Double Trouble

 

I work with a lot of foodies and I love it!  Every now and then, when we are waiting for a meeting to start, or just taking a quick break from our hectic day, we talk food.  One day, before a meeting, Roger, one of the owners, tells us of something his dad made when he was a kid - he called it Double Trouble.  Roger starts to explain to us that his dad would take an English muffin, spread butter on it, top it with liverwurst, and last but not least, top it all with a nice fried egg!  Ok, for a lot of people, you just read liverwurst and started to back away slowly from your computers.  Not me, I love liverwurst, I grew up eating it, so to me, this sounded wonderful!!  I was instantly thinking about picking up liverwurst the next time I was at the store.  And that's exactly what I did.

Why the name Double Trouble?  Well, Roger wasn't certain as to why his dad called it that, but I liked the name and thought if I was going to give the recipe true justice, I would stick with it.

Now for some, I know this will not appeal to you.. heck, some of you may have never even heard of liverwurst before... but if you are a liverwurst fan, you must try this.  It was such a delicious little treat that I kick myself for not thinking of it on my own!  Next time I make it though - and there will be a next time - I will cook the egg to over medium at the most and I will add cheese.  I think a little cheese would have made it even that much better!  Oh, and I did not use butter on the English muffin.. I was too excited and just dropped the liverwurst and egg right on it before I had a chance to do it.. you can add it if you want, or leave it out.. I don't think it really made that much of a difference.

Thanks, Roger - I hope I did your father proud!

Double Trouble
Inspired by Roger and his father
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
English muffin
slice of liverwurst
1 egg

Directions:
Fry egg to your desired liking - over easy, over medium, over hard.  (I actually cooked mine just a tad bit longer than I wanted, but that's ok.)  Toast English muffin.

Top toasted English muffin with sliced liverwurst and top the liverwurst with fried egg.  Place top of English muffin on top and dig in!  It's simple.. it's delicious.. Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Parmesan Garlic Tilapia
Two Years Ago:  Stuffed Chicken Breasts

BLT Scrambled Eggs

In case you ever need to know this - my all time favorite sandwich is a BLT.  I could eat a (ok, maybe two or three) BLT every single day and never get tired of them.  Seriously.  I've done it before......   but don't tell my mom :)

This is a simple idea...nothing special or life changing...but still worth putting out there for you all to enjoy.  I decided on this one night when I was thinking of how many BLT with fried egg sandwiches I've been seeing.  It got me thinking... and this was what sprung from those thoughts.

In all reality, this should really be called BBT scrambled eggs as I used basil instead of lettuce.  But I figured, I'd spend too much time explaining it, so I left it at BLT...  If you wanted to add spinach instead of basil, that would work really well too.

BLT Scrambled Eggs
Created by Jenn's Food Journey
- Serves 2 -
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
6 slices of bacon, chopped
8 eggs
1-2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
6-8 large fresh basil leaves, chopped

Directions:
In a non-stick skillet, cook the bacon until crisp; about 5-10 minutes.  Remove with slotted spoon and allow to drain on a paper towel.  Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, garlic salt, pepper, and cayenne until light and foamy.  Put the skillet with the grease in it over medium high heat for 1 minute.  Pour the eggs straight into the middle of the pan, which will force the grease to the edges, where you want it.  Stir slowly with a rubber or silicone spatula.  As soon as curds (big soft lumps) of eggs begin to form, drop the heat down to low and shift from stirring to folding the curds over on themselves while gently shaking the pan with the other hand.  As soon as no more liquidous egg is running around the pan, add the tomatoes and bacon and fold into eggs.  Cook for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and fold in basil.  Serve warm and enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Spread

Cinnamon Rolls

So, back at the beginning of the year, I said that all I really wanted to do this year was make cinnamon rolls.  Well, folks...looks like I'm done... see ya next year!!  

Seriously, though...YAY!!  I FINALLY did it!!  And it wasn't so bad.  Ok, ok.. yes it was bad, but not THAT bad.

My biggest problem with these, as with any yeast breads I seem to make, was that I could not get the dough to rise.  I ended up putting it in the sun so that it would have some extra heat to help it along.  The process took twice as long and I got impatient and believe I put them in the oven before they were at their most fluffiest.  I believe that led to "heavier" cinnamon rolls.  They definitely were not light and flakey.  And I know they were supposed to be, because I politely took this recipe from Mary over at One Perfect Bite.  I have never made anything from her site that was not fantastic.  And I mean, look at her pictures, then look at mine... and I followed the directions to the T.  Ok, obviously I didn't as they would have turned out exactly like hers, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying.  I believe that I allowed the milk to cool too much, so when the yeast hit it, it was not hot enough to activate it.  That's my theory at least and I'm going to stick with that.  Because, if I don't, I'll think it's just me and I'll never try making these again.. and THAT would be a shame for sure, because honestly, I love cinnamon rolls and these had the perfect flavor, just not the perfect texture.... so I will be trying my hand at these again.

Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe courtesy Mary, One Perfect Bite
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
Dough - 
1 cup whole milk
1 stick (8T) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoons table salt
Filling - 
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 brown sugar
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped toasted pecans (I left this out)
Icing - 
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar (I used 1 cup)
1 Tablespoons milk 

Directions:
To make dough:  Scald milk over medium-high heat.  Pour into a large bowl of an electric mixer.  Add the butter and stir until butter has melted.  Set aside until mixture is lukewarm.  Stir yeast and sugar into milk.  Add 1 cup flour and mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add salt and 1 more cup of flour.  Mix vigorously until dough is smooth and elastic, about 3 minutes on medium speed.  Add reserved 2 1/2 cups flour and mix just until incorporated.  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface.  Continue kneading by hand until it is smooth.  Place the dough in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a towel, and set aside until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

To make the filling:  Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl.

To assemble rolls:  Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan (I used two round cake pans).  Turn dough onto a well-floured surface.  Roll dough with a rolling pin into an evenly shopped 12x16-inch rectangle.  Brush dough liberally with softened butter.  Sprinkle with an even layer of cinnamon/sugar mixture, leaving a 1/2 inch border along one of the long sides.  Sprinkle with toasted pecans if using.  Roll, beginning with long side of rectangle.  Use finger tips to pinch dough as you roll, sealing edges firmly to form a seam.  Cut into 12 pieces using a serrated knife or dental floss and arrange in pan.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size, about 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake rolls in center of oven until they are golden, 25-30 minutes.  Invert rolls onto a wire rack and cool to rooms temperature, about 20 minutes.

To make icing:  Mix all ingredients until smoother, add more milk as required for drizzling.  Drizzle (or spread as I did) icing over rolls with spoon.  Cut or pull apart to separate.  Serve warm.  Enjoy! 

 

One Year Ago:  Peanut Butter Ice Cream
 

Applesauce Bars

 

When the Food Floozie posted her recipe for these Applesauce Bars, I couldn't stop thinking about them.  For some reason, that morning, as I was browsing through some of my favorite sites, I was way more hungry then usual.  When I pulled her site up, I don't know what it was about it, but my mouth started watering and my belly started yelling "We want one of those...go get one of those!!!"  Alas, Mary does not live close enough for me to just "pop in" AND even though these bars don't take a lot of time, I didn't have all the ingredients... GRRRRR!!  So, I guzzled some more coffee, hoping that would fool my stomach, but no such luck.  On my way to work and all the way up until lunch time, I couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted one of those bars!!!  Funny how a simple post about tasty applesauce bars can make you become an obsessive freak!!

Unfortunately, this all transpired on a Tuesday, so I had to wait ALL week long before I actually got a chance to make these.  The best part...they were well wroth the wait!!  Oh, don't get me wrong, I would have loved to have had them that day (and the next and the next and the next....) but to be at home and to be able to really enjoy them, savor them.. instead of shoving them in my mouth as I'm heading out the door... Priceless!!

I changed only a few little things when I made these:  I used apple butter instead of apple jelly (but Mary confirmed that this was not a make or break ingredient in the bars and you could leave it out all together), I used all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour, and I topped mine with dark chocolate chips.  Why?  Why not???

Thanks Mary!  These were the BOMB!!!

Applesauce Bars
Slightly adapted from the Food Floozie
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
2/3 cup softened butter (I used unsalted)
1/4 cup oil (I used vegetable oil)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup applesauce
3 Tablespoons apple butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup apple flavored instant oatmeal
1/4 - 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, oil, sugar and brown sugar; mix in the egg and the salt.  Slowly mix in the flour.  Press 2 cups of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.

Combine the applesauce, jelly, and cinnamon in a small bowl; spread over the base.

 

Stir the oatmeal and the chocolate chips in the remaining batter; spread over the applesauce layer (I actually sort of just crumbled mine up).

 

Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.  Cool before cutting into bars (though I thought they were the best still slightly warm!!).  Enjoy!

 

One Year Ago:  Italian Style Tilapia

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

If you gave Chris the option of Biscuits and Gravy or Country Fried Steak and Eggs for breakfast, he'd probably ask why he couldn't have both! :)

I don't make breakfast very often.  If I do, it's always on the weekends.  Chris is no fun to ask what he wants for breakfast anymore because he always wants the same thing...biscuits and gravy!! Now, don't get me wrong, I like biscuits and gravy, but I'm an egg girl... a fried egg girl if you want to know the truth... a fried egg on a toasted English muffin with melted cheese and bacon girl if you want know the WHOLE truth.  But when Chris actually makes a request of what he would like me to make, I jump on it.  Chris is wonderful in the sense that he always trusts that I will come up with a great meal plan for the week...he very rarely even asks what we are having for dinner...but it's frustrating when I'm having a hard time coming up with ideas and I ask him for suggestions and he just sort of shrugs his shoulders :)  My point being: when the man makes a request, who am I to deny him??

This is a simple recipe that most people probably throw their own twist on...but today, I'm just posting simple.  So simple, I didn't even make fresh biscuits...that's right.. Pillsbury worked just fine for us.  Feel free to make your own, they definitely make a difference and would have made our awesome breakfast even better, BUT laziness was in charge... I mean, come on, it was the weekend!!  And, if you aren't a fan of sausage, you can easily substitute bacon...mmmmmmmm...bacon AND sausage gravy!!!!

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
6-8oz breakfast sausage (I say 6-8 because you might want more sausage, you might want less)
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
1 cup milk (you might need a little more)
salt and pepper
6-8 warm biscuits (homemade or store bought)

Directions:
In a cast iron skillet (you can use any skillet if you want, but cast iron works the best, I think), over medium heat, cook the sausage; breaking it up with a wooden spoon.  When the sausage is cooked (about 5 minutes or so) remove from skillet with slotted spoon; let drain on paper towel lined plate.  Do not drain the oil.  You should have at least 1 tablespoon of oil left, if not add some butter so that it equals a tablespoon.

Add the flour to the oil and cook for 1 minutes, stirring constantly.  Slowly whisk in the milk.  Let simmer until sauce starts to thicken.  Add the sausage back into the skillet and season with salt and pepper.  Let simmer for another 3-5 minutes or until the sausage is heated through.  Pour the gravy over the biscuits....Enjoy!

Chorizo and Eggs

When I was a kid, my dad used to make his "special" eggs.  What made them special?  Well, that my dad made them of course!!  Anyway, I can remember mornings when he'd start frying that bacon and then sauteing those potatoes... mmmmm, I LOVED those morning.  What's really neat is that when I go home to visit my parents even now, my dad will make those eggs for me!!  I've made them before...but there is something still so magical about my dad making them for me!!  But I digress... this post is NOT about my dad's eggs...it's just that any time I make eggs, I am reminded of that magical concoction my dad creates and I just couldn't help but share that thought with you!  Maybe someday I'll share that recipe with you, but for now, it's all about Chorizo and Eggs.

Sometimes I hesitate to post such simple recipes, but then I am reminded that just because I believe something to be simple, does not mean that it is considered simple by someone else.  And, even if you do see this as a "too simple" of a dish, let me remind you of those nights you are looking for something quick, something simple, yet something warm and filling.  Honestly, you don't need to wait for breakfast to have a plate of this chorizo and eggs...believe me, it makes a fantastic week night meal too!

One side note here:  I accidentally picked up beef chorizo instead of pork.  Honestly, I didn't even know they made beef chorizo (my bad).  I do not like it as much as the pork, so I'm going to recommend you use pork in yours, but if you really really want to do it with the beef, go ahead...but here's a bit of warning:  chorizo will ooze it's dark red color while it cooks, but the beef was three times as bad.  I had to drain a ton of "red grease" out of the pan and I was almost afraid to take a picture as it made the egg look so "dirty".  Anyway... I am recommending pork chorizo and that's that!

Chorizo and Eggs
-serves 2-
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
5-6 large eggs
2 Tablespoons buttermilk or cream (optional)
1/2 lb chorizo (not dry), if it's in casing, remove
1/2 bell pepper (any color), finely diced
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
fresh chopped basil or parsley (optional)

Directions:
In a non-stick skillet, cook the chorizo about 5-8 minute or until just cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, crack all the eggs.  Season with salt and pepper and add the buttermilk.  Whisk together until light and foamy.

Drain any access grease from the chorizo.  Pour the eggs directly into the middle of the pan.  Add the bell pepper.  Stir slowly with a rubber or silicone spatula.  As soon as curds (bit soft lumps) of eggs begin to form, drop the heat to low and shift from stirring to folding the curds over on themselves while gently shaking the pan with the other had.  As soon as there is no more liquidous egg running around the pan, add the tomatoes and kill the heat.  Continue to stir for about 30 seconds longer.  Let the eggs rest for 1 minute.  Sprinkle with basil and enjoy!