Poached Eggs - Why Have I Avoided Thee?

Let me preface this entry by saying that I grew up in a household of extremely capable cooks.  One might even say "gourmet" but in a very Paula Dean way.  You know . . . lots of butter and bacon?  Right.  Somehow the cooking thing sort of skipped me.  Don't get me wrong, when I put my mind and energy to it, I cook very well.  As an accomplished eater, I do have an idea of what things should look and taste and smell like when everything is going well on the stove.  But I digress.  My parents love kitchen gadgets almost as much as I do.  So, when poaching eggs, they had an insert to be placed on top of boiling water.  It makes beautiful perfectly poached eggs especially tasty because my mom would put a little butter in the gadget to ensure they didn't stick.  Imagine my surprise when, a couple of years ago, I found out you can poach eggs in water . . . WITHOUT A GADGET.  I know, amazing right?  I did mention that I'm not a terribly accomplished cook right?  Well I'll just say simply that, while I knew about the traditional egg poaching technique in theory, I was never able to eat one of my doing.  Until today.  Thanks to WW Online Cooking Class on Poaching Eggs I just had an amazing breakfast and discovered that the taste of a traditionally poached egg is better than the insert version!  My egg was sooooo beautiful!  I wish I had taken a picture of its perfect little formed self.  It's rich and a little earthy and, when paired with roasted tomatoes, a little pepper jack cheese and an English muffin, the perfect way to have a lower-calorie decadent breakfast!  I'll admit I was hungry.  I will also admit that I'm really proud that I learned how to poach an egg.

Recipe Audition - Rosemary Chicken

Thanks to Glorious One Pot Meals, I had a really easy and healthful meal last night.  The green beans came out crispy, the potatoes tender, the acorn squash not-mushy.  I was a little ambitious with the rosemary and would proabably add Garlic Salt instead of regular salt next time.  But at 339 cal, 3 g fat and 8 g fiber?  Totally worth it.  Plus, my 3 quart dutch oven made enough food for me and Mr. ShrinkingT with enough leftover for one large (veggie heavy) meal.  He said he liked it but didn't go for seconds.  Still success.

I was really impressed with Yarnell's story.  The way she has used nutritional healing is admirable and her attitude is worth emulating.


Plus, it's really fun to see how uncomfortable the hosts are cooking!