The Perfect Hardboiled Egg

I love an egg. People seem so scared by them though. Think low and slow people. That's how an egg should be approached! I like to hardboil a dozen or so for snacks during the week. As I was doing my batch today, it occurred to me that I should share my perfect hardboiled egg method. Again, the theme is "low & slow".

Ideally, start with a room temperature egg. However, if you are like me and always on the go, starting with a cold egg, straight from the refridgerator is much more likely. Place your eggs in a large sauce pan and cover with COLD water. Put on the stove top and set heat to medium. This is where many make a mistake, they put it on high and walk away. Result? Exploded eggs and cracked shells. OK, back to the right way. Leave on medium heat until you get a rolling boil (this will take awhile!).

Once you have a rolling boil, turn off the heat, cover the pot, and set your timer for 8 minutes. When the 8 minutes is up, dump the eggs out and let them come to a touchable temp. Again, do not stick them in ice water, or the refridgerator. This will cause the shell to stick to the egg and you will get a mess. Once you can comfortably hold them in your hand, peel away to reveal a perfectly cooked, yellow yoke. And if you do get an egg that breaks in half, or a shell that peels badly, do what I do...feed it to the drooling doggie at your feet! They don't care if you have a perfectly pretty egg!

What's your secret egg cooking method?

Summer Costco Finds!

OK, for a single person, Costco doesn't necessarily equal smart shopping. But I find myself drawn there for staples and their PRODUCE! It rocks, seriously. I love sharing my food finds and have two here for ya. First, is my summer obsession with tomatoes. Now, I grew up spoiled because of my parents' garden. I'm an east coast girl and we had a killer garden. So most of the time I turn my nose up at store bought tomatoes because, frankly, they usually lack flavor and have awful texture. But, I have found what I consider to be the closest thing to a home grown tomato at Costco. These Amorosa tomatoes are sweet, juicy and just the right size to pop into one's mouth like candy! At $3.99 a flat they are a great buy too. For your shopping convenience, here's a photo of the label.



Not convinced yet? Take a gander at these little gems!


My second "must consume" is the Dulcinea Tuscan-Style Cantaloupe. If you like melon, you must try these. They come in a two pack, so muster up an appetite for melon or prepare to share. Just a tad sweeter than your regular cantaloupe, try these for your next fruit salad or breakfast side. Yum! I have to give a shout out to my mom, as she recommended these to me. Thanks mom!


Oh and for those of you who are melon novices, how do you know when these are ready to cut into? I personally feel like an idiot standing there smelling my way through a pile of melons, wondering who is looking at me strangely. I go by color. When the stripes and skin on the melon are greenish, leave it out for a day or two on the counter before you cut into it. If the skin is pinky/orange, go for it, you've got a ripe one! For the visually stimulated....











Not ripe...
















Ripe...













And lastly, I just had to show you what makes me happy about summer! I love me a full produce basket.