Last 6 months -- egg prices peaked in February and have been steadily dropping since, as you may have found at stores in your area. Across the US, retail and restaurant demand is light to moderate, whereas supplies are moderate, presently (USDA Egg Market News Report).
What this means for the consumer is right now, eggs are very affordable for most parts of the US. Kris mentioned buying eggs for 49 cents per dozen at Aldi's last week. I bought a case of 15 dozen at Cash & Carry for 57 cents per dozen.
(Cash & Carry's price for 1 dozen extra large eggs, in individual cartons was 99 cents on Friday, which is a great price for eggs, as it is.)
So, as eggs are now the "cheap" animal protein source, I plan on featuring them heavily in dinner menus for the next 2 months. (I still have my frozen supply of eggs to use in the fall and winter months.) We'll be substituting egg dishes for meat-based ones, once or twice per week. (Having eggs for dinner is only a cost savings if we substitute eggs for a more expensive meal, like meat.)
If I use 9 large eggs (that's 18 ounces, or a little over 1 lb. of eggs), bought at 57 cents per dozen, there's enough animal protein for dinner for 5 of us, at a cost of about 43 cents. Compared to making a Mexican dinner with ground beef, at a cost of $2 per pound for the beef, eggs come out the winner for a budget meal.
Over the next couple of weeks, I thought I'd share some of our family's favorite ways to serve eggs for dinner, beginning with my version of Huevos Rancheros.
This is one of those super quick suppers, for busy afternoons and evenings. I can have this ready to bake in the amount of time it takes to preheat the oven.
Technically, this is somewhere between Huevos a la Mexicana and Huevos Rancheros. Real HR uses fried eggs. But I don't care for fried eggs, and my way is less hands-on.
Baked Huevos Rancheros
To serve 4 or 5 adults:
Preheat oven to 365 degrees F.
Generously butter a large quiche dish (a large pie plate will also work).
In a medium bowl, whisk together:
- 9 eggs
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon water
Pour into prepared dish. Top with:
- a large handful of shredded cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until the edges are very puffy, but center is still indented.
Remove from oven, and spoon over the top:
- 1 cup of salsa, then
- another large handful of shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or Pepper Jack
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sliced black olives
Return to oven for 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted and eggs are set. Be careful not to over-brown the underside.
optional -- sprinkle with chopped cilantro after baked.
Cut into wedges. Use a table knife to go all around the edge. Serve wedges with:
- warm corn tortillas, and
- cooked black beans or refried beans.
If you cut the wedges slim, you can fold the eggs up in the corn tortillas, like soft tacos. These eggs also make a great filling for breakfast burritos for a crowd. Use flour tortillas, put a slim wedge and some refritos on each tortilla, and roll up.
(Olives are not at all authentic, here. We just like them. But if you want to leave them out, your privilege.)
