Brunch!

So as a new year brings in new resolutions, determinations, goals, and actions, I decided it was time  for our family to expand our culinary tastes. With this in mind, I was determined to find something new and yummy that they would all love. Now I'm a huge fan of brunch because you get all sorts of yummy breakfast-like food, but are not drowning in tons of sugar - I know, I know, some of you may not agree, but even with my huge sweet tooth, I'm just not into a ton of sugar first thing in the morning. I also love brunch because that means I don't have to be up super early on a weekend to get a nice, hot meal on the table. Something I've been craving for a while now and I have never made for the family is Eggs Benedict. This is a quintessential brunch food and a dish I've loved since I was in high school, so after the idea popped in my head I knew I had the perfect meal to try. There was some hesitation about our Sunday brunch, after explaining what hollandaise sauce is to them (for those that don't know it's a sauce made from egg yolks and butter), but the meal speaks for itself and they all loved it! And in fact, it's a new FAVORITE of our second to youngest kiddo. Make this the next time you are in the mood for something yummy for brunch and you won't be disappointed!

What's cooking in my kitchen this week:
Eggs Benedict and fruit smoothies

What you'll need:
Eggs Benedict
8 egg yolks, plus eggs to serve for all people
1 cup butter, cut into 6 pieces
5 tsp fresh lemon juice
salt
ground black pepper
paprika
fresh chives, finely chopped
1-2 packages Canadian bacon
1-2 packages English muffins

Fruit smoothies
2-3 bags frozen fruit
2-3 bananas
large container of vanilla yogurt
milk
fruit juice

*Note: depending on how many people you are serving at one time will determine how much you need of all the ingredients, with the exception of the egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice for the hollandaise sauce. 

How to make it:
First up is to get the hollandaise sauce going. You will need a double boiler to as to not cook the sauce with direct heat. If you don't have a double boiler, like me, just simply use a small pot filled with water and a large metal bowl that can fit over pot and not submerge in. Separate egg yolks and whites, putting egg yolks in large metal bowl.

Place bowl with egg yolks and first piece of butter over hot, not boiling, water. Stir rapidly with wooden spoon until butter melts and add second piece of butter, continuing to stir rapidly.

Continue adding pieces of butter until all gone, constantly stirring - this is the key to making sure the sauce comes out smooth.

Keep an eye on the water too, as you do not want it to come to a boil. When all the butter is melted, remove bowl from hot water and stir rapidly about 2 minutes. Then, stir in lemon juice, a teaspoon at a time. Season to taste with salt and ground black pepper.

Place bowl over hot water once again, stirring constantly another 2-3 minutes until sauce is thickened. Remove from heat.

Now you need to get your eggs cooked. Traditional eggs Benedict uses poached eggs, but I'm a huge fan of fried eggs, and quite frankly they are easier to make, so I fry my eggs instead of poaching. Crack eggs on large skillet sprayed with non-stick spray and cook to your liking, we like ours over medium.

While cooking eggs, get another skillet and warm the Canadian bacon and toast the English muffin. Once everything is done, you can now assemble the Eggs Benedict. Place English muffin on plate and put Canadian bacon on top. Put eggs on top of the Canadian bacon and then drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Finish with sprinkle of paprika and chopped chives. Serve and enjoy!

With growing kids, I needed something a little extra to fill their tummies up so we also made fruit smoothies to go with our Eggs Benedict. Smoothies are so simple and really can be just about anything you want them to be, you just need to have a blender of some sorts. I have small, individual serving blender and that works just as well as the big, fancy ones. To make, just put about 1/2 cup whatever frozen fruit you like (we had a bad mixed berries and a bag mangoes), about 1/4 bananas, 1/2 cup yogurt, splash of juice (we used a Paradise blend), 1/2 - 3/4 cup milk.

Blend until all smooth, pour in a cup and enjoy!

Did you know?
On this day in 1922, Christian K. Nelson, an ice cream salesman in Onawa, Iowa, was issued patent #1,404,539 for the Eskimo Pie.