Chef Charles Ranhofer is credited with creating Eggs a la Benedict at Delmonico’s Restaurant in Lower Manhattan. He came up with the combination in the 1860s when a regular diner, Mrs. LeGrand Benedict, sought something new on the menu. The dish began being served regularly at Delmonico’s, and Chef Ranhofer finally published the recipe in his 1894 cookbook.
Some attribute the recipe to a Lemuel Benedict. Legend says that in 1894, in a somewhat drunken state, he meandered into New York’s Waldorf Hotel and ordered bacon and a poached egg on toast. The maître d’, one Oscar Tschirsky thought the combination would make a tasty addition to the menu, but he switched the bacon to Canadian bacon and the toast to an English muffin.
Hmmmm… then again, it should be noted that Tschirsky had previously worked at Delmonico’s Restaurant, right around the same time that Eggs a la Benedict started becoming popular. Okay, so he perhaps “pinched” it.
Regardless, Eggs Benedict is easy to make at home. Jazz it up or keep it Super Simple. You choose.
First, use a packet mix or make your own Hollandaise sauce. An immersion blender makes it in a snap!
Hollandaise Sauce
¾ c butter
3 lg egg yolks
3 T water
2 T fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt & pepper
Melt the butter in a microwave or small pan till bubbly. Meanwhile, place eggs, water, & lemon juice in a bowl and start blending with the immersion blender. Then, very slowly drizzle the butter into the bowl, still constantly blending. Season with salt & pepper and cover with plastic wrap while preparing the other ingredients.
To poach your eggs, break each egg, one at a time, into a small bowl, such as a custard cup. If the yolk breaks, set it aside for some other use. Slide up to 4 eggs at a time into a pot of simmering hot water. Cook just 3-4 minutes so they will set but still have runny yolks. Gently remove them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.
Assemble each serving of Eggs Benedict by placing both halves of a toasted English muffin, cut sides up, on a plate. Top each with a slice or two of seared Canadian bacon, followed by a poached egg and a large spoonful of Hollandaise sauce. Garnish each with a sprinkle of finely sliced chives or other chopped fresh herbs and serve with some crispy home-fried potatoes and some fresh fruit.
Then you can start to imagine the possibilities! You could kick this up to a lunch entrée by replacing the English muffins with a baked potato. (Remove the hot pulp, mash, add butter, salt & pepper; then return the seasoned pulp to the potato skin and top with the bacon, egg, and Hollandaise sauce.
Consider supplementing or varying the protein. Try Florentine Eggs Benedict by adding sauteed spinach and sliced mushrooms. Go for Eggs Benedict Royale by replacing the Canadian bacon with smoked salmon. Replace the Canadian bacon with crispy strips of traditional bacon and/or sauteed, sliced sweet onions. Or replace the bacon with sliced turkey and serve over a pan-fried cake of leftover stuffing. Another fun twist is to use thinly sliced ham and sliced fresh avocado.
Of course, there’s my own personal favorite. Go for Super Simple Neptune Eggs Benedict by replacing the Canadian bacon with lobster or king crab legs, lightly sautéed in salty butter. This is perfect with thin asparagus spears or baby spinach leaves between the seafood and a toasted, buttered English muffin.
Celebrate the silly, the scintillating, the serious thinker in all of us! We spend a great deal of time in our lives trying to seek exactly the correct answers. Whether we are guessing how many dandelions are budding in a meadow, attempting to count jellybeans in a huge jar, or estimating our taxes, we all have inklings and premonitions.
Brilliant blue skies… stunning cloud formations… the gray of dense rain. Catch a blazing sunrise or sunset… or remember one that was particularly spectacular. Do some star gazing. Listen to a “sky”-themed song or two… “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,” “Spirit in the Sky,” or “Sky Pilot.”
Whether you own or owned a dog or were ever owned by a dog… or more than one, celebrate this day by hugging your dog… or somebody’s dog… or the memory of your dog. Dogs make us better people. (If only all dogs could say the same about all people.)
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.”
Here’s a Super Simple way to make 4 Burritos.
Have fun with burritos. Make them with leftover rotisserie chicken, or ground beef & beans, or grilled veggies. Try a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, chorizo or sage sausage, and tater tots or rice, if you prefer).
When people have praised or celebrated my books, I have often quipped that I doubt I have ever had an original thought! That is not just wit or modesty. I mean it. Who do I think I am to imagine that I ever came up with some thought that no one else in history has ever thought long before me? I know better. And then I saw this delightful quote from Voltaire… the nom de plume for Francois-Marie Arouet.
National Grilled Cheese Month meets National Sourdough Bread Day. This is no April Fools Day joke. National Grilled Cheese Month meets National Sourdough Bread Day! Who doesn’t love a great grilled cheese sandwich?!?
The one absolute requirement is good melting cheese. Some firm or semi-firm cheeses simply do not melt naturally, which makes them tough to use in a great grilled cheese sandwich. Be careful with cheeses such as queso fresco, feta, or even semi-soft goat cheese. When using Swiss or Cheddar cheeses, I like to also add layers of Muenster (my go-to fave), Brie, Monterey Jack, or Pepperjack. These boost the creamy meltiness. (Okay… use American if you absolutely must, but do so with awareness that it is actually a processed food that contains cheese.)
After the sandwich is in the pan, spread the slice that is now on top with mayonnaise and cover the pan for 2-3 minutes. (If you typically spread butter on the outside of your sandwich, give mayonnaise a try. You may never go back! Low heat is important, as the mayo gives a delightful crunchiness to the sandwich, but it can brown more quickly than butter.) Covering your sandwich initially captures the heat and lets the cheese melting process happen more easily.
Remove the lid and use a large spatula to turn your sandwich over. Leave the pan uncovered for another 2-3 minutes to turn the bottle crispy golden before serving to your happy taste buds. Here’s a Super Simple tip: Serve with a hearty bowl of fresh tomato basil soup for dipping or sandwich at lunch… or cut your sandwiches into 3 strips and serve with the soup with beverages for Happy Hour.
We are digging up deliciousness today as we celebrate both National Clams on the Half-Shell Day AND National Oysters on the Half-Shell Day. Both are recognized on March 31st each year.
According to Food & Wine magazine, the most popular raw oyster varieties include Blue Point, Kumamoto, Pacific, Olympia, Well Fleet, and Belon. Clam fans may choose Quahogs, topneck, littleneck or cherrystone clams for their meaty, salty yumminess.
Clams and oysters on the half shell can be served raw, steamed, grilled, smoked, or stuffed. Raw is the way most people think of when it comes to a “half-shell” serving. Oysters are traditionally served with lemon wedges, 1 or 2 drops of hot sauce, and a splash of mignonette. (Mignonette is a fancy name for a simple combination of vinegar with finely minced shallots and black pepper.) Clams also get some fresh lemon wedges, along with tabasco and cocktail sauce. Mignonette can be served with either. However you choose to garnish, place the mollusks atop crushed ice for serving. Some warm French or garlic bread on the side is also great.
Not a fan of raw clams or oysters? Me neither. For me, I’ll take them baked, roasted, or grilled any day. A “Casino” approach means baking them with bacon and toasty breadcrumbs. This is a favorite method of mine for clams. Any baked or “Rockefeller” style for oysters also suits my palette. But today is the day to enjoy clams and oysters on the half shell… any way YOU like!
Naturally, you may choose the traditional lamb or beef or chicken kebabs… or Buffalo chicken tenders or teriyaki beef or Margarita chicken or a corn dog or mini meatballs with marina sauce or grilled shrimp or scallops. WAIT! Wrap those shrimp or scallops in bacon before grilling them on a stick. Or wrap a fresh chunk of pineapple or a chicken liver (if you must) or a water chestnut… in bacon.
Get basic… A popsicle or ice cream bar are super hits on sticks. Or choose a candied apple! You could always satisfy a sweet tooth urge with chocolate-dipped marshmallows on a stick. (I’m sorry. Had we lost sight of this being “something on a stick” day?
Very little can top an old-fashioned bonfire for a casual celebration with friends! We’ve hosted a few doozies over the years, and last night’s ranks among the sweetest. Gorgeous weather with after-dark temperatures hanging in the low 70s.
Food. Fun. Frivolity! Schweeeeet! And a new tray of Smores! Thanks to all for joining the revelry!
No secret ingredient, but I always share a not-so-secret technique. Stir your soup mix into the sour cream and scoop it all back into the sour cream container, but do this 24 hours ahead of serving time. This allows the moisture in the sour cream to fully rehydrate the dried onions, while also letting the flavors marry beautifully. Expect no leftovers. Yummy!
Soft tacos are fine, but today we celebrate the satisfying crunchy texture and fun of crispy tacos. Choose your fillings to suit your happy little taste buds! Go for traditional beef with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, diced avocados, sour cream, taco sauce, and jalapeños, if you so choose. Or switch out the beef for chicken or shredded pork. I also love crunchy fish or shrimp tacos, especially when jazzed up with a fresh mango or peach salsa and a nice slaw. Pile on whatever veggies, fruits, or legumes you love, too. Try roasted corn, black beans, grilled sweet pepper slices, sweet onions, refried beans, diced fresh pineapple (or other fruit), sliced radishes, grilled portobello mushroom slices, chopped fresh cilantro, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Anything goes! Use your imagination.
More than 20 years later, we can all agree that we very much need a far kinder, more respectful, and happier world. Kindness takes no money… and just the tiniest touch of effort. While many are struggling through a plethora of problems in life, we can and should still remind ourselves not to take it out on others, especially those closest to us. It can become so easy to take our loved ones and besties for granted.
To anyone I may have insulted in a moment of crass self-centered insanity, I sincerely apologize. To anyone for whom I may have overlooked an opportunity to remind you of your worth and precious value, please know I am singing that fact loudly!
I find that simple acts and words of kindness return their value tenfold. Being nice to other people cannot help but bring happiness to them and ourselves.
Today is a great day to celebrate Irish fun facts. Ireland is more than whisky, beer, rain, and green hillsides. But, speaking of beer, in 1759 Arthur Guinness signed a lease for the land on which the Guinness Brewery stands. That lease is still in effect, as its term was 9,000 years.
There are some 30,000 standing castles or castle ruins in Ireland. (And, yes, I have kissed the Blarney Stone at the famed Blarney Castle.)
Last, but not least, St. Patrick wasn’t Irish. Born in Roman-Britain, he was kidnapped by Irish raiders and sold into slavery to tend sheep at age 16. He later returned as a missionary and is credited with the Christianization of Ireland in the 5th Century. His name was Maewyn Succat, but Patrick became his name when he was ordained as a priest. St. Patrick’s color was blue, not green. The transition to green is thought to have been the result of connecting symbolically with clover. March 17th is the date on which it is believed that St. Patrick died in 460 AD.
“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
Annually, the 2nd of March commemorates the Commonwealth of Nations as a show of solidarity and a time to renew vows of international cooperation. Originally called Empire Day, as a nod to the British Empire, this is noted as a time to address global issues of the 2 billion-plus people who constitute the nations of former British colonies.
One highlight was touring the famed Biltmore in Asheville, NC. Such fun we had in our time together, sharing memories, catching up on family happenings, bemoaning our nations’ political meanderings, and celebrating being alive.
“Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane, and the pessimist the parachute.”
While we salute National Popcorn Day on January 19th, March 10th is Popcorn Lovers Day. And I love popcorn, so count me in… whether it be buttered, caramelized, cheesy, kettle corn, or chocolate drizzled. Popcorn, a GMO and gluten-free treat, is also a high-fiber and antioxidant whole grain, which can reduce our risk of diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. (Okay, for the best health benefits, we must forgo all the yummy toppings.)
First discovered in Europe’s Mediterranean region, celery has plenty of health and healing benefits. High in fiber, vitamin K, folate, and potassium, celery is good for digestion and lowers blood pressure. It’s a dieter’s delight with a mere 14 calories per cup.
Celery is delicious both cooked or raw, and we can eat it all, from the roots to the leaves. It’s used in salads, casseroles, and soups. In fact, along with onions and carrots, celery forms the famed Mirepoix, the French base that flavors soups and stews. Another favorite is celery stalks (& either ranch or bleu cheese dressing) alongside Buffalo-style chicken or cauliflower. And stuffing for a duck, chicken, or turkey would be foul without celery in the dressing mix. (Yes, pun intended.) Further, what’s a Bloody Mary cocktail without its celery stalk stir stick? Nada, Baby!
So, let’s get cooking!
Creamy Celery Soup