eggs – Embracing Motherhood

Posts

How to Make Whole Wheat Sourdough Muffins

Embracing Motherhood How to Make Sourdough Muffins

I have tried so many different recipes for sourdough bread, and I never found anything that really worked (or that I really liked) until I stumbled across this recipe and found the perfect solution! Who needs to make loaves of bread when you can have these perfect, single size, delicious little muffins? We love eating them toasted for breakfast with butter or cream cheese, as an “English muffin” for an egg sandwich, with lunch meat and cheese for a portable school lunch, or as a bun for hamburgers. Everyone who comes over LOVES these muffins!

The sourdough process is extremely beneficial for your health because it is the best way to get rid of the phytic acid in the grain. Phytic acid prevents us from absorbing phosphorus and it leaches valuable minerals from our bodies. (Read my blog: The Dangers of Phytic Acid and What to Do About It to learn more.) It also breaks down the sugars in the grain which makes it easier to digest.

Ingredients

1 c. Sourdough Starter (Blog Post: Sourdough Starter Recipe)
2 c. Raw Milk (Blog Post: Why We Drink Raw Milk)
4 c. Fresh Ground Flour (I get my wheat berries here, but you can find some similar here too. I use this grinder. You could also just buy some organic sprouted grain flour here.)
*2 T. Raw Honey (Optional: It helps to neutralize the sour flavor. Get some here.)
1 ½ t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here, you can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
2 t. Baking Soda (Optional too, I think it just helps them rise a bit better.)
Coconut Oil (To grease your hands and the pans. This coconut oil would be best, but on our budget, I buy this.)

Materials

Mixing bowl
Towel or saran wrap
Stirring utensil
Baking sheet (I use the standard baking sheets I’ve had forever, but in a perfect world where money was no option, I would love some stone baking ware like this.)

Directions

Part 1: Mix it Up and Let it Sit

Mix together the sourdough starter and the milk. I usually don’t mix it until it is completely dissolved, I just try to stir it up for a bit to make sure it mixes more evenly when the flour is added.
*Add the honey. If you are going to add the honey, now would be a good time. My raw honey is usually solid at room temperature, so I put it in a glass cup and microwave it until it melts. (I added this when I first started making these to cut down on the sour flavor, but now that my family is used to it, I don’t add this anymore!)
Add the flour until you achieve a solid, but pliable consistency. When you use freshly ground flour, it has plenty of phytase that will break down the phytic acid. (Read more about the dangers of phytic acid here.) If you don’t have the time to grind it fresh every time you use it, you can always leave your flour in a sealed container on your countertop at room temperature. Just don’t freeze it or it will kill the phytase.
Cover with a towel (or saran wrap) and leave in a warm undisturbed place for 8 hours. It is best if it can be slightly warm during this process (but not over 90°F). I usually just tuck mine away on the counter during the warmer days, but if it’s cold, I’ll put it on top of the stove and turn on the stove to like 200°F.
*Notes: If you’re just starting to get your family used to the taste of sourdough, I would start out only letting it sit for a few hours. This will still be enough time for the sourdough to break down some of the phytic acid. Then, you can gradually increase the time to 8 hours, and you can even leave it overnight if that’s more convenient. If you set it out and 8 hours later, you’re not ready to make your muffins, pop it into the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

Part 2: Make Your Muffins

Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Get the dough ready. The dough mixture should have risen to almost double its size by this time, and you’ll need to use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to loosen the mixture before dumping it onto your countertop. (*If it didn’t rise, it probably wasn’t warm enough, or maybe the starter isn’t good anymore.)
Add dry ingredients and knead. Sprinkle your salt and baking soda on top of your lump, grease up your hands with some coconut oil, and knead the dough to mix everything in. *If your dough is too soupy, you can add a little bit of flour at a time until its more stiff and pliable. **It is very important that you don’t add the salt until the end because it hinders the fermentation process. You don’t want to skip it though because it tightens the gluten structure and prevents the dough from getting too sticky.
Sourdough Mixture Ready to Make Muffins
Grease the baking sheets. I like to use coconut oil.
Make dough blobs. Make sure your hands stay nice and greased up with coconut oil and then pull apart a little blobs of the dough, roll them in your hands until they are formed into nice little cookie dough balls, and place them on the baking sheets. (This recipe should make enough for two sheets of muffins.)

Rolling Dough Into Balls (Yes, my pans are atrocious!)
Flatten the blobs. Use the palm of your hand to press them down, and then even out with your fingers.

Flatten the Dough Balls
Place the muffins sheets on top of the warm oven. Cover with some towels and leave them to rise for about an hour. (If you don’t have an oven underneath your stove, you can turn your stove to warm and place them inside with the door open.)
Covered Sourdough Muffins
Bake at 350˚F for 10 minutes.
Place in Ziploc bags and store in the fridge or freezer. I like to cut them in half and toast them or use for sandwiches, English muffins, hamburgers, etc.
Sourdough Muffins Fresh Out of the Oven

*I adapted this recipe from The Fresh Loaf, which is a GREAT resource for all bread making.

Tips and Tricks

Cutting these little buggers in half can be a little tricky, but my husband came up with a way that works really well even on the thinnest of muffins. First of all, hold the muffin up on its side and insert just the tip of the knife all around the edges (almost like you’re scoring it). Then, gently saw back and forth while rotating the muffin in a circular motion until you get to the middle. Walla!

cutting technique for homemade sourdough muffins

How to Cut These Sourdough Muffins

These muffins are kind of little, so they can get stuck in a toaster. I prefer making them in my toaster oven.

Toasted Sourdough Muffins with Butter

These muffins taste great with an egg sandwich, with scrambled eggs, or my favorite…sunny side up eggs!

Check out my sourdough starter recipe here, or take a peek at some of my other sourdough recipes like these sourdough pancakes and sourdough pizza crust.

February 21, 2020/by Stacey Maaser

Egg Drop Soup Recipe

General, Recipes, Soup

As we approach colder days and sicker days (The two always go hand in hand don’t they?), I love making a nourishing chicken bone broth and using it in as many different recipes as I can. I was looking for something different than my standard chicken soup recipe and came across this. Here is my version. I love this soup so much that I want to eat it (or drink it) for every meal! It’s also really great if you’re trying to do a low carb or keto diet.

Egg Drop Soup Recipe

Ingredients

6 c. Bone Broth (Check out my simple recipe here.)
2 Eggs (Pastured or organic would be best.)
1 T. Bragg Liquid Aminos (Get some here.)
1 t. Sriracha (Get some here.)
½ t. Cornstarch (or Arrowroot powder)
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Boil some chicken bones and get yourself some bone broth. If you roast and boil and entire chicken, it will make way more than 6 cups, but this recipe is best to eat right away. So I recommend saving the rest of the broth to make more egg drop soup later, turn it into a standard chicken soup, or freeze it for later.
Bone Broth
Add the Bragg Liquid Aminos, Sriracha, salt, and pepper. *With the salt and pepper, I just add it to my taste preference.
Bring the broth to a slow rolling boil. (Set the dial to about a 6, stir occasionally until it boils, then turn it down to a 3 and let it continue to boil.)
Mix the cornstarch into a cup of water (so it won’t be clumpy) and add to the boiling water. (You can add a little bit to the eggs to make them creamier too.)
Beat the two eggs, add a bit of salt and pepper, and slowly drizzle into the boiling water.
Turn off the heat, let it cool a bit, and serve right away! Sprinkle some scallions on top for a nice little touch or add some chicken to make this more of a meal. I like pouring mine into a mug and just sipping on it!
Egg Drop Soup

November 3, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

How to Make Paninis That Will Knock Your Socks Off!

General, Grain, Recipes

Finally, I have a reason to use my George Foreman grill again! Remember back in the day when everyone thought that high protein, low-fat diets were healthy? (You know that we were misguided then, right?) Well, when I learned the truth about fats and how good it was to eat fats with their attached proteins (thank you Sally Fallon), I put my George Foreman grill on the shelf. Well, now thanks to one of my lunchtime panini cravings, the Foreman is back!

It all started when my husband and I stopped at a little deli the other day, excited to try one of their advertised special paninis. At the mere mention of said panini, my mouth started watering in anticipation. The crisp bread, the melted cheese, the caccophony of flavors, I could hardly wait! But then, as I bit into the premade deli sandwich, I was crestfallen at the reality of the flavor, or the lack thereof.

So, I went on a mission to create my own panini, and let me say, it was well worth the journey. I think that having fresh, quality ingredients really makes all of the difference.

Ingredients

Sourdough Bread (I just purchased some from our local grocery store. Properly prepared sourdough is, in my opinion, the healthiest bread choice because it gets rid of the most phytic acid that blocks mineral absorbtion.)
Lunchmeat (I would have preferred sliced organic free range chicken, but I settled for Oscar Meyer’s carving board lunchmeat.)
Cheese (I used sliced havarti and shredded cheddar.)
Tomato Slices
Avocado Slices
Finely Chopped Jalapeño
Mustard
Mayonnaise (I like Hellman’s)
Real Salt
Butter

Directions

Plug in the Foreman grill. Prop the front legs up on a cutting board to make it level so that all of the butter doesn’t slip out.
Spread the butter generously on one side of the sourdough bread.
Stack the two slices of bread so that the butter sides are together so that you can put the toppings on the other side of one of the slices.
Start by spreading the mayo and mustard on the bread.
Then add your lunchmeat and sliced cheese.
Add the tomato, avocado, and jalapeño. (Be careful not to let things stack too high.)
Add a nice sprinkling of Real Salt, and hey, maybe even add a dash of pepper to boot.
Cover everything with a handful of shredded cheese.
Making the Panini
Carefully place the bread half with all of the toppings onto the preheated Foreman grill and cover with the other half of the bread.
Press the top down really hard and cook for about 10 minutes (or until all of the cheese is melty and gooey and the bread is nicely browned.

Grilled Paninis

Variations

Ultimate Grilled Cheese Panini: I put tomato, jalapeño, garlic, and salt into our little food chopper and pulsed it until it was a finely chopped. Then, I put these ingredients in between two layers of cheese and grilled them to perfection.
Ultimate Grilled Cheese Panini
Roasted Chicken Panini: After I cooked a delicious roasted chicken and cut up all of the meat into chunks, I placed those chunks on my sourdough bread and topped them with sliced tomato, chopped jalapeno, fresh parsley, and shredded cheddar cheese. It was amazing!
Breakfast Panini: Cook some scrambled eggs and bacon separately, then place the scrambled eggs, crumbled bacon, and shredded cheddar cheese on sourdough and grill it up! Add some jalapenos for a little kick!

June 14, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

How to Make Hard Boiled Eggs That Will Peel Easily

Eggs, General, Recipes

Making the perfect boiled eggs that are easy to peel is truly a culinary mystery, one that I have tried and failed to perform accurately for years and years until I discovered this amazing method that makes hard boiled eggs easy to peel. Every. Single Time.

perfectly cooked hard boiled egg with shell peeling off easily

Perfectly Cooked Easy to Peel Hard Boiled Egg

hard boiled egg that is too hard to peel

Avoid Hard Boiled Eggs that are Hard to Peel

Ingredients/Materials

12 Eggs (Two weeks old and pastured)
1 t. Salt
Large Pot (Like this. Big enough to fit all of the eggs and at least an inch of water)
Water

Directions

Choose Old Eggs: The trick to boiling eggs that will peel easily is to make sure they are old. This is because as an egg ages, carbon dioxide (which is a weak acid) leaks out through the pores in the egg’s shell, making the egg whites less acidic, and the more acidic the egg is, the harder it is to peel. We get our eggs fresh from a neighbor who raises pastured chickens, and I always set one or two dozen eggs aside to “age”. Fresh eggs need about two weeks to age, but one week will be better than nothing. If you get your eggs from the store, they will obviously not be as fresh and need less time to “age”.
Cook Your Eggs: Place your eggs in a large pot and cover with enough cool to lukewarm water so that they are well submerged. Add a teaspoon of salt which will help the whites from leaking if the shell cracks. Turn the burner to an 8 or 9 (medium high heat) until the water boils. Turn the burner off and set a timer for eight minutes.Eggs Boiling
Cool Water Bath: Put a strainer in the sink and empty the pot into it. Put a stopper in the sink, dump the eggs out of the strainer, and fill with cold water until the eggs are fully submerged. You can even add a few ice cubes if you want to get fancy.
Peel Your Eggs: I usually just gently crack the egg and peel it under water, but you can also gently roll the egg instead of cracking it. There’s a thin film under the shell, and once you get underneath that with your fingernails, the eggshell should peel away easily.
Roll Your Hard Boiled Eggs Before Peeling
Check Your Eggs: Peel one egg and cut it in half to see if it’s cooked to your liking. You want the yolk to be soft but not runny. Shorter cooking times will help the egg to retain more of it’s nutrients. Also, shorter and lower heat cause less oxidation of cholesterol which can damage your arteries. Also notice how these yolks are almost orange, this is because these are pastured eggs and higher in nutrients.
Soft Yolks on Hard Boiled Eggs

In Conclusion

Now, even though you know that the secret to perfectly peeled hard boiled eggs, you just know that there will come a time when you HAVE to have a hard boiled egg and you only have fresh eggs. So, here’s what you do. Boil your eggs as usual, roll them to get them cracked, and then soak them in a large pot water. As you’re peeling the eggs, you can keep dipping them back into the water to get the water to go under the shell and to help remove any little bits along the way. This will work on some of the eggs, but probably not all.

Eggs are an amazing superfood, especially if they’re pastured, and having hard boiled eggs on hand ensures that you have a protein rich nutrient dense snack to grab at a moment’s notice. I always like having a carton of hard boiled eggs in my refrigerator for a quick snack or to put on salads. I also really like using them to make egg and potato salad and deviled eggs.

tray of deviled eggs make a perfect party appetizer

Best Deviled Eggs

June 9, 2015/2 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

How to Make the Best Potato and Egg Salad

Eggs, General, Potatoes, Recipes

There are lots of recipes for potato salad out there, but I’m not kidding when I say that this is the best! It’s all about the simplicity of the recipe and the quality of the ingredients. When you buy organic potatoes and pastured eggs and use Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, Hellman’s Mayonnaise, Real Salt, fresh organic parsley, you have the makings for a winning recipe. Not only does this recipe, taste good, it’s good for you too. So, let’s get to it!

Ingredients

4-5 Medium Sized Organic Potatoes
10-12 Eggs (Preferably pastured)
8 T. Mayonnaise (Hellmann’s)
1 T. Mustard
2 T. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 t. Real Salt
1 t. Dill
½ t. Pepper
1 t. Celery Seed
*1 t. Cayenne Pepper (If you like things on the spicy side.)
Extras: Chop up any of these items to give it a little pizzazz.
- Fresh Organic Parsley
- 1-2 Chives
- 4 Small Pickles
- ½ c. Celery
- 2-3 Pieces of Bacon

Directions

Cut the potatoes into cubes. (I don’t bother to skin them, but you could.) Make sure they are covered by about an inch and a half of water, and heavily salt the water (this brings out the flavor of the potatoes).
Raw Potatoes with the Skins On
Bring the water to a slow boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 12-15 minutes. Check the potatoes at about 12 minutes. (If you cook them too long, they will lose their firmness and texture and it will be more like mashed potato salad.) Dump them into a strainer, and run cold water over them to stop them from cooking any further.
Cooked Potatoes in a Colander
Boil your eggs. Check out my blog here to learn how to boil the perfect egg that’s easy to peel.
Chop up the eggs into cubes. I just use a basic egg slicer.
Cubed Hard Boiled Eggs
Mix in the mayonnaise, mustard, and apple cider vinegar.
Add the potatoes. I don’t mind if the eggs get mashed up a bit, but I like to be gentle with my potatoes so that they’ll hold their shape.
Eggs, Potatoes, Mayo, Mustard, and Apple Cider Vinegar
Add the salt, pepper, celery salt, and dill. I really never measure out my spices, especially salt. I just add a little, taste a little, add a little more, and taste again until it’s just right.
I like to add finely chopped fresh parsley, chives, and pickles to my potato salad, but add whatever extras suit your fancy.
Parsley, Chive, and Pickles
I just so happened to have some crispy freshly cooked bacon around after making this potato salad, and I thought, what the hey, everything’s better with bacon! So I crumbled some up, and sprinkled it on top of my potato salad. It was amazing.
Bacon Topped Potato Salad
So what are you waiting for? Go make some dang egg and potato salad already! (*Note: since 2018, I have used a keto diet to help me maintain a lower weight, so I don’t use the potatoes anymore.)

April 11, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

How to Make the World’s Best Yogurt and Buttermilk Pancakes

Grain, Recipes

I stumbled across the recipe for these yogurt and buttermilk pancakes this morning purely by accident when I ran out of my intended ingredients, and the results have absolutely blown me away. These are the best pancakes I have ever made. Period. It isn’t even dinnertime yet and the entire batch has been devoured by everyone in the family. Now, let me share the brilliant story of their creation.

It all started when I woke up this fine Saturday morning with my precious little five month old who decided that 5:30 a.m. would be a fine time to start the day. While everyone else slept in and Julian played happily in his bouncy seat, I decided that I would waft the house with the delicious aroma of a pancake breakfast and fresh coffee.

After I had added two cups of flour to my bowl, hoping to next add the milk and my cup of sourdough starter for my Sort of Sourdough Pancakes, I realized that we were out of milk. “Rats!” I thought, as I slowly remembered that I knew that we were out of milk since it was milk day and we had plans to visit the farm and get our weekly eight gallons of fresh raw milk when everyone woke up. Come on brain!

As I scanned the fridge, I found one cup of buttermilk left over from making my Ranch Dressing. “Hmmmm, buttermilk pancakes sound good,” I thought. But after adding the one cup of buttermilk to my flour, I realized it wasn’t near enough liquid. So I scanned the fridge again and noticed some plain organic yogurt sitting way in the back. “I sure hope this isn’t rotten,” I thought, not remembering the last time I had even touched the stuff. “Phew!” it passed the smell test, and into the mixture it went!

Next, I had hoped to add 3 or 4 eggs to at least make some super protein pancakes that Scott and I could force down, but we only had one egg. So after adding it to the mixture, I only half-heartedly mixed in the rest of the ingredients (vanilla, cinnamon, aluminum free baking powder, and salt). I had pretty much accepted the fact that this recipe was a bust, and I was ready to toss the whole thing out. But after mixing everything together, I realized that, hey, it wasn’t half bad. “Maybe there’s hope!” I exclaimed to Julian who just looked at me with a big goofy grin.

So I heated up the skillet with some coconut oil and decided to give these my best shot. I spent the next hour cooking one pancake after another (they took a reeeeeeeeeeally long time to cook thanks to the yogurt) until I had one big stack of pancakes. I usually take pictures of just about everything I cook since I like to blog about my recipes, but I didn’t even think it was worth it to snap one single photo.

After all of my pancakes were complete, I finally decided to try one. I was prepared for the worst as I hesitantly lifted up one corner of a still warm pancake and took a little nibble. It was…good. I mean, wow, like, really good, and it didn’t even have any butter or syrup on it yet! So I smothered one with butter, cut it up into bite sized pieces (cuz that’s what you do when you’re a mom, even if there aren’t any kids around), and drizzled some fresh maple syrup on top. Then I poured a big glass of milk, and sat down to one of the best pancakes I have ever had in my life.

The texture was just so amazing. It was chewy and moist, and full of so much wonderful flavor. The way that the buttermilk and yogurt complemented each other, and how the vanilla and cinnamon accented this taste explosion was simply exquisite. When my husband and children finally awoke, they were all treated to the most amazing breakfast ever. Everyone devoured these pancakes for breakfast, and then we ate them again for lunch! I am happy (and sad) to say that they are now all gone!

We only go shopping every other week nowadays to help with our time and budget, so we’ll have to wait awhile to stock up on buttermilk and organic plain yogurt again, but you can bet your buttons that this will be a recipe I will make time and time again. Now, without further adieu, here’s the recipe.

Yogurt and Buttermilk Pancake

Ingredients

1 c. Buttermilk
1 ½ – 2 c. Plain Yogurt
2 c. Flour
1 Egg
1 T. Cinnamon
1 T. Vanilla Extract
½ t. Real Salt
1 t. Aluminum Free Baking Powder

Directions

Preheat your cast iron skillet at heat level of 3 (if that’s how you’re cooking) and plop in a huge dollop of coconut oil.
Mix together the flour, buttermilk, and yogurt. The mixture shouldn’t be too thick, but it shouldn’t be runny either.
Crack the egg and mix it in.
Then add the cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and baking powder, and gently mix everything together.
Turn the heat up to a 4, and pour in a ladle’s worth of batter.
Cover and cook for about 10-12 minutes.
Check to see when not just the edges, but the entire pancake starts to look a darker shade of brown and you can see little bubbles popping up before flipping.
Cover and cook for another minute or two. If you don’t cook these pancakes long enough, they will feel gooey in the middle. As they cool, they will firm up a bit.
This recipe should make about 6 medium sized pancakes.
Top with tons of butter, drizzle on some fresh maple syrup, and sit down at a real table with a big glass of milk to enjoy the best pancake you’ve ever had.
You’re welcome.

ruby_eating_yogurt_and_buttermilk_pancakes

Yogurt and Buttermilk Pancake Lunch

April 11, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

Whole Wheat Pancakes or Waffles

General, Grain, Recipes

I love making these whole wheat pancakes or waffles when we need a quick meal and I don’t have the time to wait for my Sourdough Waffle and Pancake Recipe or my Sort of Sourdough Pancake Recipe. I like this recipe because it has the most eggs and least amount of flour of any of my waffle or pancake recipes. Yes, it will have phytic acid, but as long as it’s just sometimes and not all the time. The kids love helping me with this recipe.

Ingredients

2. c. Milk (Raw is best.)
3 ½ c. Flour (I get my wheat berries here, but you can find some similar here too. I use this grinder. You could also just buy some organic sprouted grain flour here.)
4 Eggs (Preferably pastured)
2 T. Cinnamon (Buy some here.)
2 T. Vanilla Extract (This vanilla would be best, but on our budget, I buy this.)
½ t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here, you can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
1 t. Baking Soda (or Aluminum Free Baking Powder)
2 T. Coconut Oil (This coconut oil would be best, but on our budget, I buy this.)

Directions

Preheat your cast iron skillet (make sure it’s cured properly) by setting it to a 2 or 3 for about five minutes.
Add a dollop of coconut oil to your cast iron skillet (or whatever cooking pan you choose).
Mix the eggs. It definitely is a good idea to have some help with this! Ruby knows how to puncture each egg yolk and stir them up.
Ruby is Really Good at Cracking Eggs
Add the cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. Stir well.
Add the flour and mix together. (Add a little at a time and mix well to avoid lumps. To make a thinner mixture, use 3 cups of flour, and to make a thicker mixture use 4 cups of flour.)
Turn the heat dial to 4 and pour a ladle’s worth of batter into the skillet. (The oil should be bubbling around the pancake.) *If you’re making waffles, go ahead and add the batter to the waffle iron. I like to grease mine with coconut oil.
Whole Wheat Pancake Batter Starting to Cook
Cover and let cook for about 2-4 minutes. (By the time I get a few pancakes in, the heat is sometimes too high and needs to be turned down temporarily. You’ll know if the heat is too high if you get hit with splattering coconut oil!)
When the edges are slightly browned and the top is bubbly, you’ll know it’s time to flip. (Stand back as you do this so you don’t get hit with splattering coconut oil.)
Whole Wheat Pancake Cooking
Cover and cook for about 1 minute on the other side.
Whole Wheat Pancake Cooking
Cook the rest of pancakes and add more coconut oil as needed. When you rock the pan back and forth, there should be enough oil to generously coat the bottom. This batter should make about 5-6 pancakes.
Serve with butter and maple syrup. (I like to smear the butter all over the top, then cut it up, and finally add a very modest amount of syrup.)
Whole Wheat Pancake Topped with Butter and Syrup

Elliot Loves these Whole Wheat Pancakes!

April 10, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

How to Make the Perfect Fried Egg

Eggs, General, Recipes

fried eggs cooked in a cast iron skillet

There are so many different types of egg dishes to consider making, but my each of my four kids have gone through a phase when one of their favorite foods was a perfectly cooked fried egg. Just like all of my other egg recipes, this one is simple and easy to follow, and will soon become a family favorite in your home too.

Ingredients

3-4 Eggs (Preferably Pastured)
1 T. Coconut Oil
½ t. Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here. You can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
¼ t. Pepper
1 T. Butter
½ c. Cheese (Optional)

Directions

Cure the Cast Iron Skillet: If you’re using a cast iron skillet, which I recommend, then you’ll want to make sure it’s cured properly before beginning.
Coconut Oil: Plop in a dollop of coconut oil and let the pan warm up for a good 3-5 minutes on a low setting. (This helps to ensure that the skillet is properly cured even more.)
Coconut Oil Melting on a Cast Iron Skillet
Turn Up the Heat: Turn the heat up to a 3 or 4 and if you have the patience, let it heat up for another few minutes.
Crack the Eggs: I usually like to cook three or four eggs at a time.
Fried Eggs Just Hit the Cast Iron Skillet
Break the Yolks: Puncture the yolks by making an X in them with the spatula. (Don’t get too crazy here, you want the white and yellow parts of the egg to stay somewhat separate.)
Fried Eggs with Broken Yolks
Cover and Cook: Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a 3 for about 8 minutes. Check the eggs after about 4 minutes. If they’re not really cooking yet, turn it up a bit. If the oil is bubbling and the eggs are cooking too fast, turn it down.)
Fried Eggs Covered and Cooking
Flip: Once the eggs are cooked almost all the way through, it’s time to flip.
Fried Eggs Ready to Flip

Fried Eggs Flipped
Cheese: If you want cheese, add it now. Either shredded or sliced will work just fine.
Cover and Turn Off the Heat: Let the eggs finish cooking for a minute or two, or wait until the cheese melts.
Fried Eggs with Cheese
Serve: If I’m serving the eggs plain without any cheese, I like to add a large pat of butter. Then I cut the eggs up into bite size pieces and serve. These eggs also work really well in egg sandwiches.
Cooked Fried Eggs with Cheese Served with Bacon

One Egg with Melted Cheese Cut Up and Ready to Eat!

March 31, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

How to Cook the Perfect Sunny Side Up Eggs

Eggs, General, Recipes

perfectly cooked sunny side up eggs with sourdough muffins

Frying an egg might seem like the simplest of culinary feats, but it can also be one of the most challenging..especially if you want to cook an egg just perfectly so that the white part is completely cooked and the yolk is nice and dippy. For years and years, I would proclaim to my husband that we were having sunny side up eggs for breakfast, only to serve them over medium time and time again. But I have FINALLY figured out how to cook the PERFECT sunny side up egg. Every. Single. Time.

Ingredients

3-4 Eggs (Preferably pastured)
1 T. Olive Oil
1 T. Coconut Oil
1 t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here. You can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
½ t. Pepper
Sourdough Muffins
1 T. Butter

Directions

Cure the Cast Iron Skillet: If you are cooking with a cast iron skillet (which I recommend for pretty much everything), then you’ll want to make sure it’s properly cured before you begin. Even if it’s been cured recently, I recommend running some hot water over it to clean out any bits of food, pouring in a fresh glug of olive oil, and letting it sit at the lowest setting on your stove for about thirty minutes to an hour.
Coconut Oil (or Butter): Add a dollop of coconut oil and turn the heat up to a 3 or 4 for a few minutes.
Coconut Oil Melting on a Cast Iron Skillet
Add the Eggs: Make sure the coconut oil is melted and the pan has had plenty of time to heat up (a few minutes at least), and then crack the eggs into the pan.
Sunny Side Up Eggs Just Starting to Cook
Cook Low and Slow: The trick with just about every egg dish is to cook them at a low temperature for a long time. Resist the temptation to turn the heat up because you’ll turn your back for ONE SECOND and the eggs will be overcooked. You’ll want to cook them for about ten minutes or so. If the eggs are just not cooking after some time, turn the heat up just a titch, and if the oil is starting to bubble, turn the heat down a smidgen. DON’T COVER WITH A LID! You might think that it will help cook the tops, but it won’t. It will just overcook the eggs.
Sunny Side Up Eggs Halfway Cooked
Add the Salt and Pepper: At any point after you’ve cracked the eggs, go ahead and sprinkle on some salt and pepper.
Sunny Side Up Eggs Sprinkled with Salt and Pepper
Time to Flip: Once the eggs are cooked just about all the way through, they are ready to be flipped.
These Sunny Side Up Eggs are Ready to Flip

Flipping the Eggs
Keep it Quick: To make a truly perfect dippy egg, you’ll only want to keep the egg flipped for no more than ten seconds. If you keep it flipped for about 30-40 seconds, you’ll notice that the egg is still dippy, but more firm around the edges. Any longer, and you’ve ruined the whole thing, and you might as well start over. Just make sure the whites are cooked through all the way because it’s really gross when they’re not.
Sunny Side Up Eggs Cooked to Perfection

In the picture above, the egg with the fork next to it was flipped for about 45 seconds, the egg in the middle was flipped for about 30 seconds, and the egg on the right was only flipped for about 5 seconds.
Check the Pan: You’ll know if your cast iron skillet was cured properly (and that you didn’t cook the eggs at too high of a temperature) if your pan looks like this when you are done.
Cast Iron Skillet After Cooking Sunny Side Up Eggs
Enjoy: Serve with some toasted and buttered sourdough muffins, a few slices of bacon, and a tall glass of milk for an amazing breakfast! (Also, make sure to sprinkle those yolks with a generous helping of Real Salt!)
Sunny Side Up Eggs, Sourdough Muffin, Bacon, and Milk…the Perfect Breakfast!

March 29, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

How to Make the Best Deviled Eggs

Eggs, General, Recipes

Deviled eggs are kind of my thing. Whenever we go to a gathering that is potluck style, I love bringing a big platter of freshly made deviled eggs. Some of our neighbors raise pastured chickens and sell us their eggs for $2/dozen, and I hate saying no since we are their only customers, so some weeks we have 6+ dozen eggs to consume! I love making fried eggs, scrambled eggs, dippy eggs, egg sandwiches, potato egg salad, and baked egg dishes, but my favorite thing to make (and eat) are these deviled eggs.

Ingredients

12 Eggs (Two weeks old and pastured)
4 T. Mayonnaise (I like Hellmann’s Olive Oil)
1 t. Mustard
3 t. Apple Cider Vinegar (I like Bragg’s)
½ t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here. You can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
¼ t. Pepper
¼ t. Paprika

Directions

Boil Your Eggs: To see how to boil an egg so that it is cooked to perfection and peels easily, check out my recipe for the perfect boiled egg.
Perfectly Cooked Hard Boiled Egg
Make the Yolk Mixture: To be honest, I never really measure my ingredients here. I just add a big blob of mayonnaise until it’s nice and creamy, then I add a squirt of mustard, a glug of apple cider vinegar, a few dashes of pepper, and a generous sprinkling of salt. Then I keep tasting and adding and tasting and adding. It’s always best to start with too little of something and add more than add too much of something and have to start over! You can use the measurements I’ve listed above as a starting point to create the mixture that you like best. 🙂 Also, sometimes I like a little taste explosion and add some chopped pickle and celery into the mixture.
Yolk Mixture for Deviled Eggs
Fill the Eggs: I just use a spoon to fill the empty egg halves, but you could get super fancy with these cake decorating tips and bags.
Empty Deviled Eggs Ready for Filling
Finishing Touches: I like to lightly sprinkle paprika over all the eggs when they are filled. (I don’t think they really look like deviled eggs without it!) I use a plastic egg serving tray, but this glass one would be nice too, or you might want something more portable like this or this. If you’re going to top with plastic wrap, make sure you add some toothpicks so it won’t stick to the yolk mixture. Enjoy!
Tray of Deviled Eggs