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eggs

Tasty

Huevos Rancheros

January 22, 2014

018 The Feezor family are Huevos Rancheros addicts, but sometimes it just seems like too much work to whip up at home (hence it being a staple on our brunch outings).

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Luckily, I found a way to make a relatively quick and very tasty Huevos at home.  The biggest plus for me? Minimal clean up 🙂

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Huevos Rancheros

  • Corn Tortillas
  • Monterey Jack cheese
  • Pico de Gallo
  • Salsa Verde (I use the TJ’s version)
  • Eggs
  • Avocado
  • Beans (Black or Pinto – drained, rinsed)
  1. Brush olive oil on the inside of a custard tin (XL muffin tin/pan).
  2. Warm corn tortillas in microwave for 30 seconds or until soft/pliable (wrap them in paper towel first!)
  3. Push them into muffin tin and brush with oil.
  4. Place a spoonful of beans into the bottom. You also could get creative with the step and add finely diced onion, cilantro, etc.
  5. Grate a little cheese over the beans (to your liking).
  6. Crack egg over bean/cheese mixture (make sure it is contained in corn tortilla shell.
  7. Grate more cheese a top the egg (I like the egg pretty much covered).
  8. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
  9. Top with pico de gallo, salsa verde, chopped avocado and cilantro!

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Tasty

Meyer Lemon Bars

December 18, 2013

Meyer Lemon Bar Unedited

The first day we toured our home we noticed there was a Meyer lemon tree in the back yard… I made a mental note that day to make lemon squares, and two years later, I still have yet to do so.  With the recent turn in weather, my poor little tree is having a tough time, so I have been trying to pick as many lemons (that haven’t fallen victim to frost) and whip up some special treats – namely Meyer Lemon Bars!

Meyer Lemon Bars

via Dinnervine

Crust: 

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of cinnamon
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

Filling: 

  • 7 tablespoons freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
  • 7 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease & flour a 13×9 glass pan.
  2. Make crust by combining dry ingredients, then cut in softened butter with your hands or a pastry cutter until well incorporated.
  3. Press crust mixture into bottom of 13×9 pan (I used a bottom of a glass to make sure it was evenly pressed).
  4. Bake crust for 20 minutes until golden brown.
  5. Make filling by whisking all listed ingredients (the fresher the juice/zest the better!)
  6. When crust is done, remove from oven and pour filling mixture over crust and bake for 25 more minutes or until filling has set.
  7. Remove from oven, let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  8. Cover and transfer to fridge.   Once chilled cut bars and serve.

Aerial Lemon Dessert

These were quite the hit… and the perfect make ahead dessert!

Meyer Lemon Squares

Tasty

Bundled Up Breakfast

December 4, 2013

Stacked French Toast

With the temperatures dropping and the cloudy mornings in full force, nothing is better than a cozy breakfast to start your day.    My hubby is a big french toast fan, so I’ve been working on perfecting my recipe.

French Toast Ingredients

Honey

Honey French Toast

French Toast Adapted from Alton Brown’s Recipe 

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup half & half
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons honey (warmed in microwave for 30 seconds)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 loaf of sliced day old bread (I used challah) – slices about 3/4 inch thick
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Whisk milk, half and half, eggs, honey and salt in a shallow bowl (or a 9×13 pan in my case).
  3. Soak bread slices for 15 seconds on each side and transfer to a cooling rack (that is placed on top of a sheet pan to catch any drippings). Let rest for 2 minutes.
  4. Spray some Pam in the pan and then heat a tablespoon of butter in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat and cook french toast slices for 2-3 minutes on each side in batches.
  5. Transfer cooked slices to a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes.
  6. Remove and serve with powdered sugar and maple syrup.

Challah Bread

French Toast Batter

Dipped French Toast

Cooked French Toast

Also, I tend to mess up french toast 90% of the time, so I am constantly learning from my mistakes and trying to correct my wrongs.  Here are some tips I’ve learned so far:

  1. Mix the custard thoroughly – you want to make sure not to have chunks of egg in your french toast… so make sure to really get in there and whisk your mixture well
  2. Choose the right bread – you want to make sure it is sturdy yet still spongey.  I prefer challah, but brioche or croissants are some other great options.  Also make sure to slice them around 3/4 inch thick (too thin and they will be flimsy, and if it’s too thick it won’t cook through)
  3. Using JUST butter – spraying a little PAM in the bottom of your pan will coat it and allow the butter not to burn.  Also make sure to wipe out your pan with each batch.
  4. Pan temperature – Make sure to preheat your pan and cook at medium heat.  Anything too high and it will burn your toast, and anything too low will dry out your final product.

Pour Milk Cracking Eggs Pour Honey

Happy breakfasting!

Powdered Sugar French Toast

Be sure to check out more Laundry in Louboutin’s recipes here!

Tasty

Girls Love to Brunch

November 6, 2013

Every Sunday I tell myself I am going to wake up and whip up an amazing brunch for the hubby and I, and by the time I work my way down my mental to-do list, I am too overwhelmed… this past weekend though I was excited to put together a brunch that tasted like it took MUCH more time than it did.

Brunch

The key to this meal – the best ingredients you can find.  I went to the farmer’s market at 9am and bought farm fresh eggs, Early Girl tomatoes (that no joke you could smell when walking by their stand… I didn’t even know tomatoes could smell amazing!??!), and Levain rustic bread from the Manresa Bread Project.  By 11am I was home from errand running and was eating this meal by 11:30am… doesn’t get much better than that!

Charred Tomatoes and Toast 

  • 4 Slices Rustic Bread
  • 4 Tomatoes
  • 1 Clove of Garlic, peeled and sliced in half
  • 4 Eggs
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive Oil
  1. Toast your bread (you could put it in the toaster, but I toasted in in a pan on the stove)
  2. Remove from heat and rub sliced end of garlic on bread.
  3. Brush olive oil on bread.
  4. Slice tomatoes in half (I sliced the ends off too, just because I’m weird about them)
  5. Brush sliced end with olive oil.
  6. Heat a pan over medium heat and once pan is warm place tomato, sliced side down on pan.
  7. Don’t move and let them cook for 3-4 minutes (until charred).
  8. Remove tomatoes from pan and place 2 atop each piece of bread.
  9. Drizzle some olive oil in a pan and crack eggs into pan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  10. Let eggs cook, undisturbed for 2-3 minutes (until egg white sets)
  11. Remove eggs once finished and place atop tomatoes and toast

Now what is the best thing to wash this meal down with? My easy go to brunch drink – a Michelada Cubana!

Michelada Cubana

Michelada Cubana 

  • 1 Corona 
  • Fresh squeezed lime juice (of 2 limes)
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 4-5 dashes of Tabasco (or more if you love it really hot)
  1. Rim a glass with lime juice and salt. 
  2. Mix ingredients listed above and pour into glass.

Michelada

*I premixed this drink in a pitcher when I got home and refrigerated it while I was making brunch.  Once the eggs were cooked I poured it into the salt rimmed glass and was good to go!

Cocktail Eggs Brunch

Tasty

Birthday Cake

September 25, 2013

Birthday CakeI finally checked the second “Summer To Do List” item off my list – bake a layer cake!  I used to bake super involved cakes when I was younger, but found it difficult to find the time as I got older.  I really enjoy the process… it’s therapeutic to me.  So when I found my sister was coming into town to celebrate her birthday, I figured when better than now to break out my apron!?

Vanilla CakeAfter many debate about which direction to go in, I decided to create what I deemed a “princess cake.” Basically something your 6 year old self would get a kick out of – vanilla cake, sprinkles, pale pink butter cream frosting… the works!

I doubled this recipe and started with A LOT of eggs, A LOT of butter and A LOT of sugar.  I got to stirring, whipping and baking and after a few hours had 3 relatively flat layers to work with (remember to use a large serrated knife or cake knife to slice off the top of the cake to get an even/flat surface when stacking layers).  Another tip: use a small amount of frosting to ice your cake initially and let “dry” (as shown in the pictures above).  Doing this keeps any crumbs from getting into your final frosting layer.

SprinklesI only used a couple drops of red food coloring to achieve the pale pink color.  I frosted the top and then finished with colored sprinkles.  Next I frosted the edges with a spatula (my kitchen is not fully equipped yet!) and then piped around the edges (let’s be honest it was to hide any issues with the “seams”/edges).

I added a few colored candles and we were all set for happy birthday!

Taylor BirthdayHappy birthday Ta!!