Fried Soft Boiled Eggs

There are two kinds of people in this world.  Runny yolk people and hard yolk people.  I am definitely in the former category.

I don’t see the point of overcooking an egg to death and not being able to enjoy the runny, gooey deliciousness that is a properly cooked egg yolk.

These eggs **sigh** these eggs were incredible.  Everything you want out of an egg and more.  They were amazing on top of our roasted asparagus side dish, but you could serve them just about anywhere at any time of day.

Thank you to The Novice Chef for the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
4 Eggs
2T. Flour
1 Beaten egg
1/2C. Italian breadcrumbs
Salt and Pepper
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
Bring a pan of water to a boil and gently submerge the eggs into the water.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Remove and place in a bowl of ice water to cool the eggs – this should take about 15 minutes.

When cooled, gently peel the eggs and set aside.

Heat 2C. oil in a saucepan.  While that heats, place the flour, the beaten egg and the breadcrumb in 3 separate bowls.  Mix a little salt and pepper into the breadcrumbs.  Dredge each soft-boiled egg in the flour, then coat with the egg and then finally with the breadcrumbs.  Then, re-dredge the egg in the yolk and a second time into the breadcrumbs for a nice thick coating.

When the oil reaches 350 degrees, gently place one egg at a time in the hot oil using a wire spider or other slotted spoon.  Gently turn the egg with the strainer to brown on all sides.  This should only take no more than 30 seconds. Remove the egg to a paper towel and continue with the rest of the eggs.

Serve immediately.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “I wish I hadn’t let mine get cool before eating – these are best hot – and boy are they good!”

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Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

Last week it was my turn to bring breakfast into the office.  I wanted to do something a little special, different than the usual bagels/donuts and with a Valentine’s Day twist.  So, I decided to do biscuits and sausage gravy.  As you can see, I decided to use a heart-shaped cutter on the biscuits.  I thought they were adorable!  And, of course, they are so tasty!

Recipe from Chef Alex (one of the chef instructors at my culinary school) – hence why this recipe is in grams instead of cups.  Get your scales ready!

INGREDIENTS
255g. Bread flour
213g. Cake flour
11g. Salt
28g. Sugar
21g. Baking powder
170g. Butter
340g. Buttermilk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Keep all ingredients as cold as possible.  Mix dry ingredients – preferably by hand.

Cut butter into small cubes and cut into the dry ingredients.

Add buttermilk and mix until shaggy.  Cover and rest for 20 minutes.

Roll out on floured surface.  Fold over itself twice and roll out again.  Cut with biscuit cutter or cookie cutter of choice.  Place on sheet pan (with sides of biscuits touching) and bake 15-18 minutes until golden brown.

Paint with melted butter after removing from the oven, if you wish.

Husband Rating – 5 out of 5 – “Nailed It!”

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Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins

Recently my wonderful husband convinced me to finally bite the bullet and enroll in culinary school.  I’ve only been there a month, but I can’t tell you how much fun I’m already having!  I’m making new friends, and learning more than I ever thought possible.

You’d think with being at school, in a kitchen, 3 nights a week that I’d want to do nothing but order take-out on my nights off…but no.  I still absolutely love cooking in my kitchen and making tasty tidbits for my wonderfully supportive husband.

So, this week while going through my Google Reader I came across these donut muffins on Traubulous (originally from Tasty Kitchen) and once I realized I had all of the ingredients already in the house, I decided to make them right away.

They are delicious!!  Definitely give them a try next time you’re in the mood for something sweet.

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4C. Flour
1 1/2t. Baking Powder
1/2t. Salt
1/2t. Nutmeg
1/2t. Cinnamon
1/3C. Vegetable Oil
3/4C. White Sugar
1 Egg
3/4C. Milk

For the topping:
1/4C. Butter
1/3C. White Sugar
1T. Cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Combine oil, sugar, egg and milk. Add dry ingredients and stir only to combine.

Bake in well-greased muffin tin, at 350 degrees, for 15-20 minutes.  Meanwhile, melt the butter in a bowl.  Combine the white sugar with the cinnamon in another bowl.

Shake muffins out while still hot.  Dip muffin tops in butter, then into the sugar/cinnamon mix.  Let cool.

Makes 12 muffins.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “These are awesome!”

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Bacon, Cheddar and Green Onion Scones

I’ve never been a big fan of scones.  I prefer my sweets after dinner, and not at breakfast.

So, I was very excited to see this recipe for a savory scone on Pink Parsley (recipe is originally from The Pastry Queen cookbook).

I whipped these up last night for brinner (for those of you not in the know … having breakfast for dinner = brinner).  Served warm along side runny eggs  for dipping and a chilly fruit salad and it was the perfect meal!

Next time I think I’ll roll these out just a little thinner…they were quite thick.  Otherwise, I have no changes.  They were great!

INGREDIENTS
3C. All-purpose flour
1T. Baking powder
1t. Salt
2t. Freshly ground black pepper
1/2C. (1 stick) chilled, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 1/2c. Grated cheddar cheese (I used soy cheese)
4 Green onions, thinly sliced
10 Slices of bacon, diced and cooked; then drained of fat
3/4 – 1 1/2C. Buttermilk (I used soy milk)
1 Large egg
2T. Water

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.  Combine on low speed. Gradually add the butter cubes as the mixer is still running, until the mixture is crumbly and studded with butter-flour bits (about the size of small peas).  Add the grated cheese and mix until just blended.

Add the bacon, green onions, and 3/4C. of the butter milk.  Mix by hand until all the ingredients are incorporated.  If the dough will not hold together and is too dry, add buttermilk 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring lightly with each addition.  Do this until the dough is pliable and can be formed into a ball (I ended up using1C. + 1T. total).  Do not overwork the dough, or the scones will not be light and tender.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface.  Pat into a ball, and roll into an 8-inch circle that is about 1/2 inch thick.  Cut into 8 wedges for more substantial scones, or 10 wedges for smaller scones.

Combine the egg and water in a small bowl.

Place scones on an ungreased baking sheet, and brush each scone with the egg wash.  Bake 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown and no longer sticky in the middle.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Best scone I’ve ever had.”

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Honey Wheat Cookies

Every Friday someone in my office brings breakfast – we have about 50 employees so it works out well that everyone does it about once a year.  This past Friday was my turn.  Usually I bring my Grandmother’s hash brown casserole – everyone loves it and actually asks for it!  But, earlier this week we had a presentation all about wellness and I felt like bringing a casserole full of potatoes, cheese, butter, creamy soup and bread crumbs might not mesh well with the wellness presentation.

So, I went in search of things I could make that were healthier.  I came across these cookies on Stylish Cuisine.  The original recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s book Baking from My Home to Yours.

I managed to substitute margarine and Splenda for the butter and sugar in this recipe and it still turned out fantastically!  I can only imagine how great they are with butter and real sugar!

Don’t be scared of the wheat germ.  We usually have it in the house and will put it on oatmeal or in smoothies – it’s really quite good and you can barely taste it in the cookie (to me, the biggest flavors in these cookies were the lemon and honey).  So tasty!

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4C. All purpose flour
1C. Wheat germ
1t. Baking powder
1/4t. Salt
1/2C. Sugar
2t. Grated lemon zest
1 stick (8T.) Unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2C. Honey
1 Large egg

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together the flour, 1/2C. of the wheat germ, the baking powder and salt.

Working in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl, run the sugar and lemon zest together with your fingers until the sugar is moist.  Add the butter and, using the paddle or whisk attachment of a hand mixer, beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes, until creamy or smooth.  Add the honey and beat for another minute or two.  Add the egg and beat for about 2 minutes more, until you have a smooth, light , fluffy mixture.

Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients in 2 portions, mixing only until each addition disappears.  Scrape the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap and wrap well.  Chill the dough for at least 2 hours, or for up to 2 days.

Getting ready to Bake: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Put the remaining 1/2C. wheat germ into a bowl.  Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and, working with a spoonful of it at a time, roll the dough between your palms into 1-inch balls.

Drop each ball into the wheat germ and turn to coat, then place the balls on one of the baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between them(these don’t spread).  Use your palm or the bottom of a glass to gently flatten each cookie.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are just firm to the touch.  Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature.  Repeat with remaining dough.

Storing: The cookies will keep at room temperature for about 3 days or wrapped airtight in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Surprisingly delicious!!”

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Ham and Egg Cups

This, and a big watermelon salad, are the other dishes I brought to my office last week.  These made for a very cute presentation and were demolished by my co-workers…I guess they were good!!

INGREDIENTS
Sliced deli ham
Eggs
Cheese of your choice
Chopped Chives
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
If using a mini muffin tin – slice ham in half and neatly arrange into mini muffin tin well.  Fill with scrambled eggs and a small cube of cheese.  Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes.  Top with salt, pepper and chives immediately upon removal from oven.

If using a regular muffin tin – Place whole slice of ham in muffin tin well and crack a whole egg into the ham.  Top with shredded cheese and bake at 375 for 15-17 minutes.  Top with salt, pepper and chives immediately upon removal from oven.

Enjoy!

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Bella made some for my co-workers too (and some without cheese for me) we all loved it!”

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Crock Pot Applesauce

My Husband loves apple sauce.  Almost every day he takes one of those Motts single-serve cups to work in his lunch bag.  Now, while I’m happy that he’s eating fruit I figure there has to be a better (read: more cost effective and slightly healthier) option.  So, after searching for a crock pot applesauce recipe I combined a few and came up with this.

Christopher loved it!  I’m so happy!  Now, I can make a big batch and have it last twice as long as the single-serve cups!

INGREDIENTS
4lbs. Apples (I used Macintosh because that’s what the local farm had ready in 1/2 peck containers – no time to pick my own)
1/4C. Sugar (I used Splenda)
1/2t. Cinnamon
3/4C. Water
1T. Lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Wash, core and slice apples and add to crock pot.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and stir.

Pour water and lemon juice over apples, stir again.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “So good!  I love it warm.”

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Grandpa’s Favorite Deviled Eggs

Today is my Grandfather’s 80th birthday.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY POP POP!  We had a small family picnic in a local park and I decided to make one of his favorites – deviled eggs.

Whenever I make these, I never measure the ingredients (it’s one of those recipes that you’ve been making so long that after a while you just add the ingredients without thinking), but knowing I was going to blog about them, this time I measured.  Just for you!

INGREDIENTS
1doz. Large White Eggs
3T. Mayonnaise
1/2T. Dark Brown Mustard
1T. Sweet Relish
1/4t. Garlic Salt
Smoked Paprika

DIRECTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add eggs, remove from heat, cover and let stand 10 minutes.  Drain and allow eggs to cool completely.

Peel eggs and slice in half.  Put yolks in a separate bowl and whites on a plate.

Add mayo, relish, mustard and salt to yolks and stir to combine completely.

Put yolk mixture back into the whites (I like a more rustic look, but if you want to use a piping bag and tip, to make it look pretty, go ahead) and sprinkle with paprika.

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Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Should have made more, they are eaten so fast!”

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Lemon Blueberry Bread

This post will be the first of many for the new WC Ingredient Challenge (the cooking board I frequent decided to start this challenge to get us experimenting with different ingredients – we all select an ingredient, make something with it and blog about it). This time the secret ingredient was blueberries, perfect! It became even more perfect when one of my co-worker’s brought in a big bowl of blueberries that her Father picked from his backyard. Score!

This bread, that I found on Joy of Baking, was delicious! Sweet, tart and cakey. It was a little hard to get out of the pan, but that’s ok.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2C. All-purpose flour
1t. Baking powder
1/4t. Salt
6T. Unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4C. Granulated white sugar
2 Large eggs
1/2t. Pure vanilla extract
1T.Grated lemon zest
1/2C. Milk
1C. Fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze
1/4C. Granulated white sugar
2T. Fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a loaf pan.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of your stand mixer, beat the butter until softened (about 1 minute).  Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest.  With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour.  Mix only until combined.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes (mine took 60), or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the sugar and lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven and place on a wire rack.  Pierce the hot loaf all over with a wooden skewer or toothpick and then brush the top of the loaf with the hot lemon glaze.  Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

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Husband Rating – 3.5 out of 5 – “Good, but I think I’d prefer it without the blueberries.”

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My First Poached Egg

This weekend, my husband requested poached eggs for Sunday brunch.  I’d never made them before so after Googling (and finding 14,622 ways to poach an egg) I just dove in and tried it for myself.  The first time the water was too hot and the yolk was hard as a rock.  The second time, it was slightly undercooked.  But, third time was a charm!

INGREDIENTS
Chicken eggs
Salt
Vinegar (optional – I did not use)

DIRECTIONS
Bring a pot of salted water to a simmer.  Take a whisk and stir the water in a circular motion.  Drop the egg into the center of the water ‘tornado’ you have just created (stirring the water helps cool it down a little and the motion of the water helps the yolk wrap around itself in a nice little ball).

Cook 3 minutes and remove with slotted spoon.  Blot on paper towels and serve.

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