As you’d expect, I only buy cage-free eggs. They cost a little more, but the way I see it.. it’s more than worth it. The thought of any animal being confined and miserable – unable to enjoy fresh air, sunshine, and… well… life – makes me miserable and that’s a feeling I’m not wild about. The way I see it, if we were to all DEMAND better for animals (be their voice, if you will), their treatment will improve.
Talk about worthwhile goals!
When I saw Nellie’s Free Range Eggs website, the first thing that caught my eye was a precious picture of a beautiful little girl holding a beautiful hen like a cherished pet. Not only am I obsessed with animals, having raised three beautiful little girls of my own – I’m terribly partial to that “critter” as well!
Above the precious picture were the words that have stuck with me… “We Love Our Hens.” Maybe it’s because I’m a sentimental animal lover with few rivals for the title of Queen Sentimental Animal Lover, but that struck a chord with me. The love for their hens has led Nellie’s Free Range Eggs to be Certified Humane (click the link to learn exactly what this means).
Teaching Kids About Healthy Cooking and Humane Living
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- how to always turn the pot handles toward the back of the stove
- how to pour ingredients safely to keep them from splattering all over your face
- how to handle knives without incident
- where to store eggs in the fridge (not on the door)
- what foods need refrigeration and what ones don’t
- how garlic powder and an iron skillet make the best burgers ever
- etc, etc, etc..
While it wasn’t really an issue when my girls were children, today parents and grandparents would be great to teach their little cooks about food allergies and intolerances. Teaching them that it’s always considerate to take things like allergies into consideration when cooking for others.
I’ve also preached to my daughters (and anyone else who’ll listen!) about the importance of mastering certain recipes that’ll serve you well throughout your life. Egg recipes are among the ones that I think are most important to master.
Everyone should be able to make EXTRA special…
- fried eggs
- scrambled eggs
- boiled eggs
- egg salad (Best Egg Salad Recipe EVER)
- omelets
As is the case with many recipes, perfecting egg recipes simply takes practice – and attention to detail. I love eggs to distraction – I guess that’s why I have (over the years) worked so hard to perfect my egg recipes. It’s why I’ve always found ways to get eggs into as many meals as possible.
They aren’t just for breakfast you know!
When it comes to summer meals, one of my favorite ways to enjoy eggs is a Bacon and Eggs Salad with a Creamy Mayo Dressing.
{Bacon and Eggs Salad Recipe Below…}
Bacon and Eggs Salad
Round up the usual suspects: Romaine Lettuce (or your favorite leaf lettuce – don’t let me tell you what to do), chopped green onions, bacon, hard-boiled eggs (chopped), tomatoes if you’ve got them… and any other vegetables you want to invite. Most of the time, I want the bacon and eggs to be the stars they are, so I keep things ridiculously simple.
Creamy Mayo Dressing:
For some reason, the dressing looks almost yellow in the picture below, but don’t let it fool you.. it’s white. I guess the mid-day sunlight coming through the kitchen window pulled a fast one.
1 cup mayo (I love Duke’s and Hellman’s)
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 TBS sugar
salt and pepper
This is the basic dressing I use for the Bacon and Eggs Salad – but you can jazz it up a little with chopped chives (fantastic on just about any tossed salad) or other herbs. You can also add a little lemon juice if you so desire. Again, I don’t want anything upstaging the bacon and eggs, so I keep it basic. As you can see from the pics, the last time I made this I didn’t even involve tomatoes. They sat in a bowl looking at me but I was like, “Nah, I’m good…”
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Hard-Boiled Eggs
Place your free-range eggs in a saucepan and cover them with cold water. Place the pan on high heat and cook until it reaches the boiling point. Take the pan off of the heat (don’t forget to turn off your burner… I used to be AWFUL about that!) and cover the pan. Allow the eggs to sit in their hot bath for about 13 minutes. Peel, pepper and enjoy!
