Buttered Eggs

So, in my email this morning was a recommendation from Amazon that I might like a new book..."Outlander Kitchen" by Theresa Carle-Sanders.  It's a cookbook inspired by the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon!  Amazon was right...again.  I DO like this book.  I also like the website: http://outlanderkitchen.com/ 

As I was scrolling through the list of recipes (and being how we hadn't eaten breakfast yet), I decided to try the Buttered Eggs from The Scottish Prisoner.  I had all the ingredients...you probably do too...there aren't that many.  Eggs, Butter, Salt and Pepper.  A frightening amount of butter, actually. One full tablespoon of butter per egg!!

So, I made a few minor adjustments (namely a little less butter!) and cooked these up. Delicious!  A toasted English Muffin and teaspoon of homemade Blueberry Preserves are the perfect accompaniment.  We are now ready to hitch up the oxen and go plow the back 40!!  

Here's the recipe.

BUTTERED EGGS

3 tablespoons butter
4 eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.  While that's doing, season the eggs with a little salt and pepper and beat well until the white and yellow are well combined.  When the butter starts to get frothy, pour the eggs into it and stir often with a fork or spatula.  You want to incorporate the butter into the cooking eggs, so don't stop stirring!  Gently, though.  When the eggs are still moist, turn the heat off and and finish cooking and stirring until they are done. You don't want to overcook them...they should be done, but still moist and creamy looking.  Serve with toast.

The eggs tasted great, but even though I used less butter than the original recipe called for, I would decrease the butter to only 2 tablespoons if I made this again.  Or increase the eggs to 6 instead of 4!

Also, just in case you're interested in history, this dish was described in a cookbook as early as 1660 (The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May).  Here's the instructions for preparing it in 1822 (from The Cook and Housekeeper's Dictionary by Mary Eaton):

BUTTERED EGGS. Beat four or five eggs, yolk and white together; put a quarter of a pound of butter in a bason, and then put that into boiling water. Stir it till melted, then put that butter and the eggs into a saucepan; keep a bason in your hand, just hold the saucepan in the other over a slow part of the fire, shaking it one way, as it begins to warm. Pour it into the bason and back again, then hold it over the fire, stirring it constantly in the saucepan, and pouring it into the bason, more perfectly to mix the egg and butter, until they shall be hot without boiling. Serve on toasted bread, or in a bason, to eat with salt fish or red herrings.

Eerie Eyeballs

Eerie Eyeballs

3 oz (small box) lemon gelatin (can be sugar-free)
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup pineapple juice
8 oz cream cheese (can be lowfat/Neufchatel)

Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup water in double boiler, add marshmallows and stir to melt. Remove from heat. Add pineapple juice and cream cheese. Beat until well blended. Cool slightly. If you have a truffle candy mold or round ice cube trays, spray them with non-stick cooking spray first, then pour the mixture in the molds and leave to set in the fridge. Otherwise pour into a deep ceramic dish and chill until thickened or firm enough for scooping into eyeballs. Using a melon baller, scoop full balls of the mixture and set aside for decoration. To decorate, use liquid food coloring and an old detail paintbrush and get creative. You will need black food coloring for the pupils. Also, if you are in a hurry, instead of painting the colored irises, you can carefully dip the ball in a small pool of food coloring to approximate the iris, but still paint on the pupils. Note: if you are using the melon baller method, you might need to add one package of plain gelatin to your mixture. The molds work fine with just the lemon gelatin to make gently squishy eyeballs. 
Original source unknown

Mexi-ghetti

1 lb ground chuck
1 onion, chopped (or 1 Tbsp dehydrated minced onion)
Garlic Salt and Pepper
1 packet Low Sodium Taco Seasoning
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained
1 small can tomato paste
1 cup Pace Picante sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp Hershey's Dark Chocolate syrup
About 1 cup water, more or less
1 cup frozen corn
16-oz box thin spaghetti, cooked al dente and drained
Shredded Cheddar and Sour Cream to garnish, if desired

Brown and crumble the ground chuck with the minced onion.  Drain fat.  Season with a little garlic salt (not too much!) and pepper.  Stir in the taco seasoning and the kidney beans.  Add the tomato paste, Picante sauce and enough water to create a thick sauce.  Heat to boil, stirring, then reduce heat and cook about 10 minutes.  Stir in the corn and cook another 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook and drain the spaghetti.  Toss the noodles with the sauce and serve, garnished with cheddar and sour cream if desired.

Very good!

Cathy's Favorite Chicken Noodle Soup

1 lb chicken tenderloins
Salt and Pepper
1/2 - 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, diced
1-2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 heaping teaspoon fines herbes
1/2 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
32 ounce carton chicken stock
1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
Water (6-8 cups, approximately)
10 ounce bag frozen peas
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon lemon juice
16 ounce pkg fine egg noodles

Season the chicken tenderloins with salt and pepper.  Heat the oil and butter in a large stockpot until the butter is melted and starting to bubble a little.  Add the chicken and cook over medium-high heat until they begin to brown, then turn them and cook another 3 or 4 minutes.  Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook 2 or 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the fines herbes, sage, thyme and chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Cook until chicken is completely cooked and tender about 10 minutes.  Stir in the cream of chicken soup, water, peas, parsley and lemon juice.  Turn heat up to high and bring to a full rolling boil.  Stir in the egg noodles and cook 3 minutes (or until done).

Serve at once.

Excellent soup if I do say so myself!  And perfect for dinner when you've got a cold!

Note: I usually remove the cooked chicken before adding the cream of chicken and water.  I chop up 2 or 3 pieces into small chunks and add them back into the soup and then save the rest of the chicken to make chicken salad for lunch the next day!  Two meals for the price of one.

Steak & Onions with Hunter Sauce

1/2 tablespoon butter
1 large sweet onion, halved and sliced
2 boneless shell steaks (I prefer ribeyes, about 1/2-inch thick)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 pkg Knorr Hunter Sauce (or 1 packet Brown Gravy Mix)
1 cup water

Heat the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until melted.  Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring often for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.  Remove the onions and keep warm.

Sprinkle the steaks with salt and pepper and add them to the hot skillet.  Cook, turning only once, for 7-10 minutes total, or until steak is of desired doneness. Remove to warmed serving plates.

Add the sauce mix and water to the skillet.  Whisk over medium heat, stirring to combine and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Boil 1 minute until thickened.

Serve steaks topped with sauce and onions.  Excellent with Mashed Potatoes!

Adapted from Woman's Day magazine recipe from 2006.

Sour Cream Scrambled Eggs

5 eggs
1 heaping tablespoon sour cream
2 teaspoons water
Salt and Pepper
1 tablespoon butter (or bacon drippings)
1/2 - 3/4 cup grated Cheddar or American cheese

In a medium sized bowl, beat the eggs, sour cream, water, salt and pepper until the sour cream is fully incorporated and the eggs look fluffy.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a non-stick skillet.  Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally until curds form.  Stir in the cheese and continue cooking and stirring until eggs are of desired consistency.

Good eggs!!  From Paula Deen recipe on Food Network website.

Tender & Juicy Roast Chicken

3-4 lb whole organic chicken, washed
Salt
Lemon Pepper
1 Lemon, quartered
1 cinnamon stick
1 handful fresh Sage leaves, washed
1 heaping teaspoon minced roasted garlic
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 - 1 cup milk

Preheat the oven to 375^.

Season the chicken inside and out with salt and lemon pepper and put it in a deep baking dish or covered casserole.  Place the quartered lemon, cinnamon stick, sage leaves, garlic and butter inside the chicken's cavity.  Pour the milk into the chicken.  Put the lid on the casserole (or cover pan with foil to seal).

Bake 45 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake another 45-60 minutes, or until the chicken is golden brown.  Remove from the oven and let rest 15 minutes before carving.

Really good, tender and juicy chicken!!  Delicious with warm French Bread and a Salad.  Adapted from Jamie Oliver's Chicken in Milk recipe.