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We were shocked to find a pile of 7 teensy eggs inside the nexting area of our chicken coop last week.  We hadn’t even realized that our girls had started laying yet!  Our kids could hardly wait to get into the kitchen and eat them.

These eggs are hardly the type that come to mind when you think of “eggs.”  First of all, the first few eggs laid by a chicken tend to be smaller than the ones they lay after they have “stretched,” for lack of a better term.  Also, they were laid by Bantam Mottled Cochins.  Bantam chickens are much smaller than their standard sized counterparts – and their eggs are too.  That said, it was difficult to think of how to use them in a regular recipe without having to do mathematical equations reminiscent of college calculus (which I nearly failed).  So, we opted to simply fry them and eat them with toast.  Simple…yes.  Delicious…yes.

Once our adolescent chickens come of age and start laying, we will have “regular” sized eggs galore.  Those will be easier to use in recipes like frittata, strata and cookies.

I won’t insult you by explaining how to fry an egg, but I will share a delicious egg recipe that we enjoy.  Be sure to call your kids into the kitchen to help.  Cooking with kids definitely connects them with their food, just as gardening with them does.

Grilled Cheese and Egg Sandwiches

8    slices whole-wheat bread
4 Tbs Dijon mustard
8 slices cheese, cheddar, swiss or jack
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 Tbs butter, softened

1. Spread 4 slices of the bread with mustard.
2. Top with cheese, hard-boiled egg slices, some thyme, and the remaining 4 slices of bread.
3. Spread the top slice of each sandwich with a little of the butter.
4. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the remaining butter. When the butter is melted, place the sandwiches in the skillet, buttered-side up.
5. Grill the sandwiches 5 minutes, turn, then cook 5 minutes more or until the cheese melts. Watch carefully so the bottoms don’t burn!

Servings: 4

CALL THE KIDS:

• Spread mustard and softened butter on the bread.
• Use an egg slicer on the eggs
• Layer ingredients on the bread

Nutrition (per serving): 418.3 calories; 54% calories from fat; 25.8g total fat; 292.1mg cholesterol; 735.4mg sodium; 229.5mg potassium; 25.9g carbohydrates; 2.7g fiber; 3.6g sugar; 23.2g net carbs; 21.0g protein.