Erika's Eggnog Biscotti

So I finally got around to making my eggnog biscotti that I'd been dreaming about. My eggnog flavoring from King Arthur Flour arrived and I was ready to go. Since I couldn't find any decent recipes online, I had to make up my own. I was kind of nervous about the flavor and was so happy at how well they turned out. The icing makes them even better so do NOT omit this step. So without further adieu, here's my recipe (altered from some other biscotti recipes I've tried):

Erika's Eggnog Biscotti (based on King Arthur Flour's Vanilla Biscotti recipe)
6 tablespoons softened butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/3 teaspoon of eggnog flavoring
1 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups flour

Icing:
Several tablespoons powdered sugar
Eggnog or soynog (as needed)
Eggnog Flavoring 1-3 drops
Sprinkling of ground nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) one large baking sheet. (I highly recommend parchment paper!)

In a bowl, beat the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggnog flavoring, nutmeg and baking powder until the mixture is smooth. Beat in the eggs. At low speed, add the flour, stirring until smooth; the dough will be quite sticky.

Flour your hands and then drop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Divide it in half, and shape it into two 9" x 2" logs, about 3/4" tall. Straighten the logs, and smooth their tops and sides.

Bake the dough for 25 minutes. Remove it from the oven, and allow it to cool on the pan anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. Wait another 5 minutes, then use a serrated knife to cut the log crosswise into 1⁄2" to 3⁄4" slices. Or cut the biscotti on the diagonal—for fewer, longer biscotti.

Return the biscotti to the oven, and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, till they feel very dry and are beginning to turn golden - watch them carefully that they do not get over browned - burned biscotti are gross. Remove the biscotti from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.

While the biscotti are cooling, put several tablespoons of powdered sugar into a small bowl. A teaspoon at a time, add the eggnog until you reach the desired consistency of icing - it should be the consistency of melted chocolate. Add one drop of eggnog flavoring. Do not add more - this stuff is potent! Add a sprinkling of nutmeg and mix well and put into a pastry sleeve or a small decorating squeeze bottle to wait for the biscotti to cool. Squirt the biscotti with your icing to make a pretty squiggle pattern and allow the icing to harden before storing.

Makes 2-3 dozen biscotti.

Late Night Baking with Chef Caroline

I had some additional baking I wanted to get done on Friday night after the kids went to bed and I decided to get some alone time with Caroline at the same time.  Normally, she's not that into baking with me when I bake and now I know why.  She hates baking with her siblings - which I can totally understand.  Bryce and Piper completely monopolize the process and fights break out every.single.time.  So on Friday afternoon, I went up to her room after school and proposed the idea of a secret baking night.  She loved it!  She loved that we pretended she was going down complete with us nagging her to get into her pajamas and quiet down to read.  Thankfully, Bryce and Piper passed out quickly and before long she was downstairs and we were getting set to make Butter Brickle Biscotti.  

In between helping me with the mixing steps, she would go in and sit and watch Pawn Stars with Jason.  She was just enjoying the time without competition and complete attention.  Because it was only her helping me mix and she's more competent at measuring, I was able to let her do a lot of the mixing and dumping.  With Bryce and Piper they can't do much without a complete mess.  I also enjoyed the fact that she can read everything AND she understands the notion of 1/4, 1/3 and 1/2 in terms of measuring.  I taught her the difference between a teaspoon and tablespoon and showed her how easy it is to measure butter.  Finally the biscotti was in the oven and she got to enjoy a cup from my secret stash of soy nog.

We then mixed up a new recipe for peppermint chocolate cookies, but they had to be refrigerated over night so we didn't get to bake them.  Then she helped me put the chocolate icing swirls on all of my biscotti that I had baked a few weeks ago that had been in the freezer.  Finally, by 10pm, all the baking was done and she went off to bed happy.  We asked her to keep the secret from her siblings or they might expect the same treatment, but Bryce just told me that she told him about her baking adventures.  I'm not that surprised though - she enjoyed it so much she just HAD to brag about it to him.

Annual Turkey Day Cooking

We'll be spending Thanksgiving with Jason's family this year and heading to his Aunt Sharon's for the afternoon and dinner.  Even though I love cooking, having to cook an entire Thanksgiving meal for a large crowd just isn't something I'm ready for yet. (And yes, I'm thankful for NOT having to cook the bulk of the meal.)   Maybe part of it is my aversion to raw meat, um yeah, handling a raw turkey just kind of freaks me out.  And then even when it's completely cooked, I kind of get skeeved out by the carving of it.  (But I do like me some white meat....)

Anyway, I digress.  So here's what I'm making this T-day:

Cheddar and Jalapeño Stuffing - I made this last year for Thanksgiving at my mom's and it went over well.  This is in addition to the traditional stuffing and probably will be enjoyed more by the younger crowd. I like a little heat and flavor to my traditional Thanksgiving feast.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts - Based on my love of roasted veggies and my ability to get such fresh and wonderful sprouts from our farm, I am bringing a huge batch of these.  I've roasted them several times at home in just olive oil and kosher salt, but this time I'm going to try this recipe with balsamic vinegar too.

Monkey Bread - This is for just us in the morning and I'm planning on actually getting the kids to help me.  I feel a little guilty because I'm taking the easy way out and using store bought biscuits.  I just don't have time to make it in the morning and let it rise if I made it from scratch.  I always like to make something special in the morning on Thanksgiving as we watch the parade and given that oven baked French toast did NOT go over well last year, I was looking for another yummy option.  Should go well with coffee!

What's Cooking In My Kitchen

We alternate celebrating Thanksgiving each year between my family and Jason's, mostly for pure sanity reasons. Plus, the thought of eating two dinners isn't that appealing.  And being able to spend one nice day with half of our family is better than a rushed day with both sides.  This year it's my side's turn so we're spending the day at my mom and dad's house just a few short minutes away.  (Not that my IL's live very far either!)

My mom is making the big parts of the meal but my sister, SIL, grandmother and I are each contributing appetizers, sides, and desserts.  YAY!  Honestly, I am not ready for the pressure of having to make a turkey and the expected side dishes, so it's really nice that I get to still help and focus on dishes I'm more comfortable with.  Here's what's been or will be cooking in my kitchen:

Black Bottom Chocolate Pecan Pie (page 2 of the PDF)  - this is a special one as Jason and I ate at the Christiana Campbell's Tavern in Williamsburg in 2002 on a getaway weekend together.  It was amazing pie and I couldn't believe my luck in finding the actual recipe online.  If you're ever in historic Williamsburg, try to eat at this restaurant.  Especially in the summer where you can sit in the garden!  Oh and you only need about 2 1/2 cups of the crushed graham crackers!!

Spinach Artichoke Dip - Who hasn't had this as an appetizer at some restaurant?  I've never actually made it myself before, so I am looking forward to actually tasting it tomorrow afternoon.  Caroline recently acquired a taste for it too, so double bonus!  (Her tastes have really started to change this past year - we don't have to fight with her about dinner so much anymore.)  I made this with all reduced fat ingredients so it shouldn't be quite as bad for you as it could be.

Cheddar and Jalapeño Stuffing - My mom makes the traditional stuffing in her mom's wonderful recipe, but she wanted an alternative that was a little different.  Real Simple had a bunch of recipe ideas and this one popped out at me.  Ooooo, I can't wait to try this one!!

And finally, this isn't for the actual Thanksgiving meal, but it is for Thanksgiving day:

Baked French Toast -  I'll be making this one tonight for us for tomorrow morning.  Should be wonderful with coffee and (vegetarian) sausage.  Perfect timing for the parade.  Who am I kidding, the kids will be up before 7am and the parade doesn't start until 9am.  Breakfast will be a distant memory by the time the parade starts! (I'll be taking reviewer suggestions and reducing the milk/cream amounts as not to make my bread too soggy. Oh and adding more spices - way more cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg - you can't have Thanksgiving without those 2 spices!)

Oh and I can't forget this one that we made the other night for us to munch on and to send home with my IL's and for Caroline to take into Ms. B:

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread - this is a good one.  I used half oil/half apple sauce and reduced the sugar by a 1/2 cup overall (used 1 1/2 cup of white/ 1 cup brown).  Delicious.  I really want to try this one next - maybe next weekend:

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Oh and let us not forget the kids' favorite - I promised I'd make for them later this weekend:   Pumpkin Fluff

Mudder's Day Weekend

I know this weekend was sunny, but good heavens it was windy. Ugh. Annoyingly so. While not truly cold, it was so freaking windy that it felt cold and put me in kind of a bad mood all weekend. Although I wasn't feeling 100% all weekend either as I had some kind of mild weird stomach thing going but that has thankfully rectified itself this morning, but it kind of made me semi-grumpy for the past 2 days.

Mother's Day started on Friday morning when we gave my MIL a gardenia plant for mother's day. I've gotten into the tradition of always giving our moms live plants for Mother's Day (probably because it's something I know I would like) and usually do a hanging basket but when we saw these amazing gardenia plants at Lowe's, I changed my mind. I know my mom loves gardenias too and thought my MIL would as well. They just smell soooooo good. I printed out lots of instructions to help them grow their new plant too. They had so many blooms and buds on them, I hope they are easy to grow!

Then that evening my sister, SIL, and daughters attended the Mother/Daughter Banquet with my mom at her church. My sister and I have very vivid memories of attending the same event with my mom when we were younger and so there was some nostalgia in going with her for this, especially with my own kids. I felt lucky to be going to a Mother/Daughter banquet with both my mother AND my daughters. I was glad that Chrissa and Kelly were there too. Caroline and Piper enjoyed when they played a little music and got to run around with some other cute little girls that were there with their mother & grandmother too. While all the girls were out, the boys had their night and when we returned to my house the boys (Jason, Bryce, my dad, and brother) had had a pizza, beer, and Wii night. No beer for Brycey though, he doesn't like the stuff. ;) Then all 3 kids entertained us dancing around to some music videos and we all got a kick out of Piper's cute little dance moves. We gave my mom her gardenia that evening too and she told me how they remind her of when they bought their first house because the woman living there had them.

Saturday morning was the usual but we got moving because Jason's brother, Jeremy, returned to spend the day finishing the Pergo with Jason. I took the kids to the library and then to my mom's to spend the day out of the way. This is where the wind really ticked me off. They wanted to be outside but then they kept running all over the yard and while I trust Caroline and Bryce to do that, I can't with Piper so I have to follow her. (She wants to go where they go.) And the wind just kept blowing stuff in my eyes and blowing my hair around - I didn't have a hair band with me - and it was making me mental. I also wasn't feeling great and the kids kept saying they were either bored or hungry. Finally at 4pm, I turned the TV back on and Olivia was on and gave me an hour of peace. We went home at 5pm and the men were almost done so we waited and then made a quick spaghetti dinner with what little food we had left in the house.

And then, at last, it was Mother's Day. At 7am, I was awoken by Caroline shoving a card and present in my face. She was just soooooooooo excited to give it to me and I groggily opened it and read the cute little card. It was one of those hand print sheets with a poem on it along with her named signed. It was even laminated so it looked really nice. She was especially pleased with the lady bug card she had made. I think Ms. R deserves credit for giving the kids such nice projects to do. So I gave her a big hug and kiss and then closed my eyes again. Within 5 seconds I hear Caroline say, "Bryce, what are you doing?"

"Mommy's not awake." he said standing in the middle of my bedroom looking all sleepy.

"Well, just tap her, she'll wake up." (Jason and I got a laugh out of that.)

So Bryce came tapping with his gift of a cute little card and his version of the hand print/poem display. His had a different poem and was on a piece of felt. Very cute and well done.

And then both of them were laying on top of me showering me with hugs and kisses. I kept hearing about how I was the best mommy in the world and how much they loved me. Definitely a nice way to start my day even though I was tired from staying up past midnight. Bryce kept talking about how he wanted to make me pink milk for breakfast, but since it was grocery day we didn't have much milk so I politely declined his offer. They were just SO excited it was Mother's Day. It was really adorable and I know I will remember it as they get older and this changes. I'm trying to soak up these adorable things they won't be doing forever. (And randomly I had these big white frames with matting under my bed that I'd gotten from Ikea a few years ago and never used.  The handprint displays fit perfectly and I will be able to add 2 current photos of each of them underneath to hang on the wall in my bedroom.  My mom has something similar that my brother did and I love it.  I'm looking forward to having these hanging in my room for years to come.  I'll have to post photos when I finish.)

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Jason took the big kids with him to the grocery store so I only had Piper while I cleaned up the kitchen and did a few chores. Having only 1 kid is definitely a treat. Once they got back though things went downhill a little bit as the exhaustion from staying up a little too late was kicking in hard on Caroline and Bryce. I tried laying down myself while Piper napped and was told over and over how bored they were but it was still so damn windy I wasn't feeling much like going outside. We watched a movie and then once Piper woke up, we went outside for a little while.

Then Jason and Bryce made dinner while Piper watched Olivia and I played Barbies with Caroline. Jason and Bryce made two new recipes that turned out to be VERY good. Spinach & Feta Pasta and Baked Pineapple.  I have always loved baked pineapple but my mom's recipe calls for eggs.  This one had good reviews so we tried it.  The only thing we did differently was to use crushed pineapple as opposed to the chunks.  We'd probably use less butter next time too.  The pasta though, yum.  Jason's first bite led him to decide it's something we'll put in our regular cycle.  However, the kids were less than enthused.  None of them really liked the pineapple (WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEM???  But at least I have leftovers of it to look forward to!) and they only begrudgingly ate the pasta.  Caroline was hitting her exhaustion wall at this point and it turned into a full fledged fit.  Sweet.  Jason also cleaned up dinner which was definitely appreciated as my stomach still wasn't feeling good and I was tired.  Of course I was dealing with a screaming Caroline who had to finish out her fit on the steps.

Then we spent the last hour before bedtime watching Bryce and Piper run after each other and wrestle.  Those two are so funny lately - it's like Piper finally has a "use" for Bryce.  She used to shy away from him and only play with Caroline but it's like she's decided that Caroline is her playmate for dolls/Barbies and Bryce is her rough and tumble friend.  Of course I'm watching them and trying not to freak out that she's going to break another tooth or cut her head open.  Once Caroline calmed down, she joined in the hi jinks. 

Then it was off to bed with the kids and I caught up on my SNL and Duggars DVR.  I woke up feeling much better this morning and truly rested for the first time in a while.  Did I mention I stopped taking the Zyrtec, hence the rested feeling, I think?

More Eggless Cookies

So the eggless chocolate chip cookies we made on Saturday are going faster than anticipated. I don't know why I'm surprised since all 5 of us love a good chocolate chip cookie. So I decided it was high time we added another cookie to the mix - eggless of course. I had a hankering for some oatmeal raisin and found this wonderful recipe. Seriously, it's fabulous! Chewy and sweet, just plain yummy. Kids loved it too and Jason took a bunch of pics that I haven't taken off the camera yet. (Yes, Jason is now taking photos - courtesy of the cool new camera - I may have won him over!) I will have to post them later.

As for the other baking (ahem, egged baking), I am nearly done - Eggnog Tea Bread is done so all that is left is the orange cranberry bread. I don't have a link to that recipe since it's one I got from my mom and there are SO many orange cranberry recipes out there - not sure which one would be hers - it's so good. Every time I make it for people they ask for the recipe so I think when I give it this year, I'm going to include the recipe with it on some cute Christmasy card stock.

As of today, all the Christmas shopping is done (thanks to Jason for stopping at the liquor store on his way home!) and we really should get serious about wrapping, at least for the kids. I want to take Caroline and Bryce to the Dollar Tree this weekend and let them do a little shopping for their beloved family members. Nothing is as fun as seeing the weird (and cute) things that kids think will make a good gift. Especially at the dollar store!! I remember my mom taking me shopping as a kid and getting so excited about the things I'd gotten. Too bad there wasn't a Dollar Tree back in my day! I also want to take the big kids to see the Princess and the Frog but I'm not sure if it will fit into the schedule this weekend. Busy, busy, busy!

Two Home Runs

My MIL had Piper today so we invited my FIL down too to stay for dinner in honor of Father's Day and Jay's brother, Jeremy happened to be in the neighborhood too so he joined us as well. I made Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs, grilled vegetables and (homemade) Spanish Rice. YUMMM!

It was the 2nd time we'd had the rice but I'd forgotten how good it is - sooooooo much better than a boxed mix. I totally love this recipe and would eat it all the time. It kind of tastes like summer. And the kabobs? Oh wow. So tender and flavorful. We skewered it with zucchini, red onion, mushrooms, and bell pepper and it was wonderful. My MIL who admits to not being a very adventurous eater loved it all which made me happy because I'd feel terrible having someone over for dinner and then they didn't like the food.

So definitely two recipes for you to try - they come highly recommended by the all the diners in my house tonight - except the kids, but that's probably asking too much.

Bagel Day

Since I had a "free" morning with the kids, I decided to finally make homemade bagels I'd been wanting to make. It really wasn't hard at all; it just took a while. But even then, it wasn't so bad. I am pretty happy with them and would make them again. Caroline loved them but Bryce was only so-so about them. Of course, he had no interest in the creamed cheese, so he was missing half the delight! Next time, I'd like to make cinnamon raisin or something like that. Maybe blueberry? The rest of the day was spent dealing with fevers. Caroline's went up to about 104 at one point and Bryce was feeling generally rotten complaining of a sore throat and a cough. Piper wasn't feverish but she just wasn't very happy about much of anything. Plus, I was avoiding turning on the AC so I was a bit sweaty and frustrated. Sick kids = needy kids and boys, was I needed. In between fevers though, the kids splashed in their pool on the deck, made magazine collages It would have been a great day to lounge by the pool but that just wasn't in the cards. Piper had a BALL in the pool for the first time, as expected, and the big kids got a kick out of her excitement. Bryce also peed off the deck for the first time while he was wet which was so much of a novelty, he purposely went out on the deck after dinner for a repeat performance - Jason was not thrilled. Not sure if the kids will go to school or not tomorrow - we'll see how the night goes. My mom has Piper tomorrow so I'm guessing she'd help out in a pinch. Being sick when it's hot really does suck!

Just kneaded and formed bagels - post 2nd rise:

Boiling bagels....

Waiting for the bagels to finish baking:
Golden, tasty, fresh bagels!Caroline says YUM!
Even lots of jelly couldn't convince Bryce they were as good as we said:

Cinnaspicey Oh So Nicey

On a whim, I did a search for an eggless cinnamon roll recipe today and found this.

I had all the ingredients, including yeast, and after Bryce woke up from his nap, we went to work. After getting the dough to a good consistency (had to add a lot more flour then it called for), we let it rise while I cooked up some white chicken chili. Then, Bryce and I rolled it out, sprinkled all the cinnamony goodness onto it and rolled it up for making the rolls. So after dinner, we had hot and fresh cinnamon rolls.

Yowsers! I had low expectations since I've made lots of recipes that just don't turn out as good as you'd expect so OMG, these were sooooooo good. Even better than the premade Pillsbury ones. I doubled the recipe too so there are several left. Wonder how long those will last? Bryce and Jason gobbled theirs up (Bryce's first cinnamon roll) and Caroline ate half of one. (Which is saying something since she's barely eaten anything alllllll weekend.) I love to cook but there is just something special about baking. It's almost like I feel like I'm putting my love into it or something. Call me crazy. Baking just takes a lot of extra time and then there's the problem that when you bake you want to eat it. I'd bake a LOT more if it wasn't for the fact that I'd be over 200lbs, so I have to restrain myself or try and bake only for guests. Leftover baked goods call your name!

A Cooking Assignment For You

Last night, we had this for dinner: Chicken, Salsa, and Black Bean Soup.

I served it with the recommended shredded cheddar cheese and avocado slices. I took one bite and MMMMMMMM! So good! Aside from that, it was pretty simple to make - Jay even threw it together before 6am and I just had to do the final prep when I got home from work. I was hopeful that Jason would like it too since it's similar to chili.

Nope. His response? "I wouldn't eat more than one bowl of it."

Heartbreak!!!!! I've been trying so hard lately to come up with new menu items since it seems we eat a lot of the same things because Jason and I have such a hard time coming up with menu options that we can both agree on. (We take the kids out of the equation most of the time since they turn their noses up at just about everything except for hot dogs, spaghetti, and macaroni n' cheese - not all together though!)

I'll admit, yes, I'm a little picky when it comes to meat. But other than meat, I'm actually not that picky at all. I love soups. I love vegetables. I love salads. I love original casseroles with lots of vegetables and things with lots of beans. I'd be happy not eating meat for a few weeks if needed, but I don't classify myself as a vegetarian since I do like to have some chicken or something in a dish from time to time.

So I'm asking all of you out there, give this recipe a try and tell me what you think. I did everything it called for including pureeing a little of the soup to make it smoother. I'm not trying to persuade Jason to like it but I'm wondering if I am alone in loving this soup. I know he's not a big soup person which is hard for me b/c I could eat soup every night. (My parents are soup people so I guess I come by this honestly.)

I think I'm a pretty good cook and I like to cook. The problem is finding something that we both like. I guess if I was a meat and potatoes type of girl, Jason might be happier with the culinary attempts in our house. But then, I wouldn't know how to prepare a roast or porkchop any better than I would know how to change the oil in a car - nor would I even want to. I love making things that I know other people enjoy - it just isn't fun making something you know that will receive lackluster reviews time and time again.

Jason's Inside Out Meatballs

This all transpired on Christmas Eve and at the time, I was more than aggravated since the kids were going Christmas Eve bonkers and we had 3434 things to do. But in the end it all turned out, but it's certainly a story to giggle at for years to come.

On Christmas Eve morn, Piper woke up with a huge glob of an eye boogie in the corner of her eye along with crusty eye lashes and a reddish eye. Pink eye, sweet. The doctor's office said they were slow and to bring her right in. I threw on some clothes and took off and in my haste of getting out the door, Jason asked me if he should go ahead and start the Cocktail Meatballs we were taking to my MIL's for Christmas Eve. I told him the frozen meatballs were in the freezer and he could see the ingredients on the recipe card. Jason usually does just fine with simple recipes and I didn't even think twice about it - the sauce was as simple as it gets.

When Piper and I got home, I could smell them cooking and didn't even peek in at them. Jason mentioned quickly that they were hard to stir up and I looked through the lid and told him that maybe he'd put too many meatballs into the crock. Again, I didn't think too much more about it.

Then, just before we were leaving, I put something into the dishwasher and noticed the chopper was in there. Um, the recipe didn't call for anything to be chopped, just cranberry jelly, chili sauce, lemon juice and brown sugar. Then, I look at them and it dawned on me what he had done......

See, this recipe is for the meatballs to be made from scratch and has the ingredients to make both the meatballs and the sauce. However, I've never made the meatballs - only used frozen ones and made the sauce. Well, Jason took another route. Instead of just the ingredients I listed above, Jason also added breadcrumbs, onions, and......4 EGGS! JASON!!!!!!!!!

I asked him, didn't you think it was odd that you were adding eggs to the sauce knowing Bryce has eaten it before? He said he didn't think about that only the fact that Bryce couldn't have any. Then I asked him how he accomplished this. Here is how he did it:

1. Put way too many meatballs in crock.

2. Pour all ingredients over top of meatballs, including just cracked eggs. (Do not even beat them!)

3. Try your darnedest to stir them up as well as possible but it will be very hard because you've put way too many meatballs into the pot. Don't even consider that if the eggs don't get stirred in well that there will be chunks of eggs in the sauce.

Apparently, he didn't even bother to read the recipe, just the ingredients. Of course, my next question was, did you add the ground meat to the sauce too?? He said, no, he stopped at that. This is truly ironic because literally the day before a few moms were talking on my mom's chat board about if your husband cooks. The answers ran the spectrum and I was proud to say that yes, Jason cooks. Nothing flashy or difficult, but he can follow a recipe and usually does to a T. Heh. Internet curse???

Needless to say, in all of my stress of the morning, I was none too thrilled at the possibility that our contribution to the Christmas Eve meal was ruined. Jason assured me he would handle it when we got to his mom's. He kept laughing periodically about it on the drive there.

Anyway, so we got there and he restirred the meatballs and made sure everything was mixed well and we let them continue to cook. He and his dad tried them a little later and declared that they were truly good and when everyone else arrived, they were well eaten. I tried them but still thinking about the 4 eggs in the sauce and also agreed that they were good. The sauce was obviously thicker thanks to the eggs and breadcrumbs but the taste was fairly the same, although a little more mellow. So I told him he had a new recipe - Inside Out Meatballs - what's on the inside is what's on the outside too!

I appreciate him helping me that morning and even though it seemed like a bit of a calamity, I'm glad we got a funny story out of it in the end and all was well on Christmas Eve. To all a good night!