More fresh eggs

I think I need to take a food photography class because I take a lot of photos of food for this blog, but it's hard making it look as good in the photos as it does in person. I need to learn the secrets of drool-worthy "food porn."

The picture above is of the eggs I bought at the farmers market yesterday. I made one for breakfast today and it did not disappoint. The woman working at the stand told me the eggs came from a farm in Bakersfield. I bought a half dozen for $2. That's more than a dollar cheaper than cage-free eggs at Whole Foods. It's more expensive than the grocery store (yesterday's Ralphs circular had a dozen eggs for a mere 99 cents) but I think it's worth it because they taste sooo much better. I like that they're big -- it seemed like the yolk was bigger than even the extra large eggs they sell at the grocery store. And maybe it's psychological because I know where the eggs came from, but it tasted really fresh.

I was inspired to buy the eggs after one of my students brought us eggs from her happy backyard chicken. Her eggs were smaller than the ones I bought at the farmers market but both were full of flavor and fresh. I hope I can make it to the farmers market on a more regular basis because now that I've been spoiled, it's going to be hard to go back to eggs at Ralphs.

A paper cup that isn't

If it looks like a paper cup, look again

I don't usually like to buy new things and claim to be doing something good for the environment, but I had to have this mug. It's called Non-Paper Cup and it's a travel mug made of ceramic with a silicone lid and sleeve that's made to look like a disposable cup. I bought it at Cost Plus yesterday. This morning I made green tea  in the mug and then was able to bring it in the car without worrying about spills. And it kept my tea warm (for a while at least). It saves the extra step of making tea in a cup and then having to transfer it to a travel mug. Plus my travel mug has a residual coffee smell that doesn't go so well with the gentle taste of tea.

I first saw one of these mugs at Christmas in the gift shop at the Dallas Museum of Art. It looked more like a real paper cup since it was all white, and it was nicer since it was made of porcelain. I was tempted to buy it but didn't want to add another item to my already bulging, post-Christmas suitcase. So I was excited when Laura told me she'd seen them in a Cost Plus flier. Doing a quick search, it looks like they sell them everywhere now, including Target. At $7.99, this one is a pretty good price. It's big at 14 ounces and the built-in sleeve is a nice add because the ceramic part of the cup does get hot. And it's fun to use because it feels like you've indulged in a hot drink from Starbucks.