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Breakfast

Ham and Cheese Egg Boats // Recipe

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Spring Egg Boats // Have you ever had an ah ha moment that makes you feel pretty silly? When I discovered this recipe a few weeks ago, my first thought was… Holy cow, why didn't I think of that!! I've been making all kinds of egg / bread dishes for years. Why hadn't I ever thought of just putting the egg right into the bread itself and baking it just like that. Total paradigm shift for me. What I love most about this recipe is how easy it is to make and yet it presents really well. This would be a fabulous Easter brunch dish idea, your guests will think you are a culinary genius! Yet it's simple enough for an easy weeknight meal as well. It's the best of both worlds.

egg boat

Ham and Cheese Egg Boats

This recipe is an adaption of a recipe originally found on Spoon Fork Bacon.

Large loaf of french or sour dough bread

6 eggs

1/4 cup whole milk or cream

Tabasco sauce to taste

1 cup of diced ham

3/4 cup of shredded cheese (I used an Italian blend of shredded cheese but cheddar would work fine too.)

Goat cheese (optional)

Directions

Cut a long narrow trough in the bread and scoop out a bit of the bread to make room for the egg mixture and set a side. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, Tabasco (I usually put in about 6-10 dashes, but that's up to your taste), and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Once the mixture has been whisked well, add the ham and carefully pour into the bread. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the egg boat. If you are a goat cheese lover, you can add some little dollops of goat cheese on top as well. I love goat cheese but other members of my family do not. So, I made one with and one without. 

Now to bake this, if you are using a full size french loaf can be a little tricky. The loaf does not fit on a traditional baking sheet, so I had to improvise. I turned the baking sheet over and then used aluminum foil to create a baking dish for the loaf. That way if there were any spills, the foil would catch the mess and the inverted baking sheet provided stability. It worked like a charm.

egg boat pan

Place in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until the egg has fully set. Let the egg boat cool for 10-15 and then slice into sections for your family or guests. I served mine with a lovely salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, goat cheese and pine nuts with a bright lemon vinaigrette. 

egg boat from whipperberry

Now that I've found this gem of a recipe, I can't wait to try all kinds of different variations. I can see all kinds of fun combinations with mushrooms, spinach, sausage you name it… Anything that would normally work in an omelet would be lovely. What combination would you try? Leave a comment and share and let's see what other amazing ideas we can all come up with!

Valentine’s Day Red Velvet Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup // Recipe

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Red Velvet Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup // While I'm taking a little break with the family for our holiday vacation, I thought I would share an older post from a few years back.  A fun Valentine's Day breakfast idea, Red Velvet Pancakes with Buttermilk Syrup.

heart shaped red velvet pancakes

Serve up a romantic breakfast-in-bed for your Valentine with these decadent pancakes.  Simply beautiful, and yet more pleasing to the taste-buds than even the eyes.  I know my sweetheart revels in any opportunity to feel just so pampered. How fun it is to celebrate the month of love through the delights of sweet treats.

Red Velvet Pancakes:

1 1/2 C. Buttermilk

4  Eggs

4 Tbsp. Butter, melted

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Tbsp. Red Food Coloring

2 C. Flour

2 Tbsp. Cocoa

1/3 cup Sugar

2 tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1 tsp. Salt

 Buttermilk Syrup:

 1 C Butter

1 C Buttermilk

2 C Sugar

2 T Vanilla

1 t Baking Soda

Directions

For the pancakes, mix together dry ingredients and set aside. Melt butter in separate bowl, then add buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, and food coloring. Blend well. Pour in dry mixture and beat until smooth.

Pour ½ cup of the whipped batter on a greased skillet. Pan fry on medium heat until browned. Flip over and brown again. Top with desired toppings and serve warm.

(To make a heart shaped pancake (optional), place a heart shaped cookie cutter on the skillet, and pour batter into the cookie cutter. Remove form before flipping.)

Make the syrup by bringing the first three ingredients to a boil and boil for one minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda.  Stir and Serve.

*Optional toppings include syrup, butter, whipping cream, and shaved chocolate.

Parmesan Balsamic Poached Eggs with Parisan Side Salad| Poached Egg 101

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Here is a fun new recipe inspired by my trip to Paris for Parmesan Balsamic Poached Eggs with a Parisian Side Salad…

I am one of those people who, how shall we say this… loves a good challenge. One of my church leaders when I was about 14 told me once, "learn how to make one thing in the kitchen REALLY WELL, and the rest won't matter so much." At that point in my life I decided that I was going to learn how to make the perfect pie crust and consequently all kinds of perfect pies. Even at a young age I actually got pretty good and baking pies. My crusts were always golden and flaky with a special little sugary topping on them. Then I married a man who could really care less about pies or sweets in general… FOR REAL!!!  Not wanting to have to ingest all of the sugary calories in the house, I turned my sights to learning how to make the perfect poached egg.  Why, I don't know… I like eggs, and this cooking method presented a bit of a challenge for me. 

I studied and practiced {cue scenes from Julie & Julia} My family became my guinea pigs and they started running to the closest Taco Bell. It took a little bit, but I finally {I would say,} have mastered the perfect poached egg! {My family doesn't run away from me anymore at least.}

A few Saturdays ago I was putzing around in the kitchen, looking for something to eat for breakfast and I started pulling things from the fridge and came up with this divine concoction for my parmesan balsamic poached eggs on toast… But before I give the recipe, let's have a little poached egg 101.

Poached Egg 101

There are several tricks to poaching eggs that are not widely known:

  • First of all, the fresher the eggs the better. Now, if you can’t find fresh eggs don’t worry. What you need to do is warm them up before placing them in the water. What I typically do is place them in a bowl with hot tap water for a few minutes before I cook them. This brings the eggs up to room temperature quickly and allows for the whites to stay together once in the poaching water.
  • Next, the poaching water needs to have some type of acid added. I use white wine vinegar, but you can also use lemon juice as well. This again helps the egg stay together once added to the water.
  • Most importantly: the water… In a sauce pot, add about three inches of water and about 2 tsp. vinegar. The water needs to come up to about 190 degrees. This is just below a boil. Once you reach that temperature turn the burner down to low. Take a spoon and stir the water so that the water is gently swirling when you add the eggs.
  • Crack the eggs into a small bowl or measuring cup and then gently add them one at a time to the water.
  • When you see the egg in the water at first, don't freak out, you'll be amazed at how it will come together by the end of the cooking time.
  • At this point start timing the eggs. If you like your yokes runny, try about three minutes. For a medium egg, three and a half minutes and a firm yoke four minutes.
  • With a slotted spoon take the eggs out and place them on a paper towel to take care of the excess water.
  • It's easy to make a large batch of eggs a few at a time, place them on a paper towel and when you are ready to serve them, place the eggs in the hot water to re-heat for 30-60 seconds.
The bottom line is practice makes perfect when it comes to making the perfect poached egg.  Once you feel like you have a good grasp on that skill, you are ready for this scrumptious, easy to prepare light meal.

Recipe | Parmesan Balsamic Poached Eggs on Toast

4 large poached eggs

2 slices of toasted French bread

shaved parmesan cheese

a drizzle of balsamic cream –  This is a condiment that I discovered while traveling in Europe and FELL IN LOVE with it.  I brought several bottles home with me but, most major super markets are now carrying balsamic cream in the vinegar section. You can also order it online if you can't find it locally.

Place two poached eggs on top of one of the slices of toasted French bread. Season with salt and pepper and then drizzle with the balsamic cream and then sprinkle the shaved parmesan on top. This recipe serves two,

On it's own this is a great light meal, paired with my Parisian salad and it's divine!

Recipe | Parisian Side Salad

A few years ago my family and I traveled to Paris for Christmas and the first night after arriving in the city, we made our way to the Eiffel Tower to see the sites.  Walking around we found this cute little bistro right down the street from the Eiffel Tower were we had our first meal in Paris. {ahhhh sweet memories!} I had this amazing salad with my dinner that was so simple, yet so good.  They put chilled, boiled potato in the salad and it was tasty.  Here is my version of that salad.

3 cups of green leaf or red leaf lettuce

1 cup of grape tomatoes sliced in half

1 cup of boiled and chilled fingerling, small red, or small white potatoes

1 scallion thinly sliced

shaved parmesan cheese

In a large bowl combine the chopped lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes and scallion.  Drizzle with the vinigarette and toss.  Once tossed, sprinkle with shaved parmesan. Serve on the side of the parmesan balsamic poached eggs on toast.

Vinaigrette

1/4 cup of white wine or champagne vinegar

3/4 cup of olive oil

1 tablespoon of chopped garlic

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of agave or honey

salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, oil, garlic, mustard, agave, salt & pepper. Drizzle over the salad. This recipe serves two.

Now, you can have a quick little trip to Paris on a lazy Sunday morning without needing your passport!

Extra Creamy Yogurt Cups | Recipe

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Two times of the day that can be a little hairy at our house are breakfast and after school.  The kiddos are hungry and they are looking for whatever isn’t nailed down to eat.  If not careful, they will eat their body weight in junk and empty calories.  One trick I have is to make sure to have healthy, tasty alternatives ready at hand.  One of my secret weapons is a super rich and extra creamy yogurt cups with granola, berries and drizzled with a bit of agave. I keep these tasty little cups on hand in the fridge for the kiddos to easily grab for a healthy, satisfying breakfast or after-school snack.

I know this isn’t a new concept at all but what makes it a little different and super economical is the way I make the yogurt extra special.  Instead of buying the more expensive individual cups or even the creamy and a little more decadent Greek yogurt, I buy the cheaper low-fat or fat-free vanilla yogurt that you can purchase in large containers.  This is then where the magic a happens…

Here is what you will need…

  • Large container of your favorite yogurt
  • Fresh or frozen berries
  • Granola
  • Agave nectar or honey
  • Small containers in which to store individual portions of the tasty treat {optional}

I pour all of the yogurt in to a mesh strainer lined with a paper towel and let that sit in the fridge for a few hours. 

 

This drains some of the excess liquid from the yogurt and makes it extra decadent and creamy.  My kids LOVE it!  I top it with berries, granola and then drizzle a little Agave nectar over it and they couldn’t be happier. I store the creamy yogurt in small jars in the fridge so that the kiddos can run and grab one anytime they like!

 

What are some of your healthy treat options for your kiddos? What tricks do you employ to get them to crave healthy foods?

{Biggest Loser Recipe}The Sarah Bear Smoothie

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A little back history on the name…

The “Sarah Bear Smoothie” is my one claim to fame on the Ranch! Getting a food named after me was a victory that I hoped for but hardly believed could happen because I struggled so much in the cooking department while on the show. We were required to cook for ourselves on the Ranch and the kitchen was always kept stocked with the best foods available. Meal time was fun and exciting for most Biggest Loser contestants, but I would end up staring blankly into the refrigerator for the entire hour having no idea what to make—and in the end copying someone else's meal. 

When someone would invent a certain dish that became popular amongst the crowd, we would name it after that player. Because I couldn't come up with anything new on my own, my day would basically consist of eating the Irene for breakfast, the Courtney for lunch, and either the Justin or the Jay-bird for dinner (recipes that I will for sure be sharing!). You get the idea. So, you can imagine my overwhelming joy when I invented this smoothie and everyone loved it so much they started calling it "the Sarah Bear"! I was ecstatic! Not only did it receive my name—which made me feel cooler than Lady Gaga—but it was also given the best breakfast award AND the best dessert award. And since it received both awards I feel justified now in eating it for both breakfast AND dessert in the same day. It's just that good. Enjoy!

The Sarah Bear Smoothie

  • 2 cups of frozen strawberries
  • 1 cup of almond milk
  • 1 cup of Greek yogurt
  • Sweeten to taste with Truvia

Once again, I busted out the Magic Bullet (you can use a regular blender if you’re cool like that). Add all of the ingredients to the blender and blend.  That’s it!

It’s Bob and Jillian approved so you must try it… and let me know what you think!

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