had until nearly 7:00 p.m. So what is a Mom to do?  Dress up eggs, of course!  The French do it all the time and we think it's fabulous!

I often find that when time is at a real premium, the mighty egg makes a meal just that - mighty.  Protein and taste - what could be better (well, maybe the giant pack of Twizzlers I ate today, among many other things!) than a wholesome meal of perfectly scrambled eggs and "something."  You can fill in the blank with whatever you have!  We had a lightly dressed salad with our scrambled eggs and shredded Gouda Cheese and a pinwheel chicken sausage I broiled quickly. Along with it, I baked up some 5-minute french fries, since I didn't have time to fry them.  I could have added some toast and then we would have had a perfect meal - well, actually, I poured myself a glass of wine so the meal was completely perfect. Dinner was on the table in 15 minutes and it was devoured in an even shorter time frame.

Eggs are incredible...think of all the ways we use them: souffles, quiche, scrambled, poached, fried, over-easy, in cakes, in meringue, in flourless chocolate cake, and so on.  They are a wonder to behold and they often serve as my go-to breakfast: I submerge an egg in boiling water for about 23 minutes and peel the shell immediately under cold running water.  Then I sprinkle a pinch of Kosher salt and a few grindings of pepper and I shove the slices down my throat as I race out the door!  But, hey...a healthy meal doesn't have to be long and drawn out!

Try some of these ideas when you're pressed for time - eggs are sure to please every time!

Good Morning, Muffin!: Recipe

It's amazing how the simple act of baking breakfast muffins can turn the least hungry person into a complete animal - who will stuff his face as though he's never eaten before. Homemade blueberry muffins with cinnamon? Oh, I don't think I need to explain much more...delicious! Be sure to serve them warm.

Blueberry Crumb Muffins
makes 12

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 large egg
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup fresh blueberries

Topping
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper or foil muffin liners. In a large bowl whisk together the sugar, milk, egg, and butter.  Next mix in the flour. baking powder, cinnamon and salt and then gently fold in the blueberries.  Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.

In a small bowl mix the topping - first combine the sugar, flour and cinnamon together and add in the melted butter.  Using your hands, mix thoroughly so they mixture becomes moist and forms clumps.  Sprinkle the clumps on top of each muffin.

Bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm - not piping hot.

From Thy Childhood: Recipe

If you've grown up in a Jewish household, then you know all about Matzoh Brei.  It's the breakfast you have the morning after your big Seder when everyone is a bit sleepy and the only thing that will satisfy is a sweet french toast-like dish.  So then you can surmise that Matzoh Brei is made by frying pieces of matzoh that have been soaked to soften. Exactly! 

Last night I discovered for the first time, however, that some people actually eat their Matzoh Brei as a savory dish - complete with onions, etc.  I've never been exposed to that but it certainly sounded interesting - so if you have a recipe for this style, please share! In the meantime, here is my French-Toast breakfast for the Passover days. It's sweet and sort of crunchy, given it's matzoh. But what could be better than this for breakfast?

Today was the first time I have made this - my husband had it once but the kids never did.  To be honest, they were lured downstairs by the smell - they thought I was making french toast.  They were not pleased when I said it was made with matzoh but the older one tried it.  She was very satisfied when she saw that you can top this with cinnamon-sugar! The little man wouldn't even try it. Oh well - can't win 'em all.

Matzoh Brei
5 egg matzoh sheets, broken into several pieces
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, or more as needed

Pour the milk into one large bowl.  In a second large bowl, beat the eggs and vanilla together.  Place the matzoh pieces into the milk and soak about 2 minutes - turning the pieces every so often. you may need to do this in batches.

In a small bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

Melt butter over medium high heat in a heavy frying pan. As it's melting, remove the matzoh from the milk and place it into the bowl with the egg and turn each piece so it's fully coated by the egg mixture. Then immediately place into the frying pan and fry on the first side about 4 minutes. Turn and fry another 2 minutes. Do not burn - lower the heat if needed. Repeat until all matzoh is finished.  Plate and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.