Archive for April, 2012

Which came first?

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The age old question has baffled and tormented philosophers and lay folk like myself when it comes to mind. It is a great question to ponder over your breakfast quiche in the morning, but inevitability I soon feel like a gerbil on a spinning wheel or lost in a maze of repeating fractals and phew! I’ve finished breakfast and on to other thoughts.

Or, I could answer the question…neither came first!  I say it was the Bunny that came first. That’s right the sweet little guy who comes around each Spring, filling baskets with rainbow colored eggs. No chicken lays rainbow eggs so it’s got to be the Bunny. Ok, a few lay blue, green, brown, and white eggs but I’ve seen none with swirls…and how about the fancy glittery ones?

A few years ago I had the task of explaining to my 5 year old why the Easter Bunny brought baskets full of colored eggs…why isn’t it an Easter Chicken? I think we’ve got a budding philosopher in the family. How do you answer such an inquiry? Quick on my feet, I said nothing. Instead I started placing decorated eggs in the chicken coop.  Ok, now the gig is up and thankfully she doesn’t have a Facebook account or read this blog just yet because she is in that space of wanting to believe but really smart enough to know that neither bring those beautiful eggs and chocolate. Come to think of it, I may still be in that stage as well.

Yes, that’s right: it is all complete nonsense. If you want fresh eggs you’ll need a baby chick and if you don’t already have eggs that are ready to hatch, you have two options; stop by your local feed store because right about now they should be stocking sweet little peeps to fill your coop. Or, you go BIG (25 or more chicks) and order a flock from a reputable hatchery.  The next step is to wait.  The post office will call which usually wakes me from some wonderful dream like Spring break trips to Hawaiian beaches, of which I am not on if I am receiving that call. They will most likely be yelling into the phone over the cacophonous peeping in the background. This call first thing is to let you know your one day old chicks have arrived and would you PLEASE come down as soon as possible to pick them up. A flock in a box as we call it. I wonder if this only happens in America?

The latter is the path my daughters chose when they ventured into their aptly named egg business, Sister Chicks…more on their adventures at a later date. If you do go BIG then be prepared for lots of eggs = the need for recipes that use all those eggs, like your stack of summer zucchini recipes. The ones you needed when you found someone had secretly filled your mail box with orphan zuchs…again, a post for another time. Returning back to scrumptious recipes that include eggs, here’s a favorite of ours at Caramelize Life.

Savory Mushroom Quiche

If you have time to make your own, I love Blue Bird Grain Farms whole-grain-crust recipe the best and works great to make extra, stored in the freezer for the days you don’t. However, if today is that such day where you find yourself short on time, many grocery stores carry pre-made pie crusts, just be sure to choose one without sugar.

Crust ingredients (using Blue Bird Grain Farms recipe):

1/2 cup Bluebird whole grain soft white or hard red flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chilled butter
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Quiche ingredients:

2 cups grated Swiss Cheese (Gruyère is my favorite and we usually have some in the freezer leftover from fondue nights  otherwise any Swiss cheese will work).
4-6 organic free range eggs
1 large yellow onion minced
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms sliced
3 Tbsp organic butter
7.5 oz  Crème Fraîche  ( I use the Bellwether Farms but if you want to make your own you can add a bit of buttermilk to cream).
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch of grated nutmeg
1/2 cup organic milk or half and half.

~ Preheat oven to 375f,  190c, gas mark 5

~ Saute’ minced onion and sliced mushrooms in butter with salt and pepper over medium heat until onions are golden and set aside.

~Cover the bottom of the crust with 1 1/2 cups cheese. Reserve the rest for the filling.

~Assemble the filling; beat eggs with Crème Fraîche, milk, and salt, pepper and nutmeg .

~Pour mushroom and onions over cheese layer and then add liquid filling mixing in the last bit of cheese with a little for the top.

~ Bake for 40 minutes, test with a knife in the for solid center.

Yields; One  nine-inch pie or 4-6 servings.
Can be doubled easily.
Freezes fine, just thaw in the refrigerator and reheat.
Great for lunch boxes, breakfast, appetizers or a main dish.

*On many occasions we mix it up and add steamed broccoli, sautéed spinach, salmon, bacon, tomatoes, soft cheeses such as Camembert or anything else that we have in the refrigerator that sounds good.

Happy pondering!

Rachelle @ caramelizelife.