And now for the winner.  In a rigorously fair ceremony overseen by – um, Cleo – I  tossed all your names into a giant white egg-shaped tumbler.  I cranked the the egg beater-shaped handle a hundred times and then opened the tumbler door. A L’eggs pantyhose egg rolled out and cracked open to reveal…a Silly Putty egg.  I pulled that one apart and found…a Cadbury egg.  Which I ate.

Delicious creamy goodness.  Still, I managed to save the chocolate-covered name of the big winner, who is…Jayne, from Dainty Digs!

Congratulations, Jayne.  Send me your details and little Mr. Egg Whisk will be headed your way.  For the record, Jayne noted that she likes her scrambled eggs “with cottage cheese and salt and pepper,” and sometimes, with a little dill.

My family loves eggs, and I love to cook them – eggs, not my family.  Most days.  Anyway, this golden triangle works – they crave it, I provide it, everyone’s happy and what’s more, I get to sing the 1970′s “incredible egg” jingle at the stove.  Ooh, you’re gonna love it – the incredible, edible egg.

Wait!  I know, I know, Josie says it’s painful, but – there’s a contest.  Be patient.

Scrambled eggs are fast, user-friendly and a truly versatile player at breakfast, lunch or dinner.  A recent weeknight meal shows why eggs are more than tasty, they’re helpful.  We’d hosted a brunch the weekend before and had leftover bits of lox, red onions, capers and cream cheese.  Poof!  Out came the eggs and the last few bagels.  Chop, heat, scramble, dinner.


Scrambled eggs like to partner with leftovers. They won’t ignore that wallflower stub of cheddar – they’ll whisk it onto the floor. Examine this list and you’ll see the fading jar in the back, those languishing peppers, that sad slice of turkey.  Here’s their chance to shine.

Oh – and that contest? Just leave  a comment below telling me “how you like your eggs” – and for the very bored only, name your favorite post from Simmer that mentions eggs.  Winner will be chosen randomly, but…what a nice search box up there. I’m just saying.

Contest ends Friday, 9/12 at 8 am. Your prize?

This smart little whisk. Brand-new and full of eggy goodness, he awaits your mixing command.

Now, about those 25 ways.

Start by scrambling eggs in your favorite manner; I like to add a bit of milk, stir-stir-stir on high heat, then turn them over a few times to finish on low. In the last few turns, toss in any of these additions, then season to taste with salt & pepper. Unless otherwise noted, most ingredients here should be roughly chopped (meats) or shredded (medium to hard cheeses). All meats and some vegetable add-ins, like red onions or asparagus, should be cooked ahead. Let your taste guide the amounts, and feel free to mix it up – it’s an idea list, so build on it! Whatever you love might be your next successful scramble.

25 Ways to Scramble Eggs

1. scallions, sharp cheddar, sea salt & ground pepper

2. black forest ham and baby swiss

3. roasted tomatoes and fresh thyme, topped with pecorino romano

4. diced salami and white cheddar (you’ll also need 2-3 breath mints)

5. chunky salsa, black olives and avocado, wrapped in a tortilla with a spoonful of sour cream

6. nova lox, capers, sauteed red onions & cream cheese

7. corned beef, hash browns and onions

8. leftover fried rice, plus a dollop of hoisin or oyster sauce

9. chopped grilled chicken and feta cheese, lemon zest and oregano

10. cooked asparagus and blue cheese (Iowa-made Maytag is perfect)

11. roast turkey, wild mushrooms and goat cheese

12. chorizo sausage, green peppers, tomatoes and onions

13. shrimp, green onions and cilantro, topped with Thai fish sauce

14. smoked gouda and apricot chutney

15. crabmeat, green onions and cream cheese blended with a splash of dry sherry

16. cottage cheese, chopped chives, parsley, sea salt and ground pepper

17. crumbled breakfast sausage, red and green peppers, fresh sage

18. roast turkey, tomatoes, bacon and gruyere cheese

19. prosciutto, spinach and shaved parmesan, with a dash of nutmeg

20. cream corn, pepper bacon and green chiles, with a dash of cayenne

21. zorba: mixed Greek olives (pitted, chopped), roasted red peppers & feta cheese

22. green eggs and ham: a dollop of pesto, chopped spinach and smoked ham

23. buffalo: grilled chicken, blue cheese, dash of hot sauce & side of celery

24. ratatouille: sautéed zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant and onions

25. waldorf: peeled and diced granny smith apples, walnuts, blue cheese

___________

Pssst…you, eyeing the little egg whisk! Sorry, the contest’s over – but if you’re enjoying this shell game, go ahead and leave your favorite in the comments. It’s like a Grade AA Extra-Large directory down there. How do you like your eggs?

Yes I said Cracker Barrel, the “Old Country Store” restaurant that’s not far off the road, where you see a lot of breakfasts served sunny side up. Their stores up front are full of “vintage” American stuff – cast iron pans and Slinkys and Moonpies and cookie jars. Some of it is crap, and some of it is pretty, pretty enough to pick up and turn over, like my pink-flowered cup and saucer – made in China, I could not believe it.

The set was so delicate and proper it might have rested in the queen’s hand, but I glanced around to check, and I was still in Des Moines. For less than ten dollars they’ve been faking it on my table ever since.

And doing a lovely job, too!

I heard everything from “love that cup!” to “I want a cookie NOW. RIGHT NOW.”

Agreed. It says high tea, and Grandma’s sideboard, and you know, it does say gimme two oatmeal chocolate chip cookies RIGHT NOW. And that handle! Just looking at it makes me roll out scones and sit up straight. There is even a painful backstory involving frozen scones, QVC and the Mall of America, but…another day.

Today, let’s have a contest. We all agree that the pink-flowered cup and saucer are lovely. But tell me, cookie freaks and china lovers, where did they from?

A few clues. I got this cup and saucer:

…on a U.S. road trip, but it’s not U.S.-made.

…somewhere ‘everything old is new again’

…a place where you see the sunny side of life.

The answer may surprise you. I’ve had them for years and it still surprises me.

What – a prize? You want all this sly talk and a prize, too? Greedy, greedy, but here’s the deal – if you can correctly identify where I collected these lovelies, I will mail you an extra-tacky postcard from Lawrence, Kansas with the Oatmeal Chocolate Chip recipe on the back. Wow! That’s way better than big cash money, eh?

It’s a place you buy things, not a city, but extra chocolate chips to the genius who gets the city too. I won’t confirm the answer until tomorrow morning, so you may guess as many times as you like, and all correct guesses win the recipe. I might just print the recipe anyway, but don’t tell the others.

Good cookie recipes live forever – especially this one.

The recipe, not the cookies. They live a very short, delicious life.

What are we doing?

Are we practicing our home welding skills?

Installing a foghorn?

Building a coffee-making, dog-walking, floor-dusting robot?

First one to name it wins a sweet prize. And when I say sweet…

I mean sweet!