{recipe: hello breakfast sandwich}

Ehllo Friends!

{british for hello riiight?}

Growing up I always missed breakfast because I could never get up early enough to enjoy it (plus I’ve never really been a morning person). I also felt like breakfast had no variety and was limited to cereal and toast. Boy was I missing out. Once I started expanding my horizons (and actually catching a glimpse of the morning sun) I learned that there is so much more to this most important meal. In fact, my favorite thing to do now, is wake up super early and make a fancy breakfast/brunch (depending on the night we had...haha) whenever we have overnight guests. I feel it’s a nice way of saying, “we like you so much we want your belly to feel it.” So---if you don’t get breakfast at the Ellis house---well errr, this is awkward.........

I’ve been experimenting with breakfast sandwiches (my fav!) and recently came up with the one I’m sharing today. It includes my favorite cheese of all time and is pretty healthy all around. Who said healthy was limited to green monster smoothies? I love the concept of a breakfast sandwich because it fills you up and is a great meal option for those on the run (especially if you can do some fancy napkin origami to keep the fillings in).

 hello breakfast sandwich:

Servings: 1

Source: Jkrabbits INC Kitchen

 Ingredients:

 2 slices of delicious wheat bread

2 eggs (1 whole egg, 1 egg white)

1 strip of bacon cut into small pieces

1 slice of smoked gouda cheese

fresh baby spinach leaves

salt and pepper to taste

a little butter (for spreading)

How To:

Step 1: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. 

Step 2: Whisk the eggs together and add a little salt and pepper. 

Step 3: Place the bread slices on a baking sheet with one slice of smoked gouda on top and toast in the oven for about 7-10 minutes. 

Step 4: Cook the bacon pieces in a small pan to your desired crispiness, and then drain out the grease. Add the eggs. 

Step 5: Allow the eggs to cook with the bacon in an even layer in your pan and flip when it starts to bubble a bit and the layer stays intact when shifted around. 

Step 6: Remove bread from oven and butter the slice without cheese. 

Step 7: Slowly remove your bacon scrambled eggs from the pan and fold on top of the bread slice with the gouda cheese. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. 

Step 8: Add fresh spinach leaves then cover with the buttered bread slice.

 

Step 9: Pour some OJ on the side or hot tea and devour!

I hope you all enjoy this sandwich just as much as I have. I’ll have to post up some other sandwich creations soon.

 

What does your favorite breakfast sandwich include?

J

The Mrs.

 

{recipe: spicy herb mac n’cheese}

Heyy June!

It’s summertime which means days out on the water, fresh cocktails, fancy sunglasses, and of course tons of cookouts! For me summer also means lots and lots of mac n’ cheese. I don’t know why, it just seems like a cookout staple. Just ask my hubs---if it’s on the menu, I’ll most likely want to try it. I especially love when the traditional mac n’ cheese is recreated. Some have been absolute fails, but others have taken my taste buds straight to the moon. I just love it! Can’t you tell? Recently, I had a craving for cheesy noodles and decided to experiment with a few random ingredients I had on hand. It all amounted to this delicious recipe. The hubs gave it two thumbs up! Try it out and let me know what you think. Seriously, I’m always open to suggestions!

spicy herb mac n’ cheese:

Servings: 4

Source: Jkrabbits INC Kitchen

Ingredients:

2 cups of cavatappi pasta

1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

3 oz of velveeta (cubed)

1/4 cup of shredded smoked gouda

1 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of chipotle powder

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup of fresh baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup of bacon pieces (optional)

How To:

Step 1: Bring slightly salted water to a boil in a medium pot. Add pasta and cook until al dente. 

Step 2: In the meantime, add whipping cream, velveeta, gouda, and butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat and stir until melted. 

Step 3: Once cheeses have melted, add minced garlic, pepper, chipotle powder, garlic salt, parsley, and basil.  

Step 4: Incorporate baby spinach leaves and bacon pieces. Turn heat to low and cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Step 5: Once pasta is cooked to al dente, remove from heat, strain, and rinse with cool water. Shake out any excess water. 

Step 6: Add pasta to your serving dish and pour cheese sauce over top. 

Step 7: Slowly combine the sauce and pasta until all the noodles are covered. 

Step 8: Serve warm and enjoy!

Super easy and incredibly good! If you want to tone down the spice, take out the chipotle powder. I personally enjoy it as it adds a bit of a smoky flavor. I may experiment with it some more in the future and come up with a baked version.

J

So long for now!

The Mrs.

{recipe: crockpot chicken cordon bleu}

Happy weekend everyone!

Today I have a super delicious recipe for you guys to try out; Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu! I’m sure many of you may have tried one version or another of this delightful dish. It’s one of my favorites---cheese, ham, & chicken---yum! Such a great combo of flavors. I decided to put my own spin on this traditional dish and came up with a recipe I think you might enjoy. I switched out the swiss for some smoked gouda and added a special sauce that is unbelieveable delicious (seriously---I had to stop myself from licking the crockpot). Give it a go and see if your tastebuds are as impressed as mine were.

crockpot chicken cordon bleu:

Servings: 4 – 5

Source: Jkrabbits INC Kitchen

Chicken Ingredients:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4-6 slices of smoked gouda

4-6 pieces of thinly sliced honey ham

1/4 to 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour to dredge the chicken in

garlic salt & pepper to taste

italian herbs

Sauce Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1 cup whipping cream

1 cup chicken broth

1 & 1/2 cups of grated colby cheese

1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of butter

2 teaspoons white granulated sugar

2 large tablespoons of flour

3 tablespoons of dry white wine

2 tablespoons of minced onions

1 tablespoon of minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of garlic salt

1/2 tablespoon of dried italian herbs

1/4 cup of sliced button mushrooms (optional)

How To:

Step 1: Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and using a mallet (or whatever your have around---for me it was a wine bottle...haha), pound each chicken breast to 1/4″ thickness.

Step 2: Season each piece of chicken with garlic salt, pepper, and italian herbs.

Step 3: Place 1 gouda slice and 1 ham slice on each breast, then roll up (tucking loose ends in) and use a toothpick to secure.

Step 4: Dredge each chicken roll in flour & shake off any excess.

Step 5: In a skillet, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and turn your heat to med/high. When the oil is hot, carefully place your chicken rolls in the skillet and brown both sides until golden brown.

Step 6: Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter, then add the garlic salt, pepper, italian herbs, onions, garlic, and sugar.

Step 7: Add the flour and whisk in quickly until the roux is bubbly and smooth.

Step 8: Add the chicken broth, cream, milk, & white wine.

Step 9: Continue whisking over med. heat until it has thickened – about 10 minutes.

Step 10: Turn heat to low and then add the grated cheeses.

Step 11: Stir well until smooth and creamy.

Step 12: Add the mushrooms now and anything else you’d like to include.

  

Step 13: Place the chicken rolls into the slow cooker and pour the sauce over top until covered.

Step 14: Cover with lid then allow to cook on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. The chicken is done when it falls apart easily when forked.

Step 15: Remove from crockpot and place on a nice plate. I put mine over spinach so my guests could enjoy some greens with their meal.

I was surprised at how tender the chicken was after cooking. And the flavors were beyond amazing! This definitely makes my list of favorite recipes. Hopefully it will make yours too J

Good day friends!

Mrs. E