Have You Tried Soft-Boiled Eggs?

Most of us eat eggs on a regular basis, and are one of the most common things to include in your breakfast. Scrambled, sunny-side up, over-easy, poached, fried, boiled - you name it! There are many different ways to prepare an egg. Everyone knows what a hard-boiled egg is. It is when you boil it in water, while still in its shell, until both the egg white and the yolk harden. But, have you heard of soft-boiled eggs?

What are soft-boiled eggs? It is when you boil them to the point where the egg white hardens, but the yolk is still a liquid, just thicker. For anyone who has never had one, I can understand your discomfort right now. It makes it sound as if the egg is still raw, and you may have never tried runny yolk. The egg is not raw, it is still cooked. Just not long enough to become entirely hard.

How do you cook the egg without hard-boiling it?

On gas stoves, I have found this to be pretty easy. Fill a saucepan with just enough water to cover the eggs. Put it on the stove at a little less than medium heat and then wait. I wait until the water starts boiling, and not soon after, I pull the saucepan off. Pour out the water and let the eggs cool down as they will be hot!

On electric stoves, I have found this to be more tricky. My apartment's electric stove has led me to more failures resulting in hard-boiled eggs rather than soft. With this, I would go the same route as the gas stove, see what happens, and adjust as needed (Sorry I can't help you out with this - my stove is terrible, old, and the temperature of the burners and the oven are never close to what I set the dial to...).

How do I eat my soft-boiled eggs?

After I let the eggs cool a little bit, I find a shot glass. There are special ones made for eggs, but those are hard to find. If you have a shot glass, it'll do the same job. Find a small spoon and pull out your salt and pepper. Crack the shell at one end of the egg, preferably the wider, rounder end. Peel enough shell to fit your spoon in. The shot glass is for holding your egg while you eat it, so place it in there with the cracked end up. Sprinkle a little bit of salt and pepper on the egg, and gently dig your spoon in. Careful, as the yolk is supposed to be in liquid form, so it may decide to leak off the side. I guess I can throw in the last step of putting the spoon in your mouth and enjoying!

This is a quick and very inexpensive meal that my parents used to prepare for my sister and I. It's healthy, nutritious, and cheap! Of course we don't eat the egg by itself... We usually grab a slice of bread and spread some butter on it, maybe toast it. You can add the egg to be included with a bigger meal as well, you don't have to eat the egg by itself!

I hope that this article helps persuade you into trying soft-boiled eggs! They are tastier than they sound! It may take a few tries to get it right, but if you do cook it too long, there is nothing wrong with having a hard-boiled egg instead!

A Sweet and Lightweight Summer Treat!

I love sweet things! Like chocolate, cake, cookies, and fruits - mmmm!

I work on a tight budget, but I do like to indulge once in a while, as a treat for something I may have accomplished or for simply having a long week at work. And I found something that is both sweet, delicious, can be eaten in the morning with my coffee or after a meal, AND is covered in chocolate! Not to mention it's much healthier than that triple fudge brownie cake you would order at a restaurant after your dinner! Try it, there's NO BAKING involved! And it's SUPER CHEAP!

All you need is:

1 already made Angel Food cake, found right by the bakery at your local grocery store
1 bottle Hershey Chocolate Syrup (they have a light version too!)
And any of your favorite fruits!!

I love using strawberries and bananas, but blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, pineapple, and orange slices also go very well with this!!

Take a slice of cake, sprinkle your desired pieces of fruit on top (cut into small pieces, of course), and pour on some delicious chocolate syrup!

There! Done! This is great to do in the summer, or when you have guests over and don't have a lot of time to cook or clean. It's inexpensive, very easy, not entirely unhealthy, and I can say it's delicious and MEAN it!! Not to mention your kids will love it too!

Try it and enjoy!!  :)