Friday, March 2, 2012

A Good Egg ~ Cozy


A hot breakfast on the weekend is a luxurious way to ease into the day.  If I had my druthers I would begin every day this way.  But during the work week I'm dashing about and can't relax and enjoy the experience as I would like.   Instead it is purely a weekend indulgence.


My enjoyment of breakfast comes from my childhood memories.  My father loved (and still loves) a cooked breakfast and so my mom would occasionally cook a full breakfast on the weekend.   I remember mornings that began with the sound of beautiful music playing, the smell of bacon and eggs sizzling on the stove, and a large pot of tea brewing on the dining table.  Such a treat and so civilized.  To this day I find no more enjoyable way to begin the day.


I rarely cook bacon and eggs just for myself, though, as Steve won't eat it.  Instead I'll make a soft boiled egg with toast.   And, as everyone knows, a soft boiled egg need a cozy.   But (this will surprise you) an egg cozy is a surprisingly hard thing to find.  So I made one for myself.  It's nice to be self sufficient that way.  Really, I could have been a pioneer woman.  If I had been a pioneer they would have buried me along the trail.  The first week.  Preferably.   Since a soft boiled egg is not a common breakfast item, I'll describe how to cook a soft boiled egg as I know you are dying to try this at home. 

Mr. Puffy's How to Cook a Soft Boiled Egg
Bring a sauce pan of water to a boil.  Use a spoon to gently lower the egg(s) into the boiling water.  Cook to desired firmness.  A typical egg timer is 3 minutes, but I find that a 3 minute egg is too undercooked for me.  Instead I will boil my egg for 6 minutes which is long enough to almost set the egg white but still leave a runny yoke.  Opening the egg is tricky.  You can either open the egg by using a knife to lop the top off or, as I prefer, you can use the bottom of a spoon to first crush the top surface of the shell and then lop it off with a spoon or knife.  A soft boiled egg is nice served with buttered toast.  If you have children it is fun to cut the toast into strips that can then be dunked into the yolk ("toast fingers").  I still do this on occasion.    An egg cozy to keep your egg warm until you are ready to eat it, is optional.


Particulars: This egg cozy is wet felted using a resist made of bubble wrap.  I allowed for 20% shrinkage and, at the final felting stage, I used an actual egg to ensure a proper fit.   Materials:  merino roving (for the egg cozy); wool felt sheets (used to cut the flower embellishments); and beads from my bead jar.  This is an extremely simple project.  If you are new to wet felting you might consider Uniquely Felt by Christine White as a basic resource and I have a few wet felting blogs listed on my sidebar.

Note:  All the eggs used in this post are from my sister's chickens. She has Arucana chickens that lay the prettiest eggs I've ever seen.  They are naturally shades of blue and green and some have speckles.  How cool is that?  Apparently owning and raising chickens is on the upswing and according to my sister they are fun to raise, particularly if you have children. 

The MisAdventures of Simcha


Simcha, our german shepherd, is approximately 16 years old in human years and in the middle of the dreaded teenage years.  We're just hoping he doesn't steal the car keys; a six pack of beer; or otherwise raise hell in the neighborhood.

Until next time, be well and love well and try beginning your day listening to beautiful music.  If classical music is not your taste, you might try soloist such as Sarah Brightman, Andrea Bocelli, or Helmut Lotti or music composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.  I think you will find this an inspiring and uplifting start to your day.

20 comments:

Monika said...

I LOVE those little natural colored eggs! The egg cozy is so cute! Give Simcha a hug from me!

Renee said...

Once a weekend we do the full hot, cooked breakfast of pancakes and/or eggs (always scambled) and bacon, delicious family time!

Having laying hens is one of the greatest luxuries, something so decandent about collecting fresh eggs and going into the house to cook and bake with them. I often cook listening to the rich wonderfulness that is Andrea Bocelli.

Too funny!! Lock up those car keys and hide the 6 packs!! This is probably my all-time favourite picture of Simcha! Excellent!

SissySees said...

What a pretty cozy! I'm sure I've had a soft boiled egg, but my childhood memories are of poached eggs on toast.

Simcha sure is handsome. I hope you make it to his 20s without incident.

missyinedmonds said...

Well now I'm in the mood for a 6 minute egg. That little egg cozy is adorable!

Willow said...

Occasionally my students gift me with blue, green and brown eggs from their chickens. Yes, chicken raising is definitely on the upswing. The cozy is beautiful!

Let us hope that Simcha soon meets the girl of his dreams, the love of his life, and settles down in quiet domestic bliss.

Carole said...

It's a week-end Claudia and I hope you enjoy a wonderful breakfast. It's always so much fun to visit you.

Silvia said...

beautiful eggs (and egg cozy). Here in Gainesville, having your own chickens is definitely on the rise. I think I'd have to choose between dogs and chickens, though!

lisagreenb said...

I love poached eggs and toast - I think your soft boiled egg sounds even better! Those eggs are gorgeous! I LOVE the cozy, what a sweet way to start the day:).
Hope all is well!
Lisa

betty said...

That egg cozy is just too cute for words. However, I must say that on the eggs front, I really dislike the yolks. So, I always hard boil my eggs to death so that I can remove the yolk and just enjoy the egg white. For fried eggs, I have them done over hard so that I can eat all around the yolk!

Allie said...

That's a darling egg cozy, Claudia! I've never liked soft boiled eggs though. Fried, over easy with lots of bacon - which hardly ever happens around here. My one son and I prefer Cream of Wheat on winter mornings! You cracked me up with the pioneer woman, they would have buried me too the first week.

Simcha is so gorgeous, and looks so innocent, lol!

Kristen Rettig said...

uh oh. I see Simcha has been tagging.

Tracy said...

LOVE, love, love the egg cozy, Claudia! During the week, we have simple breakfasts. But come the weekend, we make eggs--either soft boiled or scrambled. Nothing better to start the day with than a soft boiled egg and toast....mmm... This egg cozy is so sweet--I love the flower & bead details! :o) Sweet Simcha. The teen years are rocky, but I'm sure he'll be a credit to you both! Our Charlie is getting on in years. In fact, we've had to put him on low-cal food lately as we can't let him get portly in his older age... LOL! Many thanks for your very kind and generous comments on my art. Having grand days with art adventures! Happy Weekend, my friend ((HUGS))

gMarie said...

Beautiful eggs and a lovely egg cozy. While I'm not a fan of soft boiled eggs - I love poached. I think they are basically the same - just presented different, right?

Oh Simcha looks like he wouldn't hurt a fly. :) g

raining sheep said...

As you well know, I love a good soft boiled egg; I feature them judiciously in my photos :) I have never heard of an egg cozy though. Hope you are doing well. I am still waiting to hear what is happening on my job front but sounds like I will be going to the company who bought us. Not a bad thing as they are very established, bigger and well regarded.

Anonymous said...

Simcha appears to have that lean and hungry look. My sympathies to the mother of a teenager. Just remember, it's only a "stage."

Kate (KnitsInClass) said...

I love having eggs in the morning - they're often scrambled over here. Quick and feeds a crowd of kids!

I love the idea of an egg cozy - that would be extra sweet for Easter breakfast.

Anonymous said...

a six-minute egg is my favourite dinner when I'm in the mood for something that doesn't take any effort..or home by myself...and toast fingers!

I love that photo of Simcha...he looks like a force to be reckoned with for sure! Oy, teenagers!

Andi said...

Your breakfast memories are much like mine. I love weekend breakfasts and I love eggs. The cozy is wicked cute!
Now what more can be said about Simcha, he just gets more and more handsome!

Hilary said...

This post really made me smile!! I love your egg cozy and, as a fellow eater of soft-boiled eggs, must make one straightaway. Thank you for the inspiration. :) And I make soft boiled eggs the same way! (6 minutes in boiling water.) I'm going to forward this to Neill, since we always seem to be debating the topic... (he holds firmly to his method of 15 minutes in simmering water).

Oh, Simcha. That look in his eyes makes me think he may not give you an easy time...

Rachel said...

(Hopefully this won't come through twice). How did I miss this post?? I, too, love a warm breakfast to start the day. Even in the middle of summer, I function much better with a warm meal. For me, it's usually an egg scrambled with spinach, topped with a dusting of parmesan cheese. Amazingly, I've never tried a soft-boiled egg but will remedy that soon...thanks for the instructions! And that tea cozy? Very cute!