Holiday Cheer Eggnog!!!

Ingredients:

• 6eggs
• 1/3 cup (75 mL)liquid honey or sugar
• 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL)salt
• 4 cups (1 L)milk (1%), divided
• 1 tbsp (15 mL)vanilla extract
• Optional flavourings (see Tips)

 Instructions:

• STEP 1Whisk eggs, honey and salt in large saucepan. Gradually add 2 cups (500 mL) milk. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture coats back of spoon, 12 to 15 minutes. (Do not let mixture boil.)
• STEP 2Pour into large heatproof bowl; stir in remaining milk and vanilla. Place bowl in ice water, stirring frequently, until mixture is cool, about 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
• STEP 3When ready to serve, whisk in flavouring, if desired.

Tips:Try adding of of these flavouring suggestions to prepared, cooled eggnog:

Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup (125 to 250 mL) rum or brandy or a combination of both.

Stir in 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) instant coffee granules dissolved in 1 tbsp (15 mL) hot water or 1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10 mL) rum extract.

Stir in 2 cups (500 mL) softened vanilla ice cream and blend with whisk or mixer.

Replace half of the milk with Amaretto, French Vanilla or Irish Cream flavoured dairy blend for coffee.

Eggnog may be covered and stored in the refrigerator for several days.

To serve, keep bowl of eggnog on ice and serve within two hours.

For creamy eggnog, fold in 2 cups (500 mL) whipped cream or whipped topping.

Jokeka Farm

The eggs in the Rosemary Favorites brand represent the highest quality, locally produced eggs available. Kaliko Orian traded her city lifestyle for raising her happy chickens on California’s Central Coast, proudly bringing the best eggs to her friends, family and neighbors.

The perfect hardboiled egg

• Cook time: 12 minutes

If you want hard boiled eggs that are easy to peel, make sure they are several days old. If this is Easter time, and everyone is buying their eggs at the last minute, buy your eggs 5 days in advance of boiling. (See the reference to using old eggs in Harold McGee‘s On Food and Cooking). Hard boiling farm fresh eggs will invariably lead to eggs that are difficult to peel. If you have boiled a batch that are difficult to peel, try putting them in the refrigerator for a few days; they should be easier to peel then. If you need to hard cook fresh eggs, and want them easy to peel, steaming the eggs works well. Even fresh eggs steamed for 20 minutes will be easy to peel.

METHOD

1 Put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, covered by at least an inch or two of cold water. Starting with cold water and gently bringing the eggs to a boil will help keep them from cracking. Adding a tablespoon of vinegar to the water will help keep the egg whites from running out of any eggs that happen to crack while cooking, but some people find that the vinegar affects the taste. I don’t have a problem with it and I usually add a little vinegar. Adding a half teaspoon of salt is thought to help both with the preventing of cracking and making the eggs easier to peel. Put the burner on high and bring the eggs to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat for a few seconds.

2 Reduce the heat to low, return the pan to the burner. Let simmer for one minute. (Note I usually skip this step because I don’t notice the eggs boiling until they’ve been boiling for at least a minute! Also, if you are using an electric stove with a coil element, you can just turn off the heat. There is enough residual heat in the coil to keep the eggs simmering for a minute.)

3 After a minute, remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. If you are doing a large batch of eggs, after 10 minutes you can check for doneness by sacrificing one egg, removing it with a slotted spoon, running it under cold water, and cutting it open. If it isn’t done, cook the other eggs a minute or two longer. The eggs should be done perfectly at 10 minutes, but sometimes, depending on the shape of the pan, the size of the eggs, the number of eggs compared to the amount of water, and how cooked you like them, it can take a few minutes more. When you find the right time that works for you given your pan, the size of eggs you usually buy, the type of stove top you have, stick with it.

I also find that it is very hard to overcook eggs using this method. I can let the eggs sit, covered, for up to 15-20 minutes without the eggs getting overcooked.

4 Either remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water (this is if you have a lot of eggs) OR strain out the water from the pan, fill the pan with cold water, strain again, fill again, until the eggs cool down a bit. Once cooled, strain the water from the eggs. Store the eggs in a covered container (eggs can release odors) in the refrigerator. They should be eaten within 5 days.

(www.simplyrecipes.com)

NO GMO

Recipe: Roasted chicken with an herbed cream sauce!

Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 10m| Total Time: 1hr 35m

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (such as flat-leaf parsley, chives, and basil)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, giblets removed
• 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

Directions

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 450° F. Place a rack in a large ovenproof skillet or small roasting pan. Pat the chicken dry and place it in the pan. Tuck the wings beneath the chicken, as if it were placing its arms behind its head. Rub the oil over the skin. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Toss 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining salt into the cavity.
2. Roast for 20 minutes. Add 1 cup water and roast until the chicken is cooked through and the thigh meat registers 180° F on a meat thermometer, about 40 minutes more.
3. Use a spatula to loosen the chicken. With a wad of paper towels in each hand, transfer the bird to a cutting board. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
4. Place the pan containing the drippings over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid reduces by half. Add the wine and broth and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Add the cream. Remove from heat. Strain the sauce, if desired. Stir in the herbs, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spoon the sauce over the carved chicken.

Posted on http://www.realsimple.com By Pam Anderson , February, 2006

The history behind the original Rosemary Farm

The Founder of Rosemary Farm, Captain G. Allan Hancock was born in San Francisco, California on July 26, 1875 to his mother Ida Haraszthy Hancock, who taught him the values of hard work, foresight, and philanthropy. The Hancock family had a tradition of building businesses that supported entire communities. Ida’s father, Agoston Haraszthy was an Hungarian Count who founded California’s first winery, Buena Vista Winery, in Sonoma County. Captain Hancock’s father, Major Henry Hancock was a Harvard-educated lawyer and surveyor. Major Hancock struck gold as a placer miner and used it to purchase the 4,438 acre Rancho La Brea, which became one of the great cornerstones of today’s Los Angeles.When he was 8,  his father Henry died and G. Allan Hancock worked with his mother to manage the Rancho until he was 25. The natural tar from their land was sold to customers all over California. Their property included portions of what is today West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the “Mid-Wilshire” district of Los Angeles.With the support of his mother, Captain Hancock ventured into oil exploration and they made a tremendous fortune when they tapped into the oil beneath the Rancho. They went on to build Hancock Park, still considered one of Los Angeles’ most luxurious neighborhoods. They also developed the “Miracle Mile” segment of Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, which included donating the land around the world famous La Brea Tarpits to Los Angeles CIty, which today includes the huge Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Hancock Family also donated 7 million dollars to the University of Southern California. Captain Hancock went on to become a sea captain at the helm sea-going vessels of his own building. He financed the first aviation flight across the Pacific. He also became an accomplished cellist. In the 1920’s, he started an experimental crop irrigation program on a 400-acre farm in Santa Maria, raising corn and alfalfa as feed for cattle. The farm was eventually expanded to more than 5,000 acres. Driven by his principles of community-building, Captain Hancock started Rosemary Farm which he named after his daughter. His egg farm housed thousands of laying hens and incorporated the most advanced technologies of the time to produce eggs, including a patented machine for cleaning and vacuuming chicken coops.  Row of trees were planted between the barns to provide the hens shade and wind shelter. Today, Rosemary Farm continues the Captain’s community-building ethic and trend leading approach to egg production. We work diligently to provide our customers high quality eggs, which are mindfully produced. Each Rosemary Farm egg represents our tradition of respect for the care of our community, our hens, our environment, our customers and our future. (Courtesy of http://www.rosemaryfarm.com)

“The Story of an Egg”

Why eat eggs?

Eggs have always been a key component of American’s diet. In fact, until we became primarily an urban society, always rushing to get to our jobs and classrooms, eggs were on the breakfast table each day for almost every man, woman, and child. Eggs provided the energy for a hard working day. While lifestyles have changed, eggs remain one of the single most nutritional and enjoyable foods today. In fact, each American consumes approximately 250 eggs per year. Approximately 70% of egg consumption is in the form of shell eggs and 30% in egg products. You probably are not aware of all the ways in which you consume eggs. Within the egg products sector of our business, many eggs are used as an ingredient in the manufacturing of other food items such as cakes, pasta, etc.

Eggs are a low-cost source of high-quality protein. Protein in the diet supplies nitrogen and amino acids that are needed to synthesize proteins in the human body. Eggs are used as the reference standard for measuring protein quality. As a recent article in the professional journal Nutrition Today put it: “There is no higher quality protein than that provided in eggs.”

Eggs also promote satiety – feeling full, not hungry. Studies have shown that when on a weight control diet eating an egg helps avoid the mid-morning hunger than can lead to excess snacking. Thus, eating eggs may help promote weight loss while providing a wide array of healthy nutrients.

Egg yolks are an excellent source of choline, an essential nutrient that contributes to fetal brain development and helps prevent birth defects. Scientists are increasingly aware of the importance of choline, especially for pregnant women, and eggs are among the relatively few excellent sources. Choline also aids in brain function of adults by maintaining the structure of brain cell membranes, and is a key component of the neuro-transmitter than helps relay messages from the brain through nerves to the muscles.

Eggs provide small amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients which are part of the carotenoid family and contribute to eye health and help prevent and even slow the progression of common causes of age-related blindness, such as macular degeneration.

Speaking of the nutritional value of eggs, did you know besides providing energy from protein and fat, one large egg also contains levels of several B vitamins, including thiamin, riboflavin, folate, B12 and B6, needed for the body to produce energy? Because the protein in eggs is rich in the amino acid leucine, it plays a role in regulating blood sugar and helping muscles use energy efficiently. Eggs provide energy without causing a sudden rise in blood sugar or insulin levels, which can ultimately cause premature fatigue.

Some farm families long ago knew about the importance of eggs in providing them the energy for a hard-working day. While most of us may not be farm workers today, it does not change the fact that we all need as much energy as possible to get through our busy days.

(Courtesy of http://www.rosemaryfarm.com)