TBT - Eggs Benedict

I'm doing a little throwback today in honor of Mother's Day.  Last year, I shared a recipe with you that is simple to make for Mother's Day brunch.  Eggs Benedict is an English muffin, a slice of Canadian bacon, a poached egg, and some hollandaise sauce.  It is simple to make, yet looks and sounds fancy enough to make for your special mom, grandma, or *cough* wife.  Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there (and yes, fur babies count!).  Click here for the recipe.

Related articles

• Food FYI - Eggs
• My Favorite Things - Mothers
• Grandma Cook's Lemon Barbecue Chicken
• Key Lime Cupcakes

Continue Reading... »

Breakfast Pizza

So I'm back to Brinner.  Yeah, we kind of love Brinner.  And you can only have pancakes and waffles for so long.  I had been browsing around Pinterest and saw this particular dish, but could not find a recipe for it.  The link just kept giving me an image.  So, I decided to wing it.  Come up with my own best guess - frankly, it's really one of my favorite ways to cook.  Because when you get it right, it's so fulfilling.

This is really simple.  The hard part is figuring out how long to cook it so that your eggs are either soft, medium, or hard.  If you like them soft, or dippy as The Hubs calls them, go with 12 minutes.  If you want them hard, leave them in a little longer.  It doesn't take a big amount of time to get the yolks to firm up.  And using precooked bacon makes this dish fast to prepare and even easier to get off the plate.  My kiddos quickly dubbed this Breakfast Pizza because of the way you roll up the edges like a pizza crust.  And now I have a quick go-to recipe for busy nights.  If you like your eggs with some spice, throw some Sriracha sauce on this or even some salsa.

Breakfast Pizza

Ingredients:

2 cans refrigerator crescent rolls
8 eggs
Salt and Pepper
1 package precooked bacon
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.  Set aside.

2. Open crescent rolls and separate into 2 halves per can - it should make 4 squares.  Press seams together  so there are no holes.  Fold up edges of each square and pinch together to form a crust. Place on parchment paper.

3. Crack 2 eggs into each crust.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on top to season.  Lay 3 pieces of bacon on top of eggs.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of cheese onto top of each square.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes, depending on how well you like your eggs done.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Related articles

• Apple Pie Pancakes
• Food FYI - Eggs
• Apple Cinnamon Bread
• Pizza Crust

Continue Reading... »

French Omelets

I LOVE simple dinners.  Do you ever have one of those evenings where a big prep dinner just doesn't sound appealing?  I have those.  And spaghetti can only last me so long before I get tired of it.  And Mexico RUINED me for boxed tacos, in a good way. So, my fall back dinner on those lazy days are French Omelets.



French Omelets are so versatile.  I prefer to make my with lots of vegetables because of the amount of protein you get from the eggs.  But if you prefer a more traditional taste, you can add sliced meat, sausage, or bacon.  And of course you have to include cheese.  Wonderful, melty cheese.  I love how these work so similarly to a crepe, but have more substance to them.  They are more filling than a crepe, simply because they are straight up protein rather than containing flour in the batter (fillers).  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE crepes, but there is a time and a place for them.

There is also a lot of wiggle room on how big you can make your omelet.  For example, I use only 1 egg and a medium skillet for the kiddos.  For the Hubs, who is a Crossfitter, I use 3 in the large skillet.  That way everyone gets the right portions.  But what makes the omelet "French" is that it is cooked flat and then folded in half.  Very, very simple.  The trick is to make sure your skillet is nice and greased (even if you have non-stick pans), or else your omelet will not lift properly.

French Omelets

Ingredients (per omelet):

2 eggs

1 Tbs. water

Dash of salt

Dash of pepper

Dash of dill weed

1/4 cup colby jack cheese

Spinach, mushrooms, avocado, deli ham, any other fillings of your choice

Butter or cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat large skillet over medium heat.  Grease pan with butter or cooking spray.

2. Whisk eggs, water, salt, pepper, and dill weed in a small bowl until combined.  Pour into hot skillet.  Cook until edges have cooked through.  Sprinkle cheese over half the omelet. Add other fillings.

3. Using a spatula, carefully slide it under the half of the omelet that has no toppings.  Fold over toppings.  Allow to cook for a 2 more minutes, then flip.  Cook for a until egg has cooked all the way through and cheese is melted.

4. Serve with avocado, salsa, ketchup, sour cream, or plain.

Makes 1 omelet

Continue Reading... »

Eggs Benedict

In all my traveling, moving around, and general adventures, you'd think that I would have tried everything.  But somehow, the Hubs keeps introducing me to new foods that I have just overlooked.  Eggs Benedict is one of those things.  I tried it for the first time 2 years ago when the Hubs and I had a little stay-cation for our anniversary at the Cosmopolitan.  Then we ate it almost every single morning when we went on our cruise last fall.

There is something so wonderful about a poached egg.  They are so creamy, when cooked right.  Never made a poached egg?  Don't be intimidated.  You don't need a fancy egg poacher, custard cups, nadda.  I have found a great way to poach eggs.  It's called vinegar.  I use my largest saucepan and fill it half way with water.  Then I add 1/2 cup of vinegar.  The other secret - don't bring your water to a boil, only a simmer.  That way your eggs slowly cook so you still get a nice, soft center while the whites don't get all rubbery.  Also, if the water is to a boiling, the whites will just fall apart the second they hit the water.  So to recap - water, vinegar, simmer.

Eggs Benedict

Ingredients:

6 large eggs
1/2 cup vinegar
6 slices Canadian bacon
3 English muffins
Hollandaise Sauce

Hollandaise Sauce:

4 egg yolks
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 cup butter

Directions:

1. Make Hollandaise Sauce.  In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks and lemon juice.  Add 1/4 cup butter.  Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until butter is melted.  Add remaining butter and continue to whisk until butter has melted and sauce has thickened.

2. Fill a large saucepan half way with water.  Add 1/2 cup vinegar.  Bring to a simmer.  Gently crack each egg and slowly pour the egg into the water.  Leave and allow to cook for 6-10 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon or spatula to a plate.

3. Separate English muffins into halves, butter each side and toast on a griddle heated to 350 degrees.

4. Heat Canadian bacon on griddle, heated to 325 degrees, for 4-5 minutes, flipping once.

5. Lay English muffin down, toasted side up.  Add Canadian bacon.  Add poached egg.  And cover with Hollandaise sauce.  Serve with asparagus.

Serves 6

Continue Reading... »

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 Tbs. yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dill weed

Directions:

1. Peel and rinse each egg.  Cut each egg in half lengthwise.

2. Scoop out yolks into a food processor or medium mixing bowl.  Add mayo, mustard, paprika, and dill weed to yolks and mix until smooth and creamy.

3. Spoon (or pipe) mixture back into each egg white half.

Serves 6

Continue Reading... »

Egg Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 large hard boiled eggs, diced
2 Tbs. mayonnaise
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 slice cheese
2 slices wheat bread

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, mix eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, dill weed, and paprika until moistened.

2. Place bread on a plate and spread egg salad over one slice.  Add cheese and other slice of bread.  Cut diagonally with a sharp knife.

Makes 1 sandwich

Continue Reading... »

Quiche

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
1 cup shredded cheese
8 slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/3 onion, finely chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1 recipe pie crust

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Roll pie crust into round.  Place in quiche dish (or 9 inch pie plate), folding overhanging edge of pastry under and flute.

2. Carefully line pastry with a double thickness of foil, letting edge extend over to prevent excessive browning.  Bake crust for 10 minutes.  Remove foil and bake 2-4 minutes until pastry JUST begins to brown.  If bubbles form, gently press them down with the back of a spoon.

3. Reduce oven temp to 325 degrees.  Sprinkle bacon, cheese, mushrooms and onion into crust.  Beat eggs, milk, half and half, and spinach until mixed. Pour into crust.

4. Bake 45-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 6

Continue Reading... »