Best Breakfast of 2010

This is an awesome breakfast power packed full of veggies.  Its so good, I sometimes eat it for dinner too.  I first time I had this yummy meal was when my friends Crystal and Tom came to visit for a few days.  Crystal is such a good cook, she learned most of her skills from her grandmother.  I can remember hanging out at Crystals house when her grandma was visiting mostly because I knew I would be sent home with a bag full of home made tortillas.  As a thank you for my hospitality, Crystal cooked while she and Tom crashed at my place.  On their last morning, this is what she made for me. 

1lb ground hamburger or turkey
1 fresh jalapeno, minced
1 tablespoon fresh garlic
1 small onion, small dice
1 medium sized zucchini, small dice
1 medium sized yellow squash, small dice
1 can sweet yellow corn
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2-3 eggs

Start with the jalapeno, onion, garlic and olive oil, saute until translucent.  Add in the zucchini and squash and cook until Al Dente then add in the hamburger.  Cook through. Add in the corn, season with salt and pepper and top with the cheese and remove from heat.

Fry up a couple eggs to your liking and serve with tortillas.  I personally think the best way to eat this dish is with your hands.  Before you dig in with your bare fingers take a fork and cut up the egg so the runny yolk can soak into the rest of the food.  Grab a piece of tortilla, scoop up some goodness and enjoy! 

hashbrown holindase

For years now I have hated eggs.  Hated the texture, the smell, the taste, everything about them made me gag.  With one exception, eggs Benedict.  The velvet like texture of that sunshine colored sauce opened my mind just a touch to the incredible edible egg.  I'm sure the high butter content had a lot to do with it because lets face it, who doesn't love butter?  So I say butter me up! If that's what it takes to open someone else's eye's up to eggs.  What I ended up discovering was that I hated scrambled eggs.  I pretty much enjoy any 'soft' egg.  The runny yolk is the key to the flavor.  I'm going to start this blog with a basic holindase recipe for everyone to try.  It can be a tricky little bugger to make, don't dispare if your sauce breaks the first go round its worth a second try.  Or you can take the easy route, most grocery stores sell a powder package that just requires butter and milk to bring to life.  (look for it near the packaged gravies if that's the way you want to go)

Holindase Sauce (5 portion recipe)

2 egg yolks
6 fluid oz clarified butter
1 small shallot diced
5 or 6 whole black peppercorns
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup dry white wine
whole lemon
stainless steel bowl *****this is a must

start by making a reduction with the shallot, peppercorns, wine and vinegar.  Let it cook until the moisture is almost completely evaporated.  Strain the product into a stainless steel bowl.  In the mean time start a pot of water on the stove.  You want the water warm and steaming but no bubbles!  Just hot enough to make steam.  Mix the egg yolks with the reduction and place over the heated water and whisk.  The point here is to not let the eggs 'scramble'.  As they heat they will start to gain volume, once they have tripled in size and leave ribbons when you run the whisk through them, they are ready for the next step.  Take the eggs off the heat and stabilize the bowl (with a towel or inside another pot) you will need both hands free for the next step.  While whisking the eggs very slowly drizzle in the butter, the sauce will thicken as the butter is added.  If the sauce starts to get to thick add a touch of warm water and whisk until smooth before adding more of the butter.  Finish the sauce with just a small squeeze of lemon juice.  Serve this sauce immediately or keep it just warm.  Not on direct heat but close to it.  For example, set the sauce on top of a warm oven but not on a burner.

Hash browns, I like to bake mine in individual dishes.  It also works in one big dish or fried on the stove top like pancakes.  If you go the baked route be sure to spray you dish first to avoid sticking.  You can also use pre made hash browns out of the freezer but I prefer to use left over bakers. 

2-3 bakers (already cooked and cooled)
1 egg
3 tablespoons chopped green chilies
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Shred two to three potatoes (1-2 cups hash), gently mix with all other ingredients, divide up into dish and bake for 15-20 mins.  The top will be golden brown.

Poached eggs, So so easy!  All you need is a pot of simmering water and a couple teaspoons of vinegar.  Crack the eggs right into the water, gently stir the egg to keep it from sticking on the bottom of the pan.  Cook to your liking.  I prefer to keep the yolk soft. 

Finishing it all up....Place a poached egg on top of your hash brown bake and top liberally with sauce. 
This takes some time but its well worth it!  Keep the ingredients on hand for your next snow day. 

Not Your Grandmothers Grapefruit

I just want to start off by letting everyone know this isn't your grandmother's baked grapefruit.  That is, unless your grandma is the type to start the day off with a stiff drink.  Well maybe not a stiff drink, but a little something, something.  I would not recommend this breakfast before a busy day at work.  Think more along the lines of a champagne brunch or breakfast in bed.  This dish was actually really fun for me.  I got the idea around New Years Eve, I was thinking of my wild days in the military and how we used to put alcohol in anything we could.  Jello, fruit, gummy bears; like I said, anything we could.  A vodka watermelon was always a crowd pleaser.  I didn't really feel like buying a watermelon (or eating a whole one myself) so I picked a smaller fruit and tried to class it up a bit.  I've been craving grapefruit lately so that became my muse.  I can distinctly remember being made fun on in culinary school for topping my grapefruit with honey, so lets see what people think of this.  Pick out a nice white wine (I had a Torrontes on hand).  Torrontes is not a common household wine, it has a slightly acidic taste, a little on the dry side for a white and a wonderful fruity pebble smell. (yes, like the cereal)

  A good Sauvignon Blanc or nice Riesling would work too.  The method is the same as a vodka watermelon.  Pierce a small hole in the flesh of the fruit and fit with a funnel.  I used the topper to a squeeze bottle to compensate for the small size of the grapefruit.  Add wine a funnel full at a time until the fruit will no longer absorb it.  This can take quite a while to accomplish, I checked mine every half hour for the better part of the evening.  Once your satisfied with the fruit to alcohol ratio you can slice it in half and separate the segments.  If you are prepping the night before, just put your wine saturate fruit into the fridge until you are ready to slice and use.  There is such a thing as a grapefruit knife but I find a paring knife to work just fine.  Pop the grapefruit in a 350 degree oven for five minutes, just enough to take away the chill.  Remove from the oven and crank it up to a high broil.  Top the grapefruit with honey and put it back into the oven for just a couple minutes, checking frequently.  The top of the fruit will swell up under the heat and the honey will darken and caramelize.  Remove and enjoy!  If you don't have honey on hand a couple spoonfuls of white or brown sugar will do the trick. 

This is round one for grapefruit. I still have a couple left in the kitchen and plan to try a meringue topped treat.  Stay tuned!

Resolution

2010 has been one heck of a year; three jobs, three cities, five different apartments, catching up with old friends, making new friends, two new puppies and tons of travel.  This year took me all over Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas and Washington D.C.  I have had some great times but its been a struggle as well. Through it all I have rediscovered my love for writing, largely thanks to this blog.  I'm determined to make 2011 a better year than last, which won't be to hard to do.  Here's what I have in mind to make this year a success.

1. Start my Bachelors Degree
2. Post five blogs a month
3. Drink more water
4. Travel to Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Kansas City and St. Louis
5. Start preparing for Europe in 2012


For this blog, I've decided the best way to start the new year is the same way everyone should start their day, with a tasty breakfast.  Get ready for baked grapefruit, potato cakes, fresh breads and much more!

Happy 2011 everyone!