Gung hay fat choy: A Lunar New Year Round-up

Dragon Papercut Via

Happy Lunar New Year or as the greeting goes; Gung hay fat choy! Today marks the first day of the Year of the Dragon, which is said to bring prosperity and excitement. Famous persons born in the Year of the Dragon include former President Bill Clinton, Salvador Dali and Susan B. Anthony. For more Dragon celebrities check out this article from the Washington Post.

Here's a round up of a few treats from Pinterest and the blogosphere that I've found to ring in the New Year:

Chinese Tea Eggs

Baked Crab Rangoon

Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

Steamed Rice Cakes

Cheers to you and the Year of the Dragon! May it be prosperous and lucky for you all!

Soft-boiled Eggs: A tutorial

Every college graduate has a food that got them through their schooling. For some it was Ramen, others peanut butter or frozen veggies but for me it was eggs. Cheap and packaged by the dozen, eggs are one of the few fresh foods you can afford to buy in college and they come in bulk. The other great thing about eggs is the many ways in which you can prepare them, making it easier to palate them 7 days in a row.

I will spare you all on just how many ways I've ever cooked an egg and just focus on my favorite way to prepare and eat them. I am a huge fan of the soft boiled egg and the process in which it is eaten, although I quickly found that not many people knew about them. When I was in college, my roommates would literally sit around and watch me eat. No joke, they were seriously amused by the fact that I ate my soft boiled egg out of a little cup.

So here's my method of preparation:

What you'll need:
1-2 eggs at a time is best
1-2 cups water
One small-medium sized pot
A slotted spoon
A timer
Egg cups (1 per egg)
salt and pepper to taste

The Plan:

1. Bring your water to a rolling boil.
2. Place your egg into the water with the slotted spoon (One at a time prevents them from colliding due to the unpredictable boiling water!). 
3. Set your timer for 6 minutes.
4. At 6 minutes, use the slotted spoon to retrieve your egg.
5. Lightly dry off the egg with a towel.
6. Place egg into egg cup, narrow side up.
7. Let the egg cool for 5 minutes. 

How to eat:

1. Using a small spoon, tap the top of the egg about one half inch down from the peak. 
2. Tap until you have cracked the egg around the entire top creating a cap. 
3. Peel the cap off.
4. Now you should have a relatively runny yolk surrounded by a solid egg white.
5. Season to taste and use a small spoon to scrape out and eat the egg or dip strips of toast into the yolk for a tasty treat!

 One last thing: NOTHING, I mean nothing beats the taste and quality of farm fresh eggs. These are a few eggs from the O'Brian farm that I absolutely can't wait to try! Kudos to Haley O'Brian Photography for some of the prettiest eggs and chickens I've ever seen!