Secrets of Making Boiled Eggs

Boiling an egg may seem like a simple task but in reality, it takes some basic knowledge for them to come out perfectly every time.

Making a perfectly cooked boiled egg is simple if you follow a few guidelines. The most important thing to remember is to not boil the eggs for too long. They turn tough and rubbery and get a green tinge around the yolk.

Mrs. Smith, my home economics teacher said "Hard-boiled eggs should really be called soft-cooked eggs, because there's no reason to boil them."

The water needs to boil, but once it reaches a boiling point, it's important to remove the pan from the heat. Set the pan aside, cover it with a lid, and set a timer for 10 minutes. That's about it.

Eggs are among the most versatile foods. They're in cakes, pies, salads, sauces, meatloaves, baked goods, pancakes, and sandwiches, as a main dish or a side. One favorite ways to serve them is hard-boiled.

How to:

1. Start by adding two to three inches of water to a saucepan.
2. Add the desired number of eggs to the tepid water allowing enough water to cover the eggs completely.
3. Bring the water to a boil using medium heat. Raising the temperature too quickly will cause the eggs to bounce and crack.
4. Once the water begins to boil, turn off the heat.
5. Cover the pan with a lid and set a timer for 10 minutes.
6. After 10 minutes, run cool water over the eggs and using a slotted spoon, place them in a bowl with cold water. Add ice to speed the cooling process.
7. To peel the eggs, tap the large end on a hard surface like the countertop or the sink.
8. Continue tapping the egg until the shell is cracked all around and on both ends.
9. Roll the cracked shell between your palms gently and remove the shell, starting with the large end.

To cool the eggs quickly, place the hot eggs into a small bowl and add some water and a few ice cubes. Immediately submerging the eggs in cold water helps separate the membrane from the shell to make peeling them easier.

Lightly tap the cooled egg on a firm surface like the inside edge of the kitchen sink. Once you've cracked the shell all the way around, roll the egg gently between your palms. Begin peeling the egg at the large end.

A warm, soft-cooked egg right out of the shell is delicious with a little salt and pepper. Or leave them in the ice water to get nice and cold, then serve them any way you like.

Easy Deviled Eggs

1. Start by cutting the boiled eggs in half.
2. Bend the eggs slightly away from the yolk and pop the cooked center out into a small bowl.
3. Blend the yolks by mashing them with a fork.
4. Add salt, pepper, mayonnaise, a dab of mustard, and a tablespoon of pickle relish.
5. Combine the ingredients well.
6. Refill the egg cups using two small spoons, one to scoop up a small amount of the mixture and the other one to scoot it off the spoon into the egg white.
7. Sprinkle with a dash of paprika, if desired.

Blend the ingredients together and refill the shells using two small spoons.

Sprinkle with a dash of paprika and you're ready to serve them on your beautiful vintage deviled egg plate!

Easy Egg Salad

Keep a few boiled eggs in the refrigerator to make into egg salad sandwiches. Just peel them, cut them into small pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add a small amount of mayonnaise and a bit of sweet pickle relish.

Sandwiches made with egg salad on toasted whole wheat or rye make a quick lunch meal. They used to be on the menu at the lunch counter in the dime stores. Paired with a vanilla or chocolate milkshake, it will fill you up.

Oven Baked Salmon in 20 Minutes

Fresh salmon is easy to make and cleanup is a snap. This oven meal is quick, nutritious and economical.

Whether you're on a budget or just looking for something new to fix for dinner, this meal is easy to prepare, requires little clean-up effort, and is economical. One fresh salmon fillet can easily make three main dish entrees for around $12.00.

Add veggies, bread, and a green salad, and you're ready to eat in 25 minutes.

If you've looked at the price for a nice salmon meal at a restaurant lately, you'll be amazed that you can prepare this meal for less than half of the cost. Clean-up is made easy when you line your baking pan with aluminum foil and bake this delicious salmon in your own oven.

Here's how to do it:

• Select fresh salmon from your favorite grocery store. I always find good choices at Aldi where they have ocean raised (not farm raised) filets.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Use kitchen shears to cut the fish into 4 ounce portions.
• Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet skin side down.
• Season with onion salt, pepper, powdered garlic and a tablespoon of butter.

• Bake for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes with a fork
• Separate the skin from the filet using a flat spatula and a fork.
• Leaving the skin on the foil, transfer the filet to a plate or the top of a salad.

Served hot or cold, this economical meal is easy and delicious.

Refrigerate unused filets in a covered container. The next day, in a bowl, use two forks to flake the fish.

• Add a tablespoon of mayonnaise
• Add a teaspoon of pickle relish
• Add a chopped boiled egg (optional)
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Use this as a salad topper or on a sandwich. Delicious!

Easy Crock Pot Pork Roast

Looking for an economical, easy, delicious way to feed the family? This meal cooks while you're doing other things and can be served many ways.

It's easy to prepare pulled pork roast for sandwiches or burritos. Slice off a 1 - 1 1/2 inch portion of the cooked roast and use two forks to shred the meat. Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, diced tomatoes on a warmed tortilla or sandwich bun.


Choose a nice, lean sirloin tip pork roast like the ones from Costco priced about $16.00 for a 4-pack. Each roast makes a nice family meal for around $4.00. Use one fresh and freeze the other three for future meals. Add some rice, corn, potato or a salad and you've got a hearty meal.

Instructions:
Season the outside of the roast with garlic salt, paprika, black pepper or any dry rub or spices you like. Lightly brown the outside edges of the roast in a heated frying pan with some olive oil and minced garlic.

Brown the outside edges to seal in the flavor.

It only takes about a minute to brown the top and a minute on the bottom.

Use kitchen tongs to brown the sides and ends of the roast to seal in the flavors.

Use tongs to hold the roast and brown the edges.

Transfer the browned roast into the crock pot. Turn it on High. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the frying pan to make a seasoned liquid and pour it over the roast in the Crock Pot.

Cover and cook the roast on High for 5 to 6 hours. During the last hour reduce the heat to Low. Or cook the roast on Low for 7 to 8 hours while you're away.

Pulled pork burritos are a big hit with our family. Other times, this entree goes well with corn on the cob and a salad.

Pulled Pork Burrito with Corn on the Cob

Served on sandwich buns it makes a delicious barbecue pork sandwich. Or use cubed chunks of leftover pork roast to make pork fried rice. Easy, economical, and delicious, this meal will delight your family and fill your hearty appetite with very little effort.

Banana Pudding with Homemade Custard

Sometimes I crave something that reminds me of summer and childhood. Years ago, we made this recipe with Nabisco Vanilla Wafers and Instant Banana Pudding.

These days, I prefer the taste of the homemade custard that takes only minutes to cook and the flavor alone makes up for the time invested. It's also easy cleanup as only one medium saucepan is needed.

There are 5 main ingredients needed other than bananas and vanilla wafers. Most of these items I keep on hand in my pantry.

Ingredients for the Custard

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar - or use 12 packets of Stevia sweetener or Sucralose
• 4 Tablespoons of powdered corn starch
• 1/4 cup of Karo corn syrup
• 2 egg yolks - It's easy to separate the yolks from the whites. See below.
• 2 cups of whole milk - You can also substitute 2% milk.

After the pudding thickens add:

• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract or sometimes I use banana extract if I have it.

To prepare the dish you'll need

• Vanilla wafers and two bananas.

The key to making delicious pudding or custard is in the attention to stirring. Plan to dedicate 15 minutes of your undivided attention to this. Constant stirring eliminates the need for a double boiler and keeps the pudding from scorching and sticking to the pan.

Instructions

Start with a heavy duty medium sized pan.

Measure out the sugar or sweetener right into the cold pan.

Add the corn starch and Karo syrup.




Separate the egg whites from the yolks by using a knife to crack the egg or strike it gently on a the edge of the counter.

Over a separate container, allow the egg white to drip through half of the shell.

Pour the egg yolk into the pan with the dry ingredients.

Pour about half a cup of the milk into the ingredients and stir with a whisk to form a paste.

Add the remaining milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.

Set a timer for about 20 minutes. Depending on your stove, it takes from 15 - 20 minutes for the mixture to come to a boil. At the first sign of boiling, remove the pan from the heat and add the pat of butter and vanilla extract. Stir and allow to cool a bit while you prepare the dish.

Line a casserole dish with a layer of Vanilla Wafers. 

Slice the bananas over the wafers.

Pour the cooked pudding custard over the top.

End with another layer of bananas and finish with the custard. Sometimes I crumble a few Vanilla wafers over the top. 

Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours and serve with whipped cream.

I hope you enjoy this family favorite dessert.

Salad - 50 Ways to Lose Your Blubber

Trying to lose a few pounds at my age has become a real challenge. Two years ago I decided to lose ten pounds. I'm not discouraged. I've only got twenty more pounds to go. "All I had was a salad." Go figure.

This is a favorite with Iceberg lettuce, chopped Roma tomatoes, drained black beans and sliced fresh strawberries. Where I've been going wrong is with the dressing. If you read the label, two tablespoons is an average serving with 140 calories. I usually quadruple that amount. (I may be underestimating a bit.) This week I decided to try something different. I've been using Balsamic Vinaigrette mixed with Zesty Italian Lite dressing and I've lost two pounds.

This was lunch on Monday: Iceberg lettuce, chopped celery, sliced baby carrots, chopped beefsteak tomatoes and dressing. What's missing is the mountain of cheese that I usually shred over the top of this "low-fat" meal. Of course, I've skipped the Simply Dipped Nutty Buddy ice cream cone afterward, too. How droll.

For variety, I tried a salad with rolled up deli turkey, 15 calories per slice, and rather than the entire tomato, I used only half. What a sacrifice!

This one's also a favorite of mine made with baby spinach leaves, deli turkey and half of an avocado. I like to sprinkle a little lemon juice over the top to keep it from browning too quickly. Usually, there's no danger of that since it's gone in 60 seconds. Just kidding. It usually lasts three minutes while I watch an episode of Snapped: Killer Couples or Lt. Joe Kenda on TV.

Here's another way to use up that Costco-size Hillshire's Farm Deli Turkey in the economical five-gallon tub. I back-slid on this one and added shredded cheddar cheese, but to make up for it, there's fresh grapes. So I'm good, right?

Okay, here I'm really falling off the wagon with this tuna salad and its high calorie mayonnaise. Please help me, I'm falling. Down one pound and back up two. Aaaccck!

Getting better all the time with these added black olives, half a boiled egg, Garbanzo beans (for protein) and two rolled up slices of deli ham at 25 calories each. Oh, don't forget the Roma tomatoes and the half cup of Ranch Dressing.

Now, you're cooking. Avocado, black beans, grilled chicken breast, Roma tomatoes over Iceberg lettuce. Yes, now, that's a meal in itself.

But wait, what about the dressing?

Venturing way out on a limb with Artisan type lettuce, otherwise, same stuff, different day. Black beans, Roma tomatoes, boiled egg, hold the salt - I'm on a diet. Ah, never mind. What good is an egg without salt?

This is even better. Tuna with no mayonnaise, sliced baby carrots, baby spinach, Iceberg lettuce, paprika. Uh oh. Giant bowl.

Really branching out now. Adding diced Bell pepper, rolled ham with Swiss cheese, boiled egg, Spinach and Iceberg lettuce. Feeling happy. Have a nice day. Ok. Google won't let me add more images so that's it for now. Eat healthy. Drum roll. Here's Paul Simon, 

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.

Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe from Aunt Jessie

Once you taste the home made richness of this chocolate cream pie you'll never go back to instant pudding again. It's easy to make and well worth the time it takes.

Holidays were special times when our clan of cousins, aunts, uncles, siblings and parents gathered for a meal as a family. Preparations started before daylight for a full morning of cooking turkeys and baking cakes and pies. 

When it grew close to the lunch hour, we would gather around in the Florida room, lured in by the delicious aromas which wafted into the back yard where we were playing. The festive table was set with platters of every sort of food imaginable from roasted turkey and gravy, mashed potatoes, fresh green beans, salads, cranberry sauce, casserole dishes, and of course, an entire table dedicated to dessert.

There was a variety of cakes and pies including mincemeat pie, pecan and strawberry, but the chocolate cream pie was always my favorite and usually the first one to disappear. Thoughts of those times bring fond memories of those pies made from scratch by someone we love.

It's not hard to duplicate this homemade pie, whether using a store-bought crust or making your own. Cooking the filling takes about twenty-five minutes, during which you can bake the single pie crust and let it cool. Here's how to do it:

Pie Crust Dough Recipe for a One Crust Pie

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup of solid vegetable shortening (like Crisco) or butter; 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2-3 tablespoons of cold water.

Sift the flour and salt together into a mixing bowl. Using two knives (in crisscross fashion) or a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Slowly add the cold water, a little at a time, until the dough sticks together in a ball but is not sticky. More water or flour may be needed if the mix is too dry (add drops of water) or too sticky (add a little flour).

If you have time, refrigerate the dough for about an hour. This is usually not needed if the room temp is cool.

Transfer the dough ball to a lightly floured surface and roll it into a circle one inch larger than the pan to allow for a fluted edge. I made a video for Instructions on forming the pie crust:

1. Place the prepared dough into a deep-dish, 9 inch pie pan.
2. Trim and fold under the excess edges of the dough as you work your way around the rim.
3. Shape the edges into scallops by pressing the dough between two fingers and forming an indentation between them with the thumb of the other hand.
4. Make sure there are no cracks or tears in the uncooked crust. If repair is needed, a drop of water or milk will help mending the cracks.
5. Since the pie crust must be baked before adding the pudding, use a fork to prick tiny holes all around the edges and bottom of the crust. This allows steam to escape when baking.
6. Bake the crust at 450 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Ingredients and Instructions for the Chocolate Cream Pudding filling:

Ingredients: 2 cups of milk (regular or two percent), 1/4 cup of Corn Syrup, 4 Tablespoons of Corn Starch, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 2 egg yolks, 4 Tablespoons Hershey's powdered cocoa, 1 Tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract. 

Mix together about a half cup of the milk, all the sugar, corn syrup, cornstarch and cocoa in a medium sized, heavy-duty saucepan.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and add the yolks to the mixture and stir thoroughly with a whisk.

Add the rest of the milk and heat the mixture slowly over low to medium heat stirring constantly so it doesn't scorch. It may take between 11 and 15 minutes to reach a boil.

When the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken, immediately remove it from the heat and add the butter and vanilla extract stirring until the butter melts.

Let the mixture cool before spooning it into the cooled, baked pie crust.

Refrigerate the pie for at least an hour before serving.

Tips

• Be sure to watch the milk mixture carefully as it comes up to temperature and stir continuously.
• Resist the temptation to raise the heat too high. Medium heat is best to avoid scorching the milk and sugar.
• When the hot mixture starts bubbling up unexpectedly, take the pan off the heat.
• Allow the pudding to cool completely before pouring it into the crust. This helps keep the crust from getting soggy.
• If the pastry puffs up in places when baking, use a fork to prick the bubble and release the steam or the crust will bake in the raised shape.

Making homemade whipped cream is quick, easy and delicious. Or, if you like, you can use a prepared topping like Cool Whip or Ready Whip Whipped Cream.

This family recipe is one of my husband's all-time, most requested desserts.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Easy Chicken Pasta Casserole - Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini

Casserole dishes are hearty and simple to make using ingredients from your pantry. Filled with chicken, pasta and canned soup, this is a family favorite. It's quick and economical.

My mother-in-law perfected the art of stretching a food budget. When it came to making economical, hearty and quick meals for her family, she was the queen. You'll need an oven proof casserole and about 30 minutes.

Using these few ingredients, here's the recipe for a casserole that has stood the test of time. I hope you'll try it out.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Package of Spaghetti (8 oz.) Or elbow macaroni, Rigatoni, shells, etc.
• 1 Cup of Canned Cooked Chicken (or use leftovers from a rotisserie style chicken)
• 1 Can of Creamed Chicken Soup
• 1/2 can milk or broth
• 1/2 to 1 Cup Shredded Cheese
• 1 Sleeve of Ritz Crackers (or crushed potato chips or other crackers) Crushed
• 2 Tablespoons of Butter for the top of the crust

Instructions:

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the directions until it's firm, not mushy, around 9 minutes once the water comes to a boil.
2. Drain the pasta and pour it back into the warm pan.
3. Pour in half a cup of milk; add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Stir the mushroom soup into the cooked spaghetti
5. Add half a can of water.
6. Add the cooked chicken and stir gently.
7. Pour the combination into a greased, oven-proof casserole dish
8. Grate some cheddar cheese over the top or use prepared shredded cheese.
9. Top with a layer of crushed Ritz Crackers and dot the surface with butter.
10. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees about 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Hot and Delicious!

The dish can be made with any pasta your family likes, Rotini, rigatoni, spaghetti or elbow macaroni. No matter what type of pasta you choose, the dish turns out delicious.

Any type of milk is fine to use: regular, two-percent, skim or fat-free. You can substitute chicken stock or evaporated milk with a little water added. 

Instead of mushroom soup, you can use cream of celery soup, cream of broccoli or cheese soup.

For a little color, I like to add about 1/4 cup of frozen green peas or carrots into the mixture before pouring it into the casserole dish to bake. You can spice it up as desired with garlic, onion salt, celery pieces, mushrooms or by adding a variety of leftover veggies.

Served with a cup of fresh fruit or a small salad, this makes a filling, economical meal.