Content/Sidebar/Sidebar

Hard-boiled Eggs

One of my very first blog posts, about a hundred years ago, was how to cook the perfect hard-boiled egg. Oh the arrogance to think that was the ultimate egg boiling method. I have a new method and this time it really IS the perfect way.

The perfect way is to steam them. I'm not entirely sure where I heard about this method but after a bit of trial and error I've come up a fool-proof system. Steaming them results in a more delicate (or less rubbery) egg white and it makes peeling an absolute breeze. You can even steam eggs fresh from the market and they'll peel just fine.

First step – when you get the eggs from the market flip the eggs around. Top to bottom. The yolk kind of settles and it helps center it a bit. Makes for a more pleasing deviled egg.

Second step – bring your eggs to room temperature before steaming.

Third step – put a couple of inches of water in your sauce pan and bring to a boil before putting the steamer basket with eggs in

Fourth step – place steamer basket with eggs over boiling water and cover. I turn the heat down ever so slightly but you want the water to continue to boil while steaming. I've made the mistake of turning it down too low and my eggs didn't cook thoroughly. I've also made the mistake of not having enough water in the pan and it boiled away. That does not smell nice so keep an eye on it and add more water if you think it is getting low.

I steam extra large eggs for 13 1/2 minutes.

Fifth step – remove from heat and place in a cold water bath to stop the cooking process.

There you have it. Perfect hard-boiled eggs every time. Although technically not boiled. I like to have hard-boiled eggs on hand because they are a great low carb snack. And my version of deviled eggs are keto friendly! The secret is sugar free sweet pickle relish.

Monday

Brilliant title for a blog post.

I'll apologize in advance for the quality of photos in this post. I took them with my tablet. I thought I could jury rig a transfer system from my camera to my phone but since I shoot in raw it isn't working.

We had a productive weekend. I got out and did some weeding. Why is it just as soon as you get finished weeding you look back to where you started and more weeds have popped up! Sneaky buggers. You have to be ever vigilant.

The roses are in the first full flush of bloom. It really is spectacular. The rose in the courtyard (top picture) smells heavenly. There are so many blossoms the branches are weighed down and you have to duck to get through the gate.

The Lady Banks isn't a repeat bloomer but despite that I like having one in the garden because it puts on such a grand show in early Spring. It is the first to flower.

Let's see what else did I get up to…

Cécile Brünner – another favorite. Rick is training it to cover the shed.

I rewired two vintage lamps. There is quite a saga with those two lamps that I will share in another post. If you haven't ever rewired a lamp because you think it might be difficult let me assure you it isn't. You can buy the rewiring kits at the hardware store and it takes all about 15 minutes to do it. Now I just need to find the perfect lampshades for them.

I also "sewed" curtains for my office. I use quotes because all I did was cut off a couple feet off the top of a pair of store bought curtains and sew a new rod pocket. When we moved in the previous owners left all the window coverings. I replaced almost all of them but the guest bathroom window had a sweet curtain so I left it up. It is a sheer cotton voile with white embroidered dots all over and embroidered lace on the bottom. Well I was at Target last week and wouldn't you know it is part of their Simply Shabby Chic line.

They only had 84" panels so I just cut the length I needed. I had a near disaster when I went to iron them. Our decade old Rowenta decided to spew out a bunch of rusty water. Fortunately I was able to clean them quickly enough that it didn't stain. But they are a bit wrinkly.

So add the iron to the list of things that decided to quit on me. I also broke a toilet handle. I'm thinking I should just lie low for a while…

Happy Monday everyone!

Friday Favorites

Black, Cream and Gold ◊ Untitled ◊ buttons ◊ make a~

Along with my laptop giving up the ghost I lost all my links – including anything I've collected over the weeks for Friday Favorites. So I come to you empty handed today. I am so sorry about that.

It will probably be a few weeks before I am back up to running normally. I like to pay for things as I go. So while I could pop into Best Buy and pick up a new laptop I can't just pay cash for it at the moment. So I'll wait until I can and things will get back to normal scheduling.

I do not have any plans, as of yet, for this weekend. To be perfectly honest I'm feeling a little down about the issue with my car, and now my laptop and various work worries. I know they are completely superficial but still they do have me feeling a bit sorry for myself. I'm feeling like I just need a quiet weekend where I can regroup.

I can't just leave this on a negative note so let's end with some gratitude. I had a lovely dinner with my father last night. My youngest son was there as well (along with Rick and I) and I made red snapper and we had a lively conversation. One of the many things I'm grateful for is my father's health and sound mind. He is 92 years old and just as sharp as ever.

My sister and her husband are on a once in a lifetime European vacation and she is sending daily missives on their travels and it is so fun to come along, vicariously. She includes dozen of pictures with each email so it's almost like being there. Although I'm sure the gelato tastes better in real life than it does digitally. I've been printing off her emails so I can share them with our father. He is getting a real kick out of them too.

I hope you have a splendid weekend planned. Happy Friday everyone!

RIP Laptop

Just as Mercury was coming out of retrograde he took a final swipe and took out my laptop. It served me well for four years but the hard drive just gave up. I did have some warning and was able to frantically back up my files before it completely quit on me.

I even had a repair guy come and spend an hour and a half trying to resurrect it but to no avail. He didn't charge me for the visit. I think he felt bad for me.

So until I get a new one posting is going to be a challenge. I'm writing this on an 8 inch tablet which is kind of like texting you a blog post.

Photos will be the trickiest because I can't edit them. I can manage to transfer them from my camera to my phone and then email them to myself and then download them to my tablet. Just typing that wears me out.

Bear with me while I sort this out.

Match bottle

I want to share a fun thing to include when giving someone a candle. I love giving (and receiving) candles. It is a perfect hostess gift or if you are trying to keep your budget low but want to up the special-ness of a gift.

I have seen similar bottles of matches for sale at the likes of Anthropologie and Sur la Table for $15.

Oh heck yeah I can make that. I think this should be a new blog series.

I created the labels using images I found on the Graphics Fairy website and printed them up on plain printer paper. I altered the colors using Photoshop Elements. The fonts I used are Swistblnk Banthers, Dagerotypos and Traveling_Typewriter. I am mentioning them because I love fonts and always appreciate when they are listed in projects. So for my fellow font lovers they are linked below.

I mocked up the labels in MS Word. I suppose I could have done it easily in Photoshop Elements but it doesn't play nicely with my printer so I used Word instead.

I ordered the match strike stickers from Etsy and bought the bottles at a craft store. I liked the square bottle the best. Made them look less crafty to me.

The caps on the square jars were turquoise so I first primed them and then painted them to match the labels.

You can order colored matches on Etsy but they are pricey. For full disclosure I faked the pink and green matches for photographic purposes. I did find white tipped matches for a reasonable price though, and I think that would look prettier than red tipped matches with the pastel labels. Just make sure your bottles are an appropriate size for whatever matches you use.

Here is the list of resources:

« Previous Page