Deviled Quail Eggs

Deviled Quail Eggs 

So I found these adorable quail eggs at the local Asian market next to the thrift shop I frequent for my up-cycling business.  I had to have them, and when I got home, my husband asks "Are you going to devil those!?" can you hear his excitement? Well, I did it, and see just how below, these were super fast and actually really fun!
 
 Ingredients:

2 Doz Quail Eggs
1tbsp mayo + 1/2 tsp
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
Paprika to garnish (or olives, or what ever you like :))

Directions:
Boil Eggs for about 5 minutes in a low boil. Remove from heat, and place under cold running tap. Once eggs are cool to the touch you're ready to peel. Now quail eggs have much softer shells than chicken eggs, but the inner membrane that lies just beneath is still very tough so it takes a little getting used to. First gently tap your egg on all sides on a flat surface like the counter to crack the shell all the way around. Next look for the spot that took the dent the best (this is where you usually find the pocket of air hiding. you will gently pinch the egg shell off here to give you a hold on the shell and inner membrane once you have this hole started gently pull the shell off piece by piece and place in the pan so that when you're done you can make one last rinse to get all the shells off (they are super tiny so they stick on everything).

Next you will cut your eggs in half the long way and place all your yolks in a small bowl. Mix the ingredients listed above with your yolks until there are no lumps. 















Place yolk mix into a sturdy freezer zip-lock bag as shown below, avoid getting egg on sides and attempt to get it all close to the corner of the bag.  Cut a 1/2" piece off tip to leave a very small hole to pipe your egg yolk back into your little whites! Carefully refill your empty eggs being sure to get them all about even.

 I topped mine with paprika and served!

Voila! Deviled eggs!

Favorite knit things

Most of these patterns can be found at my favorite pattern shop! Tiny Owl Knits! Tiny Owl Knits Pattern Shop

Mice in a sack :)

Celtic cardigan from Ravelry (the pattern was free!)

Parseltongue  sweater! Im a huge Harry Potter fan :) -another from Tiny Owl Knits

Yes we wanted to match :)

 Kitten Mittens!! Don't you just love them?
pattern available here: meow mitts!

Oh my Deer!
You may be noticing a theme here... I love animals :)
pattern available here: deer with little antlers

Cherry! Yes, I love cherries! I cant get enough of them!
Pattern available on Ravelry.com  Cherry top pattern

Lastly my very own hexipuff quilt in the making... this will take a year Im guessing! :) beekeeper quilt pattern

Upcycling!

I love to cook, love to eat, and love to be green as possible and keep all those gross Monsanto things away from my family. Another fun Hope fact is that I also love to sew! Yep. I love sweaters, and as my friends say I love to fly my freak flag proudly! :)

So I take a bunch of sweaters and cut them up and make something new and fun!
I also sell DIY Tutorials for those of you with a taste for your own adventure! Also if you have a pile of old sweaters that you don't wear or have rips or holes, Perfect! 
Up-cycled Sweater Tutorial!


I also make super cute kiddo stuff, and yes, thats my little mini model!

DIY PROJECTS

Make your own laundry detergent for 10 cents per gallon!
This is one of my favorites from Candy@:  UrbanFarmingGuys.com  :


Here is everything that you’ll need to make your own laundry soap:
Borax
Washing Soda (not baking soda)
Bar Soap (Fels-Naptha, Ivory, plain bar soap)
Cheese Grader
Pot (to melt the soap in with water)
5-gallon bucket
First thing, you’re gonna take your bar of soap & your cheese grader & just grade it down. Skin your knuckle.. I already sliced my fingernail off earlier. When you’re done grading, this is what you get. We’re gonna take this over to the stove & melt it down. Before you melt it down, you do wanna add some water, probably about a quart..The exact amount doesn’t really matter cuz we’re gonna add more water later.
So, you’re gonna want to put in the water, & then stir continuously over medium low heat until all these little grates are dissolved. Here we are, it’s completely dissolved; it took about 10-15 minutes. Now, we’re ready to add all the ingredients. Take your 5-gallon bucket & fill it about half full with hot water. Add your melted bar soap. Add half a cup of the washing soda & a full cup of the Borax..Then, stir until all the ingredients are dissolved. & once they’re dissolved, you’re gonna wanna fill the bucket all the way full with hot water. Then, cover it. If you don’t have a lid, you can use plastic wrap or something to cover it & then let it sit over night.
So, here we are, 24 hours later. We put this out on the porch for overnight & I’m gonna take our plastic off. & if you look & see, it kinda gels up like this…& what you wanna do before we divide it, because we want this to be 10 gallons ultimately, is really kinda break up these little pieces. Cuz when you go to pour it, they’ll blob out in big chunks. Okay, so I’ve broken up the gel pieces as much as I can..pretty smooth consistency now..There’s little flakes, but that’s ok. We’re just gonna take this 5-gallon bucket & divide it evenly half & half to another 5-gallon bucket. So, almost, just gonna do it til they’re both at the same level. That looks about right. Then, we’re gonna take some really hot water & fill them both up. It will suds a little bit. Okay. Then, we’re gonna take these & pour them into whatever containers you have that you wanna keep them in. We use some tea containers, we have some old laundry detergent containers, milk containers, juice containers. We use whatever we can cuz this is a lot of soap. So, I’m gonna get a funnel & I’ll show you how we can pour it in.
So, now we’re just gonna, while it’s really separated, you’re gonna take it & just fill your containers. This can be a little messy, is why we do it on the porch. But, then, when we’re done, we just spray down the porch & we have a nice, clean one. So, I poured it all into the jugs, & this is our batch..So, for $2, we made enough laundry soap, that’s lasted our family of five working on the farm over eight months worth of laundry. & each one of these, as you know, at the store can cost anywhere from $3-8, depending on the brand you buy..So, you do the math.
Now, we’re ready to do some laundry. This is what you end up with. You’re gonna use one cup per load. & it will have a tendency to separate a little bit as it settles, so just shake it before you use it. & you can use it as a pre-treater; works just great, we love it. Enjoy.

About

My name's Hope, and yes, my mom was a hippie, and I guess I am too! I'm the mother of an adorable little munchkin whom is the best part of my day.I also am wife to a wonderful giantish fella (as you can see :))
I love organizing, sewing, gardening and just your good old fashioned DIY projects along with keeping things as green as possible.
I love to cook, but hate to clean, I love color and sweaters and flowers!
In my past I have been a florist for a few years, which I loved, then did interior design for another year, I now am a part time seamstress.
I also love sweaters and I'm badly addicted to knit items! I think that's why I love Washington! We get weather that lets me wear them almost year round!

Etsy Shop

Hope Floats Upcycled Etsy Shop

Recipes

Deviled Quail Eggs 

So I found these adorable quail eggs at the local Asian market next to the thrift shop I frequent for my up-cycling business.  I had to have them, and when I got home, my husband asks "Are you going to devil those!?" can you hear his excitement? Well, I did it, and see just how below, these were super fast and actually really fun!
 
 Ingredients:

2 Doz Quail Eggs
1tbsp mayo + 1/2 tsp
1 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
Paprika to garnish (or olives, or what ever you like :))

Directions:
Boil Eggs for about 5 minutes in a low boil. Remove from heat, and place under cold running tap. Once eggs are cool to the touch you're ready to peel. Now quail eggs have much softer shells than chicken eggs, but the inner membrane that lies just beneath is still very tough so it takes a little getting used to. First gently tap your egg on all sides on a flat surface like the counter to crack the shell all the way around. Next look for the spot that took the dent the best (this is where you usually find the pocket of air hiding. you will gently pinch the egg shell off here to give you a hold on the shell and inner membrane once you have this hole started gently pull the shell off piece by piece and place in the pan so that when you're done you can make one last rinse to get all the shells off (they are super tiny so they stick on everything).

Next you will cut your eggs in half the long way and place all your yolks in a small bowl. Mix the ingredients listed above with your yolks until there are no lumps. 















Place yolk mix into a sturdy freezer zip-lock bag as shown below, avoid getting egg on sides and attempt to get it all close to the corner of the bag.  Cut a 1/2" piece off tip to leave a very small hole to pipe your egg yolk back into your little whites! Carefully refill your empty eggs being sure to get them all about even.

 I topped mine with paprika and served!

Voila! Deviled eggs!

Quail Egg Bruschetta with Prosciutto-by Hope

Ok I love making simple snacks and this one looks so fancy I couldn't pass up passing on the idea!

Shopping list:

-1 egg for every bruschetta you want to serve(these go down fast so make plenty! Id say 2 dozen to be safe!
(these can be found at your local Asian market in the egg section for $2-$3 per dozen)

-1/2 slice of prosciutto for each bruschetta

-1 loaf of some great crusty baguette bread sliced on the diagonal so that you can hold your whole egg










 Ingredients:

-Quail eggs
-Prosciutto
-Loaf of baguette
-Butter
-Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Slice up Baugette in to 1/2"-3/4" thick slices on the diagonal so that your eggs will fit on them.  Put some butter in a non-stick pan and heat over medium heat, once your butter melts . (you want them to look nice and round when you get them on your toasts) 
Next, butter each side of your slices lightly and place in the pan to grill on each side. Watch so that you don't burn them! Pull out your toasts when they are light golden brown and wipe your pan clean with a paper towel before starting the next step.


Cracking these is kind of odd so I'm adding this little note, the shell is softer than normal chicken eggs, so you will lightly tap them on a flat surface like your counter top (not the edge) this should crack the shell, the membrane on the inside will likely still remain un-broken, next you will gently slide your thumb into the space where the shell has cracked and gently try to pry the shell apart taking care not to smash the yolk inside! Add a few eggs to the pan ensuring that the edges don't touch.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat for a minute or two depending on how hot your setting is, you want these to be over easy so the yolk is still runny when its served.

While your eggs are cooking cut your prosciutto in half so that your slice lays well on the bruschetta (its ok if you fold it in half :)) 

Next gently lift your eggs out of the pan and place them on to your little toasts and serve!







 

Carrot top pesto!

I cant claim full responsibility for those wonderful idea, however I put my own twist on it and fell in love!
Serve it, and people will be asking you what's in this!?

1 bunch of carrot tops thick stems removed (you just want the green leafy parts)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil
5 garlic cloves
1/3 cup of pumpkin seeds or pecans (or your favorite nut, as long as the flavor doesn't over power the

      carrot tops)

Directions:
Wash your carrot tops! You don't want to put in any bugs or pesticides in your pesto, so wash them well.
Shake off excess water then carefully remove the leafy parts from the stiff stem parts and put them into a small food processor (I love the mini quisinart for small projects like this).
Next peel your garlic and add the oil tops salt and garlic to the bowl of your food processor. Add your nut or seed of choice and process again. I find pulsing the processor in 1 second bursts gets the best outcome, if the texture is too thick add a little oil.

Chop until you get a large grainy texture.

Next, add it to pasta, on toasted bread, I especially like on gnocchi!