How to make THE PERFECT HARD BOILED EGG...Seriously!

Since my neighbors put up a coop and got 4 hens around Christmas time~ I have been on cloud nine with helping to take care of them, watching them in the yard and most of all, enjoying their eggs.
Since the arrival of warmer weather the egg production has been fantastic.
I been making egg salad, eggs for breakfast, egg whatever!
But my sole quest of late has been to make a perfect hard boiled egg.
Sounds like it should be easy right?
NOT!
Anybody else with me on this?
I can specifically remember my Home-Ec teacher standing over me as I made the perfect egg and got an A.
That was in 8th grade and could have cared less about hard boiled eggs. And apparently I must have just lucked out that day because since then, I've struggled.
They either come out over cooked with the dreaded  GREEN YOLK...ick!
Or, you wind up peeling all the white off with the shell!
Soooo, a little research was on order and the experiments began.

Here is the result that I have found WORKS THE BEST for a perfect hard boiled egg:

Eggs that have been refrigerated for a few days work way better than "fresh from the coop eggs."
Place all the eggs in a SINGLE LAYER in the pot.
Pour water over the eggs to be sure they are completely covered.
ADD a TBS. of white vinegar (will not affect taste)
Bring the water to a rolling boil and then TURN OFF THE HEAT.
Cover the pot for about 15 minutes ~ no longer.
Drain the hot water and immediately pour COLD COLD water over the eggs. You can even add ice if you want. The shells are porous and soaking them in water will help to release the shell.I also tried cracking them a little before I  put them in the cold water, but found that it wasn't really necessary.
The result of all of this is: THE PERFECT NON GREEN EASY TO PEEL EGG!!!
My Home-Ec teacher would be so proud.
Oh, and for all the eggs shells?? These work great in your compost pile OR put them in the hole you dig to plant your tomatoes in. They love um!
Good luck on your egg cookin!
Let me know how they turn out OR if you have other TRIED and TRUE TIPS!
 

Photography and Pancakes!

What a blog post title huh?

This post is really for my Dad.

When my parents were here for the holidays I lovingly served up delicious plates of gooey pancakes....undercooked with a goopy middle. Yuck. I heard about it too, not just from Dad, mom chimed in second and Mr. OTM finished out the chorus.

Sooooo, the quest to make a perfect pancake made the

New Year ...New Me List!

I have been fiddling around with different pancake recipes and techniques.

Here is what I've learned:

1.) I love my own MADE UP recipe like crazy

(I'll share it at the bottom of this post)

2.) I MUST use a griddle.....still can't make them on a stove top.

So this past Sunday morning before I jetted off to my photography class ,

I proceeded to make the MOST FLUFFIEST PANCAKES I have ever made in my entire life!

The fluff-i-tude factor was off the hook!

Mr. OTM told me to snap a picture for proof.....just in case!

(Note: this is a PRE photography class photo...a bit outta focus but it all happened so fast and I was so excited and Russ was talking with his mouth full and well...get the picture?)So Sunday turned out to be kind of a BIG day for me: fantastic PANCAKES and my PHOTOGRAPHY class!

Let me just say this about the class....WOO HOO!!! I loved it! If you have been thinking about taking one yourself...DO IT! Honestly you will really learn alot and be able to understand more of what you are doing and why. By no means am I ready to start booking weddings or anything like that...that's not the goal. What I am ready for is practice...playing around and seeing what works and how. If a class is difficult for you to fit into your life at the moment here are few blogs that offer EASY TO UNDERSTAND tips on photography. I love to visit them often:

1.) The Pioneer Woman

2.) Farmgirl Paints

3.) Privet and Holly

4.) I am Momma Hear Me Roar

You want to "focus" ( pun intended...*wink* ) on Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. From that point on give it a whirl!
Okay amigos ......I fell like I am forgetting something.......hum......

GOT IT!

The MOST FLUFFIEST PANCAKES EVER RECIPE!

4 cups Jiffy Mix

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup Milk (perhaps a bit more depending on the consistency of batter you like)

1 Tsp (or more) of Almond flavoring

That's it! Ladle it on the griddle and wait! YummmmmmY!

I don't even eat them with syrup. Just plain, right off the griddle!

Thank You all so MUCH for your sweet comments and kind words!

You all make my day!

HERBS & FISH TACOS...WHAT????

The only thing they have in common is the Cilantro.....

otherwise this all totally random!

Sometimes I like to pretend that I am a great photographer and make the attempt

to inspire fellow bloggers to become

as great as I am at taking an awe inspiring photo.

NOT! Ha! Who am I kiddin!

So what you see is what you get!

Let's talk HERBS. I LOVE UM! Nothing adds such a nice FRESH flavor to a dish

like fresh cut herbs. I planted a bunch this year in containers and have them on the deck where they soak up the full sun and are right off the dining room so I can go and easily snip what I need when I am cooking!

My favs are: SWEET BASIL, GLOBE BASIL, CHIVES, OREGANO, ROSEMARY, CILANTRO, CURLY PARSLEY, and THYME. I use these all the time! I encourage you to plant a container Herb Garden and REMEMBER...HERBS LOVE TO BE SNIPPED!! It keeps um comin on!

In review....Herbs+full sun+water+snipping= delicious dishes!

I know, I know these are zinnias~ they asked if they could have their picture taken during all the Herb fuss...I felt bad they were being left out.......

That varigated oregano gets a little cocky sometimes because it's one of the few herbs that has two tone color and adds a splash to your container. Gets a big head over the whole deal.
OKAY DONE WITH THE HERBS!
ONTO FISH TACOS! I can hear how thrilled you all are! The suspense has been unbelieveable!



Tuesday night is Seafood Night at our house.
WHY you ASK?
Long story.
Okay, it's not so long.
We LOVE to watch Deadliest Catch.
Deadliest Catch is on Tuesday nights.
Deadliest Catch is about catching crab.
Crab is seafood.
Deadliest Catch+Seafood+Tuesday Night
We are dorks~ (do you see a pattern yet?)
The end.
Sooooo...I got inspired by that little Martha Stewart Food Magazine that had Fish Tacos on the cover. I Googled Fish Tacos and combined two recipes and I am telling you.....
in a word....
FANTASTIC!!! OMG!!!

Here it is in case you wanna try um!
Olde Tyme Marketplace Fish Tacos
(just humor me okay?? :0)

1-2 pounds Tilapia
flour
salt and pepper
oil for frying
Red cabbage ( shredded)
Avocado (sliced)
Pico de gallo
Buritto size flour tortillas
Poppy Seed dressing (this is the little secret that puts these OVER THE TOP!)

Coat the fish with flour, salt and pepper and fry in oil until crispy on both sides about 5-7 minutes. Remove and pat dry. Start piling it on the burrito with everything else! Smother with the Poppy seed dressing and roll it up into a big wad with everything shooting out the sides and
ENJOY!!!
A great side dish for these is Cheesy Rice.
Okay, I am pooped and need some beauty sleep. I am putting my next post together of little "sneek peeks" of what you'll see that's NEW in the shop for ShopKeeper Sunday this weekend May 16th!! RAIN OR SHINE!!
Gotta go catch some zzzzzzzz'ssssssss!

HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE!

Yesterday was one of my favorite kind of days....it was all drizzly and cold outside and nice and cozy inside! The perfect kind of day to make up my homemade applesauce. I do this every year and freeze a bunch to have throughout the rest of the coming year. We ran up to the mountains on Sunday so I could get the wonderful North Carolina mountain apples.....(plus to stop a few fav shops too...*wink*! ) The drive was so nice and relaxing..just the break I needed with all the prep going on for the holiday season. The leaves are just starting to turn up there and there was just enough color to ohhh and ahhh over. I really don't have time to be hiking to get the apples let alone spending a whole day making it BUT it is a tradition I love and refuse to give it up. Thought you might enjoy how I go about making the sauce...it's easy and the result is delicious! Follow me....... I like to use a combination of apples. You will need a nice firm crisp variety with good texture. This year I used Winesap and Arkansas Black. I always like to choose one variety with a nice red skin as that will give your sauce a great pink color. If you can't get your hands on either of these McIntosh is an all time favorite. I like to cut and quarter them and remove as much of the core and seeds as possible. Whatever you don't get the food mill get later.

Toss them into a tall pot and put about 3 cups of water in. Turn the heat on medium and let them cook down until they become mushy. Mine take about 20-25 minutes but it will depend on how many apples you have used. A smaller batch will take less time.

Let them cool for a bit. Get a ladel and pour some into the food mill. Crank the mill and watch all the wonderful sauce come out! When using the food mill it is very important to crank it until there are nothing but pieces of apple skin left. The color of the sauce somes from the skin, so don't try to go to fast ....it is worth it!

All I add to my sauce is sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. I do all of this "to taste" so I have no measurements. Mix well.As a little "extra" treat ...while the sauce is still warm, fill a little bowl for yourself, add a pat of butter to it and you'll think your in heaven it's sooo good!

And finally you have a wonderful batch of sweet, pink, delicious Homemade Applesauce! At this point I will get out my Ziploc freezer containers and load them up and stack um in the freezer. It is so nice to have this throughout the year and well worth the day it takes to get it done. Hope your sauce turns out great! I am sure you're gonna love it! ENJOY!

Makin Jam!!

Got up early this morning to make up some strawberry freezer jam! I picked up the berries yesterday (the key word there is UP....I DID NOT pick these myself....can't do it...or just don't want to do it...it was my very first "real paying" job as a young teen and I grew to loath picking berries...we got .10 cents a quart....even back then in the early 80's I new that was a rip off!! lol!!) Anyway don't they look delicious???

I found a place last year ...COOKS STRAWBERRIES in Monroe. I bought a big ole bucket and there wasn't a bad berry in there. It made the BEST JAM so I was excited to go back this year and they didn't disappoint....perfection again! (after I took this pic I confess I ate about 4 of um....they were all nice and warm from the sun.....yum!!)

I really like using the Ball No Cook fruit pectin. SUPER EASY and great results. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Here is my "secret weapon" when it comes to mashing the berries....a PASTY CUTTER!! It doesn't see much action cuttin pasty so it feels terribly important during berry season. You gotta go with what works.......................!

And here ya go.....the final product! Ever put this on ice cream????? It is heaven on earth I swear!! This was from 4 quarts of berries , two packages of the pectin and 3 cups of sugar total. I will probably do up another 4 quarts to be sure I have some to share! Now off to the freezer to hunt for the ice cream............................:)

EASY RECIPE..JUST IN TIME FOR EASTER!

Good Morning Everybody!! These are the cookies that I made for my open house at the shop. They are super easy and take no time at all to make AND you can use any flavor cake mix you want. Try Lemon (above) , Strawberry , and Coconut and look how pretty they all look on a platter...kind of like Easter Eggs!

COOL WHIP COOKIES...(YEP ...Cool Whip!)

One 8 ounce container Cool Whip
One box any flavor cake mix (not angel food!)
Two eggs
Powdered Sugar

Combine Cool Whip,cake mix and eggs and mix well. DOUGH WILL BE STICKY!! I find that if I chill it for at least an hour it really helps to handle it BUT it's not necessary. Drop by spoonfuls into the powdered sugar and coat evenly ...go crazy get alot on there.. then take and place them onto a parchement paper lined cookie tray and bake for 10-12 minutes at 350. Let sit for a few minutes on cookie tray then cool completely on wire rack! You will get about 36 of these little suckers!! DELICIOUS!

WHAT DOES 14 DEGREES AND 2 ROTTEN BANANAS EQUAL??

HOMEMADE BANANA BREAD!! Yep, when it's cold out I love to bake! I was so happy this morning when I let the dog out, I looked at the temp and it was 14 degrees!! I then looked on the counter where the 2 rotten bananas were (okay...we'll call them over ripe ) and I said with a grin...today is the day!!

The recipe I used came from The Ashtabula County Master Gardeners Cookbook. I have never used one that called for sour cream and I have to say...it turned out super! Very moist and delicious...fell right out of the pan too! It will now be my "go to recipe" for Banana Bread. What was that???? You wanna make some too?..well I won't leave ya hangin any longer..here's the recipe:

HOMEMADE NORTH CAROLINA BANANA BREAD FROM AN OHIO RECIPE!

1 c. sugar

1 stick butter or marg.

1 lg. egg

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 or 2 very ripe (aka rotten) bananas

1/2 c sour cream

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bread pan. Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in egg. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to butter mixture. Mix until just combined. Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla. Mix until combined. Stir in nuts if you wish. Pour batter into greased pan. Bake until toothpick comes out clean, approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in pan. Invert and cool completely. Slice and enjoy!!

YUMMY AND DELICIOUS! I had to cut a piece while it was still warm though! I highly recommemded it! Have a great day and stay warm!

P.S. From previous experience ..... If you do make this be prepared to hear " what kind of candle are you burning??" Apparently candles get burned more often than homemade goodies come out of the oven. Just be prepared to show the evidence to prove that the smell throughout the house is indeed authentic!! LOL!.....true story though ;)

BECAUSE YOU ALL ASKED SO NICE.......RECIPES!!

I just wanted to give a HUGE THANK YOU HUG to all who made it for out to my OLDE TYME CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY GATHERING. For those of you who were able to come to our First Candlelight Night.....WHAT A BLAST HUH??? All of your support, kind words and compliments were so sweet and meant the world. When I had a minute to look around, I must say that it was magical!!! Everyone had smiles, yummy treats in their hands, the glow of the lights were so peaceful and then it occured to me....there was just pure JOY filling the shop! What a treat to be apart of something so special. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Everyone looked so nice and festive and HAPPY! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for making it such a great evening!
Speaking of the yummy treats.....we had a slew of um!! I need to thank my friend Janna for whipping up these bacon/sesame stick appetizers, and Lisa for the chocolate dipped cherries, mini pecan tarts and chocolate covered mini pretzel sticks rolled in walnuts! Everything looked so great it looked like I had the thing catered! My friend Gail brought her friend Leslie and they were a HUGE help in putting it all together! Many of you requested the recipes for the Graham Cracker Pralines and Pumpkin Dip so because you all asked soooooo nice , I will post them for ya here in a bit!
We have already planned that next year we are going to have a contest to count how many candles were lit!! Gail....thanks for helping to light them all!! I will admit that I must have walked around the shop at least a DOZEN times before I left to make sure they were all blown out...we did good! The winner of the $50.00 gift certificate will be announced in the next post!
Okie Dokie...now for the recipes!!!!

PUMPKIN DIP

4 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR
2 8 OUNCE PKGS. CREAM CHEESE (SOFTENED)
1 SMALL CAN OF PUMPKIN
2 TBS. CINNAMON
GINGER OR NUTMEG TO TASTE
COMBINE THE CREAM CHEESE AND POWDERED SUGAR 1 CUP AT A TIME WITH THE MIXER IN A LARGE BOWL. ADD THE PUMPKIN AND SPICES AND BLEND THOROUGHLY. CHILL FOR TWO HOURS BEFORE SERVING. BEST SERVED WITH GINGER SNAPS OR MY PERSONAL FAV....CINNAMON GRAHAM CRACKERS! (This makes a large amount of dip and could easily be cut in half)


GRAHAM CRACKER PRALINES

GRAHAM CRACKERS (plain)
2 STICKS OF BUTTER
1/2 CUP DARK BROWN SUGAR (LIGHT BROWN MAY ALSO BE USED)
1/2 TO 1 CUP CHOPPED NUTS..(I use pecans mostly)

LINE YOUR COOKIE SHEET WITH THE GRAHAM CRACKERS. MELT BUTTER AND SUGAR IN PAN. LET IT BOIL FOR THREE MINUTES. TOSS IN THE NUTS. POUR MIXTURE ALL OVER THE CRACKERS. SPREAD WITH A SPATULA FOR EVEN COVERAGE...BUT WORK FAST!!!
BAKE AT 350 DEGREES FOR 7 MINUTES OR UNTIL NICE AND BROWN AND BUBBLY. CUT APART AND REMOVE FROM PAN WHILE THEY ARE STILL HOT!!! YUMMY!!!

WELL THERE YA GO! THANKS AGAIN AND CONTINUE TO TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT! IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!!!