Eggs Benedict

Our friends, the Carter's, made this for us a while back and it has become one of our favorite things to make for breakfast! It is seriously delish! And, one of those breakfasts that makes a great dinner too!

Eggs Benedict

English muffins, split, toasted and buttered
Thick slices ham or Canadian bacon, warmed
Poached eggs
Hollandaise Sauce
Shredded Cheese (Optional) Paprika (Optional) Toast and butter a 1/2 of an English Muffin, place a slice of warmed Canadian bacon on top of the butter English Muffin, then place a poached egg. Top with about a 1/2 cup of Hollandaise Sauce. Our friends then just Paprika the top, but we like to put a little shredded cheese. So, which ever you like! My husband and I each eat 2 of the above servings (so we each use 1 full English Muffin, 2 pieces of Canadian Bacon and 2 poached eggs). So, that can help you figure out how much you will need to make for your little family.


Also, I just buy the packet of McCormick Hollandaise Sauce, but you can make it by hand too. Here is a recipe I found:


Hollandaise Sauce:
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons cold water
1/2 cup warm clarified butter
1 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Dash hot red pepper sauce (optional)
Salt and ground white pepper to taste

Place in the top of a double boiler or in a large stainless-steel bowl set up as a double boiler. Off the heat, whisk the egg mixture until it becomes light and frothy. Place the top of the double boiler or the bowl over, not in, barely simmering water and continue to whisk until the eggs are thickened, 2 to 4 minutes, being careful not to let the eggs get too hot. Remove the pan or bowl from over the water and whisk to slightly cool the mixture. Whisking constantly, very slowly add butter, then whisk in lemon juice, pepper sauce and salt and pepper. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water. Serve immediately or keep the sauce warm for up to 30 minutes by placing the bowl in water (not hot) water.

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

I saw this on my friend, Amy's, family blog! And, as she stated, "totally trying these on for size!" I haven't had a chance to try them, but I didn't want to loose the recipe! ENJOY!

Snickerdoodle Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup milk, room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line regular and miniature cupcake trays with paper liners.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium for about 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time and mix until combined. Add vanilla and mix until combined. Add flour mixture to creamed butter and sugar in three additions. Alternate with milk in two additions.

Fill baking cups about 3/4 full. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Remove cupcakes from trays and let cool. To decorate, pipe on frosting (your favorite buttercream recipe), and adorn with snickerdoodle cookies (again, your favorite recipe) - place one cookie on top and then pipe another dollop of frosting on top. Sprinkle with leftover cinnamon and sugar.

Green Bean Bake

I really haven't been able to eat enough Green Beans since the holidays. I love a classic Green Bean Bake. So, here is the one that I make. We'll be enjoying them tonight with a yummy a Pork Roast!

Oh, P.S. I prefer using fresh green beans, but you can use canned too.

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1/2 cup milk
1 ts soy sauce
Dash of pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 can (2.8 oz) french-fried onions, divided

In a 1 1/2 qt casserole dish, combine the soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, green beans and 2/3 cup onions. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until hot. Stir. Sprinkle with the remaining onions. Bake 5 minutes longer or until the onions are golden brown.

Simple Tomato Sauce

There is a new show on the Cooking Channel called Kelsey's Basics! She is a young girl from Utah and I am super excited about it. She made this today on Studio 5 and it looked fabulous and super super easy!

SIMPLE TOMATO SAUCE

Yield: 4 cups

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped -or- 1 tablespoon dried basil
2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

In a large saucepan or skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add basil and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with juices and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until sauce has thickened. With a potato masher, break up the tomatoes to achieve a sauce like consistency.

Season with salt and fresh ground pepper and serve.

Tomato sauce will last 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

VARIATIONS

Seasonal Vegetable Tomato Sauce: After cooking onion and garlic until soft, add ¾ cup seasonal vegetables to saucepan or skillet. Finish sauce as directed.

Creamy Tomato Sauce: Add ½ cup heavy cream to finish sauce.

Tomato Sauce with Italian Sausage: Before beginning sauce, brown ½ lb. sweet Italian sausage in heavy bottomed skillet. Remove, from skillet and set aside on a plate lined with paper towel. After finishing sauce, stir in cooked Italian sausage and continue warming for 2 minutes before serving.

Kids Gak (Gooey Slime)

Get slimey with Homemade Kids' Gooey-gak made from glue and borax.

What you'll need:

• Wire whisk
• 1 cup all purpose white glue (recommended: Elmer's Regular)
• 3/4 cup water
• Food coloring or 1 tablespoon tempera paint, your choice of color
• Borax detergent

How to make it:

1. Mix together with wire whisk the all purpose glue, water, and food coloring/tempera paint. I used the powdered tempera, but the liquid works just as well -- just don't mix the powdered too thin.
2. Mix separately 1/3 c. water and 1/2 tsp. Borax. Slowly pour Borax mix into glue mix.
3. Let stand a few minutes, then knead. Pour off any remaining liquid. Store in plastic bags.
4. Repeat for different colors.

Tips:

• As in all recipes, results can vary depending on humidity, conditions, etc. Please try any recipe out before attempting in a group setting with kids.
• Avoid contact with hair or clothing, especially with small children. If the Gooey Gak happens to get caught in either substance, try using vegetable oil to break down the Gak. In case of an emergency, please contact your family physician.

Sour Cream Banana Bread

I got this recipe from my friend, Tomi Durham! Thanks Tomi! It's my new favorite Banana Bread!

Dusting Mixture:
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Main Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter
3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream (2 cups)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Then add the four 1 cup at a time. Mix well. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Asparagus Rolls

4-6 Tortilla Wraps (depending on the size of the tortilla)
18 asparagus
Chicken (You could do fresh, but I use 1 can of the Chicken Salad from Costco)
1/2 c. nuts (optional)
1/2 c. Craisens
4 oz. regular cream cheese
1/2-1/3 of container of Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese (judge this to taste)
1/4 c. Mayo
Garlic Powder

Mix the Chicken on down all in bowl. Judge to your liking in taste. I usually use closer to 1/3 container of the Garden Vegetable Cream cheese, but I like it with a stronger taste.

Spread the mixture on a tortilla. Roll the already cooked asparagus into the tortilla. I usually use about 4 or 5 per tortilla. Cover the roller tortilla in Press N' Seal and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Then cut into little bite size pieces and ENJOY!