Inventions are good!

Last night it was only me and Mark and Chelsea home for dinner. We wanted something fast and I wanted something that took little effort. I worked yesterday until 4:30 and got a taste of what it's like for women who do that daily. Dinner really needs to be planned in advance.

What we made:

Grilled sourdough sandwiches with Smoked sausages, thick slices of tomato and a combination of sharp cheddar cheese and mozzarella cheese. YUM! We also had some fresh corn on the cob. Talk about a summer meal!

P.S. I didn't get photos; we were too hungry to slow down long enough for pictures!

Monday night dinner

On our menu tonight; Panko Crusted Smoked Pork Chops, Garlicky Creamed Peas and French Pilaf.
Photos and Recipes to follow.

Eggs Benedict with Spinach... WOW!

The Eggs Benedict were awesome. I made Hollandaise Sauce for the first time and it was glorious. I will say that I was a wee bit appalled at the amount of butter in the sauce; you will be too..but it is so worth it and it will make far more sauce than you need; save it for veggies later in the week!

The Recipe:
4 English muffins, split
Foolproof Hollandaise:
5 egg yolks*
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons water
Salt
Pinch cayenne
1 pound hot, melted butter
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 slices Canadian bacon
1 onion, minced
1 package cooked, frozen spinach, thawed and drained in a colander (press the spinach against the side of the colander to extract as much water as possible)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon white vinegar
8 eggs

Directions
Turn the oven heat up to broil. Put the English muffin halves on a baking sheet and brown on both sides under the broiler. Remove to a plate. Reduce the oven heat to 200 degrees F and put the English muffins in the oven to keep warm.

Heat 2 to 3 inches salted water to a simmer in a wide saucepan or deep skillet for the eggs; turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, make the hollandaise. Combine the egg yolks, lemon juice, water, salt and cayenne in a blender and blend until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Then, with the blender going, drizzle in the melted butter in a thin stream. Taste for salt and lemon juice. To keep the sauce warm, put the whole blender jar in a bowl of warm water; set aside while you finish the dish.
Heat a 2-count of olive oil a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the bacon slices and brown on both sides. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Brown the remaining 4 slices and put the on the plate. Put the bacon in the oven to keep warm.

Put the skillet back over medium heat. Add a 2-count of olive oil. Add the onion and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the spinach and give it all a stir; cook until warmed through, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the cream and simmer to reduce. Season with salt and pepper.

Return the water to a bare simmer. Add the vinegar and swirl a couple of times with a kitchen spoon. Then, first cracking each egg into a cup, gently drop 4 eggs into the simmering water and cook until just set, 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, get yourself 4 serving plates and put 2 muffin halves on each plate. Put a piece of bacon on each half and top with a spoonful of spinach. Remove the poached eggs with a slotted spoon and place on top of the spinach. Do the same with the remaining 4 eggs. Spoon the warm hollandaise sauce over and enjoy!

We had Garlic Roasted Asparagus too: this is SO easy. Find out where to trim the asparagus by holding one stem by both ends and bending it gently until it snaps. This is the point you can use to trim the rest of the asparagus in the bunch.
Put the asparagus in a ziplock bag, drizzle some olive oil over it, a little salt, a little garlic and let it hang out. Roast in the oven until it is fork tender.

Easter Brunch take two (or the Shrimp Quiche)

The Shrimp Quiche.... Oh what can I say about that besides heavenly? I took serious liberties with a crawfish quiche recipe and boy did it turn out well!

Ingredients:

Pie Crusts.. I like Pillsbury the kind with two in a box, roll and shape and bake!
•1/3 cup finely diced yellow onions
•2 teaspoons chopped garlic
•1 pound Shrimp, peeled and deveined. ( I bought frozen raw for this, but fresh would be super nice!)
•1 1/2 cup heavy cream
•3 eggs
•1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
•Dash hot sauce I used After Death
•1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
•2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
•1 cup grated medium Cheddar

Directions:

Place pie crusts in two pie plates, shape edges into a fluted pattern, using both hands to pinch and curve the dough. Push the edges downward so they are almost even with the pie plate or the tops will burn.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Melt the butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. IMPORTANT: do not cook the shrimp completely, take them off the heat BEFORE they are completely pink. This prevents them from cooking fully then cooking again in the quiche, which would result in rubber shrimp syndrome! You don't want that!! Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce and grated Parmesan. Arrange the shrimp mixture evenly in the two pie shells. Sprinkle the grated cheeses over the shrimp. Pour the cream mixture over the shrimp. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the center sets and the top is golden. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes, before slicing. Serve hot, room temperature or cold. It's yummy any temp!

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Easter Brunch Recipes, thoughts and photos

Since everyone was so excited by the whole idea of the French Toast Casserole, I thought I'd start with that. You may never go back to regular French Toast again.
RECIPE:
Ingredients
•1 loaf French bread (13 to 16 ounces)
•8 large eggs
•2 cups half-and-half
•1 cup milk
•2 tablespoons granulated sugar
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•Dash salt
•Praline Topping, recipe follows
•Maple syrup
Directions
Slice French bread into 20 slices, 1-inch each. (Use any extra bread for garlic toast or bread crumbs). Arrange slices in a generously buttered 9 by 13-inch flat baking dish in 2 rows, overlapping the slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and beat with a rotary beater or whisk until blended but not too bubbly. Pour mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the milk-egg mixture. Spoon some of the mixture in between the slices. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread Praline Topping evenly over the bread and bake for 40 minutes, until puffed and lightly golden. Serve with maple syrup.


Praline Topping:
•1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter
•1 cup packed light brown sugar
•1 cup chopped pecans
•2 tablespoons light corn syrup
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Makes enough for Baked French Toast Casserole.

*This casserole was super easy to make, and would be a great 'do ahead' for a vacation day breakfast or when you know you are going to be out late on a Saturday night and need breakfast for a crowd the next day. If you try this; let me know what you think!

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