Eggs: A Dozen Ways to Use Them Up

Or maybe I should have said “E is for Eggs” because my fridge is overrun with them these days. Mom got more chickens back in December, so between the two of us we share the duties of feeding and watering them, alternating days. The one feeding gets the spoils.

Out of necessity, my preoccupation with eggs has led me to finding creative uses for the chicken fruit. What follows is a list of a dozen ways, some fitting in the odd or strange category. Have fun!

1) Make Tempera Egg Paint. Who knew?

2) Whip up a batch of Curried Egg Salad. Simple. For every two eggs, add 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder to your favorite recipe. (I used red curry powder.) My quick recipe is: 2 hardboiled eggs chopped, 2 tablespoons of mayo, 1 teaspoon of sweet and spicy mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon of red curry powder. Yum!

3) Moisturize with an egg yolk facial. Mix a tablespoon of raw honey with an egg yolk and apply it to your face. Leave your egg mask on for 15 minutes.  (Avoid scaring small children.) Rinse with warm water.

4) Cleanse oily skin with an egg white facial. Whisk whites with a little lemon juice or water, apply it to face, and let it dry for 10 minutes. Then rinse.

5) Bake Cloud Bread. You’ll find many recipes online, but I tried this one from Sugar-free Mom and thought it pretty good. Admittedly, the bread can taste a little eggy, but as with so many low carb baked goods, it gets better with each passing day.

6) Deter pests in the garden by placing crushed egg shells around your plants to keep away snails, slugs, and cutworms. An added bonus is that the calcium in egg shells feeds the soil.

7) Lose weight by going on an egg fast. In a nutshell (or egg shell, as the case may be) for every egg eaten you eat one tablespoon of healthy fat and one ounce of cheese. I first heard about it from I Breathe I’m Hungry and have tried this several times. Every time I follow it, I lose weight. She also has some pretty good recipes with a lot of variety and makes it simple with menus and shopping lists. Worth checking out if you like eating eggs.

8) Treat your hair to an egg treatment. Beat an egg with a little olive oil, mix until frothy, and apply to hair. Add a few drops of a favorite essential oil to the mix for a nice scent. Leave on for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water.

9) Add a cooked egg or two to Rover’s weekly diet for a shiny coat. I haven’t tried this, but I’ve seen the tip around the Internet. Couldn’t hurt to try.

10) Make quiche. Real men do eat quiche, after all. At least Hubs does, anyway. For the low carb friendly crust-less version, a basic rule of thumb for the custard portion is 6 eggs + 1 cup of cream or half and half + seasonings mixed thoroughly. Layer 8 ounces of cheese, leftover meat, and veggies in the bottom of a greased 9-inch pie plate and pour the custard over it. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. The great part about this recipe is that you not only use up eggs but also leftover meat, veggies, and that insignificant amount of shredded cheese that’s been sitting in the fridge. Often I will use several different kinds of cheese together with good results. Usually.

11) Borrow your neighbor’s children and color Easter eggs. Kits are easily found at the local grocery store, or, if you’re like my granny you’ll use food coloring and a little vinegar. (Don’t ask me the exact amount. It’s been too long.) Now, admittedly, I’ve never tried this with brown eggs, so I have no idea how they would turn out, but it would be fun to try! Send the children home with the colored eggs and the recipe for curried egg salad. Their mother will need it!

12) Give a dozen away. It’s a nice treat for most people. Even better, find some family in need and make up some good excuse about how you just can’t seem to get rid of all the eggs your hens are laying. Tell them they’d be doing you a favor to take some off your hands.

So there you have it. A dozen ways to use up eggs. If you give some of these a try, be sure and leave me a comment. I’d love to hear about it!