Eggs Benedict – Mr. Wonderful’s Favorite Breakfast

The first year we were married, Mr. Wonderful and I went to Vegas.  We stayed at the Stratosphere.  That’s the hotel you always see on the CSI lead-in that looks like a space-ship. And if you stay at the Stratosphere, be prepared to walk…or learn how to ride the bus-system, cuz it’s at one end of the strip.

Which is GINORMOUS.  And takes forever to walk.

And in August, with a blowdryer feeling in your face constantly.

Anyway, every morning, instead of venturing forth to discover new worlds of food in Vegas, the culinary adventure capital of the world, we ate at the buffet at our hotel.

Mostly because we were so stinkin’ tired of walking.

In the 115º heat.

And every day, Mr. Wonderful ate Eggs Benedict.  Seriously, we stayed for 6 or 7 days, which is WAY too long to stay in Vegas, and he ate them every single day.

I knew that, when we left, it was my moral responsibility to learn to make this dish for him.  Why, you say?

Because I love him to death, that’s why.  And just like the Lindt Truffles episode, what makes him happy, makes me happy.

So of course, I looked up recipes, but I had two problems.

#1 -Cooking anything with egg yolks is a pain in the patootie.  The whole “egg-curdling too soon” thing always scares me off, which is why I still have an eight-dollar set of real vanilla beans in my spice cupboard patiently awaiting the day I will sally forth and attempt Creme Brulee.

#2 -Poaching eggs – the one cooking skill I have never been able to master.

Lemon Curd? Check.

Thai Curry or Pad Thai?  Check.

Sushi?  No problem.   Check.

Korean Bulgogi?  Check.

Poaching Eggs?

Blahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

So anyway, I searched, and I found the solution.  I’ll show you.

Start by making your Hollandaise Sauce.

Hollaindaise Sauce is scrumptious.  And it can make or break your Eggs Benedict.

I found the perfect way to make these.  In a blender.

No curdling eggs, much like my Fuss Free Lemon Curd.  Seriously, blenders are my salvation.

Take 3 eggs and separate the yolks from the whites.

Don’t cry if you bust a yolk. You should cry if you’re trying to make sunny side up fried eggs and you bust a yolk.  But here in the world of Hollandaise?

No worries.  You’re going to blend them up anyway.

Save the whites for a meringue or something.  Maybe you’ll go on a diet after  this meal and make an egg-white omelet or something?

Yeah right.

Dump your egg yolks into the blender.  Also add 2 teaspoons lemon juice.  We don’t like our Hollandaise Sauce too-lemony.  The original recipe I tried called for 2 tablespoons.  Wayyyyyyyy too lemony for us.

Also add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, just because, we live in Oklahoma and feel the need to add cayenne to everything.

And it just makes you feel kind of sassy.

Now, in a skillet, slowly and lowly melt one stick of butter.

Whir up your egg yolk mixture.  Then leaving the blender running on low, begin to drizzle in your melted butter.

The butter is going to do 2 things.  It’s going to emulsify, or thicken up your egg yolks into an amazing rich sauce.  It’s also going to cook your egg yolks from its heat.

Pour your wonderfully rich, creamy yellow sauce into a pitcher.

Now your sauce is done. The worst is over and it’s time to get serious.

It’s time to poach eggs.  Which I, the author of a cooking blog can’t do the way you’re supposed to.

I’ve lamented over it, torn my sackcloth, spread my ashes, and it’s just not happening. Sorry.

I will conquer it.  Just not this week.

Instead I have a egg poaching pan.  I think it weighted down my wallet a whole $3.00 at a kitchen shop.

Three dollars is nothing compared to peace of mind.

You just spray this lovely baby. Crack three eggs into it and place it into a medium-size skillet of steaming water.

Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain.

Or the white flecks on the surface of those eggs.  It’s just the cooking spray doing something weird.

Cover your pan and simmer for about 5 minutes tops.  I like my eggs gooey, with all the whites firm.

Meanwhile in another pan, turn it on medium and toss in some pieces of canadian bacon, bacon or, as I did, prosciutto.

Just watch your meat until it browns.  Since I am a multi-tasker, I almost made it before I got a few black burnt flecks on the prosciutto.

I am hiring a sous-chef, effective immediatley.  Anyone interested?

Take a  couple slices of  wheat English muffins.  Pop em’ in your toaster.

By now, your eggs should be done, as should your meat and English muffins.

Wipe the sweat off your brow from the art of multi-tasking and assemble your masterpieces as follows:

One toasted English muffin.  You only need one side (top or bottom) for one serving.

Layer on one prosciutto slice.

Place one slice of your favorite cheese.  I used a sharp cheddar, cuz frankly? It was the only thing worthy in the fridge.  But whatever makes your heart sing is okay.

Place your beautifully easy-poached egg (cuz you cheated and can’t do the proper way) on top of the cheese.

Take the heavenly creamy-rich Hollandaise Sauce you made and drizzle it over the top.

And if you’re feeling a bit spunky and like-a-perfectionist who wants to make your husband remember an amazing week in Vegas, sprinkle some crumbled prosciutto and chopped parsley over top.

Because, you see, if he’s happy.

I’m happy.

That’s just the way it is.

Cooking with love,

~Katie

Thoughts of Friendships Past…

Tonight Mr. Wonderful was working late.  The kids were all gone and I was home alone.  I rented a movie that probably only I would love.  It was based on the story of 4 women who had remained friends through every kind of trial.  No matter what happened in their lives, if one of them was in need, the others came running.  They were a rock of support to each other and loved each other, no matter what the flaw of the others.

It made me remember a time.

A time of girl friends’ past.

Not just any girl friends.  Girl friends that I was with night and day.  We cut teeth together in the nursery at church.  We ran the halls together every night for a week while our parents practiced for the big production musical for Easter at church.

We toilet papered guys’ houses on the weekends for lack of nothing better to do.

After all, we were good Christian girls, so drinking and smoking was not an option.

We went to church camp together.  And mission trips.

We spent almost every weekend at one our our houses staying up until 3 am yakking.

Those mission trips made us new girls…more grown-up, almost women.  We learned to love those who had nothing.

We learned that clothes and hair wasn’t so important.  We left everything in our suitcases behind, because we realized we had so much in comparison back at home.

There are many memories I have of these girls.  And now, I wonder, what are they doing?  Life has taken over and now we all have families of our own.  Our lives have led us through moving away, marriage, children, divorce, recovery, finding strength,  and now we are all seeking new happiness.  It’s been a long road.  But our roots go deep.  Our parents, by making us run those church halls, somehow instilled in us the love of the One who makes life new.

I see them on Facebook, all in different states, all with new lives.  All have experienced life since our high-school church days.  And I wonder, how did we all lose touch? Where did our relationships disappear to with those  who we shared every thought, every dream, every day with?

And I miss them.

And I wonder when looking at our hair.

What in the WORLD were we thinking?

Michael W. Smith put it well…

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord’s the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
‘Cause the welcome will not end
Though it’s hard to let you go
In the Father’s hands we know
That a lifetime’s not too long to live as friends.

~Katie

Squash Bake – A Perfect Thanksgiving Side Dish

I have always loved squash. Even as a kid, my mom would saute zucchini and yellow squash together in a little butter in a frying pan and I adored it. I like it coated with a little flour and cornmeal and fried and I even like it chopped up raw in a salad.

I was a strange kid though.  I didn’t like hamburgers or pizza.  I always loved places that had home-cooked food like au gratin potatoes and bean soup.  Go figure.

This side dish brings all the flavor of squash with a crunchy topping that just says “Thanksgiving side dish” in a wonderful way.

Start by chopping up around 5 pounds of yellow squash.

I know that sounds like a lot, but believe me, after it cooks down? It really fills only a 3 quart baking dish.  Only making it for a small group of 2-4? You could probably half it, but I wouldn’t.

You’ll want the leftovers.

This recipe will actually serve around 10.

In a large sauce pan, drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil.

Lop off both ends of your yellow squash.

Slice it longways down the middle and flip both pieces over so the flat (seed) side is down. Slice across both pieces at once to make half-moon pieces.

Continue chopping the rest of your squash in the same manner.  Toss your squash into your pan.

Chop about 1/2 of a large onion and throw that in with your squash. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Give it all a stir, cover your pan and cook on medium-low for about 20 minutes.

You really don’t want browned squash, you just want to soften it up. Stir it every few minutes to move the pieces around to heat evenly.

While that’s cooking, melt one stick of butter in a bowl.  In another bowl, beat up 2 eggs.

Measure out 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 cup of breadcrumbs and keep them handy.

Cook your squash for around 15 minutes or until it is very soft. Now here’s the fun part.

Get out your potato masher.  If you don’t have one, you could use a fork, but a potato masher is so much more enjoyable.

You could do this part right in your pan, if it’s large enough.  I transferred mine to a large bowl.  Take your potato masher and begin smashing your squash up.

You don’t want it creamed, but you want to smash it pretty good.

Agression is nice sometimes.  Really go after it!

Now, dump in your breadcrumbs, your egg, your sugar, your melted butter and also add in 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.

Pour in 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teaspoon chopped dried rosemary.  I just love squash and rosemary together.  They just roll well together.

Take a large spoon and mix all of this up together.

Spoon it into a 3 quart casserole dish.

I know, I know, it’s not very pretty is it? Just remember, good things don’t always come in pretty packages.

In a small bowl, mix together another 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.  Sprinkle this mixture over top of your squash mixture.

Pop it into your oven for about 30 minutes or until the crunchy topping is brown and crispy looking.

The flavor of this is so yummy.  I needed to take a picture so I scooped out a serving onto a plate.

Usually I just add it back to the dish and serve it for dinner.

But I snuck a bite during this process.

And then I snuck another one.

And then I dished up a second serving.

This dish is going on my table this Thanksgivng.  It’s the perfect side dish.  Mr. Wonderful realllllly likes this one.  And I like it when he’s happy.

Katie’s Printable Recipe - Baked Squash

Cooking with Love,

~Katie

Pictures from the Past

I was going through my old pictures today, and I found this one.

It’s my German Grandpa and Grandma Seifert’s wedding picture.  They were married December 1, 1918 in Mayville, Michigan.  I got the picture from my mom years ago when I made a family cookbook for all my aunts and cousins of our cherished family recipes.

Isn’t it adorable?  I cleaned it up a little and brightened it using Lightroom.

My Grandpa looks so young.  And that little white tie he’s sporting? SO GQ! I love the white on white look.  Something about his hairstyle reminds me of the Big Boy restaurant guy.

My Grandma -just look at that beautiful outfit she’s wearing.  The headdress, the flowers around her neck.  The darling little white pumps.  Can someone tell me why people in old pictures never smile?

I am actually named for my Grandma Seifert – her name was Katharina and she went by Katie.  I think it’s a pretty name – Katharina.  Sounds like a ballerina or a queen doesn’t it?

Anyway, I just love this picture.  Now that I’ve pulled it out, I have to frame it and put it somewhere.  It’s just too special.

Holiday Mashed Potatoes

Earlier this summer, our son Jason got married.  Mr. Wonderful and I did the entire Rehearsal Dinner ourselves.  One of the dishes we did, was a mashed potato of sorts, but not just ordinary mashed potatoes, we made my Holiday Mashed Potatoes.

Imagine a loaded baked potato in a bowl without the peel.  That’s the beauty of this dish. It would make a nice kicked-up potato recipe for Thanksgiving or even Christmas.

I start by peeling 3 pounds of russet potatoes.  You could use Yukon Gold but the color of russet really makes these pretty.  When you’re finished, you’ll have pure white mashed potatoes with red and green flecks.  Yellow would ruin that.

I always chunk up my potatoes roughly just to make them cook faster.  Throw them into a large pot of salted boiling water.  They’ll need to cook for about 20 minutes, or until you stick a fork in them and it comes out very easily.  Then drain those babies and put em in your mixer bowl.

Get your mixer ready.  Hopefully you’re feeling particular naughty today.  To the potatoes, add one block of cream cheese and one and one-half sticks of butter.  Also throw in 1 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

I didn’t say this was going to be low-fat.  The words “holiday” and “mashed potatoes” don’t generally mean that either..so just indulge on a holiday with these.

Or run for 10 miles after you eat them.

Please use real butter and not that oily margarine stuff.  My mom used to call it Oleo.

Shudder.

Some words just sound nasty don’t they? Oleo…ick. Sounds like it could be a form of plastic.

Oh wait, it is.

Also grate up one-half cup of parmesan cheese.

Chop up 4 green onions, the white part and the green part.  Toss both the onions and the parmesan into the mix.

Turn your mixer on for a minute to mix them in.

Also, and here is where the red flecks come into play, add in one 2 ounce jar of chopped pimentos.

Also add in 1/4 a cup of milk, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper.  Potatoes need a lot of salt.  Don’t skimp!

Turn on your electric mixer and whip all this together.

Spoon it into a 9 x13 baking dish or whatever dish you like.

I used a deep dish pie dish and it was super pretty.

Sprinkle one-half a cup more of shredded cheddar cheese over top of the potatoes.

Pop them into a 350º oven for about 20 minutes, until the cheese melts and everything looks nice and heated through.

Imagine a big scoop of these alongside your turkey this Thanksgiving.  Or next to beef tenderloin at Christmas.  They just kick things up a little from plain ol’ ordinary potatoes.

Not that I don’t like plain ol’ ordinary potatoes.

But these are special.

Katie’s Printable Recipe – Holiday Mashed Potatoes

Cooking with Love,

~Katie