What to do with all those easter eggs! "Egg Stuff" + White Sauce 101

Us girls being artsy.. we love to dye easter eggs.  And that usually leaves us with a whole mess of hard-boiled eggs.  
I love to use them in the next couple of weeks in egg salad sandwiches, a hearty, chopped salad with eggs and even a delicious spinach salad with hot bacon dressing.   These are all good uses for the left over egg dilemma.  However, this recipe is one of my favorites.  Growing up, my mom would make it for dinner and usually when my dad was not going to be there.  That's when we had quiche or any egg based meal. We called it "Egg Stuff" when we were little.  

It is a delicious and easy dish.  Actually, quite "elegant" with the bèchamel or white sauce. I love it for a brunch; the ladies who lunch really love it.  I don't think I've ever come across one person who knew what it was or had it before.  My mother said my grandma Blount would make it.  It does seem to me like something you would learn in Home Economics back in the day.  I want to wear a vintage apron when I make it.  

If sauces from scratch scare you.. This is a good sauce to learn and know. From this basic white sauce recipe, you can go a dozen different ways.  The addition of cheese and you're heading toward an amazing nacho dip that's not processed (love that!).. or macaroni and cheese.  Creamed chipped beef (no, thank you for me.. but that may be your sort of thing!)  Adding different broths.. you come upon dishes like Seafood bèchamel over rice, chicken divan with broccoli, chicken potpie.  Certain broth additions can be the beginning of many different cream soups. The list goes on and what I am saying is this is a good basic to know.   

We grew up using Campbell's cream of chicken, mushroom, broccoli.. soup for just about any recipe and casserole.  This white sauce is where you begin to learn to replace that processed, msg loaded crap with whole ingredients.  I used to make chicken pot pie using cream of chicken and broccoli soup, then when I started this whole foods healthier journey I had to figure out how to replace the processed ingredients in my cooking.  What amazed me was how easy it is.  Recipes like this are so darn simple, I even have them memorized.  
2 tablespoons of butter + 2 tablespoons of flour + 1 cup of milk + little salt and pepper..  and you're there.  Delicious Bèchamel 101  
(Don't think there's MSG in there?  Do you see "yeast extract"? Then it is.  That's a marketing term to get around using "MSG" which has become a worrisome ingredient for consumers. Definitely something I want to avoid especially in a child's diet with a growing brain.) 

Well, if you give "Egg Stuff" a try... let me know what you think! 

Egg Stuff + Basic White Sauce 101 (Béchamel)    

(serves 4 generously)

4-6 Hard Boiled Eggs

2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 cup Milk
White pepper, to taste

8 slices of Bread, toasted (2 per person)

In a saucepan, melt butter over med high heat.  Sprinkle flour over and whisk.  Add salt. Cook slowly 2-4 minutes.  (this is important, as it gets rid of the uncooked flour taste).  

Meanwhile, peel hard boiled eggs and separate the whites from yolks.  (I use a butter knife for this task.. cutting through whites just to yolk.. open up and yolk comes out whole.) Set yolks aside. Roughly chop whites. 

After flour and butter has cooked for 2-4 minutes..  whisk in milk slowly.  Continue to cook til thickened.  (About 2-4 minutes) Note: if you cook too long and it's too thick .. you can always thin with a little milk. Be Warned!  Add a Tablespoon at a time.. if you add to much, you quickly can have a thin sauce and you can't add more raw flour to thicken. 

Taste to see if you need to add more salt.  (Ending here.. you have a basic white sauce.  Continue on for "Egg Stuff") Stir in chopped egg whites.  

Spoon warm over toast.  Using a mesh strainer (see photo below), scrape yolks through strainer with fork and let it "snow" over the white sauce on the toast.  (the only time yellow snow is good!)

Sprinkle with Pepper... and serve. 

Melt 2 Tablespoons of Butter in saucepan. 

Sprinkle in 2 Tablespoons Flour.

Whisk and let cook 2-4 minutes.

Add 1/4 sea salt.

Add 1 cup Milk.

Peeling the eggs.  For easter egg dying we are forced

to buy store-bought organic white eggs as our usual

cage free brown eggs don't dye very well.

Separate the yolk from the whites.  This is where you can

see the difference between pasture-raised eggs and even store-bought

organic.  The yolks in these eggs barely have any colour! 

Add whites into white sauce.

Spoon over toast.

Using a metal strainer and fork push yolks through

to make a delicious yolk dusting. 

Oh, so good. 

Fennel and Apple Salad

This is one of my favorite salads.  It is super fresh and crispy and oh so good.  The fennel has a slight anise flavor and paired with the crisp apple and the tart juicy dressing with orange essence.. it's simply delicious.  Super easy to make, too. 

Fennel is a super healthy! Come on, you know I am going there.  Real quick with a link if you want to read more about this super food.  

Great source of vitamin C, fiber, folate and potassium.  In addition, it is a phytonutrient. Shown to reduce inflammation and to help prevent the occurrence of cancer.  There is a biological mechanism that shuts down the intercellular signaling system called tumor necrosis factor.. alright, I don't know how to explain all this.  Go here and read about it. 
Now for the recipe. 

Recipe notes:  
If you don't have orange marmalade.. you can sub honey and splash of orange juice.  

Fennel and Apple Salad

1 fennel bulb, sliced thin 
1 apple, sliced thin

In mason jar..
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup grape seed oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 t. dijon mustard
1T. orange marmalade
S + P

... Shake til emulsified and pour over the fennel and apple.  Toss together and serve.  
(This makes more dressing than you will need but it's great on any salad)

Super yummy additions that take this over the top:  
Orange sections
walnuts
blue cheese crumbles

Healthier Baked Oatmeal with fruit

Made this for Sunday School and it got rave reviews, so I thought I would post.  This recipe is inspired by my mom's baked oatmeal which is delicious but way to sweet for me.  This is a healthier version and I think she would love it too.  Using whole oats not instant makes a difference.  They hold their structure way better and you end up with a better texture than the instant.  Plus, they are way better for you.  I love using the banana on the bottom, it adds a lot of sweetness so you don't need as much sugar.  
What I love about this recipe and you will too.. is not only are there endless possibilities depending on the fruit, spices you choose but it's a delicious and easy make-ahead baked breakfast, perfect for gatherings.  
As far as berries, frozen or fresh both work well here.  Which makes this super easy. We use a variety from our frozen stash of summer berries or a bag of Trader Joe's Very Cherry Berry, which is amaze. Stone fruit, fresh or frozen works really well too.  We love this with peaches.  Just with blueberries is super yummy too. 
I like to serve it warm with a little cream to pour over.    It can also be made ahead of time which makes it great for a holiday breakfast gatherings or brunch.  Can be doubled.  

HEALTHIER BAKED OATMEAL

Fruit:

2 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups (frozen or fresh) Berries or stone fruit (frozen or fresh) 

Dry ingredients: 

2 cups whole rolled oats (not quick oats)
1/2 cup walnut pieces, toasted and chopped (divided)
1/4 cup natural cane sugar or maple syrup
1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminum-free)
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

Wet ingredients: 

2 cups milk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly (divided)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1)  Preheat the oven to 375°F   Butter the inside of an 8-inch square baking dish.

2)  In a bowl, mix together the oats, 1/4 cup of the walnuts, if using sugar instead of maple.. add the sugar here, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.  Set aside.

3)  In another bowl, whisk together the milk,  if using maple syrup instead of sugar.. add the syrup here, egg, vanilla extract and half of the melted butter.  Set aside.

4)  Arrange the sliced bananas in a single layer at the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle two-thirds of the berries over the top. 

Cover the fruit evenly with the oat mixture. 

Pour the milk mixture over the oats gently, so that it is evenly distributed. Jiggle the dish to make sure the milk mixture is throughout the oats. 

Scatter the remaining berries and walnuts on top.

5)  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is nicely golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes.  Drizzle the remaining melted butter on the top and serve. 

This dish can be made ahead the night before and reheated in the morning.   What I like to do is assemble the banana, berry and dry oat layer in the baking dish, cover and place in fridge.. In another bowl, Mix together the wet ingredients, cover and place in fridge.  In the morning, pour the wet mixture onto the oat mixture, top with berries and walnuts and bake.  

kids can help on this step.. Scarlett is practicing good knife skills

slicing a banana with a butter knife.  Layering them in a

buttered 8x8 baking dish.

Pour the oats over the berries and bananas. (Forgot to

photo the bananas with the berries, but I think you can imagine)

Pour the wet ingredients over the oats, tap the dish to be sure
the milk mixture is evenly distributed through the oats.

Top with remaining berries and walnuts.  Ready to bake.

All done, cut a scoop and cover with a little cream.