Eggfest Season 2016 is upon us

One of the great joys of being an Egghead (any Big Green Egg owner) is to gather with other Eggheads from time to time to see old friends, make new friends, share recipes, and just enjoy being with each other as we cook and share our wonderful treats with each other.

But years ago, those little gatherings began to grow and take on an atmosphere of wishing other people could join us to see for themselves what Egging is all about.

Invitations went out to come join us at our next Eggfest and the response was wonderful.  People couldn't wait to attend.  And many of them became Eggheads too after just one visit.  Others moved owning a Big Green Egg to the top of their "I Want One Of Those" list.

Here we are three decades later and Eggfests are now being held all over the US and some foreign countries.  It's not unusual to see hundreds, if not thousands, of attendees spending a few hours tasting food, asking questions and generally enjoying themselves at an Eggfest.  Many of them take advantage of discounted 'Demo Eggs' that were used to cook on for the first time at the Eggfest.  And while their memories are fresh, these new Egg owners are able to fire up their Egg on their own patio and cook some of those delightful treats for their friends and family.

There are many Eggfests scheduled far and wide, but here in Texas, we have four.

The first one is April 9th in Athens Texas at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center.  Judy and I, along with a bunch of our Egghead friends, old ones and new ones, will be cooking until we run out of stuff to cook.

The next one is the Texas Eggfest on April 30th at Camp Ben McCullough in Driftwood Texas.

Then the very first Eggfest in Houston, appropriately named, Space City Eggfest, will be held on May 21st in Old Town Spring, Texas.

Then the last one of the season will be held in Jefferson Texas on October 8th or 15th (confirmation of the date is pending).

They are a lot of fun and well worth attending if you like good food and wish to know more about ceramic cooking.

See you at an Eggfest soon.

First Meal of the New Year

I'm a breakfast person. So when it comes to my first choice for my very first meal on a new year, breakfast is it. 

And since we renewed our diet vows for 2016, we are sticking to food that is good for us, with a small amount slack given to the holiday spirit. 

I cooked one of the most delicious 4-egg omelets ever. Peppers, green onions, mushrooms, shredded habanero cheese and smoked turkey ham. 

There was just enough of the cheese (maybe two heaping tablespoons) to give it a nice kick and cheesy flavor but not enough to confess a culinary sin for it. 

But the smoked turkey ham took center stage for flavor. It was not only delicious by itself, but it enhanced the flavors of everything else. There was probably 3/4 cup of it chopped to 1/4" size. 

So if you resolved to lose a few pounds in 2016 you might consider smoking a Jennie-O Turkey Ham to substitute for bacon and sausage. 

Here's mine on the Egg after about 2 hours indirect @ 225°-250° using a couple of chunks of post oak smoking wood off to the side of the fire. 

 

And don't be tempted to eat it immediately after taking it off the Egg. Wrap it in multiple layers of plastic wrap and let it do its thing in the refrigerator for at least overnight. Two days would be even better. I suspect three days would be even better but I've never been able to wait that long. 

Oh, and slice some of it really thin to put on Romaine leaves with a small amount of lite mayo or sauce to make a really great wrap for lunch. Two of them will fix you right up. 

You're welcome. Happy New Year... 

Spring "Starting Off Right" Chicken 
Spring Texas USA