Easy Not-Too-Hard Boiled Eggs

Having laying hens has taught me many things, but the most prevalent is that eggs add up fast when they're not consumed at the same velocity. 

We've given away dozens and dozens to friends, family, co-workers, and neighbors, and there is usually a stockpile of about 3 dozen on any given day in our egg sorter. Our girls currently give us about 6-8 eggs per day, but in a couple of months when the new chickie babies reach maturity, we may see a full dozen eggs per day. Right now, it seems overwhelming.

Our chicks seem pretty happy. They have a safe cushy house for night, and access to the rest of the barn and an enclosed chicken run during the day. (We did remove them from the compost bin, which they did not like, but we make sure to give them lots of kitchen scraps in their run, which they do like.) The first batch matured faster than we thought, and started laying in February, in the dead of winter - a full month earlier than we expected. 

From chirp, chirp, chirp to peek-a-boo.

Our hens lay blue, green, and pink butt nuggets, which is so pretty on display. Truth be told, only the blue ones peel easily, even not so freshly produced, so that's a bummer for deviled eggs. I've tested out every trick in the book, and if I want to make a hard boiled egg look good, I have to use the blue ones - which one bird in our flock makes (the blondie).

 

The rush was on to find alternative uses and preserving methods for our generous supply of eggs. 

There are a million pickled egg recipes on the interwebs, but I use THIS ONE from Feel Good Foodie, who's blog is insanely beautiful. Seriously. Visit. Bookmark. Try anything on her page...you will not be disappointed.

These eggs are the last of the batch I made a week ago. That color.

 

I have found my method for hard boiling that I would like to share, especially if you plan to make pickled eggs any time soon. Which *at hem* you should, because they are delicious. I used to put eggs in a pot, fill it with water, bring it to a boil, and let it roll for 10 minutes. If you are doing anything that requires adding additional heat to the egg, cooking with this method will make your eggs rubbery and disgusting. If you are making deviled eggs, you can now avoid the green ring of doom! (Seriously, if you are bringing those to a party, and they are green, please start over.)

Here is a fool proof method that will give you the BEST hard boiled eggs in town:

1. Put the eggs in a pot.
2. Cover with cold water.
3. Bring to a boil.
4. Turn off the heat.
5. Cover the pot.
6. Remove the pot from the heat.
7. Set a timer for 10 minutes for medium eggs, 12 minutes for large eggs. 
8. Drain.
9. Cool in cold/ice water.
10. Peel.

I'm never going back to my old way again. I'm pretty sure my chickens thank me for no longer fucking up their daily gifts to us.

 

BTW - this is sure to be one of many blog posts about the hens. I'm slightly enamored by them, if you can't tell. 

 

These little ladies are Wyandottes. We chose breed specific with this flock addition.

Vermouth has become one of my all-time favorite kitchen staples. The funny and ironic part of that statement is that I have never tasted a martini, the number one noted usage of vermouth, or the actual spirit by itself. I should probably do both, you know, for point of reference or something.

I use vermouth in about half of the savory food I make, particularly when recipes call for de-glazing the pan. Vermouth can be used anywhere you'd use white wine in cooking. Generally the flavors are a little stronger than your average cooking wine, so if you're substituting you can use a little less if you're worried about it overpowering the dish. I never have such worries! The other thing to keep in mind if you are a vermouth newbie: dry vermouth adds a herbal flavor, while sweet vermouth adds a little... sweetness. I prefer cooking with extra dry or dry vermouth.

Since I laid that all out there, it should come as no great surprise that one of my "go-to" recipes for when I am cooking for one (me!) includes vermouth. 

Plus, it makes me feel fancy, and we all deserve that from time to time. 

I have certain requirements that need to be met if I am going to cook for myself because lets be honest, I have survived these alone nights perfectly fine with a pop tart and a cheese stick. 

1.  It has to be quick. 
2.  The clean-up has to be minimal.
   
3.  It must produce leftovers.

This meal, as is, takes 15 minutes to prep and cook, and you will need one pot and one skillet. The size of those vessels is at your mercy (and thus the size of your portioned leftovers). If you add a protein, the cooking time will increase. I'll share some notes below the actual recipe.

 

 Hello, you earthy bowl of comfort.

Creamy 'Shroom Pasta

Note: Keep in mind, this is a recipe that would serve two people (me, and my leftovers), so adjust your measurements accordingly, if you are feeding more folks. 

 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1/2 onion, sliced

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tsp dried thyme 

1/4 tsp dried chili pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup extra dry vermouth*

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup heavy cream**

Salt and pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese

Your choice of pasta

 

I like egg noodles for this, but I had gemelli on hand, and I chose NOT to run to the market.

Bring water to a boil in a stock pot. Cook your favorite pasta, in the quantity that you want, as directed, or as you have been taught. 

 

While the pasta is boiling, melt butter into olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced onion and sauté until translucent. 

 

Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme and chili pepper flakes. Season with salt, and sauté until mushrooms start to lose some of their water, about 5 minutes.

 

De-glaze skillet with vermouth, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the vermouth reduce, until it looks like there is none left in the skillet. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half. Finish by stirring in heavy cream right before you serve. (Adding it too soon can make your sauce break.) 

 

Taste and add salt and pepper, if desired. 

 

 

Dump that pasta into the skillet, or the mushroom sauce into the drained pasta - whatever floats your boat. Stir slightly, being careful not the crush the pasta, to incorporate the sauce, and walk away for 2 minutes so the pasta absorbs some of the sauce.

 

Serve in a pasta bowl with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

 I could literally eat an entire vat of this, even if it isn't my pasta type of choice.

Make it vegetarian: Substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

For the meat-eaters: Add sliced or cubed chicken, beef, pork, or seafood (I've done this recipe with scallops.) Brown your proteins after you saute your vegetables. Remove the browned meat from the skillet, and de-glaze. Add in mushrooms, meat, chicken stock and cover. Adjust your cooking time by about 10-15 minutes to fully cook through your proteins. Finish as above.

Also for meat-eaters: A little crumbled bacon would rock.

As always, if you want more sauce, adjust the liquids. You will be amazed at how much of the sauce is absorbed by the pasta. 

*If cooking with alcohol is not your thing, omit the vermouth and increase the amount of chicken stock you use. You can also de-glaze the pan with water, but that sounds like it would taste terrible.

**If you do not have heavy cream, you can substitute half and half, or sour cream without it affecting the flavor or consistency.

An update on the Homefront

First of all, I guess it's only prudent to acknowledge that yes, it's been over 4 years since my last post -  which also started off with an apology and an admittance that it had been 6 years since the update before that. So, 3 updates in 10 years...that's some solid blogging work. 

Transgressions aside, I actually have been cooking all throughout this time. 

We bought an old dairy farm in 2020, and have been slowly rehabbing the property to become more sustainable for life. Tending to soil conditions, naturally fertilizing, testing and growing crops, transplanting wild black raspberries, adding livestock, and building out flowering areas for pollinators. (We even have a milk weed patch to help maintain the migratory path of monarch butterflies.) We compost all of our kitchen waste, lawn clippings, and chicken poop. We also tap our maple trees and sugar homemade maple syrup. 

A print of the property when it was a dairy farm in 1960 hangs in our kitchen. 

Our main vegetable garden is about 20 feet x 70 feet. We grow all of the usual things: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, and beans, but because of the space have, we added items like potatoes, carrots, squash, and corn as well. In a small supplemental area we have rhubarb, strawberries, and asparagus. This past fall we added another garden area for pumpkins and gourds. 

We introduced a flock of chickens last September, and they started producing daily eggs in February. Raising chickens has a ton of advantages (compost nourishment, tick maintenance, and food), but they also provide an element of fun. Two weeks ago, we decided to add more babies into that mix, and while they are not big enough to introduce them to the rest of the girls yet, they grow so fast that they will all together in no time. (And then we will start to think about a Rooster to govern over the flock and keep the peace.)   

Those who are not busy laying are in their outdoor chicken run, scratching away.

Every day brings hours worth of chores, more as we get into nicer weather. 

I never thought I'd say this, but I am loving every minute of it - even in the deepest, darkest days of winter. In fact, I think all of this daily maintenance has actually helped with that depressed trapped feeling I experience in December, January, and February. 

I have also found a need, appreciation, and love for food preservation. In that exact order. Our first year in this house made us quickly learn that if we are going to grow it, we would have to learn ways to preserve it, so that we could enjoy our spoils throughout the year. The easier methods of water bath preserving gave us jars and jars of strawberry rhubarb jam, black raspberry jam, rhubarb dessert sauce, traditional cucumber pickles, zucchini pickles, relish, pickled green beans, applesauce, apple butter, salsa, and of course, tomato sauce.

We prepped and froze gallons of vegetables. (Note to self: Do not freeze in actual gallon bags, separate vegetables into smaller units, because the whole thing will freeze into one big block. It might be fun watching me attack bags like JasonVoorhees, but it's not good for my knives, or people's perception of me.)

We needed a pressure cooker, so that I could can goods, outside of pickling and making jam. I talked about wanting one so often that Santa Claus even got the hint and gifted me one!

That beauty has been a game changer in the short time that I've had it. I've canned chicken stock and fully preserved a mountain of homegrown butternut squash. It takes a ton of time, science, and mental energy, but the results are beautiful and delicious - most of the time. The baked beans I attempted to make were a huge fail, but it won't step me from trying the process one of more time.

There is a more layered aspect of homestead farm-to-table cooking that I am excited to share on this blog, as I continue to learn and grow.