So Egg-cited

Feeling 33

There's one thing that I've never been a fan of, and that is the yoke in a hard boiled egg. I'm fine with it if it's it egg salad or a deviled egg, but if it's just plain, then no thank you. However I loooooove the white in hard boiled eggs. So this morning I got an idea - I'd try soft boiled eggs! Then I'd get the best of both worlds - the white from hard boiled eggs and the yolk from fried eggs. Thanks to Pinterest, I found a great site with instructions (because I need them!) here.

Even though it was super easy, I didn't place the egg in the boiling water quite gently enough. Next time, I'll try a spoon so it won't crack. But the final product was deeeelicious!

Almost 33 years old, and I just made my very first soft boiled egg. Just another example of how it's never too late to try something new!

Fancy

Feeling 33

On my list of things to do before I turn 33, one of them was to make a soufflé. I'm not sure why, they just always sound so fancy and elegant, and it makes you sound like you know your way around a kitchen. Think about it, someone asks, "what did you make for dessert?" You say, "oh, I made some brownies." Sounds yummy, but it's pretty common (not that that's a bad thing. I'm never going t turn down brownies!). Now, if someone says they made a soufflé for dessert, my eyes widen and my voice gets all high and I go, "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!" Sort of like the green aliens' reaction in "Toy Story" only much higher. They just sound so classy and sophisticated.

Using an "easy" recipe I found on Pinterest, I attempted these mini individual chocolate soufflés for me and the hubby.

Despite my lack of kitchen counter space, I managed to follow all the steps and watch with wonder as the egg whites became all fluffy. (And let me add, phrases such as "do not overbeat" and "fold gently into the mixture" fill me with terror because I have a tendency to over do things when it comes to cooking.)

Using my beautiful bright pink Kitchen Aid mixer (thanks, Steve and Dad!) and the mini ramekins that we got for our wedding, the soufflés turned out light and fluffy - they tasted like a warm chocolate marshmallow cake.

Note: my hubby's soufflés DID collapse as it sat for a while before he got home from work, but I managed to get some pictures of the soufflés immediately before and after they were in the oven.

I'd say they were a success for my first soufflés. Cross that off the bucket list!

Boldly go

Feeling 33

I loooooove hanging things on our walls. It's one of the greatest perks of being in our own apartment (and not sharing it with anyone). I've always liked to have pictures of loved ones, favorite things, favorite quotes around my place to remind me of the good things in life. My hubby has been the biggest supporter of this obsession - er, preference, using our stud finder, drill and leveler like a pro to hang massive antique-looking mirrors, wedding portraits, and shadowboxes. (Is there anything this guy can't do??)
Wall decor is one of the best things to make our place feel like HOME, and since we have so much wall space, and thanks to Pinterest, I'm always looking at things to add.

I found a small chalkboard in a vintage-looking frame at Target (yay, Dollar Spot! Another obsession...). I love how chalkboards seem to have made such a comeback in the design trend. We used one in our engagement session as a prop with our wedding date on it, which was the first time I'd ever used chalk markers. It turned out so cute, but the markers don't work on porous surfaces (which lots of chalkboards that I've found are). So, we still have the chalkboard with our wedding date on it, since it won't wipe off completely. Not wanting the same thing to happen to this frame, I picked up a small box of Crayola sidewalk chalk. Oh, man has chalk changed since I was a kid! The variety of colors is amazing, and the colors are gorgeous - and there's something SO FUN about drawing with chalk. It brought me back to being five-years-old and drawing on my art easel in our art studio. The final image isn't as clear / sharp as with chalk markers, but at least it's not permanent.

I was trying to think of an uplifting, quirky quote to put in the frame, and since my hubby's affection for Star Trek has rubbed off on me, I thought the juxtaposition of the old-fashioned frame with this "futuristic" quote was cute.

Now I need to find another project with which to use my chalk! Or I guess I could just go draw in our parking lot...