bacon and egg muffins

I have a confession to make. I have fallen in love with the incredible edible egg all over again. I'm not sure that I was ever truly out of love (?) with them come to think about it. Regardless though, our relationship has rekindled and taken a new turn. This may seem like a risky love affair considering the current salmonella outbreak - but I can't help it. I'm pretty sure it all started when I recently learned how to poach eggs. It was eye opening (think poached eggs with roasted asparagus and prosciutto) and honestly fun! Try it if you never have. There are videos online to help you summon your inner Julia Child.

A few weeks and quite a few eggs after the poaching experiment, I stumbled upon the latest issue of Edible Seattle while out for Sunday coffee with a friend. As if my subconscience was leading the way, the first thing I saw when I opened the magazine was the recipe for these muffins. A bacon biscuit with a whole egg baked right into the middle. I practically bee-lined home to try them....and have made them twice since that day. The recipe is perfect as is. They are best served hot, but are great to grab on the run in the morning and still just as satisfying, and filling, cold. I'm headed to the beach with my family in two weeks and will surely be making these for everyone to munch on for breakfast. Think I can smuggle my mega muffin pan through airport security?? -jz

bacon and egg muffins
makes 6 mega muffins

non-stick vegetable oil spray
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cooked crisp and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 cup whole milk
7 large eggs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 6 jumbo muffin tins (or 1 cup ramekins) with the vegetable oil spray and set aside.

Whisk the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, bacon, chives and cheese in a large bowl. Combine the milk and one egg in a small bowl, then add to the dry ingredients along with the melted butter. Fold the ingredients together gently until no dry spots remain.

Spoon about 1/4 cup batter into each of the muffin tins. Using a soft spatula spread the batter up the sides of the tins a bit, leaving a depression in the middle of the batter. Crack an egg into the center of each cup. Divide the remaining batter between the cups making sure you cover the yolk. It's easiest if you work with small dollops of batter.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes until the visible egg white is set and the muffins are just barely beginning to crack. They won't be very brown. Cool 5 minutes, then run a small knife around the edges of each muffin to release. Serve hot.

Recipe taken from: Edible Seattle

best ever pb&j sandwich

Being the "best ever" peanut butter and jelly sandwich sounds like a lot to live up to. I can remember many fabulous pb&j sandwiches at this very moment. This one however takes the cake, or maybe the bacon as it turns out. The inspiration for this sandwich came from a local downtown bakery here in Seattle. A bakery that uses at least a pound of butter in every cookie they make. The smell of these cookies alone has almost deterred from me going to work in the morning. This same bakery also makes a wide array of sandwiches, one of which led to the best ever pb&j. Peanut butter, cranberry blueberry spread, bananas, granny smith apples....it couldn't get much better. Enter bacon. Peanut butter and bacon are an obvious match, but with the apples and bananas, this combination borders on heavenly. It's the perfect blend of savory sweetness. Grab a napkin and a tall glass of milk - this sandwich needs both. Enjoy! - jz

best ever pb&j sandwich
makes 2 sandwiches (could serve 4)

4 slices thick cut bacon
4 slices fresh whole grain bread
8 tablespoons natural chunky peanut butter
4 teaspoons Crofter's Super Fruit Spread
1 small granny smith apple, thinly sliced
1 banana, cut lengthwise into strips

Cook bacon according to package directions. Set aside on paper napkins to cool and drain. Spread each slice of bread with two tablespoons of peanut butter then 1 teaspoon of fruit spread. Layer two pieces of bread with approximately half the sliced apples on each. Layer the remaining two pieces of bread with half the banana on each and then half the bacon. Carefully join together an apple side with a banana side. Give the whole sandwich a good "smash," cut into halves and serve.

viceroy burgers

Sundays are for cheaters. At least according to my friend Paul they are.

This past Sunday, I buckled under the pressure. I cheated.

For those of you who are pure at heart (or maybe for those of you who aren't so pure at heart), don't get too excited.  I wasn't part of a steamy sordid affair with a somehow inappropriate but incredibly good looking man. I'm in the middle of a two week cleanse and Sunday I gave in to a deliciously sinful burger. A burger that was worth every moment. Let me explain.

The inspiration for these burgers came long before my cleanse started and consequently a long way from home. I spent a week in Palm Springs this past February in the fabulous Viceroy Hotel which is home to a little restaurant called Citron. The restaurant was of course overpriced as most hotel restaurants are. So instead of ordering a $20 cheeseburger while lounging by the pool, my friend Jill jotted down all the ingredients to the Viceroy Burger. Horseradish aoli, balsamic onions, gruyere, bacon, blue cheese and arugula. Not one type of cheese, but two. And bacon. Now you see where the word sinful comes into play.

You can imagine my delight when she called me Sunday not only to invite me over for dinner, but to tell me we'd be making Viceroy Burgers. Then I found out Sundays are for cheaters. Perfect!

viceroy burgers
makes 4

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
3 - 4 tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 small sweet onion, sliced
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1-2 teaspoons horseradish
6 strips thickly sliced bacon, cooked
gruyere cheese, sliced
blue cheese, crumbled
1 1/2 cups arugula
4 whole grain rolls or buns

Season ground beef with Montreal Steak Seasoning and form into 4 patties.

Melt butter over low heat in a small skillet. Add sliced onions and cook slowly until they begin to caramelize, about 15 - 20 minutes. Meanwhile combine horseradish and mayonnaise. Set aside. Add balsamic to skillet and allow onions to cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Place burgers on hot grill and allow to cook for 4 minutes on each side. Top with blue cheese and gruyere and allow cheese to melt. Remove from grill. Dress burgers with mayonnaise, bacon, caramelized onions and arugula. Serve hot.