Scotch Eggs

As long as I can remember, I’ve always loved eggs. Boiled, scrambled, fried, poached… In a sandwich, in a salad, in my hand. It doesn’t matter to me!

I tried scotch eggs probably five years ago and fell in love with yet another way to eat eggs. I’ve gotten scotch eggs from a local Irish pub, and they make them with quail eggs. Delicious, two-bite pieces of joy! The market that carries quail eggs have been out for a little while (probably due to the holidays), so I decided to make regular ones.

If you ever have a hard time peeling boiled eggs, I have the fix for you! The Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) has a tried-and-true method that I use, and you can find it HERE!

Putting sausage over boiled eggs, even patted dry eggs, is difficult. Nothing really wants to stick to them, much less raw sausage. I used breakfast sausage, and patted a thin-ish layer on my hand.

Putting the egg in the middle, I just wrapped the sausage around the egg and kept manipulating it until it was covered. Mostly.

Then, trying to stick to low carb, less grains, etc., I used pork rinds as a crusty coating. I recently found out you can buy ground up pork rinds on Amazon, which is too convenient for me to pass up.

I baked them in the air fryer at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, then flipped them and went 10 minutes more. They came out perfect! A couple of these protein-packed balls of flavor will set your morning up for success. At least, in my book they do.

Pisgah – Walking the Flats

Christine and I finally got to go on a hike! To “open” the season, we chose to walk Pisgah down in the flat parts. Her dog was overjoyed because that meant river appearances. It’s cold, and we bundled up and walked a brisk pace (or at least that’s what my short legs felt).

A lot of this area is on old gravel roads that aren’t traveled much, and dogs are allowed off leash. That golden dot down there is Christine’s dog, running and loving every bit of it.

A few of the areas were sheltered by trees and when it was raining, it was nice to have the bits of shelter.

Other areas were wide open, which I love. As a person who grew up in the woods, I have an appreciation for light and openness. I feel free.

There she goes! The pup checks in with us frequently, then takes off again. She had dipped in large puddles and found water in various locations, and Christine said she was staying warm by running.

We got to a parking lot where we veered off onto a trail. Look at all that Methuselah’s Beard lichen!

At this point it was trying to snow. I couldn’t capture it on the camera though.

The snow was getting a little bigger, and I was able to catch some on the camera. It was too wet on the ground, though, so it wasn’t sticking.

Look at her dipping in the water! Crazy girl! That water must be so cold, but she loved it. She didn’t roll in it, dipping was sufficient.

Overall, we did 4.5 miles in about an hour and a half. It was a great time catching up with my friend. Our lives get so busy sometimes. Luckily, I’m changing departments at work, and we’re going to be working in the same department. I’ll actually be working with a bunch of people who I worked with when I was a CNA and then as a new nurse. I’m really looking forward to the change!

Bacon Mushroom Burger

My husband absolutely *hates* mushrooms. I, on the other hand, love them! So, I was obviously eating by myself on this night. I got this recipe from Nom Nom Paleo, and you can get it HERE. It’s good. You want it.

Starting out with extra lean ground beef and minced bacon, I also minced some criminy mushrooms. I do believe I minced them just a tad too much, but I don’t mind. I cooked them until the moisture was gone, and added it to the meats.

Taking a portobello mushroom, I took the stem off and removed the gills, which I like to call fins. I tossed that in the oven while I did the other bits, letting it bake.

After I mixed the meats and mushrooms, I formed a few patties. I’m already looking forward to eating this!

When the portobello was done, I took it out and blotted off the extra moisture. While it cooled, I threw the patties on the skillet.

I don’t know if this looks delicious to you, but it does to me! Of course, I know what it tastes like, so I have an edge.

Since it had raw bacon in it, I was sure to cook it all the way through, something I don’t normally do with my burgers.

Here’s the stack: I started with the portobello and put my homemade mayonnaise on next. I added some red leaf lettuce, the burger, and avocado slices. It’s already a messy, difficult to eat food, so I put the tomato and pickles on the side.

Here’s another variation: I added gorgonzola and a couple of extra strips of bacon. Both versions were fantastic! Just messy. I mean, you should have a cloth napkin handy, because you’re going to need it!

This is a great burger. I ate way more veggies than meat, and it was so dang tasty! This one goes on the “make it again” list.

Pan-Fried Oysters with Homemade Tartar Sauce

I know not everyone likes oysters. I, however, am not one of those people. Oysters are one of my favorite foods, raw or cooked! This is the time of year for cooked oysters, so I went to one of the local fishmongers for a few.

Since i happened to have everything I needed to make homemade Tartar sauce, I decided to try it! I used some of my homemade mayonnaise because it has a shorter shelf life than store bought mayo, and I want to make the best uses of it!

It turned out pretty good! It’s important to make it first, so you can put it in the refrigerator for some time to thicken up.

Now for the oysters! This is a paleo recipe, as is the tartar sauce. Even the Slap Ya Mama seasoning is paleo! I rinsed the oysters and patted them dry. Then I dredged them in egg and into the coconut flour and spice mixture.

I used plenty of avocado oil to fry them in, and tried to to let them touch. These oysters were very small ones, and I was able to get a bunch into this large pan.

Oh my. They were wonderful! I had them with some baby arugula, which was perfect! These fried oysters were such a treat! They’re inexpensive, but make you feel like you’re eating something rare and special. Deeeelicious!

Run to Stay Warm 2022

Today was a fun day outside. Every year there is a Run to Stay Warm race. You can do a 5k, 10k, or a half marathon. Proceeds go toward helping people pay their electricity bills, specifically people who are in financial hardship at risk of having their electricity shut off.

I showed up early… waaaay too early. I learned that this is not like a biking event – you can’t just go when you want. They have start times that they stick to! I’ve been to a couple of biking events like that, but they’re usually a bit looser. After all, it’s not officially timed, like this even was.

The sun was rising, but at 7:45am, it was a brisk 22 degrees. COLD. I watched them set up the start/finish line and get things ready. I waited for nearly two hours, so this was a lesson for me: Read the emails thoroughly.

This is part of a newer development in Eugene. I like it!

After a long, cold wait, we were off! We crossed over the Willamette River a couple of times.

Here’s a closer picture of the stacked rocks. In the summer, there are tons of these. When the river starts to rise, however, it’s like a giant etch-a-sketch that just got shaken.

In the land of Prefontaine, there are tons of biking and running paths. This is part of a bike path I used to ride on a lot, when I didn’t work 12-hour shifts.

Hello Autzen Stadium!

I’ve never been in a race with pacers before. That is so interesting that they know exactly how fast they run, and consistently! When I run, I just try to survive.

This is part of Alton Baker Park.

I don’t know why this made me chuckle, but it did.

More of Alton Baker. The ducks and geese like to frequent this area. I had a fair amount of goose poop on the bottom of my shoes at the end.

Not much farther…

The bottom of that bridge. I guess that’s obvious.

At the finish line! My friend Carol was cheering me on (she finished earlier) and rooting for me!

We finished! I actually walked, but I’m hoping to run/jog an event at some point. Carol had a fantastic run!

While I enjoy hiking a bit more, I think, I wouldn’t mind doing more of these. Especially the ones that have a good purpose. It was great to see so many people joining in for good health and a great cause.

Egg Salad Sandwich (Paleo/Keto/Delicious)

Has this blog turned into a food blog? Maybe… temporarily…

First: I MADE MAYONNAISE! I’ve tried it before, have failed miserably and wasted eggs and oil. This time was different. This time I followed the very easy instructions in The Primal Gourmet Cookbook. Voila! Mayo! Not only that, but it is delicious!

I think I’m more excited about making mayonnaise than I am a bunch of other things. Seriously, buy this book.

Look at that creamy thing! I’m so proud. Before, I’ve tried to drizzle the oil in whilst whisking very quickly. Using my handheld Cuisinart blender made a huuuuuge difference. This was made with avocado oil (much better taste than EVOO for mayo) and an egg, and then a pinch of salt.

Today I was hankering for a simple egg salad sandwich. I got my new, homemade, fancy-ass, delicious mayonnaise and some other ingredients.

I used Base Culture keto bread that is also paleo. It’s great and toasts well on the skillet. I toasted it in browned butter (drool). In the egg mixture, I wanted to keep it extra simple, so I only added scallions and the mayo with my eggs. We usually use good quality eggs, and the yolks are absolutely orange.

Lastly, I topped it with some baby arugula. I’m a big fan of arugula: so much flavor in a bit of lettuce!

I ate them open-faced because there was just too much egg mixture to put the bread together. The bread slices aren’t huge, either. But I have zero problems with eating the sandwich undone! This was a huge win for me with the mayonnaise. I know I’m harping on it a lot, but if you’ve ever tried to make it before and failed… you know how ugly the failure can be. It’s disgusting. This, however, was so easy; a child could have done it. Ergo, I can do it!

Beef Stroganoff in Acorn Squash

I have made beef stroganoff many times, and I’m not sure I’ve ever followed a recipe. It’s a little different each time, and always delicious. How can you go wrong with meat, mushrooms, and cream? Well… I suppose things can go very wrong. But not with beef stroganoff!

Going for the healthier option, I got some very pretty acorn squashes. Don’t they look like orange flowers? It’s always strange to me that squash typically doesn’t smell great. It’s not as bad as cauliflower or broccoli, but it still smells funny before it’s cooked. After I spooned out the guts, I tossed them into the oven to bake.

I went for some tender flank steak for this one. I really like flank steak for tacos – just cut into thin slices and flash fry: deeeeelicious and tender!

Still thinking about my health, I opted to put a ton of mushrooms in. The mushrooms would definitely outnumber the steak, but I love mushrooms.

Sautéing some onions first, I waited until they were a bit cooked through before adding some minced garlic.

After the onions and garlic were fragrant, I turned up the heat and added the steak.

Meanwhile, I made a little beef broth for a savory flavor addition.

I put in all the mushrooms (there was a ton) and then added the broth.

Oh my, that smells good!

Finally, I added some cream. Paleo people can add coconut cream here, but I prefer half-and-half for this dish. I let it all simmer together for several minutes and then put it all together.

The acorn squash makes a wonderful little bowl! It was just perfect for the chilly days we’ve been having.

You can also cube the acorn squash (I peeled it because the peel can get quite hard after baking) and put the stroganoff over the top. Either way is delicious! I got my protein and my veggies, and a full belly. Happy.

Turkish Eggs, Post-Workout

I feel the need to warn you: The end of this post contains very pretty food.

I love eating pretty, colorful food! It seems like it just tastes better. This is an unusual recipe, at least where I’m from. I tried it several years ago and was happy to go for it again. I got the recipe from The Primal Gourmet Cookbook, although it was in a different cookbook the first time I tried it. This one uses a dairy alternative; however, I used Greek yogurt and regular butter. I put the yogurt in a bowl to warm to room temperature and added a bit of diced garlic. Mixy, mixy!

You have to poach eggs, and I read poaching eggs is easier if you put vinegar in the water. I have four kinds of vinegar, and not one of them are regular vinegar. One is champagne vinegar for when I make blue cheese dressing, one is rice vinegar, we have red wine vinegar, and so on. Apple cider vinegar seemed like the best choice.

Using butter instead of ghee (I’m just not a huge fan of the taste of ghee), I started it melting in the pot with the aleppo pepper. While aleppo peppers are more traditional in Turkey and the Mediterranean, I had to hunt around Market of Choice to find it.

I cannot show you the picture of the poached eggs. I just can’t.

Seriously.

I am just awful at poaching eggs. The first one was… okay. It was not pretty, but I could work with it. The second one was a disaster. The yolk broke and the egg kind of disintegrated in the pot. I ended up making a third one because the second was really not edible. I used a silicone pouch to help with the third and last egg.

Okay. Are you ready for straight up BEAUTY IN A BOWL??

Planting the eggs on the room temperature, garlicy yogurt, I poured the peppery butter over the top. I then garnished it with freshly cut dill. Oh, my!

The hardest part of this entire thing was the mindful eating at the end. I didn’t look at my phone, I didn’t watch the television. I sat and ate, slowly. I thought about the textures and flavors, and I savored the yolk. I tried to give my body time to recognize when I should stop eating. I didn’t finish all of the yogurt and butter, and I feel good about that.

When I make this next, I might try cayenne pepper – something a little spicier. I do love some spicy food! This was very good, and just a fantastic change of pace for my breakfast.