We have about 25-30 chickens I think. I haven’t counted in a while but if you ask my kids, they’d know and proceed to tell you every one of their names. With that many chickens, we have more than our share of eggs. We didn’t start out to have so many feathered friends but we just sort of accumulated them over the years. But that’s another story… With spring here (although you couldn’t tell it was today!), the daylight hours are increasing and that means we’ve got some happy hens laying lots of eggs in Chickenland (aka our chicken coop). About three days worth of eggs typically fills our basket – approx. two dozen eggs. Fino and the kids package up eggs for the food pantry every few weeks so we don’t actually eat all the eggs our chickens produce. And in case you’re wondering, yes those eggs are green and perfectly edible. So this is the time of year I sift through through my recipe books for our favorite egg recipes. My crew has a couple of favorites and I thought I’d share them.

Egg pie

8 large eggs 1/4 milk 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese block of Romano cheese w/grater dash of salt and pepper butter 2 shallow pie plates Beat the eggs well then add milk, ground mustard, salt and pepper. Add the milk and beat mixture well. Use butter to lightly grease the pie plates (this little bit of real butter really makes this recipe) then pour the egg mixture in. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of mixture then grate Romano cheese to lightly cover the top (the Romano really gives it a nice flavor without being too strong). Bake at 350 until knife inserted comes out clean. Usually about 15 minutes. The reason I really like this recipe is that the ingredients are things I always have on hand so it’s a good last-minute meal.

Egg Custard Pie

5 large eggs 1 1/4 cups sugar 2 cups milk, warm * 2 Tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla Nutmeg Pie Crust * yes, the milk temp makes a difference when baking this pie so warm in microwave for two minutesPartially bake pie crust (3-4 minutes) at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, beat eggs and sugar until foamy then add warm milk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour over partially baked pie crust and sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until outside of custard is firm.

Applesauce Bread Pudding

8 slices dry bread 2 cups unsweetened apple sauce 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 eggs 2 cups milk 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons molasses 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Nutmeg Arrange four slices bread in bottom of greased 9″ square pan. Combine applesauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread over bread and top with remaining bread slices. Beat eggs then add milk and beat together. Add remaining brown sugar, vanilla and molasses. Mix and pour over bread. Sprinkle top with nutmeg. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean from center. I typically double this bread pudding recipe and it works well in a larger pan. My family loves molasses but if yours doesn’t, substitute molasses with an additional 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Do you have any favorite egg-type recipes? I’d love to try some new ones this year. If you’re interested in raising chickens, you can read about our experience with Chickenland in the Kid Tracks Retro-version