I had a doctor’s appointment this morning with a general practitioner to check my cholesterol. I had to fast which wasn’t that hard except for not having coffee. My appointment was for 8:45 or was it for 9:15? You see, on my first call to make the appointment it was for 8:45. 
On an appointment reminder phone call she said 9:15. I said, “I thought it was at 8:45?” to which she replied “it is but we like new patients to come in earlier to do paperwork.” OK. The morning of the appointment I got to thinking about the time difference. 30 minutes of paperwork? I called. I asked. She said in case I can’t find the place and in addition to paperwork. Screw you. You take 20 minutes extra of my time. You then set yourself up for failure by having patients think you are late in taking them in for their appointment. So what did I do? I politely went in late. At 9. I finished my paperwork in less than 10 minutes and then I was called to see the doctor at 9:15. Imagine that. *On Tuesday when I researched my doctor, I found the patient forms available online. Maybe they should have suggested that I print them and bring them in as my dentist did.*
The nurse was able to take blood from my finger. That was really nice. She was able to get results in 7 minutes! She said it typically takes several hours but they were slow so she was going to do it right away. The doctor came in, very nice, non-rushed. We went over test results and then I had to have my finger pricked again for liver functions test. Oh well.
He said they weren’t too bad but he didn’t like the overall results so he’s switched me to different meds. He explained it all, but I’ve had to Google it. I like my doctor, I’ve Googled his name, Curtis Preik, and have found that he graduated in 2008.
After the doctor’s office, I spent hours cooking. I fried bacon and then sausage. I made two large batches of meatballs (good Atkins snacks), about a dozen handmade burger patties, separated the baked chicken into freezer bags (vacu-sealed), and made deviled eggs.
My Deviled Egg Story
- by Garret
OK, so eggs are great for Atkins. .6 carbs each as a matter of fact. On Friday, I decide to hard boil some eggs. If I’ve ever boiled eggs in the past, it’s been a long, long time ago so I Google it. Sure, I have the Cooking For Dummies book, but that’s downstairs, and just so far away. Google comes up with tons of articles. There’s 300 trillion ways to boil an egg. Start with hot water, start with cold water, slightly crack the egg, add salt, etc. So I pick a method. I boiled about 8 eggs. I figured two to eat with salt, and six for the Deviled Eggs. I leave them in water and place them in the fridge (one article said leaving them in water helps the peeling process). I don’t have enough time today.
Saturday comes. I “try” to peel them. So much egg is attached to the shell. I finish with a lot of wasted egg and very pitiful looking. Back to Google I go. I Google “peeling an egg”. Bang this, roll that, stand on your head, whatever. I try peeling several more. Some of the eggs go right down to the yolk. Ugh. Jim says maybe they needed to cook more. Too soft? I throw them down the disposal. I’m disgusted.
Are you laughing at me yet?
Later that day, we buy more eggs. I call my mom. “How do you boil an egg.” Silence. She was probably unsure of how to verbally display disbelief. She was shopping with a friend. She repeats the question. Her and her friend, Elaine, differ a little on the way to do it. Mom says she boils the water and then adds the eggs, boiling for 15-20 minutes. Sounds dangerous to drop eggs in to boiling water. I’m thinking cracked eggs, or burns of the flesh. I set out to boil more but I opt for putting them in warm water, set to boil and then turn down a little, a 20 minute process. Jim suggests only doing 2 eggs just in case. I take the advice. When cool, I peel the egg. Eureka! They peel cleanly!
Today I boil the eggs. I peel them. Eureka again! I follow the Deviled Egg recipe. The filling mixture seems thick so I try my best using a spatula to fling it into the egg. Messy. pitiful. I did like 3-4 eggs and then remembered I have one of those injector/pastry type thingies that I’ve had for 9,000 years but don’t know if I’ve ever used it. I get it. Oddly, I knew where it was. I fill the chamber, select a tip and try it out. Horrible. The good news? They’re for me AND they taste great so I don’t care.
Below: A close-up if you dare: 
Anyone need to hire a caterer? Don’t pick me.
 Jim and I have this whole made up accent (use your most obnoxious uppity accent) we use when we speak of Spago. We always joke about subtle ways to inject references to how we’ve been to Spago. This turned out to be such a cherished memory for us. Do click here and check out this very humorous review of Spago. Did I mention it’s about Spago and the time we went to Spago where we ordered from the Spago menu and got food which was cooked in the Spago Kitchen? |
Here's how I hard boil eggs: single layer of eggs in a large pot. Fill with cold tap water until all eggs are covered. Place on high heat on stove until it comes to a rolling boil. Put the lid on and turn the heat off. Let sit 15-17 minutes. I then put the eggs in a colander and run cold water over them to cool them and stop the cooking process. Then I put the colander full of eggs into the fridge. I've never had an issue with peeling or cookedness.
ReplyDeleteFor deviled eggs, I love to do "walking" eggs. I put the yolks, mayo, and mustard (and I usually use a couple different kinds of mustard) into a ziploc bag. Seal it up and then smoosh, smoosh, smoosh. Cut the tip on the bag and fill the whites. I've used that method to make fresh deviled eggs at pot luck and such- always a hit!
We hard boiled eggs over the weekend and will be coloring them tonight for Easter. Big fun!
I read the lid method too.
ReplyDeleteMy friend Tim suggested I add more mayo which will make the filling easier to work with. He mentioned using a ziploc as a pastry bag.
Ya'll are so smart.
I love deviled eggs but I can only eat the yolk. Hard boiled egg whites gross me out! I can eat egg salad if I chop the egg white really really small and use lots and lots of mayo.
ReplyDeleteOh damn... now I want an egg salad sandwich.
I totally snagged 2 easter eggs and made a little egg salad on a whole wheat bagel sammie for dinner tonight!
ReplyDeleteEternal Lizdom has already given you the proper way to boil eggs, I've been doing it that way for years. But, I will steal her idea for making the deviled eggs using a ziplock bag. How cleaver!
ReplyDeleteThose eggs certainly look very good!
ReplyDeleteAnd those test results. I compared them to the reference range that came with my results and I can see why you doctor changed your meds. You are a little off. I mean your results, not you. :-)
@Joanie: You're weird - why bother?
ReplyDelete@Liz: Poor kids. Stealin' their Easter eggs!
@Catsy: But a lid? Another dirty dish/pan/lid thingy.
@Wayne: Thanks for looking. He explained them all as if I'd remember. I love the internet!
Yep, Liz is pretty close.
ReplyDeleteAlways start with a single layer of eggs covered by an inch or two of cold water. Older eggs are better for hard boiling. And start them at room temperature if you can.
They say adding a teaspoon of white vinegar to the water helps the shells separate from the membrane more easily. I've tried it and it seems to work without pickling the eggs.
Bring to a boil. Immediately cover and turn off heat.
Let stand for 13 minutes.
Drain and run under cold water for several minutes.
Roll the eggs around in the pan and let the cracked shells stand in the cold water. They should be cold before you attempt to peel them.
Your finished product looks yummy. Have you ever tried garnishing the eggs? We once made fancy ones topped with smoked salmon, creme fraiche, a few specks of caviar, and a piece of dill. Might sound gross, but they were delicious and looked very swanky.
@Alix: When I Google image search deviled eggs for this entry, I found several different varieties with different toppings.
ReplyDeleteYeah? And?
ReplyDelete