Friday, March 12, 2010

Boiled Egg and Soldiers

I just wanted to share a quick layout I did using my March Main Kit. I have talked before about my love of Egg and Soldiers, (an English term for toast cut into strips which you then use to dip into your supposedly runny boiled egg). I say supposedly as nine times out of ten, especially in Colorado with the altitude, the yolk is usually hard.

I know that when I was little I used to get very cross with my Dad when my yolk was hard, luckily the Oompa Loompas have not got to that stage and happily accept the hard yolk.
I took this photo because for once the egg was done to perfection, I had to have photographic evidence.


This is one dish that I feel I need to share with my fellow American Mummys. I know that it is not that well know over here but in England it is a child's staple lunch or supper. Not only healthy but super speedy to cook. Just pop the toast into the toaster and put your egg into a saucepan of boiling water. Three minutes for the perfect egg, (although not in Colorado, three minutes and it still looks like something a muscle man would put into his morning shake!!).

I have been here nearly three years and must admit that I have still not worked out the cooking time for the perfect egg. I kind of cheat, if I need 3 eggs, I cook 5. I then take one out if I think it is ready. If it is perfect, I take the others out and give them to the children. If it is undercooked, I take the shell off, whack it in the microwave for a minute and then give it to the dogs. They are super happy with this arrangement.

I know that I probably need to get out more but being an English girl, I can't tell you how important it is that I am able to cook a soft boiled egg. If you don't believe me, next time you meet an English girl, I urge you to bring up the boiled egg and soldiers discussion!! Anyway, baby OL and I are off to the mall. I love taking her to the pet shop to see all the puppies, something which is not allowed in England, (pet shops are not allowed to have/sell puppies) but then that's another blog post altogether!! Have a wonderful weekend.

11 comments:

  1. I sent this off to Catherine from OriginalStitch... she's English... I wanted to see if she eats them too...

    So you just drop the egg into boiling water??? Seriously?

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  2. Yes, you just boil the water and put the egg in there. It is best to lower it in with a spoon rather than just chucking it in otherwise the shell can crack. You then take it out after about 3 - 4 minutes, I then run it under the cold tap to stop it cooking. I then tap the top of the shell with a spoon and peel of a bit of the shell, like in my photo and then you are all set to go. You do need an egg cup though, it is nearly impossible to eat and dip without one. Also, butter on the toast is essential, the butter then melts in with the egg yolk when you dip - just delicious!!!

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  3. oooo i just don't like runny yolks. I have to have them cooked all the way through, so I boil them forever! Although if I were a child, and you gave me that plate in your picture, i think I would have LOTS of fun dipping that toast into the egg!!!! Actually, I haven't had a soft boiled egg in ages....maybe it is time to try again!

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  4. love your pg...so cute! i ate these when i was a kid also...super yummy!

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  5. YUM! I am the only one in my family who will eat runny yolks and this looks fabulous! Extra wonderful with the butter suggestion!

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  6. I just found your blog and it's wonderful!! Love the pictures of your cookbooks; I have been buying lots of them myself, lately.
    Also love the egg layout; very pretty with the brown and pink color combo.

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  7. Love boiled eggs and soldiers!! Just didn't know that was what they're called. :-)

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  8. This sounds SO yummy, Tara! I love how you expose me to so many different things. Have left you an award on my blog I'm passing along to you.
    THANKS!!!
    hugs
    Denise

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  9. Oh boiled eggs and soldiers rocks. I was dragged up on boiled eggs - my mother says it was practically my first word! Now, an interesting factoid for you - apparently they don't take 3 minutes any more coz they're bigger these days than they used to be...!
    It's very hard to get right, but I tend to put them in hot but not boiling water, and then start to time them for 3 minutes once the water starts boiling. You didn't mention putting loads of salt on yum yum yum!
    x x x
    Catherine

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  10. Cute layout Tara! Love the title and the clever numbers bit. I need to post this one on the wall in my kitchen, I can never remember how many minutes!!!

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  11. Thanks you so much for all your wonderful Egg comments. I think Catherine may be right, I had never thought of that before. Maybe they are taking longer than 3 mins not because of the altitude but because the eggs are so much bigger now. That would make a lot of sense.
    Also, I have never met anyone that doesn't like runny eggs before, so I am super surprised to hear that so many people don't like them. Food for thought!!!

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