There is something so magical about a farm fresh egg.

Years ago I saw a documentary on the egg industry and chicken farms.  I am not here to do a post on PETA, but the cruelty and inhumane conditions were absolutely deplorable. From that moment on, I vowed to spend the extra little bit of cash on cage free eggs; not perfect, but better than doing nothing… and, more importantly, to buy farm fresh whenever possible!!

OK – That being said (whew!), back to the “magic“.  We are so blessed to know someone who actually raises chickens AND fresh eggs… unfortunately over 100 miles away, however!  I have been the recipient of these amazing eggs from time to time; most recently was about a week ago when I was gifted with about 2 ½ dozen! (Thanks, Kathy!) Look at that pic (above) – Aren’t they just beautiful???  The little brown speckled one is my favorite… The real beauty of these eggs, however, cannot be seen until you crack them open.  Oh my – The yolks are the most BEAUTIFUL golden yellow that you have ever seen in an egg!  To see this is to know how healthy and happy these lucky little chickies are!!  “Our chickens are truly free range.  They cross the road and climb on hay bails and eat bugs all day.  They’re very happy chickens!” (Quote from the family)   And that, my friends, is what I meant by “magic“!!!

Upon receiving this delicious gift, we started incorporating eggs into breakfast, lunch AND dinner!!  One of our favorite (new) recipes was one that I found online at “Food and Wine” called “Shrimp, Asparagus & Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce”.  One word: DELISH!

We had it for dinner one night with a simple salad (the hubbie loved it too!) and then I poached more eggs separately for the leftover shrimp & sauce and we enjoyed it for breakfast the next day. Not exactly sure how to poach an egg?  No worries.  Click on this link – How to poach an egg – and Clinton Kelly from “The Chew” (my fav show!) will walk you through it. Super duper simple! (NOTE: When watching the video, make note of what he says about the eggs!!)

So whether it’s farm fresh eggs, a roadside stand selling strawberries and corn, your local farmers market with fresh honey and homemade bread or your local retail small business shops…. PLEASE SUPPORT LOCAL whenever possible – It’s definitely a win-win-win!!!