The Incredible Edible Egg

"ODE TO AN EGG"

When the day is almost done
Home from work you run
Dinner must be made
But, the plans you’ve laid
Lie frozen in the fridge
Not thawed a tiny smidge
What now? The cry is heard
No time to cook a bird
But then you spy a sphere
And suddenly it’s clear
A meal in a shell
Will work out very well
Scrambled, poached, and fried
There’s none that I’ve not tried
A culinary treasure
Whose worth has no measure.

They say that "the best laid plans of mice and men go oft' awry" and I can attest to this truth. Last night before I went to bed, I was bustling around the kitchen making muffins for breakfast and white bean hummus for snacking with veggies at lunch and I remembered that I would need to take something out of the freezer for dinner. I found a pound of hamburger, tucked it into the refrigerator and went to bed. When I arrived home from work today, I pulled out the hamburger only to find it still frozen. Uh oh. It was 5:00, my husband was on his way home and my children were already eyeing the kitchen like hungry dinosaurs sizing up their next kill. What to make? And that's when my eye fell on the old reliable - eggs.

It's entirely easy for me to say that my favorite food in all the world is the egg and it has been since I was a baby. My parents used to feed my sisters and I eggs and I would eat my portion and any extra that were available. My grandfather would come over and make me eggs just to see how excited I would get at the prospect. I was so in love with yolks that the dozen hard boiled eggs that were used to make colored Easter eggs were eaten entirely by me over the course of a week. It is, in my opinion, the most versatile culinary ingredient. It can be used as a main dish, a side or as an aid in countless other recipes.

So tonight, I grabbed eight eggs, a store bought pie crust, some cheddar cheese, a little Mascarpone cheese, half and half, salt and pepper and whipped up a quiche. Forty minutes in a 350 degree oven, topped with fresh chives and rosemary and served with fresh sliced tomatoes with garlic salt, pan sautéed potatoes, and green beans. It was a filling, tasty meal with the incredible edible egg as its star.

The next time you're out of dinner ideas, pull out that carton in the refrigerator and let the King of Foods delight you with it's veritable versatility. Try Eggs Benedict (my favorite application for eggs), omelets, bacon and eggs, deviled eggs, or even a soufflé. Since the beginning of time, man has consumed eggs, for its nutritional value (it's packed with protein, fat, vitamins, calcium, iron and more!!), its accessibility, its adaptability and its flavor and taste. So get crackin!