Boiling eggs to make popcorn

Many of you already know my rather stellar moment I had in the kitchen on Friday. I must save the memory for the generations.

It's become necessary to buy a large quantity of eggs each Spring for coloring. With six kids and two adults that still think they are kids, a couple dozen eggs just doesn't seem to satisfy our creative spirits. So I buy the big package of 5 dozen.

I don't know about any of you, but I don't have the resources to boil that many eggs at once, so I was doing it in two shifts. The first half of the eggs boiled while I made and served lunch to Joseph and Sarah. I could see and hear them and never strayed too far from the kitchen.

The second half of the eggs was not so well guarded as I had put the kids down for naps and went to the computer to start something while I waited for the water to boil.

Then the phone rang. I talked for a while. When the phone call was done, I went back to focusing on my computer task. Eventually, I heard occasional banging noises coming from the kitchen (you know where this is going). I wondered if Joseph was now up from his nap and getting into something...or it could be the cat. I wasn't curious enough to check right away...I waited until a good stopping point on the computer.

As I walked toward the kitchen, I heard another bang. And then I smelled. And then I remembered! I grabbed the smaller pan off the burner just as another egg exploded in the bigger pan, sending white and yellow bits of egg into the room. I reached to turn off burners and move pans and then stood in chagrin. I can't believe I forgot about the eggs! Two pans of 27 eggs boiled completely dry and kept right on cooking while I prepared pictures for the Relief Society blog.

Here is what they looked like as I combined the carnage.


Here are the pans.


I soaked them in some undiluted Melaleuca cleaner and then scrubbed with a copper scrubbie. One pan looks no worse for wear. One pan was still a bit stained, but still much improved.


I thought I was the biggest idiot on the planet, but I have since learned this has happened to several other people. So I am either normal or just in good company. Either way, I am sure I will never forget about my eggs again!

We had a very kind neighbor who dropped off two dozen eggs for us on Saturday morning, along with a dye kit, treats, a scripture/Easter Egg activity, and a story. I love nice people who like to do kind things for my children.

By the way, my kids took the news of the lost eggs well and didn't complain when they only got 4 eggs each to color. But they were really happy to get to do three more.