Pickled Eggs are not on my list of favorite foods but they are for my husband and son.  I love pickles and I love eggs but why anyone would want to eat a picked egg is beyond me.  With that said, I’ll share the recipe that me and my man used, in which, him and Tyler devoured each and every single egg as soon as 8 days hit!  Enjoy!

P.S. I’d double next time and make a lot more.

Puns are fun huh! Eggs are a staple in our home and man do we go through them like water.  We do supper and desserts with them but our top uses revolve around breakfast and snacks.

My two oldest boys are 18 and 15.  They are athletic and know that eggs are a great source of protein which they very much need during workouts and sports throughout the year.  I try to keep hard boiled eggs for them on hand at all times.  It helps to rebuild their body’s protein levels and is clearly a much healthier option than junk food you know?

Truett is 5 and also loves hard boiled eggs as a snack with his Dad but also really likes a quiche with spinach.  YUM!  What I love is that no matter what breakfast I make, if it has eggs, he always helps crack them so not only  is he getting to help and eating a healthy breakfast, but I’m getting a little bonding time with my baby.

One of the things always lacking no matter what meal or snack…is time.  That’s why I was so eggcited to see some really quick & easy egg recipes that you can make in the microwave!  We tried this 3-Minute Breakfast Hash from the American Egg Board and holy cow, we loved it!!  I quickly made one for Truett and me before we headed off to school and it was a hit.  Truett LOVED the fact that it’s a bowl full of yumminess that he could hold himself.  It made him feel like a big boy.

I encourage you to ‘Like’ Incredible Edible Egg on facebook.  You can learn all kinds of cool egg facts, get fantastic-super easy recipes, and enter to win some great prizes by posting on their fridge!  Just share an eggciting accomplishment and you’ll be entered to win some GREAT prizes from them!  I posted our own accomplishment…if you can’t read it, go check out the fridge yourself. There are some sweet ones on there!!

THAT’S ALL YOLKS!! teehee

 Disclosure: Compensation from the American Egg Board was given for my time and efforts to create this post.  Opinions are my own, always have been, always will be.  booyah!

Grandma’s Banana Pudding from scratch….there just aint’ nothin’ like this out there that tastes so good!  This is the most requested food dish that family members ask me to bring to holiday get-togethers and any other time I can.  My grandmother made some of the best treats ever and this ranks #1 on my list.  I’m republishing this due to it’s popularity so enjoy and check out her other recipes if you get a chance.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 heaping  Tbsp. Flour…and I mean heaping!
• 1/2 cup sugar or a little more;)
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• butter
• vanilla
• Vanilla Wafers (save some to crumble for the top)
• Bananas

DIRECTIONS:

In a saucepan, mix flour & sugar then add eggs and mix well.  Start your burner and slowly add milk; a little at a time stirring constantly.  Continue stirring until it has thickened.  After thick, add butter and vanilla to taste.  I would say about 1 Tbsp of butter maybe.  I double this recipe to make a bunch so it’s hard for me to give you accurate measurements.  Not too much vanilla either or it will taste almost chocolatey.  Maybe a 1/4 tsp??  Again, not sure.  Just taste it.

You’ll want to layer your wafer cookies and bananas for a pretty presentation.  I don’t do this though..I throw in a bowl..LOL.  I refrigerate mine over night because I like it VERY cold but you should refrigerate it for a few hours.

Ingredients…..

Here’s all the good stuff cooking in the saucepan……

While you’re cooking the the stuff in the pot, you can slice your bananas and layer your wafers & bananas. Don’t forget to keep stirring your pudding though.

Once your pudding is done, add the butter and vanilla.  Remember, I double my recipe so that’s why there is more in my pudding!

Now that it’s done, you pour into your dish with your wafers and bananas.

This is where the extra wafers come in.  Crush them up and sprinkle on top.

Sprinkle and Viola!

Remember to refrigerate….once nice and cold, sit back and enjoy!!!

This recipe was submitted by Rachel S for May’s Food Challenge. If you have a recipe with eggs in it, you can enter too! Check it out ’cause there’s a great prize! Thanks Rachel for entering!

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 Eggs
• Shredding Mozzarella Cheese
• Asparagus
• Onions
• Butter
• Salt/Pepper

(I followed a recipe I found here: http://www.musingsofahousewife.com/2011/05/asparagus-frittata.html – with a few of my own tweaks and changes)

DIRECTIONS

1. Chop onion and put it into frying pan with butter, until soft
2. Clean/cut asparagus and add it to pan. Allow to cook for 5-7 minutes.
3. While veggies are in the pan, make egg mixture – 8 eggs, 1 cup of cheese, salt/pepper to liking – and mix together.
4. Add the veggies to a quiche or pie pan. Pour egg mixture on top. Put in oven (at 350) until the egg has solidified. Add more cheese on top (I used the same mozzarella cheese on top, but have also make it with goat cheese) and put under the broiler for about 5 minutes – or until it is golden brown and delicious!

(photo credit goes to http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/asparagus_frittata/)

This recipe was submitted by Sherri for May’s Food Challenge.  If you have a recipe with eggs in it, you can enter too! Check it out ’cause there’s a great prize!  Thanks Sherri for entering!

Ingredients

• 12 frozen biscuits
• 12 oz country ham, thinly sliced
• 3 lg Egglands Best Eggs
• 1/2 med habanero pepper, finely chopped (optional)
• 1/4 c Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
• 2 tsp chives, dry
• 1 lg onion, sliced
• 6 Tbsp butter, unsalted (3 Tbsp for onions)
• 3 pinch salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place biscuits on lightly greased cookie sheet. Have sides touching each other. Cook for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. One minute before cooking is complete melt 1 tbsp butter, add Italian season and half of the chives. Brush the tops of biscuits with the butter mixture; continue to cook the biscuits for one more minute. Remove biscuits from oven and place on a cooling rack.
2. Meanwhile, in a heated large skillet, add ham slices and enough water to cover ham slices. Cook at medium heat until liquid has reduced in half. This should take about 4-5 minutes. Flip ham slices half way through. After liquid had reduced, remove ham and set or warming plate.
3. Add chopped habanero pepper, mustard and honey to the pan sauce. Simmer on low heat for about 2 minutes. Set aside
4. Grill sliced onions in 3 tbsp butter. Remove and set aside
5. Whisk eggs, remaining chives, pepper and salt. In a medium size frying pan, add 2 tbsp of butter. Let melt, and then add eggs. Cook eggs about 1 minute and flip and cook for an additional minute. Remove and cut into 12 equal pieces
6. Slice biscuits in half. Layer equal parts of egg, honey mustard mixture, ham, grilled onions and tops of biscuits.

Serve with fresh fruit and veggies.

I know you’ve all anxiously awaited the results to March’s Food Challenge and I apologize for the delay.  I hope you all can understand that I just had too much going on offline that I was barely online. In fact, I think I only wrote 1 or 2 posts in April. All future food challenges should be consistent now that I have merged and have more time to dedicate to this blog.   Anyhoo, I have the winner and I’m ready to share May’s Food Challenge with you.

There can only be one winner in the monthly food challenge and March’s winner is………. Diane’s Pesto Torte!  Honestly, I thought it was a creative dish that would gather folks around and quickly become a conversation piece.  It looks delicious and I’m planning to try it this holiday season! Congrats Diane!

MAY FOOD CHALLENGE

The theme for May y’all, is EGGS in honor of National Egg Month!  I don’t know if you know but my favorite are Eggland’s Best Eggs.   The recipe you submit has to have EGGS in it.

DEADLINE & RULES

Deadline for this food challenge is March 29th (about 11pm CST), one day before my 35th birthday!  You can READ ALL THE FOOD CHALLENGE RULES HERE, and please do read them.

SPONSOR

The sponsor for May is  Temp-tations.  The Food Challenge winner will receive a beautiful set of Temp-tations Old World 16-piece Oven-to-Table Set.  These are BEAUTIFUL! style & color may change

If you would like to sponsor a Food Challenge month, you can email me at sponsor@mywoodenspoon.com with food challenge in the subject.

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*NONBLOGGERS -If you do not have a blog but want to participate, you may submit your recipe here if you don’t have a place to upload your photo (or know how).  Flickr and Photobucket are great thought if you do want to have your own place to upload photos. Then you can just upload, write the recipe with your photo and grab the URL and add to the linky.  Either way, I’ll help you all I can. Please know that should you submit via this form, you are allowing me to publish the recipe and photo on my blog.

*BLOGGERS -Leave the url to your recipe in the linky below.

French Toast Casserole, a perfect breakfast for our family.  I recently shared the new KitchenAid Recipe Collection Cookbook with you and now want to share one of the recipes.  I truly love love love this cookbook.   There are so many wonderful, easy recipes that I can’t seem to decide what to make.   I chose this because a pretty sweet gal I know recommended it and because we are huge breakfast eaters around here.  It’s the one meal I insist that we all eat to insure a full, energy filled day.

The recipe was extremely easy to make.  I love that you can prepare it ahead and then bake that morning.  In fact, in my opinion, I’d actually bake the night before and let it sit overnight.  While it was GREAT out of the oven, we loved it even more once it had cooled off completely.  This made a huge pan full and was plenty for our family of 5.

Another great reason why I love my KitchenAid Refrigerator!  That pull out tray is the handiest thing ever!!

It was a little overdone. I have a horrible oven from the 70′s so I can never bake anything right but no matter ’cause it tasted delicious!!!  We totally give it 5 stars.

Hope your morning is just as delicious as ours was!

One of the awesome things Eggland’s Best did during October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month was partnering up with the Susan G Komen Foundation and brand their eggs with a pink ribbon to remind us all to do our part in supporting the cause. I love October for all those great reminders but just because October is over, doesn’t mean we should forget you know?

I’ve mentioned it before but my Aunt and Grandmother both battle breast cancer, both are doing well, and I’m happy to be able to be able to say that which is why I’m proud to be a Pink Dozen, Eggland’s Best Ambassador.  I’m thrilled that I get to remind you of the cause and talk about eggs that are healthy for you!

Today I’m bringing you 5 healthy recipes, using Eggland’s Best Eggs.  Enjoy and GET THOSE MAMMOGRAMS ladies!

1) Did you see the healthy pumpkin bread I made?  Perfect mini loaves that are great for gift giving.

2) Garden Veggie Scrambled Eggs – Looks like a delicious, fresh breakfast!

3) Healthy Salmon Vegetable Quiche <–Creative using that salmon!

4) Racot Krumpli, Layered Potatoes are a healthier version of her mother’s traditional recipe.

5) Healthy Egg Salad and a slew of other great info there too!

WHERE TO FIND AND FOLLOW EGGLAND’S BEST

EB Website | Youtube | Twitter | Facebook | Foodbuzz

Disclosure: Compensation was provided and sponsored by Eggland’s Best for my time and efforts to create this post. In NO way does this affect my opinions of the product and/or cause.  I’m proud to be an ambassador for EB, eat their eggs, and do what I can to help fight cancer.

For our family the perfect muffin has to be healthy and also nut free (my daughter’s daycare is nut free), low carb for me and yet still delicious and moist for my husband.   I’m not an expert baker so I wanted something that would be quick and easy to make and relatively foolproof.   After combining a couple of recipes and tweaking a little we have found the one that works for us.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 6 eggs (at room temperature)
• ½ teaspoon coconut essence
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup Xylitol
• 1 teaspoon Stevia (Nu Naturals)
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 ½ cups shredded coconut (we use organic unsweetened low fat)
• 1 cup coconut flour (best sifted – we use Bob’s Red Mill)
• ½ cup cocoa (best sifted – we use Green & Blacks Organic Fair Trade Cocoa)
• ¾ cup chocolate chips (we use Sunspire Organic 65% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)

Preheat oven 375 degrees – To help keep the muffins moist we add moisture to the oven in the form of steam by placing a pyrex dish filled with water on the bottom of the over while preheating.

Directions:

1. Soften the butter and if your coconut oil is solid soften that too
2. In a large mixing bowl mix coconut oil, eggs, coconut essence, pinch of salt and xylitol
3. Separately mix the shredded coconut, coconut flour, cocoa and chocolate chips (keep some of the chocolate chips to sprinkle on the top of each muffin
4. Add half the dry mix into the wet mixture, add the heavy cream, add the remainder of the dry mix
5. Grease the muffin trays/cups.  We use spray coconut oil.
6. Spoon into the silicon muffin trays or muffin cups (we make 12 large muffins and 12 mini muffins)
7. Bake for 14-16 minutes.  For us the mini muffins are ready at 14 minutes so we remove these and leave the large muffins in for a few more minutes – since your oven may bake a little differently you can check them with a toothpick and the leave them in a little longer if necessary.

Candice is a co-founder of Bidmycleaning.com, an online marketplace for cleaning services.  Bidmycleaning was founded by her husband, Gavin and two partners.  Candice and Gavin live in San Diego and have an ‘almost-four-year old’ daughter, also known as the baking assistant.  Candice writes the Bidmycleaning Banter Blog where she talks about house cleaning, green cleaning and being eco-friendly.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies have to be some of the BEST cookies ever.  These cookies are slightly crisp on the outside with a soft and chewy inside, full of chunks of macadamia nuts and white chocolate.  Very drool worthy!  What is your favorite kind of cookie?

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound (2 cups) butter, room temperature
• 1 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 4 ¼ cup all purpose unbleached white flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12 ounce bag) white chocolate chips or chunks
• 1 ¼ cup (4 ounces) macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

DIRECTIONS

• 1. This recipe makes a large batch of 48 full size cookies. The full batch will fit in a 5 quart mixer. Divide the recipe in half if needed.
• 2. Make sure the oven keeps the right temperature. The cookies may need a minute or two more or less than stated.
• 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• 4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (no need to grease).
• 5. Measure flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and blend together. Set aside.
• 6. In a large mixing bowl, preferably a heavy-duty mixer, and using the paddle or beater attachment, beat butter until creamy.
• 7. Add brown sugar and beat again. Scrape down the bowl and add the granulated sugar. Beat until fluffy.
• 8. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
• 9. Add vanilla, beat and scrape again.
• 10. On low speed, add flour mixture 2 cups at a time, and mix well.
• 11. Mix in white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Mix only until blended.
• 12. Using a cookie scoop, place dough on prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly to allow for spreading.
• 13. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Do NOT over bake these cookies. They continue to bake for a few minutes after they are removed from the oven.
• 14. Transfer to cooling racks. Store in air tight container or plastic bag to stay soft and moist.
• 15. Makes 48 warm and gooey cookies.