Eggstravaganza: Cooking Challenge #2

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You made it to the second week of the cooking challenge!

To reiterate the challenge:
Each week will have a different food posted, and the challenge is to prepare a dish highlighting (or at least utilizing) that food. You then take a picture, chow down, and then post it on the thread, with comments and (hopefully!) a recipe. Easy peasy! Each week will also have an "additional challenge" for the food that you can choose to acknowledge or ignore - just for fun.

Additionally, the food for the next week will be posted along with the current week, so anybody who doesn't have the ingredient on hand can put it on their shopping list.

Current Week's Food: Eggs
Current Week Dates: Sunday, 5/27 through Saturday, 6/2
Additional Challenge: Booze it up in honour of the drunk pre-vet thread!

Next Week's Food: Corn
Next Week's Dates: Sunday, 6/3 through Saturday, 6/9

Need Inspiration? Tastespotting, Foodgawker, Nibbledish, or Photograzing may help you out!

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Oh darn, just realized I goofed the title. I don't think I can edit it, so if I mod would be so kind to change that 1 into a 2....
 
I think I am going to make egg with a hole in it.
 
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:oops: I want to do this one, but I can't cook that much and about the most I can do with eggs is shaped devilled eggs.

I may do it anyways just to eat them...

Or maybe some tamagoyaki.
 
I might make myself breakfast for dinner. Fried egg (over easy), cheese, and bacon on toast. Yummy.
 
I might make myself breakfast for dinner. Fried egg (over easy), cheese, and bacon on toast. Yummy.

That sounds so good right now. I am starving, might have to go get a bagel.

That is why I like egg with a hole in it. Bread with a little circle cut out and that goes in the pan. Crack a egg into the hole, season, flip at one point (always over easy) and then eat.
 
I will be making mini-quiches. I made them before and it turned out amazing.
 
That sounds so good right now. I am starving, might have to go get a bagel.

That is why I like egg with a hole in it. Bread with a little circle cut out and that goes in the pan. Crack a egg into the hole, season, flip at one point (always over easy) and then eat.

I don't get this name? Egg with a hole in it? But there's a hole in the bread and not in the egg! First time you said it in an earlier post, I had absolutely no idea what you meant. Have also heard lots of other names for this, I think, can't remember them though, so big help I am.


I might make myself breakfast for dinner. Fried egg (over easy), cheese, and bacon on toast. Yummy.

Breakfast for dinner is basically one of my favorite things ever. Except I tend to do omlette, hash browns, and bacon or sausages.
 
I don't get this name? Egg with a hole in it? But there's a hole in the bread and not in the egg! First time you said it in an earlier post, I had absolutely no idea what you meant. Have also heard lots of other names for this, I think, can't remember them though, so big help I am.


I think it has a million names. Things toad in a hole, egg in the basket, egg in a hole. I have no idea where egg with a hole in it came from, but I think it is a fun name because it doesn't describe the food at all.
 
I made this recipe a couple of months ago. I was living with my ex at the time and he is pretty picky. Since he loves eggs, I thought I would try making quiche. He sort of liked it. :rolleyes:. I LOVED IT.

This is the recipe I used: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/mini_quiches_lorraine.php

But I modified it a little bit (modifications in bold):

24 Frozen mini tart shells, (in foil cups) thawed
4 eggs
1-1/4 cups milk
1 tsp dry mustard powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Filling
I just threw in random amounts of chopped:
Mushroom
Green Pepper
Red Onion
Yves veggie bacon strips
Medium cheddar cheese


Place tart shells on rimmed baking sheet; divide filling among shells.

In bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper; pour into tart shells. Bake in bottom third of 375°F (190°C) oven until pastry is golden and filling is just set, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

The veggie bacon strips added a TON of flavour. It tasted like I had added real meat to it. The smoky taste of the strips radiated through the quiche. I highly recommend adding it, especially if you are a vegetarian who misses the taste of bacon, like I do.

The great thing about quiche is that you can add whatever the heck you want to it: spinach, different types of cheeses, fresh herbs, horseradish, Tabasco sauce, tomato, ham... The internet has lots of suggestions.

I am going to make them again this week. They are great to throw into a lunch box. I like to eat them with a salad on the side.This time when I make them, I am going to omit the pie crusts and add a few additional ingredients/herbs. I will update you. :D.
 
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Sitting this one out for cooking (don't eat eggs), so instead I offer this photo of a rainbow assortment of eggs gathered the day I got my precious 6 hours of farm animal experience.

View attachment 19678

I have seen some recipes for vegan "egg" salad sandwiches made with tofu, vegan mayo and spices.
If I didn't eat eggs, I would be trying that out and sharing the recipe with everyone.
I have had vegan "egg" salad sandwiches in the past and the taste is close to the real thing. If you enjoy the taste of egg (and you want to participate in the challenge or want to try something new), I recommend trying it out. :D.
 
Sitting this one out for cooking (don't eat eggs), so instead I offer this photo of a rainbow assortment of eggs gathered the day I got my precious 6 hours of farm animal experience.

View attachment 19678

Those are so gorgeous! I also had a nice 6hrs of (domestic) food animal experience, so totally feel you there. If you want to be included you could definitely use an egg substitute, though. :)
 
That is why I like egg with a hole in it. Bread with a little circle cut out and that goes in the pan. Crack a egg into the hole, season, flip at one point (always over easy) and then eat.
I heard about making eggs like that for the first time about a week ago. :p They called it eggs in a basket or chicken in a raft. I've been wanting to try it.
 
I heard about making eggs like that for the first time about a week ago. :p They called it eggs in a basket or chicken in a raft. I've been wanting to try it.

I like it because you get buttered toast in a different way and your egg all in one. It is a great way to practice making eggs over easy too.

I know it as toad in the hole.

Yeah, that is another name for it. I think it has at least a dozen different names.

I will have to post my picture later, though it doesn't do it justice.
 
Spaghetti alla carbonara (Recipe adapted and translated from L'Italia del Gusto)

Serves 4-6 people

400g spaghetti
120g guanciale (pig's cheek; I just use pancetta or no meat at all)
3 eggs
3 tbsp pecorino romano, grated
3 tbsp parmesan, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
salt and pepper, to taste

***I don't actually measure any of this, I just add the "right" amount

Cube the pancetta and finely slice the onion. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion and pancetta. Cook until the onion is yellowed the the pancetta is cooked.

Meanwhile, beat the egg in a separate bowl and cook the spaghetti until it's al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the onion and meat. Remove from heat. (Usually, my onion ends up being cooked sooner than my pasta, so I remove it from the heat earlier. This also allows the pan time to cool).

Stir the pasta into a nest/donut shape, sprinkle on the cheeses and add the egg. Quickly stir the egg into the pasta. You want your pan to have cooled off a bit, otherwise, you will get scrambled eggs, which you don't want! What you want is for the heat from the pasta (and a little left from the pan) to cook the egg slowly, leaving you with a creamy sauce.

Photo to come, when I cease to be too lazy to upload.

Link since I can't seem to get this image to be smaller
 
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My first quiche recipe turned out better than the one I made the other day. Follow that.

I have a new oven. I find it is not as hot as all of the ovens I have used in my life. So after leaving it in the oven for 30 minutes, the bottom of my quiches were fluffy and a little wet. Perhaps having the pie crust prevents that from happening a little. I also should have cooked it longer.

Also, some of the mustard powder did not dissolve all of the way. I got a nice surprise yesterday when I bit into my very last quiche.

I have pictures though which I will add eventually.
 
Grits and Eggs

1/3 cup of instant grits
milk (eyeball it)
1 egg
salt and pepper
cheese of choice

Add grits and milk to bowl and microwave for 2 minutes. Add egg and stir. Microwave another minute. Add cheese, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!

Baked Eggs w/ Tomatoes

eggs
favorite tomatoe sauce
parmesan cheese

crack eggs in a small baking dish. Add tomatoe sauce to cover whites but let yolks poke through. add lots of parm cheese on top. bake at 400 degrees for about 5 to 10 mintues or until eggs are done to your liking. serve will bread of choice and nice toss salad.
 
Spaghetti alla carbonara (Recipe adapted and translated from L'Italia del Gusto)

Serves 4-6 people

400g spaghetti
120g guanciale (pig's cheek; I just use pancetta or no meat at all)
3 eggs
3 tbsp pecorino romano, grated
3 tbsp parmesan, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
salt and pepper, to taste

***I don't actually measure any of this, I just add the "right" amount

Cube the pancetta and finely slice the onion. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion and pancetta. Cook until the onion is yellowed the the pancetta is cooked.

Meanwhile, beat the egg in a separate bowl and cook the spaghetti until it's al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the onion and meat. Remove from heat. (Usually, my onion ends up being cooked sooner than my pasta, so I remove it from the heat earlier. This also allows the pan time to cool).

Stir the pasta into a nest/donut shape, sprinkle on the cheeses and add the egg. Quickly stir the egg into the pasta. You want your pan to have cooled off a bit, otherwise, you will get scrambled eggs, which you don't want! What you want is for the heat from the pasta (and a little left from the pan) to cook the egg slowly, leaving you with a creamy sauce.

Photo to come, when I cease to be too lazy to upload.

Noooo that's what I was gonna do lol. Sooo yummy! :)
 
Grits and Eggs
Baked Eggs w/ Tomatoes

eggs
favorite tomatoe sauce
parmesan cheese

crack eggs in a small baking dish. Add tomatoe sauce to cover whites but let yolks poke through. add lots of parm cheese on top. bake at 400 degrees for about 5 to 10 mintues or until eggs are done to your liking. serve will bread of choice and nice toss salad.

You may have just given me a new favorite way to eat eggs....definitely going to have to try this. Can it be cooked enough that the yolks come out solid?
 
I call BS on everything until pictures are posted!! Part of the rules! ;)
 
You may have just given me a new favorite way to eat eggs....definitely going to have to try this. Can it be cooked enough that the yolks come out solid?

You can cook it as long as you like. I like my eggs a little runny. You can also add cooked sauage or bacon for breakfast or steak or chicken for dinner.
 
This is one of the only ways my omnivorous boyfriend likes tofu.

(Eggesque) Scrambled Tofu

1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium chopped white onion (about a cup)
+ Whatever veggies you want to put in. (This time I used corn and carrot greens leftover from last week's cooking challenge, and diced red bell pepper. I usually include diced tomato too, but I was out. :()
2-3 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (gives it that nice yellow color -- but be warned turmeric will stain, so watch out when using wooden or white plastic cooking utensils)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional; me, I must put chili powder in everything)
Salt and pepper to taste

On medium-high heat, heat oil in cast iron skillet (or non-stick pan if you are an unfortunate soul without a cast iron pan, but after breakfast you should go buy one because they are amazing). Saute onions (and bell peppers, in this case, and any other veggies that take a while to cook) 3 minutes, until softened/slightly translucent.

This is the best part. Are you ready? Okay. Reach into the tofu container that you've taken out of the refrigerator and drained, and grab a FISTFUL OF TOFU. Now squish it through your fingers into the pan, so that it looks like large chunks of feta cheese. Isn't this fun? Doesn't it make you feel ... powerful? And cold? Really cold, actually. After the third handful it's gonna get a little painful and your fingers might feel numb. Deal with it. No one said making breakfast was going to be easy, wimp. You know how the saying goes: No pain, no scrambled tofu.

But don't squish all the life out of it, you monster; you want it to remain somewhat chunky. Mix with the onions/bell peppers. Add corn, carrot greens, tomatoes, and any other veggies that don't take a lot of cooking time. Add the garlic and the remainder of the ingredients. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if necesary to keep it from sticking too much. Lower the heat a bit if you find that it is sticking. If it seems too dry add splashes of water. The moistness really depends on how much water the tofu was retaining before you added it.

When all is heated through, remove from heat and serve.

Modified/dramatized from: http://www.theppk.com/2008/10/scrambled-tofu

View attachment IMG_1188_web.jpg

I had mine with Smart Links veggie breakfast sausage (which I over-microwaved, oops), toast with blueberry jam, and lots of coffee.
 
Spaghetti alla carbonara (Recipe adapted and translated from L'Italia del Gusto)

Serves 4-6 people

400g spaghetti
120g guanciale (pig's cheek; I just use pancetta or no meat at all)
3 eggs
3 tbsp pecorino romano, grated
3 tbsp parmesan, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
salt and pepper, to taste

***I don't actually measure any of this, I just add the "right" amount

Cube the pancetta and finely slice the onion. In a large pan, heat the olive oil and add the onion and pancetta. Cook until the onion is yellowed the the pancetta is cooked.

Meanwhile, beat the egg in a separate bowl and cook the spaghetti until it's al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the onion and meat. Remove from heat. (Usually, my onion ends up being cooked sooner than my pasta, so I remove it from the heat earlier. This also allows the pan time to cool).

Stir the pasta into a nest/donut shape, sprinkle on the cheeses and add the egg. Quickly stir the egg into the pasta. You want your pan to have cooled off a bit, otherwise, you will get scrambled eggs, which you don't want! What you want is for the heat from the pasta (and a little left from the pan) to cook the egg slowly, leaving you with a creamy sauce.

Photo to come, when I cease to be too lazy to upload.

Link since I can't seem to get this image to be smaller

I have tried to make this twice in my life, and both times ended up with noodles and scrambled eggs. All the more power to people who can actually pull it off!

Psorophoraferox, your recipe just made me (actually) laugh out loud. :laugh:
 
I have tried to make this twice in my life, and both times ended up with noodles and scrambled eggs. All the more power to people who can actually pull it off!

Psorophoraferox, your recipe just made me (actually) laugh out loud. :laugh:

Gotta let it cool down a little first. My favorite meal and I make it all the time. I had planned to make this when you first posted the apple one with the egg for the next week. I was all excited! ... glory... stolen :poke:
 
I bought a dozen eggs in anticipation of this challenge and I can't stop hard boiling and eating them. Was gonna make a frittata, but doubt that's going to happen before we move in 4 days.
 
With that said... made mine!

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Mushroom, Leek and Spinach Souffles, edited recipe from here.

For the spinach:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons minced shallots 3 tablespoons chopped leeks
½ cup diced mushrooms
1½ cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry in a kitchen towel
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

Soufflé base:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons flour
2 cups boiling milk
1½ teaspoons, plus large pinch fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Forgot, haha).
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
6 egg yolks
10 6 egg whites at room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar Splash of onion juice
1/3 cup grated Gruyère or a combination of Gruyère and Parmesan cheeses I only had a mexican cheese mix, so that's what I used.
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan to sprinkle on top

1. Butter 8 individual 1¼-cup soufflé molds or ramekins. Dust them with Parmesan and place on a baking sheet.

2. For the spinach, melt butter in a large skillet. Add leeks/mushrooms and sauté until golden. Add spinach and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until done, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

3. For the soufflé base, melt butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook, stirring over moderate heat until butter and flour foam together for 2 minutes without browning. Remove from heat.

4. Off heat, pour in boiling milk and beat vigorously with a whisk until well blended. Add 1½ teaspoons salt, peppers and nutmeg, return to the heat, and boil, stirring, for 1 minute. Sauce should be very thick. Remove from heat.

5. Off heat, add yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add cooked spinach mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning. (Seasoning should be strong as the flavor will be diluted when the whites are added.)

6. To finish soufflés: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Whip egg whites with pinch of salt and cream of tartar. Start beating on low speed and raise the speed gradually as the egg whites mount. Once soft peaks form, stir a quarter of the whites into the soufflé base and then stir in cheese. Fold lightened base into remaining egg whites.

7. Ladle equal amounts of the soufflé mixture into the 8 prepared molds, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the tops. Place soufflés on the middle rack of the oven. Immediately lower heat to 375. Bake approximately 20 minutes, or until risen and set. Serve right away.​

I don't have an elecrtic mixer, so I know I definitely didn't whip my egg whites long enough for the recipe - I also only used the same amount of egg white as the egg yolks because I didn't want to crack extra eggs. All in all, it turned out fine and rose way more than I expected starting out, considering my inability to ever follow a recipe. :laugh: It was yummy! Roomie and boyfriend agree, too.

(Oh, and don't open the oven while it's baking)!
 
Last edited:
Gotta let it cool down a little first. My favorite meal and I make it all the time. I had planned to make this when you first posted the apple one with the egg for the next week. I was all excited! ... glory... stolen :poke:

Sorry for stealing the glory...it's a staple in my kitchen too ever since I got back from studying abroad in Italy. Incidentally, I never ate it when I was over there since I was vegetarian at the time, so I only got to try it when I got back and made my own without the meat. Now that I've started eating a little bit of meat occasionally, I have to say, the pancetta does add an element of salt that was lacking in my vegetarian version.
 
View attachment 19742

Egg with a hole in it (Toad in a hole, egg in a basket, egg in a hole, etc)

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 slices of bread
margarine or butter

Directions
Skillet should be on medium low (don't want to over toast the bread before the egg is fully cooked)
Cut a hole into the middle of the bread and spread margarine (/butter) on one side of the bread and on the cut out piece.
Place the hole in skillet and rub around to spread the margarine.
Place bread margarine side down into skillet.
Crack egg into the hole of the bread.
Season the egg (if you want), I use salt and tony chachere's season (just makes things taste yummy).
After about a minute (honestly I just what till it looks like inside the hole is white) flip the bread and egg (longer time=hard yoke)
I cook the egg side for about 1 1/2 minutes to 2 minutes to make sure the egg white is fully cooked, but the egg yoke is runny.

Repeat with second egg and bread.

Bonus
The potatoes are cooked in the oven at 425 for 15 minutes, seasoned with Tony's and salt and pepper.
 
Japanese Steakhouse-Inspired Steak Stir Fry! :D

When I ate at a Japanese steakhouse a few years back for the first time (and so far, only time), I thought the food was amazing and really wanted to make something similar at home. Therefore, I came up with this recipe on my own:

SteakStirFry.jpg


2 Cups Cooked Rice
1/2 lb of Thin, Round Steak
3 Eggs
Soy Sauce
Olive Oil
Spices/Seasonings/etc. (I used chopped onions, parsley flakes, salt, and pepper.)

I typically just throw a bunch of ingredients together, so this is the first time I've actually attempted to measure stuff out.

First, cut the steak into strips. Dip it into a mixture of olive oil (alternatively, you can spray the skillet you use with cooking spray) and whatever spices/seasonings you chose. Cook the steak strips in a skillet. In another, larger skillet (or you can use the same one after the steak cooks), add the eggs. Fix them like you would scrambled eggs (but a little different since you don't blend the eggs together with any other ingredients before adding to the skillet, and the eggs should be in somewhat smaller pieces when cooked). Once the eggs look somewhat similar to scrambled eggs, add in the cooked rice and steak strips to the skillet. Mix it all together with soy sauce (as much as you want to add). You can add spices/seasonings here too. Eat it while it's still hot. :)
 
Here's my toad in a hole! Late posting, but there it is! Obviously my hole is significantly larger than the other Toad picture on here. Haha. We also toast (in the same pan) the cutouts, too. :D
 

Attachments

  • toadinahole.jpg
    100.3 KB · Views: 41
I totally forgot about this. Could have posted yesterday. Haha. Nothing spectacular, but I forgot to take a picture of it all together. So here is one of the bf cooking eggs. :)

View attachment 19776
 
A bit belated, but - made a toad in the hole for lunch! Was yummy. Same recipe as posted above, except I used cooking spray instead of butter/margarine and the only bread I had in the house is a rye/pumpernickel mixture.

JxBIl.jpg
 
I think I'm gonna try one of those in the next few days. Maybe tonight. Bf always tells me he wishes I'd cook more. I can do one of those! Wouldn't be too hard! :laugh:
 
A bit belated, but - made a toad in the hole for lunch! Was yummy. Same recipe as posted above, except I used cooking spray instead of butter/margarine and the only bread I had in the house is a rye/pumpernickel mixture.

Looks good!! Honestly it is a staple in my house.
 
This is one of the only ways my omnivorous boyfriend likes tofu.

(Eggesque) Scrambled Tofu

1 lb. extra firm tofu, drained
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium chopped white onion (about a cup)
+ Whatever veggies you want to put in. (This time I used corn and carrot greens leftover from last week's cooking challenge, and diced red bell pepper. I usually include diced tomato too, but I was out. :()
2-3 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (gives it that nice yellow color -- but be warned turmeric will stain, so watch out when using wooden or white plastic cooking utensils)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional; me, I must put chili powder in everything)
Salt and pepper to taste

On medium-high heat, heat oil in cast iron skillet (or non-stick pan if you are an unfortunate soul without a cast iron pan, but after breakfast you should go buy one because they are amazing). Saute onions (and bell peppers, in this case, and any other veggies that take a while to cook) 3 minutes, until softened/slightly translucent.

This is the best part. Are you ready? Okay. Reach into the tofu container that you've taken out of the refrigerator and drained, and grab a FISTFUL OF TOFU. Now squish it through your fingers into the pan, so that it looks like large chunks of feta cheese. Isn't this fun? Doesn't it make you feel ... powerful? And cold? Really cold, actually. After the third handful it's gonna get a little painful and your fingers might feel numb. Deal with it. No one said making breakfast was going to be easy, wimp. You know how the saying goes: No pain, no scrambled tofu.

But don't squish all the life out of it, you monster; you want it to remain somewhat chunky. Mix with the onions/bell peppers. Add corn, carrot greens, tomatoes, and any other veggies that don't take a lot of cooking time. Add the garlic and the remainder of the ingredients. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding splashes of water if necesary to keep it from sticking too much. Lower the heat a bit if you find that it is sticking. If it seems too dry add splashes of water. The moistness really depends on how much water the tofu was retaining before you added it.

When all is heated through, remove from heat and serve.

Modified/dramatized from: Scrambled Tofu | Isa Chandra Moskowitz

View attachment 19720

I had mine with Smart Links veggie breakfast sausage (which I over-microwaved, oops), toast with blueberry jam, and lots of coffee.

We should not let people with this sense of humor get away. Anybody wanna find her, poke her, and drag her into the Watering Hole for a test swim before we throw her into some WW?
 
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