My favorite new kitchen appliance, the Belgian waffle maker

This past Mother's Day, I received a wonderful present from my family. I had hinted around for some time that I wanted a Belgian waffle maker and finally got one. I have had the same traditional, round waffle maker for about 15 years now. It works just fine, but I prefer the taste and texture of a Belgian waffle. They bought me the Food Network brand from Kohl's. The name brand alone made me giddy! 

I couldn't wait to use it! I have quite a few recipes for Belgian waffles, but honestly I don't always want to dedicate the time to measuring a dozen or so ingredients. I use the Krusteaz Belgian waffle mix in the box (gasp!). I have mixed up this same waffle batter and cooked it in my traditional waffle maker, but they always come out too dense.

In my fancy new waffle maker, the waffles come out so good! They have the perfect texture inside while being a bit crisp on the outside. I have used my machine about 20 times since I got it and I have learned what to do and what NOT to do. If you look at the picture above, you will notice that my waffles don't all fill out to the edges. Welllll, after overfilling the cooking surfaces a few times too many, you will learn what happens! My waffle maker had a locking feature to ensure that the cooking plates come together properly to cook your waffle evenly and maintain the shape. I learned the hard way that by overfilling to get the edges filled all the way in results in the top popping. The noise it makes is SO scary! It sounds like a mini explosion!! 

I was watching an episode of Bobby Flay's show on Cooking Channel called "Brunch with Bobby" and he was making some coconut waffles. I noticed his were not perfect and the edges were not even. If Bobby Flay can have uneven, imperfect waffles, then it is okay for me too! 

My family enjoys their waffles with butter and syrup. My husband loves having chicken with his. For me, I like mine with butter and some fancy strawberry preserves. If you live near a Kroger store you must try out their high-end line of preserves called Private Selection. It is amazing! I make a hefty batch of waffles and put the leftovers in the refrigerator. They toast up perfectly the next day. 

I love my Belgian waffle maker so much and wanted to share my thoughts for those of you considering buying one. You won't be disappointed! 

Best Deviled Eggs Recipe

I have posted my deviled eggs on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter numerous times before. Several people have asked for my recipe so I thought I would share it. It is so easy!

I start with my hard boiled eggs and separate my yolks from the whites. I smash them up and add mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, sweet relish, freshly cracked black pepper and sriracha. After I mix it all up, I add a tiny bit of milk to make the filling creamier. Next, I add my filling into a sandwich bag and snip off one end to make a piping bag. This makes your deviled eggs look prettier instead of scooping the filling with a spoon. I top them off with thinly sliced scallions and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. I sometimes top them with mulit-colored slivers of bell peppers or even a small squeeze of sriracha. Deviled eggs are always a crowd pleaser and a must-have for parties and cookouts.

Eggland's Best "Your Best Recipe" Contest

EGGLAND’S BEST EGGS ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL RECIPE CONTEST Eggland’s Best “Your Best Recipe” Contest Provides At-home Chefs A Chance to Win $10,000

No longer relegated to only breakfast fare, eggs are taking center stage in dishes across the country, being featured in inventive ways that showcase its versatility and ability to bring new tastes and textures to everything from soups and salads, to pastas and burger toppings.

Eggland’s Best (EB), the No. 1 brand of eggs in the country known for its superior nutritional profile, freshness and quality, wants to recognize the culinary talents of at-home chefs with the announcement of the brand’s first-ever national recipe contest.

Call for entries to the Eggland’s Best “Your Best Recipe” Contest is open now through August 12, 2012 and at-home chefs can submit their best original recipe featuring at least two EB eggs online at www.egglandsbest.com/yourbestrecipe. A $1,000 prize will be awarded in each of the following four categories: Breakfast, Appetizer, Main Course, and Dessert and one at-home chef whose dish best showcases the use of Eggland’s Best eggs will be awarded a $10,000 grand prize.

 Helping to judge recipe entries are chef and cookbook author Candice Kumai, who also serves as a judge on Food Network’s Iron Chef America, as well as Elizabeth Ward, a nationally recognized registered dietitian. Both experts will be evaluating recipes based on the criteria of taste, presentation, availability of ingredients and creativity.

“The test of a true chef is in knowing how to cook eggs properly, and selecting the best ingredients to cook with,” says Chef Candice Kumai. “I personally use Eggland’s Best eggs because not only are they more nutritious than ordinary eggs, but the yolks are also plumper, creamier and brighter in color. Their freshness and quality ensure my egg dishes turn out consistently every time.”

For official contest rules and to submit your original recipe, visit Eggland's Best or Eggland's Best on Facebook.

Eggland's Best December promotions

Holiday Dessert Recipe Contest:

Holiday Dessert Recipe Contest Enter your best dessert recipe in our Holiday Dessert Recipe Eggs-change contest! Whether it’s your blue-ribbon pies or delicious sugar cookies, click here to share your recipe with us for a chance to win exciting prizes!
Entries are being accepted through Thursday December 15, 2011 in the following categories:

•Cookies 

•Brownies/Bars 

•Cakes 

•Pies 

 Each category will have 3 big winners!!! Prizes include:
1st Place Prize: 3 month supply of Eggland’s Best Eggs $25 gift card for Bed, Bath & Beyond EB eco bag, spatula and plush egg
2nd Place Prize: 1 month supply of Eggland’s Best eggs EB eco bag, spatula and plush egg
3rd Place Prize: 1 free dozen Eggland’s Best eggs EB eco bag, spatula and plush egg.

For full rules and entry details, click here.

Exclusive Facebook Offer:

 Click here to "like" Eggland's Best on Facebook for your copy of Fine Cooking’s "Breakfast Recipes Collection - 88 Delicious Recipes for Everyone’s Favorite Anytime Meal", a $9.99 value, FREE for Eggland's Best Facebook fans! 

Hurry! This offer is only available through December 31, 2011. Click here to get your copy and get started cooking! Spread the word!

#EBPlateDate "Brinner" Party

On Saturday evening, our family had a group of friends and family members over for an Eggland’s Best Plate Date “Brinner” Party. Our guests were all curious as to what kind of party this would be. Would you guess that there were tons of Eggland’s Best Eggs involved? I was thrilled to get to work with Eggland’s Best on the Plate Date campaign highlighting great ways to prepare eggs for busy families. You would not believe the vast ways you can cook an egg! I decided to stick with some kid-friendly recipes that are simple and tasty.

Our menu included: Deviled eggs (can't be a party without them!), Southwestern Egg Scramble (recipe below), French toast on honey wheat and Chicago Italian bread and blueberry crumb cake (after all, you have to eat your fruit)

I proudly wore my Eggland's Best apron :-) I would of posted photos of my guests but they preferred not to be in them. That, and my husband takes lousy photos!

I went through dozens of eggs to prepare all of my dishes. I really love the cage-free brown eggs. They have become my new favorite! I made this Southwestern Egg Scramble from a recipe off of the EB site but I tweaked it a bit. Here is what you need:
10 Eggland's Best Eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
10 ounces cottage cheese, drained
1/2 lb shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 lb shredded pepper jack cheese
2 scallions thinly sliced


Preheat oven to 400F
Spray a 13 X 9 casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside (I used pure butter).
In a medium bowl, blend flour, salt and baking powder together. Set aside.
Beat eggs thoroughly. Slowly add in flour mixture, beating well until all ingredients are incorporated.
Stir in melted butter, scallions, cottage cheese and jack & pepper jack cheeses and blend well.

Pour into baking dish. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes, or until browned. (I had to adjust my oven about 10 degrees lower than suggested)
Remove from oven and cool slightly. Cut into squares and serve.

I think that this dish was a big hit! Everyone loved it and they said it tasted like quiche. The kids all said it made them think of mac 'n cheese without the macaroni! This will be made at my next breakfast/brunch gathering for sure!

Our next favorite dish was the deviled eggs. I used the used the EB Hard-cooked, peeled eggs for the very first time. They came 6 to a bag. I opened the bag and was surprised that there was no eggyness... you know that lovely aroma you get when you boil eggs? Yep, none of that!

Even when I sliced them in half there was no eggy smell. I tell you what, this is a great convenience for when time is not on your side. No boiling, timing, peeling, cooling or heating up your kitchen. You can't beat that! I made my deviled eggs pretty much traditional with a little twist~ I used mayo, freshly cracked pepper, hot pepper sauce, sweet pickle relish, a little honey mustard sauce and a little bit of milk for a smoother consistency. I topped some off with freshly sliced scallion and left some without. I lightly sprinkled some smoky Paprika as a finishing touch. Simple and delicious!
Everyone had such a great time chatting and catching up as well as talking about Eggland's Best Eggs. Thanks to the generosity of Eggland's Best, each guest received a coupon for a FREE dozen eggs. I have a feeling I might have converted all my guests into EB fans. I loved hosting this fun party and I want to say THANK YOU so much to Eggland's Best for making it possible by providing product coupons, cooking utensils and a gift card to help with the extras.

Be sure to check out Eggland's Best on Facebook & Twitter!

Eggland's Best Giveaway {Closed}

Winner is #181 Donald~ Congratulations!

It's no secret that my family loves Eggland's Best eggs. We are self-proclaimed egg snobs and will only buy the Eggland's Best brand. I know it sounds crazy but I have never seen such clean eggs. I am not talking about the shell, but the actual egg. They even taste clean! Knowing that they are high in Vitamin D, B12 and E as well as a good source of Omega 3 and Lutein make then even better. Oh and they have 25% less saturated fat than regular eggs! I was offered some eggs from a family member recently for free and the first question I asked was "Are they Eggland's Best?" I found out they were not, so I politely passed on them.

We are going to be hosting an Eggland's Best "Plate Date Brinner Party" tomorrow evening. We will prepare some dishes to share with our guests that incorporate eggs of course! I will be posting details of the party next week along with recipes and photos. Be sure to check back! *Edited* Post is up!

Our friends at Eggland's Best have provided an awesome EB gift pack filled with goodies for one lucky Momfiles reader to win. The gift pack will include: an Apron, Spatula, Whisk, Ramekins, 60 minute timer, Plush egg, Eco bag and 3 coupons for FREE Eggland's Best Eggs!

To enter: Tell us your favorite way to eat eggs.

For extra entries:
~Share a kid-friendly egg recipe (3 entries)
~"like" Eggland's Best and Momfiles on Facebook
~Mention this giveaway on Facebook and leave a link
~Follow Eggland's Best and Momfiles on Twitter
~Tweet this giveaway (once daily) and leave a link to your Tweet:

Enter to win an @EgglandsBest gift pack from @momfiles http://tinyurl.com/3vf28cs #giveaway #food

~Follow Momfiles via Google Friend Connect

~ Leave a comment on my #EBPlateDate Brinner Party post (2 entries)

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on September 7, 2011 at 9:00 pm EST. One winner will will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger Profile. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Items might differ from image. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received products as well as a gift card for working on the "Plate Date" campaign. All opinions are 100% mine as always.

Eggland's Best America's #1 Egg [Giveaway]

**Contest Closed**
Winners are #248 ZESTYWONDERLAND & #141 ababe28

For many years now, my family has been exclusively eating Eggland's Best eggs. A lot of people call us egg snobs. Hey, we can't help it if we like the best eggs! I was just reading an article the other day about the old beliefs that eggs were bad for you. Turns out eggs are a nutritious choice and are packed with vitamins and are a good source of protein and Omega 3. Eggs are so versatile and not just a breakfast food. We have eggs at all times of day and it is one of our most common go-to foods. We love them fried, scrambled, in omelets, boiled, deviled and more. As a kid, I ate eggs curried and stewed. I think deviled eggs are my favorite and I make up a tray for every cookout we go to.

Compared to ordinary eggs, each Eggland’s Best large egg contains:
• 25% less saturated fat
• 35% more lutein
• 10 times more Vitamin E
• 3 times more Vitamin B12
• 2 times more Vitamin D
• Double the Omega-3

You can read all of the great benefits Eggland's Best eggs have as well as EB's Nutrition facts.

We are giving away an Eggland's Best prize pack to 2 lucky Momfiles readers! The prize pack includes: 1 month of FREE Eggland’s Best eggs (in the form of coupons), an eco bag, a plush egg and a spatula.

To Enter:
Mandatory: Do you eat Eggland's Best eggs? What is your favorite way to eat eggs?

For extra entries (leave a separate comment for each entry method to count):
~ Tell us a fact you learned about Eggland's Best eggs
~ Share your favorite egg recipe (3 entries) Be original!
~ "like" Eggland's Best and Momfiles on Facebook
~ Mention this giveaway on Facebook and leave a link
~ Follow Eggland's Best and Momfiles on Twitter
~ Tweet this giveaway and leave a link (once daily):

Enter to win an @EgglandsBest prize pack from @momfiles (2 winners) http://tinyurl.com/3tc4yrt #giveaway

~ Follow Momfiles via Google Friend Connect
~ Place the Momfiles button on your blog (leave blog link)

This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will end on August 1, 2011 at 9:00 pm EST. Two winners will will be chosen at random and contacted via email. Please leave your email address in your comment if you do not have a Blogger Profile. Good luck!

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are 100% mine as always