Egg Salad and Weight Loss: An Unlikely Pair

I've eaten egg salad every day this week because I had leftovers from the Mardi Gras party.

That means I've probably been kind of stinky.  And perhaps burned out from so much ovum consumption.

But let me share a new sandwich I developed.  First, though, I'll tell you that eating this every day, I've dropped two pounds.  And I credit this combination of gooey white bread, mayo, and boiled eggs (even if it doesn't deserve it).

I had leftover chili-powder roasted pecans (soak in sugar water for 10 minutes, then add chili powder, toss to coat, and roast for 10-20 minutes at 350 degrees).  These things are so delicious on their own, but I figured they could jazz up a sandwich. And man was I right (per usual).

 So I plopped some egg salad onto some good old fashioned white bread.

And then placed pecans on top and finished it off with another slice of bread.

I took a lot of photos, and honestly, egg salad ain't that pretty.  This doesn't do the sandwich justice.

You might have a religious experience with these.  Enjoy.

Egg Salad and Pecan Sandwiches

adapted from Southern Living Magazine

8 hard boiled eggs, peeled and grated*

2/3 c mayonnaise

1 rib celery, chopped (optional)

green onion, chopped (as much as your heart desires)

lots of fresh tarragon, chopped

1/2 tsp seasoned salt**

pepper to taste

roasted pecans

gooey white bread

1. Mix up the first 7 ingredients.

2. Plop some (quarter cup maybe?  you decide) onto the gooey white bread and layer pecans on top. Add other slice of bread.

3. Enjoy as breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Marvel at its greatness.

*Grating eggs is kind of hard.  Maybe you could try the food processor, but I just used a hand grater until the egg fell apart too much and crushed the rest with a fork.  I love the texture.

**Paul Prudhomme's line of seasonings has a No-MSG version of seasoned salt. It's very tasty.

Roasted Tomatoes

I know, I know. You're sick of fresh tomatoes by this time of year, right?  (I'm not, but this is the first year I've had a great tomato in a very long time)

So we've got a new technique for dealing with the August bounty.

Roasted 'maters!  I know, so original and innovative!  Really, though, it's worth trying.

It's easy and delicious.  First, choose tomatoes.

The ones above aren't really appropriate because they're not fully ripened (we take 'em off the vine a little early because the critters'll get to them otherwise).  

Side note: Anybody know which variety that hot pink one is?  It's not the same color as the Brandywine at its ripest but it's unlike any other tomato I've picked.  Guess it could just be color variation.

But these? They look awesome. If you're a purist, pick paste tomatoes like Amish Paste or Roma. They're fleshier.  However, we follow no such rules at The Kiefer Cottage.  Nope, we're equal opportunity tomato roasters, so even the big mamba jambas are included in this recipe.

Slice the tomatoes.  Don't make 'em too thin or else they shall burn (you'll evidence a couple photos down).  Ryan made this batch, and that explains a lot about the outcome (Love you husband!  You're a good apprentice!!).

Put them on a baking sheet (with sides, not a cookie sheet) you've put plenty of olive oil on.  When you get the ends, put them skin side down, not the other way 'round like in this photo.  Brush olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on the tomatoes.

Bake 45-60 minutes at 400 degrees F.  Turn the pan halfway through. Check for burning.  The thin slices may not survive.

At this point, I should have a beautifully staged photo taken on the lime green freezer.  However, my husband proceeded to eat both pans of tomatoes in a matter of minutes.  All of them. I got one bite.  So you'll just have to use your imagination.

Personally, I was planning on putting them on sandwiches or making salads with them. Instead, I shall cry that he didn't leave any for me.

Don't forget our post on making tomato sauce the lazy man's way!

Sketti 'n Meatballs

Any man who likes to enjoy the odd roll-around quality time with his significant other learns how to push her buttons. No, not those buttons, dear reader, I'm talking mushy, love-language type stuff.

One of my favorite buttons of Starr's is her love of good food. I'm no great chef, but I have a couple of recipes in my back pocket that I like to pull out on a more or less regular basis, one of which is Meatballs Marinara, or Sketti 'n Meatballs.

I started making meatballs using a recipe from Mama's Minutae, but have since changed so many things that it has become my own, so it's time to chronicle the meatballs here!

Ryan's Sketti 'n Meatballs¹

Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs, Italian seasoned
1/2 cup milk
1 cup shredded Parmesan (not that powdery grated stuff that comes in a shaker can -- that's for pizza!)
1 lemon for zesting
Italian seasoning
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 onion, chopped
Fresh garlic, chopped, or the good jarred stuff
More Italian seasoning
Olive oil

Toss your onion in a skillet with some olive oil. Cook until soft, then dump in 2T Italian seasoning and the garlic for a minute or so. I usually wind up adding 3 T of garlic, so if you're like me and afeared that a sparkly emo-vampire is going to steal your honey, load it up!

While your onion is going, mix up the rest of it. Start by putting the milk and bread crumbs together in a small bowl so the bread soaks up the milk. You're looking for a pasty consistency, so add a bit more milk if it's too dry.

In a large mixing bowl, enact violence on your eggs with a whisk, then mix in the cheese and salt/pepper. Zest about 1 tsp of the lemon into the mix, and add another T of Italian seasoning, because you're feeling saucy, right? When your bread crumbs and sauteeing bits are ready, add them. Mix it all together well, then add the beef.

You can use the big fork method or the Great-Scott-that's-unsanitary bare handed method of mixing your meat with its sundries. I'm not here to judge², just get it mixed well.

Oven at 375 F (190 C), use your favorite size disher³ to plop wads of meat onto a big baking sheet (I'd recommend a #10 because I like each meatball to be roughly the size of Starr's... fists).

You'll need to bake them for at least 20 minutes, but as much as 40 if you make them as big as I do. Flip them over when they're halfway done.

When done, put them in the sauce you made while the meatballs were baking, which I'm about to tell you how to make.

Marinara

2, 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
Fresh garlic, chopped, or the jarred stuff
Still more Italian seasoning⁴
Salt
Black pepper
Brown sugar
Olive oil

Chef's note: This is a very purist recipe (tastes JUST like Chef Boyardee⁵). If you like to toss a lot of odd crap in there (like vegetables, YUCK!), that's your lookout, but I'll have no part in it, I tell you!

In a large pot, saute your onion, garlic and Italian seasoning (about 2T again) in the olive oil just as you did above. Upend both cans of crushed tomatoes haphazardly into the pot (don't shake the can more than twice, 'else you're playing with it).

Add salt and pepper to taste (and actually taste it), then add some brown sugar. If you're new to sauce that doesn't come a jar with some made-up Italianesque name printed on it, 2 T is a good starting point for brown sugar, but you might need more if your tomatoes are super-pucker inducing.

Simmer.

After you add the meatballs, let it simmer for at least another hour, more if you can. You almost can't start this recipe too early. Just before you serve, mutilate one or two of your meatballs and stir them into the sauce.

Noodles

I know this doesn't require its own section. Pick your favorite and read the instructions on the box.

Now you get this:

Good Appetite!

                                                        
¹ That's right, I'm CLAIMING them.
² Yes I am, and that's gross.

³ You might know it as an "ice cream scoop," you ingrate. Haven't you ever watched Good Eats?
⁴ I may or may not have gone through an entire shaker of Italian seasoning in one recipe. Ain't tellin'.
⁵ This is definitely a lie.

Strawberry Jam

I had the sudden realization this morning I had mentioned homemade strawberry jam a few weeks ago, and I never came back to it.  Oops.  Since strawberry season is almost over, I better hurry up!

The main reason I forgot is that the recipe is not perfect, so I wasn't sure I should even share. The jam is not as good as the improvised yumminess I made for book club trifle because it is very very sweet.  However, the preserves/jam/fruit goodness still tastes delicious on toast or cake or even straight out the jar.  Here is a modified recipe from what I originally found--what I used was a granny's recipe and had 8 cups of sugar instead, hence the outrageous sweetness!

Old-fashioned strawberry jam (makes 8 cups)

8 cups strawberries, crushed with a potato masher

6 cups sugar

Lemon juice (optional)

Bring berries and sugar to a boil.  It should get to 220 degrees Fahrenheit in order to jelly-fy correctly.  I used the fridge test since I didn't have a thermometer, taking some out and putting it in the fridge for a few minutes to see if it would set. There's also a spoon test, but I can't speak to that. Google it if you're interested.

It might foam a lot.  We made a complete mess, in fact (thanks to Ryan for scrubbing the stove).  I put a drop of butter in to help with that, although it was a tad too late to prevent serious sugar scorch on the cooktop... I then skimmed off froth after it had been cooked.

After the jam had cooled, I ladled it into freezer-safe canning jars I had sterilized in the dishwasher, leaving 1/2 inch headspace at the top.  I then put on the clean lids and screwed them on.  At this point, I stuck the eight jars into the freezer.  If you want them shelf stable, you'll need to process them in a water bath (See this site for more information on canning).

We've already eaten two jars full of jam.

As I said, my jam is very sweet, but damn, it's good. The kids love it. It's like springtime in a jar.

It set correctly and isn't runny at all.  The high sugar content helped it a lot.  You can try methods without sugar, but the consistency will be quite different.

Winslow likes jelly sandwiches.  Smart girl.

So while this whole experiment might not have been a blazing success, I am so glad I went ahead with preserving the delicious strawberries of the season.  I plan on venturing forth with some "real canning" so to speak once the tomatoes are plentiful.  Give food preservation a try.  There are very easy freezer jam recipes online (that require little to no cooking), or you could freeze vegetables from your garden or farmers' market, or you could go whole hog and get a water bath canning system set up (for high acid foods like pickles and 'maters) or even  a pressure canner (other veggies) to enjoy the summer's bounty all year long.

Damn Rashes, I mean, Radishes

I am not a radish lover.  That's not quite right.  I love the way radishes look, but I'm not a huge fan of their taste.  A bit sharp.  I totally blame an unsophisticated palate.

So when we got a bunch from our CSA, I didn't know what to do with them.  Ryan wouldn't eat them in a salad, but they were not going to go to waste, dammit!  So he suggested pickling them.  Since I had a few half-pint jars left over, I thought, why not!?  I love pickles! And this is a great way to preserve the radishes so they don't rot while I'm trying to develop a taste for them.

Right after I made them.

I used a recipe from Mother Earth News, cutting my radishes very thin.  I didn't have any peppercorns, but I think it'll be okay.  I had the most important ingredient, vinegar, so they're still pickled, even if the purists are in a rage over lack of pepper.

Quick Pickled Radishes

10 oz vinegar

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

Chopped radishes (enough for a pint)

Bay Leaf

Chopped onion (I used a quarter of a large onion)
Peppercorns (if on hand)

Boil the vinegar, sugar, and salt.  Put the radishes, bay leaf, and onion into the jar(s).  Pour the vinegar mixture over them.  Cool.  Refrigerate for a day.  Enjoy!  I've been eating them straight out the jar.

If you don't use sugar, you can leave it out or substitute honey or stevia.

After steeping in the fridge. Gorgeous!

Note: these are not shelf-stable and must be refrigerated. I saw estimates online on how long they'd be good for ranging from five days to one month.

I shared at A Bowl Full of Lemons, Penniless Parenting's Hearth and Soul Blog Hop.

How to use your CSA veggies

Ryan and I joined a CSA, short for Community Support Agriculture, this year.  I wasn't sure it would be right for the family because while we eat plenty of fruits and vegetables around here, we tend to like choosing them at the store rather than taking our chances with a grab-bag.

But I found Rolling Prairie Farmers Alliance and couldn't stop myself from subscribing.  Not only did I not have to pay a large sum upfront like some CSAs require, I also could feel more secure in my gamble because there are seven farms participating rather than just one.  That means if there's a plague of locusts at one farm, there will most likely be untouched and available produce from another.

The biggest challenge with a CSA subscription is that you might end up with vegetables you've never seen or tasted before.  Or you'll get lots of leafy greens.  I mean, are we expected to eat like rabbits?

Well, yes, and it's good for you.  Eat it and your mother will be proud.

Last night I picked up our first week's worth of farm gold: Radishes, chard, mystery greens, lettuce, spinach, sugar snap peas, and green onions.  The fact I don't know what the mystery greens are is totally my fault.  One of the farmers was right there explaining everything. I overheard what was in the box and immediately forgot.  Next time, I'll write it down. Or at least I'll bring a pen and piece of paper and leave them in the car and think I'll remember what I'm told but then promptly forget.

Today I had to tackle some of this produce, so we had Kansas Quiche for lunch, courtesy of the Rolling Prairie Cookbook.

I took the chard and cooked it with some onions.  I then combined 4 eggs, some salt, 1.5 cups of cheese,  1/2 cup of milk, and some Italian seasoning in a bowl.  I added the cooked veggies (slightly cooled) and then dumped the whole mixture into a greased casserole. Baked for 30 minutes at 375 degrees.  

Delicious with fresh strawberries.

Or if you're a 4 year old, it tastes yummy (or not so bad according to Winslow) but is yucky looking, so maybe next time, mommy could make it for daddy and not Winslow and Katie?  Or perhaps make it without eggs?  Sure, Katie, a quiche without eggs.

So maybe your kids won't like it, but I did.  Simple and very tasty.

The price of homemade

Here at the Kiefer Cottage, we pride ourselves on making things from scratch.  Store bought pancake mix? Nah.  Cut and bake cookies?  Nope.  It's nice to know the ingredients in our foods.  And often, it's cheaper and more importantly, better tasting.

Marshmallows? Well, until today, I'd just purchased those at the store.  Rarely.  I'm not a huge fan of them.

But last month's issue of Sunset featured tons of recipes for camping.  By the way, I love that magazine. I might not live in the West, but I get tons of info.  Lots of recipes, ideas for the garden, and of course, pure envy of all the natural beauty.

Anywho, one feature included a recipe for homemade s'mores.  As in, you make the marshmallows, you make the graham crackers, you tote them to the campsite and then make the s'mores up fresh.  Since my  mom told me that years ago she made crackers and it took approximately 72 hours and shaved years off  her life, I decided to try the 'mallows instead.  (FYI Mom also made chocolate truffles about a decade ago, toiling for hours.  She stuck 'em in the fridge, moved 'em to New Orleans from Memphis, and last I heard, still had a few left.  Apparently, they're still good.  Right, Mom? Only the lucky ones get to try them. Perhaps I should be grateful I have not been so lucky.)

So in honor of my father and stepmom's trip to Yosemite (oh, I think it's that park. I get them all confused), for which they arrived tonight, I made s'mores.  And drank wine.  I did it without a candy thermometer, and they turned out very well, despite the cussing and the questioning--Is that soft ball? Or ultra-hard ball? Or are they chocolate salty balls? Did I just say balls??  hehehe.  Dammit, the sugar is getting too hot.

You can find the recipe here.

I do not have many photos.  The recipe requires about three dozen things happening at once, and my resident photographer wasn't around, so I've got after-shots.

The finished marshmallows.

Oh, yeah.

We didn't have an open flame to heat them up over, so I melted the chocolate in the microwave and smeared it on the insides of the graham crackers.  

Don't you love the dessert plate--that gal is getting the boob discount, too.

Happy customers enjoyed the dessert.  They did not enjoy the bath afterward.

Nor did we enjoy dealing with the mess afterward, either.

Verdict?  The marshmallows tasted good.  But not good enough to make again anytime soon.  I'm fine with buying them as often as I need them, which is pretty darn infrequently.  Maybe once a year.  

I am thinking about making the graham crackers, however.  Ryan's younger than I am, so it's okay if I lose a few years from it.  Starr, are you drunk? that makes no sense. Why, yes, apparently I was when I wrote that. I meant that *Ryan* could afford to make some for me!  Is that better?