Tip: The Perfect Hardboiled Egg

I love making hard boiled eggs - they are super easy, can be pre-made and kept in the fridge for quick snacks, and can be used in many different meals.  Some of my favorite ways to use them are sliced on an english muffin with a slice of cheese & added to a salad.  When I started cooking them, I was afraid of them being under or over cooked (especially under - the gooey orange stuff is not so hot in my opinion).  No one wants orange goo or a grayish-greenish edge to their egg yolks.  Well, luckily, I have never had either of these happen by following these simple steps to boiling eggs:

1.  Place any amount of eggs (no more than will fit comfortably in a single layer - I normally do 1-6) in a saucepan.  Cover with cold water to about 1" above the eggs.
2.  Add a pinch of salt to the water and bring to a boil over high heat.  When water comes to a roiling boil, reduce heat to medium and continue to boil for about 13 minutes.
3.  Turn off heat but allow the eggs to sit in the hot water for an additional 2 minutes.
4.  Rinse under cold water and place in an ice bath.
5.  Peel when they have reached room temperature for best results.


**** Update:
I have a different method now that works just as well:

1.  Place any amount of eggs (no more than will fit comfortably in a single layer - I normally do 1-6) in a saucepan.  Cover with cold water to about 1" above the eggs.
2.  Add a pinch of salt to the water and bring to a boil over med-high heat.
3.  When water comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and cover.  Allow to sit for 11 minutes.
4.  Rinse under cold water and place in an ice bath.
5.  Peel when they have reached room temperature for best results.

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins!

So I mentioned in the cranberry sauce post that I made extra (tweaked with a little cinnamon) and put it in muffins last year.  Well, I had lots of extra sauce this year, so I tried to use some up in muffins :)

Use any basic muffin mix/recipe (see below).  Generally, you fill the muffin tins 2/3 full, so for this, I just filled them 1/3 full, put a little cranberry sauce in the middle of each (about 1 cup total, between 12 muffins), and then topped with the remaining muffin mix.  I then created my own granola topping for the muffins (see below).  You could simply mix the cranberry sauce into the muffin mix, but I wanted the gooey surprise in the center!  I also considered making it in the same way, but in a round cake pan - like a coffee cake (if someone tries it that way, let me know how it goes!).  I drizzled some melted butter with cinnamon and brown sugar mixed in overtop the muffins before serving (I like the more moist texture).  My husband loves these muffins - we hope you do too :)

Basic Muffin Mix
Source: Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book
Makes 12 medium muffins

2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c. shortening
1 egg
1 c. milk

1.  Mix first four ingredients together in medium bowl.
2.  Add in remaining ingredients and mix until a smooth batter is formed.
3.  Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full.  (See above for different instructions for this recipe.)
4.  Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.

Granola Topping
Could also be baked on its own and eaten atop yogurt, or however you might enjoy it!  
Note: I honestly just used several things I had laying around in my pantry, so feel free to add/remove/change anything based on what you already have.  The muffins in my picture look a little bare, so I am doubling the amount of topping I made for this recipe.
2/3 c. oats
2/3 c. cornflakes, crushed (I used honey-flavored, organic, gluten free cornflakes)
2 tbsp chopped candied almonds
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp honey (I used organic amber honey)
2 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp cranberry juice
2 tbsp fruity yogurt (I used Yoplait Light, strawberry-flavored)

*Just place atop muffins in pan before baking for a crispier topping, or halfway through for a sweeter taste.