French Hash N' Eggs

Welcome to a culinary edition of The Cherry On Top.

The family and I went to the South of France this summer.  It was a first for me.  I've only been to Paris a couple of times and had a brief stay in Bordeaux when I was backpacking around Western Europe.  My ad hoc travel partner kept accusing me for the bad weather and after threatening to blacken both of her eyes, I went on my own merry way.  Hehehe...

When I travel internationally, I love checking out the local stores and discovering the regional food.  After a couple of attempts at the local bucheries, we found a really good one and kept going back.  The farmer had totally awesome wines to offer for next to nothing as well.  Talk about a mega hook up!

  

That's the village we stayed in.  It's nestled in the Pyrenees Mountains.  Spectacular views and a lot of nature to enjoy.

Among many of the meats we tried from Chez Alex was this terrine.  It reminded me of corned beef hash.  I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it was delicious and I couldn't wait to try it.

These are the ingredients I used:  olive oil, terrine, leek or onions, garlic, potatoes and eggs

Slice and dice those lovelies.

Sauté the veggies in some oil over a low to medium fire and add the terrine, corned beef, bacon or ham at the end.  If you are using something like hash or terrine, you'll only need to warm it through and serve.  Consider salt, pepper or other regional herbs. 

I whipped up some eggs in a separate pan.  To get eggs like this, I carefully crack them in a slightly buttered pan on low heat and cover them with a lid for just a couple of minutes.  Keep a sharp eye out.  It can go fast.

Buon appetite!

Ahhh...fond memories of a magical space.

Thanks so much for checking out The Cherry.

Egg-Cellent Tips

Welcome to The Cherry On Top.

We are keeping it short and sweet with this one because it's cut and dry easy. We'll tell you how to test an egg without cracking it.  Have you ever smelled a rotten egg?  UGH!  By far, the worst thing I've ever smelled.  Even worse, breaking a bad egg into a bowl full of ingredients!  I learned my lesson the hard way.  Break all eggs over a separate container or dish.

Plant Seeds from Amanda Creation can be found at the Digital scrapbooking Studio.

Chickens totally rock!  Even in the congested cities of Belgium, you'll hear the cock-a-doodle-doo of roosters and the clucking of the ladies.  I wondered why so many people had chickens.  They eat a lot of left overs as well as the peels and other parts of fruit and veg that we throw away.

We have two garbage bags less, per month since we got the girls and I don't feel nearly as bad giving my girls leftovers rather than disposing them in the trash.  Of course, they also give us something in return, eggs.

We've had chickens for several years now.  I've noticed that when I let the girls walk around the yard and enjoy the grass and all of the critters they can find, that they are much, much healthier and lay eggs all year round, despite freezing or continuous rain.

I have one chicken that always manages to escape and she often retreats to my neighbour's, very overgrown garden.  She often lays eggs there and I forget to get them.

All you have to do is gently drop an egg into water and if it floats, it's bad.  That's it! When an egg starts to turn it emits gas, hence the floating. How convenient that I just happened to have discovered an old egg at the neighbours for this blog?!  Hehehe...

Some other egg-cellent tips I can give are telling the difference between a raw and cooked egg that is still in the shell.  It's all in the spin!  Give the egg a spin if it rotates quickly, then it's cooked because it's solid.  If it hardly moves, it's raw because it's liquid.

There is absolutely no difference between a brown and white egg.  If ya got a white chicken, then you are going to have white eggs.  If ya got a brown chicken, they'll be brown.  Neither is more nutritious than the other.  The best eggs for you are those that are organic.

There is great debate on how to make the best boiled egg.  Here's what I found on HowStuffWorks.

"First, place fresh eggs in a pot filled with cold water and bring to a rapid boil. Then, remove from heat and cover. Let the eggs sit for 20 minutes, take them out of the water, peel and enjoy. If you like your eggs cold, place them in a bowl of chilled water or run them under the tap for several seconds."

If you click on the high lighted link for HowStuffWorks, they give tips on the perfect scrambled eggs, omelets and the most delicious, poached eggs.

There is a whole lot of information out there about eggs and the health benefits from them.  Check out this article from Huff Post.

There ya have it.  You've got the facts and the skills to get those eggs just right and enjoy eating them without the guilt that they are not good for us because they are!

Beat The Heat With This Healthy 5 Minute Meal

Welcome to another Foodie edition of The Cherry On Top.

We had one heck of a heat wave a couple of days ago and putting the stove on was NOT an option.  Cooking outside is always a good idea.  Fill your crock pot and set it on a table outside and let the heat stay behind.  Grilling is another way to keep the heat outside.  I've made waffles in the iron outside, too.

After many days of extreme heat and no A/C, I needed some fresh ideas. In typical Cherry fashion, I'm looking for fast and healthy.

I chose a deep plate and put some very thinly sliced shrooms in first.

Then added some fresh eggs from the girls.

Whisked the eggs and chucked it in the microwave for 3 minutes.

Of course you can add cheese, meat, herbs...whatever will cook up in a few short minutes.  The bacon was a favourite!

The boys absolutely loved this dish and it was whipped up in minutes.  This kind of meal is great for all three meals, not just for breakfast.

Keeping it fast and healthy is our aim.  Share any speedy healthy meals you might have.

Enjoy!