Eggs Benedict with a twist

Wanted Eggs Benedict for Brunch! Worked it out with things I already had in the cupboards and fridge. Had a package of bacon. I bake mine on a wire rack on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet @ 350 degrees for about 25 min-35 min depending on how crispy you want your bacon. The fat runs off when you use the rack method or you can bake them directly on the aluminum foil lined sheet pan. They stay flat and you don't have to clean up the grease that usually splatters on the stove top.

Bacon is done! Place bacon on a couple of paper towels to get as much grease off as you can. Looks yummy, don't it?

Finished Homemade Hollandaise. Hard to take pictures when your in the process of making it. I use a food processor/blender technique and I keep it warm in a pan. 3 egg yolks, 1 stick of butter, melted and fresh lemon juice to taste, pinch of cayenne pepper. I freeze the egg whites and use them later for something else....nothing goes to waste. **packaged hollandaise is good too. It can be a money and time saver. Always season your food to your taste, even if it comes out of a jar, can or packet!

A 1/2 filled pan of water and 1 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt at a slow boil. (medium heat) Gonna poach my eggs in this.

Crack egg into any 1 cup measure or a small bowl. Makes it easier to pour into simmering water to poach.

I used a slotted spoon and spun the water around in the pan and created a whirlpool to drop my egg into. Cook 2 to 4 minutes.

No English Muffins!! Frozen waffles will work!

Beautiful poached egg!! eh?!!!!

Maple Syrup was calling me, so i drizzled it on my poached egg and bacon. Yuummmmm!!

The last touch is the Hollandaise!

Dig in! Love soft poached eggs!! Totally adds to the dish! Delicious!!! 

Grilled Cheddar Cheese w/ Apples Sandwich

Used my mandolin to thin slice a Granny Smith apple.

Got my bread, butter side down, in the pan and I've layered some Tillamook extra sharp cheddar cheese on it. 

Time for the apples!!!

Looks good already!!

Yummy, gooey, goodness...

Acini Pasta Salad

Feeling a little tired after work, so I decided to go simple tonight. Starting with a last minute pasta salad. This is Acini de pepe. I cooked 1/3 of the box..a little goes a long way.

I looked through the cupboards and the fridge to find something to add. I ended up with a can of chickpeas, the center stocks and leaves of celery (diced), fava bean leaves (cut into strips) and candied sesames and almonds. Dressed it with a simple combo of olive oil and lemon juice. Turned out pretty good :)

Beans & Ham Hock Soup w/ Mini Cornbread Muffins

I used 4 cups of Great Northern Beans. I rinsed them, brought them up to a boil in 10 cups of water for two minutes, took them off the heat and let them sit in the pot for an hour.

Added chopped onion and a few garlic cloves

In go the ham hocks and we're back on the heat. Simmer two hours. 

Pulled the ham hocks out after an 1 1/2 hours to cool so that I can strip the meat from them. 

You can get a pretty good amount of meat off ham hocks. Not bad for cheap meat.

At this point, I've finished the cooking of the beans and have the burner on low. Added all the ham hock meat back in the pot to warm up.

In the middle of cooking soup, I whipped up some Cornbread batter to make mini muffins. I just followed the instructions on the package of cornmeal I had. If there was a box of Jiffy mix in my pantry I would have used that.

My mini muffins are done!! How Cute! **Bake them according to the instructions on the package of cornmeal or mix that you use.

Finished! Ready to eat! 

Philly Cheese Steak Sandwich

Sliced one large onion. Sauteing the onions in a compound butter that I made and olive oil. Cooked these on medium-low heat until they are translucent. 
 *Compound butter: mix together one stick of unsalted butter, softened; salt, pepper, garlic power, onion powder, etc. Use whatever flavors you like. I put the butter on a piece of plastic wrap and work it into a log as I'm rolling it up in the wrap, twisting the ends. Put in the Fridge to firm up. Cut pieces as needed.

Onions have been cooking for 10 minutes, now for 1- 1 1/2 cups of mushrooms. These are thick sliced. 

Yum! After another 5-7 minutes of cooking the onions are nice and soft and the mushrooms still have a little bit of firmness.
I am using one pan for this meal. I took out the onions and mushrooms, put them in a bowl and set them aside.

1 pound of Chopped beef steak!! I cook it on high to get it a little crispy, I like it that way.   

Added the onions and mushrooms back in to heat up together. 

I use a multi grain bread and provolone cheese. Soooo damn good!! 

Arancini *Rice Balls*

I had some left over rice from my Campbell's soup chicken and rice casserole. I used my large ice cream scoop to make the balls and stuffed a chunk of Velveeta cheese in some and Philly cream cheese in others. Used what I had in the fridge! Dusted them in flour, coated them with beaten egg and covered them with Panko bread crumbs and Potato flakes, which was seasoned with dry Ranch Dressing mix.

Marinara Sauce for the Arancini. I used tomato sauce and tomato paste. Season to taste. I use what i have in the cupboard and fridge to re-invent leftovers.

Plated dish!!