Basic Egg Considerations

I'm a "breakfast" kind of person. I love breakfast foods. There is a local family restaurant that has a menu choice that requires a pizza pan to hold it all. Yeah, I've ordered it and cleaned the pan. But when I'm cooking eggs, I don't always use the dozen before the expiration date, so I have to throw some away. Is like flushing money down the toilet. I found a simple solution about freezing eggs to increase their shelf and shell life.

Below is a summary from Incredible Edible Egg and Frugal Living. But some explanation is needed. You can't simply put the whole egg in the shell in the freezer. Why? Just like making ice cubes from water, as it freezes, it expands. So, guess what would happen if you did put a whole egg in the freezer? Right...it would expand, so it would break the shell. Now you ask "Okay, so what do I do?"

Whole Eggs
Mix the yolks and egg whites together. Pour the egg mixture into a container, seal tightly, and freeze. Using an ice cube tray (sealed in a freezer bag) is an AWESOME idea. 2 cubes = 1 whole egg.
 
Egg Yolks
To prevent thickening, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or 1.5 tablespoons of sugar, if the eggs will be used for baking) for every one cup of yolks. Pour into a container, seal tightly, and freeze.  
If you use the ice cube tray suggestion from above, 1 cube = 2 egg yolks.

Egg Whites
No special prep is required. Just pour the whites into a container, seal tightly, and freeze. 
If you use the ice cube tray suggestion from above, 1 cube = 1 egg white.

Using Frozen Eggs 
Thaw in the refrigerator for a day/overnight or in the microwave before using. Eggs will keep in the freezer for up to a year. 

Observations 

• Sunny side up eggs disappear because you've mixed & frozen the whole eggs, but scrambled eggs or omelettes are tasty too
• Scrambled eggs (with bacon & cheese) or omelettes are delicious & simple when wrapped in a tortilla
• Freezing hard boiled eggs isn't recommended since the whites become tough & watery when thawed
• Labeling with a Sharpie & the date helps you keep the NEW expiration date in mind
• Frozen eggs should not be used in a recipe unless they are completely cooked

McChops

McChops

One of the benefits of creating your own dinner recipe is that you get to name it whatever you want. In the honor of St. Patrick's day and the fact that I am 3/4 Irish, I've called it McChops. Yeah, it is more Italian in flavor for the herbs, and based on the ingredients that are more of a true Irish holiday meat, but sometimes it IS all about me...and I tend to blend flavors together so I can enjoy life on MY terms...

Ingredients

• 3 slices thick bacon
• 3 thick cut boneless pork chops
• 8 oz tomato sauce
• Italian herb & Old Bay Seasoning mix

Instructions

1. Preheat the toaster oven to 400 F
2. Cook the bacon in a skillet until it is cooked but flexible
3. Mix the Italian herb mix & Old Bay Seasoning with the tomato sauce
4. Put a couple of tablespoons of the tomato mix into a small casserole dish and spread it around (to prevent sticking of the chops)
5. Place the 3 chops in the casserole dish
6. Fold the cooked bacon in half, and lay 1 on top of each of the chop
7. Pour the tomato sauce over the chops
8. Cook for 1 hour (or so, check with an instant thermometer to see if it is done)

Corned Beef & St. Patrick's Day

Corned Beef Hash breakfast via Wikipedia

Something that has been on my mind for a few decades, is why Irish-Americans gravitate to eating corned beef on St. Patrick's Day and drink a lot of green beer. Okay, I understand the green beer part, but I've always wondered about corned beef since I've never eaten it and have received a LOT of junk mail promoting it for breakfast and lunch on St. Patrick's Day. So, I am going to summarize based on these 3 key websites (and yes, this is my bibliography):

• The Corned Beef entry on Wikipedia
• The Irish Culture and Customs
• The St. Patrick's Day Myths

The name of corned beef most likely came about when meat was dry-cured with salt in Europe and the Middle East. The word "corn" derives from Old English which describes the meat being dry-cured in CORNS of salt. The pellets of salt were approximately the size of kernels of corn and were rubbed into the meat to keep it from spoiling.

Canned Corned Beef via Wikipedia

Irish corned beef was used and traded extensively from the 1600s to the mid 1800s for England and as provisions for the British naval fleets & North American armies due to its non-perishable nature. It was traded to the French for feeding the colonists and slaves in their Caribbean sugar plantations. Corned beef as a commodity started to die out in the mid 1800s when slavery was abolished but it did have a resurgence during World War II in the canned form. Makes me wonder about where Spam started.

During the Great Potato Famine, raising cattle to sustain the British Isle and Atlantic trade crowded out land in Ireland for other agricultural development and prevented the raising of crops to feed the local population. Which is why a ton of people from Ireland emigrated to the U.S. Because beef was less expensive than pork here, that is why the Irish immigrants substituted it in recipes on holidays.

Which leads me to my conclusion. According to all of the research & reading that I've been doing, corned beef on St. Patrick's Day is an Irish-American tradition, not a true Irish national tradition. That's why I haven't had it yet and why I'll be making a bacon joint instead...

Quick & Easy Chili

I needed something to eat but didn't want to make a "lot" of work to make it happen. The Quick & Easy Chili was the result of raiding the pantry and the fridge. So here goes.

Ingredients:

Quick & Easy Chili

• 1 lbs. ground beef
• 1/2 of a Bob Evans Sausage tube
• 1 can of mixed vegetables, drained & rinsed
• 1 can of light red kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
• Chili powder (as much as you want to add)

Directions:

1. Brown the beef and sausage in a skillet, then drain
2. Add meat, vegetables, beans, and diced tomatoes to a stock pot (I used a Dutch oven)
3. Simmer for 2 hours
4. Add chili powder and stir occasionally while simmering
5. Serves 4-6 (depending on how big your servings are)

 Notes:

• I added a cup of cooked peas I had in the fridge (from the night before)
• I added a cup of cooked elbow macaroni I had in the fridge (from the night before)
• I used the SWAG method (Scientific Wild A$$ Guess) when adding the chili powder a couple of times while it was simmering & I stirred it
• I used the other 1/2 Bob Evans Sausage tube to make the sausage gravy that I mentioned in my Recipe Research entry, and poured it over the chili when I ate it. YUM!!!

CFL vs. Incandescent

UPDATE:

I came across an Apartment Therapy How to Buy the Right CFL cheat sheet that shares a little more info about choosing to transition from incandescent to CFLs or LED bulbs.
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Living in an apartment can sure change your perspective about light bulbs. The complex I live in has in the leasing contract that the "resident will replace all light bulbs with CFLs." So, being curious about them, I did some research and performed my own "field trials" with them.

There are several countries that have already enacted laws to prohibit incandescent lights and the U.S. isn't far behind them in doing it too. The best summary of what has been happening globally with CFLs and incandescent can be found at Wikipedia. And the best site to explain the differences between CFLs and incandescent can be found by clicking on Earth Friends. To keep this entry short, I won't bore you with all of the details, just share my opinion.

In trialing CFL bulbs in my apartment, I've purchased different lumen amounts because that is what sets the "shade" of the bulb. I have some that are considered soft and shed a more yellow shade of light. I also have some that are higher in lumen output, that are more white. Depending on where I use them, dictates what and how I can see things. I use the softer ones in my living room and bedroom, while using the whiter ones in the kitchen & bathroom. There is definitely a difference. It would behoove you to learn a little about lumen levels to better pick the CFL bulbs you use.

Overall, I am happy about using CFLs because they save some costs in my electric bill but learning more about them helps me choose which ones I buy and use where in my apartment. The only problem I have with them, is that you can't just throw them in the trash because they contain mercury and the complex I live in doesn't have a recycling program for them. But I'm working on that too...