ultimate egg salad

 I've never understood why a good amount of people claim to not like egg salad... except for the smell. You know - the aroma that escapes your container when you open it for lunch? Everyone within a couple feet of you can get a whiff, and they're not always happy about it.
Yet, it just tastes so good!!!

I have two tips for this recipe - and they'll all be separate posts, so bare with the links - but I'll explain the tips here so you don't have to click them if you don't want to.

First, hard boiling eggs! I personally have never had a problem with simply putting eggs in cold water and bringing it to a boil, then timing from that point 10 minutes. After 10 at a boil I take them off the heat drain the water and add cold water, and drain that when it gets warm and add more cold water...
Now here's where it gets tricky: peeling. There are so many tips involving baking soda and blowing the egg out of the shell with your mouth... it's too complicated for a fast lunch. So let your eggs cool completely, in the fridge overnight for tomorrow's lunch. Then in a bowl put your hottest tap water. Submerge an egg, count to 30 - remove. Roll the egg on a paper towel cracking the entire surface and peel. Tada! It works for me... hope it works for you, but please let me know!

Second tip involves everyone's beloved bacon. Whether it's turkey bacon or pork bacon - in this house we cook it in batches. When you want a quick breakfast what always takes the longest? The bacon! Well, unless you're okay with non-perfectly-crispy bacon...
I line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper - then fit as much bacon down on it as I can without overlapping. Then cover the pan with foil and place a smaller cookie sheet on top. Place in oven while off and then turn the oven on to 375 ˚ F. Now the cooking time varies depending on each type of bacon and it's thickness so you'll just have to keep checking it after 20 minutes til it's to your liking. But the effort is well worth it - I promise. I take my bacon out right before it starts crisping up - where it's still a bit floppy. I bag it and stash it in the fridge after it's cooled. Then in the morning when making breakfast for the hubby I heat it up in a pan and it crisps right away and leaves just a little fat behind to cook an egg in for him too.


Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs (hardboiled, peeled, and minced of course)
• 3 Tbsp of your favorite mayo (about 1.5 heaping spoonfuls will be plenty if you use your larger eating spoons to scoop out the mayo, but just eyeball it if you'd like)
• 1 tsp of aioli garlic mustard sauce (trader joe's) OR 1/4 tsp crushed garlic and 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
• 2-3 small stalks of scallions or chives cut into cute tiny pieces
• 2 slices of your favorite bacon crumbled (optional - but oh-so-yummy!)

got a picky eater?

If you've got someone who refuses to eat certain vegetables, they proclaim to you in a booming voice that they don't like it, never have - and never will.... well, just roast it! I've gotten my husband to eat many vegetables he said he'd never like by simply roasting them the first few times I fed them to him.

< - > brussels sprouts < - > zucchini < - > yellow squash < - > asparagus < - > sweet potatoes < - > 

But mostly any vegetable seems to be delicious roasted. I don't think I've tried one and disliked the result, honest. 

Simply cut into bite size pieces and roast with a little salt, pepper, and olive oil. That's it! Roast in the oven until done (I typically set the oven to 375). It's especially good (if they like the additional veggies) with slices of garlic and thinly sliced onion too. Just make sure to put the slices of garlic on top of another vegetable because when they're directly on the baking sheet they tend to burn. With all the roasted veggies done it's a great topping over some pasta or some crunchy bread. 

Kitchen Tips: pets & scraps

Everyone drops food while cooking, and some like the idea that the living vacuum cleaner is always right there to suck it up. But keep in mind that some foods are harmful to certain pets. For example, garlic is said to rid dogs from fleas and ticks, but it might be toxic to cats.

Pets should avoid:
- all grapes, raisins, currants, etc. are potentially hazardous and shouldn't be given to your dog.
- of course, chocolate is toxic to dogs in large amounts...
- onions, chives (& some people say garlic should be avoided too)
- caffeine
- tomatoes
- avocados
- seeds and pits from fruit (they contain cyanide, thus the grapes)
- sugar and corn syrup
- nutmeg
- all nuts (their levels of phosphorus are said to cause bladder stones) exception: peanut butter - that's good for dogs (just use salt and sugar free peanut butter)
- cold cuts in large amounts are bad for dogs due to nitrates and salt content
- alcohol
- Xylitol - a sweetener used in gum and baked goods.


Of course if you drop a small piece of onion here and there, or garlic or any of the above you're not going to harm your pet, but I find it to be useful information nonetheless.

There's a lot of info out there on this subject > click here for a google search on the subject if you'd like to learn more.