What do you do with all those eggs?

I never get tired of slipping my way down the back hill to the chicken coop and gathering the eggs of the day. Just this morning I discovered three lovely eggs all in one nest. I imagine the girls waiting patiently in line to use the preferred nest basket, even though the other nest boxes are available.

I am perhaps a little too proud of my urban chickens. Too often I have bragged that my three happy hens lay 18 eggs per week. Very often I get a startled look and the incredulous question: What in the world do you do with all those eggs?

Well, we eat them, of course. I think our egg consumption has increased since raising our own chickens, but I also think that our consumption of meat and meat products has decreased. We're not vegetarian by any stretch, but I'm concerned about eating meat that has been produced in large feed lots. I'd prefer grass fed meat which is hard to find and expensive. Our diet continues to modify in order to eat more locally and organically produced foods. It's all good.

Here are a few ways that eggs get used in our house: bean burgers,1 egg; parmesan rice cakes, 2 eggs; tortilla espanola (Spanish omlet with potatoes) 6 eggs; pumpkin torte or pumpkin gratin, 3 eggs; spinach gratin, 3 eggs; pumpkin custard, 3 eggs. Also, many breads, muffins and cookies use an egg or two per recipe. Yesterday I made mayonnaise for the first time---really wonderful---and today I'll use the leftover mayo to make ranch dressing for salad.

On Sunday mornings we actually have eggs for breakfast. One teenager prefers plain scrambled eggs. The other teen likes them soft boiled with a pat of butter and a pinch of salt. The adults have scrambled eggs with leftovers, perhaps some rice or barley, mushrooms, scallions, cheese and whatever is leftover in the refrigerator.

What's your favorite egg recipe?