Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict & Hollandaise:

I apologize for not posting in a while, its been a crazy last few weeks with school, and traveling. Now I am back home, and have posts coming your way. Yesterday I was really craving some eggs, and noticed that we had everything in the house for some eggs Benedict, and this recipe is really quick, and fairly easy. 

What you'll need: 

• 8 pieces of bacon (or canadian bacon)
• 4 eggs
• 2 English Muffins
• Buter

Hollandaise Ingredients:

• 10 Tbsp butter
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• Dash of cayenne pepper

First I started with just cutting my bacon in half, and frying it up to the crispness that I like. Now while the bacon is cooking bring a large saucepan 2/3 of the way full with water to a simmer.  Then Poach the eggs, here is a easy method for poaching eggs. Crack an egg into a small bowl, and then drop each egg one at a time (remembering the first one you dropped) into the simmering water. Then turn off the heat and cover for about 4-7 minuets depending on the size of egg. 

Now put you English muffins in the toaster while you make the hollandaise. Melt your butter in a small sauce pan or in the microwave just make sure that it is pretty hot. Drop your 3 egg yolks into the blender with the lemon juice and blend for 30-45 second until yellow and light in color. Then turn the blender down to low and slowly drizzle in the hot butter. Add cayenne, then taste add more lemon juice or cayenne if needed.

Take the english muffins out of the toaster, butter each half, place 4 half pieces of bacon on the bottom then the egg, then the hollandaise. Garnish with parsley, and serve! 

Hope you enjoyed this post, Much more to come!

-Jack

Chocolate Soufflé

Chocolate Soufflé with Strawberry Sauce

Recently I've been seeing a lot of soufflés at the restaurants that I've been going to, and I really think it would be a fun experience to bake. It actually really was.  The recipe is really easy, and can be done by anyone.

What you'll need:

Soufflé:

• 1/3 cup of sugar, plus some for sprinkling

• 5 oz semisweet chocolate chips

• 3 large egg whites at room temperature 
• 6 Large Egg Whites
• 6 ramekins/ 1 Soufflé Pan
• 
  
• Sauce: 
• 1 cup  frozen Strawberries 
• Half a lemon
• 1/3 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously butter soufflé dish and sprinkle with sugar, make sure for not excess. Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth.  Remove bowl from heat and stir in yolks (mixture will stiffen).

Beat whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until they just hold soft peaks. Add 1/3 cup sugar, a little at a time, continuing to beat at medium speed, then beat at high speed until whites just hold stiff peaks. Stir about 1 cup whites into chocolate mixture to lighten, then add mixture to remaining whites, folding gently but thoroughly.

Spoon into soufflé dish and run the end of your thumb around inside edge of soufflé dish (this will help soufflé rise evenly). Bake in middle of oven until puffed and crusted on top but still jiggly in center, 24 to 26 minutes. 

Sauce: 

While your soufflé is baking put a cup of strawberries, half a squeezed lemon, and sugar in a small pan. Use a Immersion Blender (or pour into a blender) to blend everything together until smooth. Heat up to a low simmer, and serve over the soufflé.

This is really quite easy, and really good. I will make this again for sure! Hope you enjoyed this post for the week!

-Jack

Ina Garten's Raspberry Crumble Bars

Raspberry Crumble Bars

Recently for Christmas I received Ina Garten's cook books(Thanks Grandma). I really look up to Ina as a culinary figure, I think that she is very experienced, and cooks great food.

I was looking through her cook book a few weeks ago, and decided to make this for my grandparents when they were in town. These bars really appealed to me, and they were absolutely delicious, everyone needs to give them a try.

Here is what you need:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 Cup sugar
• 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 10 - 12 ounces raspberry jelly
• 2/3 cup plain granola *without dried fruit*
• 1/4cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then cream together your sugar, butter, and vanilla. After that sift together your flour and salt. Then combine the dry ingredients with the sugar butter mixture.  Once that is fully combined into a dough ball take 3/4 of the dough and line a 9x9 pan. *You do not need to put any butter you spray in the pan before the dough.* I also did not have a 9x9 but I used a round pie pan and that worked fine.

After you have the dough lined in the bottom of the 9x9 pan, take the raspberry jelly and spread a layer all over your dough leaving 1/2 boarder to let the dough spread out while its cooking. After this take the rest of your dough and add the granola, and make a crumb topping.

After this sprinkle the topping on the raspberry jelly, and then sprinkle the almonds on top of that. Put in the oven for 40-45 min. The top should be browned, and the jelly should be bubbly.

Hope you enjoyed this post!
-Jack

Pulled Pork Sliders

Pulled Pork  Sliders

Well I recently was looking in my basement for something, and while I was down there I discovered a long lost crock pot. My Mom forgot that we had even had one, and now I've really been looking for any chance to use it!

I saw some beef in my freezer and deiced to come up with my own pulled pork!

Here is what you'll need:

• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons hot paprika
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Kosher salt  
• Ground pepper
• Pork shoulder
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
• 3 tablespoons Ketchup 
• 1 tablespoon Franks Hot Sause 
• 3 teaspoons Cheyenne pepper
• Mini Ciabatta Buns

Take the brown sugar, paprika, mustard powder, cumin, salt, and pepper, rub the meat with spice rub. Meanwhile warm up the 2 table spoons of vegetable oil in a skillet, once it is warm place the pork in shoulder in a skillet.

Then after you have the pork browned place it into your crock pot along with the hot sauce, vinegar, ketchup, and cheyenne pepper. Let it cook on low for about 8 hours so make sure to start this early in the day or the night before!

I  just checking in every once in a while and stirring with a for to break it up as it cooks down. 

After the pork is done cooking grill your buns, and top with some lettuce. You could also add some of your favorite BBQ sauce if you really wanted, but I like it just the way it is!

This is the final product! Hope you enjoyed this post!

Party Chicken! (Apricot Chicken)

This is the first recipe that I feel confident enough to share with you guys.
I have grown up eating this, and now I understand while my Mom made it so much, it is so easy!

First start with a boneless, skinless chicken breast per person that will be eating. (I'm just making two)

What else you'll need:

• Thousand Island Salad Dressing
• Onion Soup Mix
• Apricot Preserves

Take your chicken and place them in a bowl, after that place 2 table spoons of Thousand Island Dressing *per piece of chicken*. Then Add 1 table spoon of Apricot Preserves *per piece of chicken* also. Then depending on how many pieces of chicken you have I would use 1 pack of Onion Soup Mix per 4 pieces of chicken, since I am only making 2 pieces I used half a pack tonight. After all that, mix it all together and coat the chicken breasts. Place the chicken into a casserole pan, and cook the chicken for 30-40 minuets, until the juices are hot and bubbly. 

Before:

After:

Now I really am a lover of homemade sides and to make everything you can from scratch, but with this meal I really do love to serve Rice Roni. Now don't knock this before you try it though, I do put my own gourmet twist on the Rice. 

What you'll need:

• Rice Roni (My favorite flavor is Long Grain & Wild Rice)
• Green onions
• Slivered Almonds Toasted

Now all I do with this that is different from following the directions on the box is add my almonds, and green onions. I add the almonds at beginning and garnish with the green onions at the end. It is a perfect way to make the rice your own. 

Since I just made this tonight because I was busy, and had most of this I didn't have any green onions but I improvised and added parsley to my since since I had that in the fridge. It worked just as good, but I still like green onions better!

I promise you this chicken will turn out juicy, and tasteful every time you make it! Go give it a shot! Here is the final picture hope you enjoyed this post!