The A-Okay Breakfast – Frisbee Eggs!

Posted on May 6, 2011March 18, 2015 by Katharine

Don’t you LOVE when an experimental trick turns out?

The first time I tried to make perfectly round fried eggs–the kind you put on an English muffin–I succeeded! My way is, I am sure, NOT how many people do it, but it suits me perfectly, I think.

And it was far more fun to figure it out myself, than to conform, anyway.

I know this breakfast post is supposed to come to you on Monday mornings, but life here is slow to return to normal. Lord willing, I will post another A-Okay Breakfast next Monday. In the meantime, try this:

All you need is butter and eggs and a small tin can, such as tuna comes in, or else a canning ring. I use a canning ring for our Frisbee Eggs. (We call them that because they are slightly domed on top and sometimes have a bubble underneath, close enough in shape to a Frisbee, making little ones laugh.)

Place the ring in a small fry pan.

heating butter and ring — Heating Butter and Ring

Put about 1/2 teaspoon butter in the ring and turn on heat to medium, until butter completely melts.

Break medium egg into ring, holding ring down briefly, to prevent egg liquids from escaping underneath ring. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until it is half-cooked.

Use fork to help lift egg and ring onto spatula, and flip egg and ring together.

Cook briefly on top side. Then flip again, to remove ring.

After removing ring, return to cooking top side until egg is done to your preference.

weekly photo challenge round — Weekly Photo Challenge Round

I had mine with several radish slices and salt. Served with 2 ounces pomegranate juice.

Next Monday, I hope to return to the old schedule with “Good Ol’ Bacon and Eggs”.

See ya’!

Herbs, Homemaking, Womanhood

Weekly Photo Challenge: Round

Posted on May 4, 2011March 18, 2015 by Katharine

Oh, after such a long time of sketchy Internet service, the (round) sun is shining and the air is crisp and wonderful. Such cool breezes as we cherish are blowing over our land and the trees positively glitter from being so clean.

Opportunities to snap photos were also sketchy, since I believe cameras prefer not to be wet. However, catch this:

What I hope is a Viceroy caterpillar is gobbling my rue plant. His little middle is growing round and rounder. At least this one is leaving the dill alone.

We have a set of antique wagon wheels in our herb beds:

cos, burnet, thyme, and wheel — Cos, Burnet, Thyme, and Wagon Wheel

This first one shelters the cos, burnet, and thyme.

rosemary, pineapple sage, cos, and wheel — Rosemary, Pineapple Sage, Cos, and Wagon Wheel

It’s twin decorates the rosemary and the pineapple sage.

I do love all my herbs and hope you have discovered the joy of growing them.

Blessings of Habit, Homemaking, Husbands, Inspiring

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lines

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Katharine

Again!

I only thought I had posted lines for this photo challenge, but after last night’s raging storm, I went out to check for damage, and found the loveliest sight:

: Rank and File

As we can see, the busy hands have been busy, causing all sorts of lovely things to happen for us. In order, from left to right, these lines show:

beets, cabbage, onion

beets, carrots

radish, tomatoes

corn

tomatoes, green beans

You may detect another line in the above photo, a black and orange snake-like thing, slithering through line 3, our drip line. After an inch of rain last night, I doubt we will use it for a long while. We are so thankful, as the tap water just is not the same and costs plenty.

The storms brought with them some cool air from the netherly regions–thanks for sharing, y’all! We went from 80 degrees indoors yesterday (and much warmer outdoors) to fifties outdoors, this morning. What a welcome change!

And what a welcome sight, to me, all these wonderful plants are! They remind me of children–much work, but worth every drop of sweat!

Blessings of Habit, Coffee-ism, Homemaking, Inspiring, Recipes

The A-OK Breakfast—Chocolate/Strawberry Zabaglione!

Posted on April 18, 2011October 28, 2015 by Katharine

I am making this up . . .

. . . I do not like the official recipe for zabaglione because it smacks too much of raw egg to suit me and it is too slow. So although several expert cooks will probably turn over in their gravies, I present you with my own version, decidedly not haute.

But delicious.

Chocolate/Strawberry Zabaglione

4 frozen strawberries
1 T. butter
2 eggs
½ cup cream
1 T. cocoa powder
¼ t. cinnamon
1 or 2 servings stevia
1/8 t. vanilla

Place strawberries in heat-resistant cereal bowl and set aside. Melt butter in 1-quart stainless saucepan.

Meanwhile, whisk remaining ingredients together thoroughly, beginning slowly to prevent scattering cocoa powder. Pour into saucepan over melted butter and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wire whisk until mixture begins to steam at the edges. At this point it will be ready to thicken. Once mixture thickens some, it will be ready to begin lumping.

(For real zabaglione, cook only until barely thickened and not yet lumpy, then quickly pour into serving dish, omitting strawberries, and allow to cool. The heat in the mixture finishes the cooking process. My way is faster but gives a lumpy result. Since this reminds me of the very breakfast-y oatmeal, I am okay with this.)

Once the A-OK zabaglione becomes somewhat lumpy, the egg is truly done. Pour over strawberries, which will instantly cool it to a good serving temperature, while thawing strawberries enough to eat.

my favorite breakfast — My Favorite Breakfast

Serve immediately with black coffee.

Good ol' days

A Great Grandmother

Posted on April 14, 2011September 24, 2016 by Katharine

My great-grandmother, Grismamma, was a petite woman who spoke no English. She made the enormous, and I am sure, frightening, sacrifice of coming over here, to America, and leaving all behind in southern Germany. Her real name was Wilhelmina Carolina Anna Adelheidt Wieckert. And that was BEFORE she married. As small children, we had her long name memorized.

When I knew her, she was old as old can be, and I was barely over four years. She lived with her daughter, my grandmother, “Laura” and we saw her every time we went there. I never saw her walk. She had to be helped with everything. We were not allowed to speak to her, except to tell her “Good-night.” I guess she knew that much English. We also had to be quiet and polite around Grismamma.

One amazing thing about Grismamma, is that she had hair long enough to reach the floor. Yet her hair was so thin, she kept it all, all in a bun about the size of a golf ball..

I think she died when I was about four. I did not attend the funeral. Probably I was too young.

I have one thing that used to belong to Grismamma. It is a small, orange sherbet glass with a wax orange in it:

Grismamma received this glass or cup as a gift when she was 13, and kept it safe for the rest of her long life. When she died, my mom got the cup and kept it safe for her whole life. Now it is mine. It lives in a little box in the top cabinets in my kitchen.

I think it is old.

But I want it to become even older. I want the memory of my Grismamma to go on and on, until time comes to an end, because she was mine and was ours. I want someone far in the future to be able to touch the precious thing my Grismamma touched and know someone else was here, once, and then went on, someone who sacrificed to make something better for those who were to come.

And to be thankful.

I want my children and their descendents to know I valued someone small and frail, who borrowed the air we now borrow, and then gave it back.

As we someday must.

Believe it or not!, Homemaking, Recipes

The A-OK Breakfast: Perfect Hard-Boiled Eggs!

Posted on April 11, 2011March 18, 2015 by Katharine

Are you ever too rushed or too un-awake to cook a breakfast? Sometimes I am and that’s when I turn to my secret stash of gold: a small bowl of hard-boiled eggs stored in the fridge.

Hard-boiled eggs are nearly too easy. You just open and eat. If you want, you can really exert yourself and sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Or go all the way and slice them, too.

If I find that slick, greenish coating on the yolk, though, I feel less hungry, fast.

Avoiding the green yolk is easy if you know how to boil an egg. Because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I love sharing these instructions with anyone who will listen.

To Boil an Egg Hard:

Be sure eggshells are clean and uncracked. Wash with soap and water just before using. Amazing how many folks don’t mind germs on eggs! Germs can be lethal and some parasites do not die at boiling temperatures.
Be sure the raw eggs are old enough. Very fresh eggs that are hard-boiled are difficult to peel. Raw eggs will keep a long while under refrigeration; store-bought eggs are usually several months old before you even buy them. I find that if I keep my hennies’ incredibly fresh eggs at least three weeks before I boil them, they are far easier to peel.
Thick-bottomed Pan
Use a straight-sided pan with a thick bottom. Shown here is a thin, stainless pan with a thick aluminum plate bonded to it.
Pan of Eggs
Load only the number of eggs that will fit in a single layer into the pan.
Extra Inch of Water
Cover with tepid water at least an inch over the tops of the eggs.
Add about 1/8 teaspoon salt to water. This supposedly aids with peeling.
Set pan to heat at medium setting; high heat will crack eggs. Stay nearby and monitor its progress.
Boiling
Once water is boiling, set timer and boil for only one minute.
Cover Ten Minutes
Remove from heat and cover pan for ten minutes.
Cooling Water
Cool immediately under running cold water. Dry and store hard-boiled eggs in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Ready for Fridge