Ode to Eggs

For as long as I can remember, eggs have been one of my favorite foods. Over the past few months, a midmorning egg has been my go-to "second breakfast". (Yes, I eat two breakfasts - one while Alex scarfs down his blueberries and a more relaxed one during his morning nap.) I have kept this up for probably the last two months, so I thought I'd share my two favorite ways to eat eggs. 

First, the poached egg:

Aww, isn't it glorious? There is something about a perfectly poached egg paired with a perfectly toasted piece of sourdough bread that brings such joy to my tummy. 

I have been making poached eggs for years, but just last week I perfected them. Thanks to....the one and only Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. Seriously, this woman is like my culinary savior. Her blog and TV show have given me a whole new lease on cooking comfort food. If you want to see how to make the best poached egg ever, check out her Eggs Benedict recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/10/eggs_benedict/. You may even want to try the hollandaise  sauce, because - OH MY GOODNESS - it looks good. 

Next, is my favorite way to eat scrambled eggs - in a breakfast burrito. It's really just an excuse to make homemade salsa. :) 

Here it is: 

When I was a salsa-making newbie, I wasn't confident enough to make salsa without a recipe. I found this one: http://thehappyhousewife.com/cooking/homemade-salsa/ (it's pretty darn good). As my confidence grew, I started tweaking things to make my own recipe...which I think I like better. 

You will need: 

- 4 small roma tomatoes

- 1/2 to 3/4 white onion

- 2 jalapeno peppers 

- 1 or 2 juicy limes

- salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste

- 2-4 tablespoons of cilantro

Just chop and combine tomatoes, onion, and jalapenos (and please - for the love of all that is good - leave in the jalapeno seeds), sprinkle in salt and pepper and garlic, and squeeze in the lime juice. Stir and enjoy! 

(I must confess, I usually make my salsa the night before so I can have it with warmed tortilla chips...yummmmm!) 

In my next post, I will share tips on finding some of the best-tasting ingredients - including eggs (hint: it also involves buying eggs laid by hens who've been treated with love and kindness). They may be a little pricey compared to a traditional grocery store egg, but I promise you it's worth the couple of bucks. 

Ciao!