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Mar 13 2015

Looks Delicious! Cajun Eggs Benedict

Posted by Erika (TK) in Looks Delicious!

It’s Friday! You know what that means. It means the weekend is almost upon us, giving us two days to sleep in a little bit, and the luxury of spending a little more time enjoying a sit-down breakfast instead of just the usual grab-and-go weekday fare.

This Cajun Eggs Benedict from TK member Jessie is just the kind of leisurely breakfast that makes weekend mornings special. Don’t be intimidated by the detailed instructions: this comes together quickly and easily. Nothing complicated here! The smoked paprika and cayenne give the sauce a nice earthiness and mild kick, and it stands up well to the bold flavors of the andouille sausage. And we love that Jessie uses biscuits here!

Do you already have something planned for your weekend mornings? If not, bring on the heat with this hearty breakfast!

Mar 18 2015

Corned Beef Ideas

Posted by Erika (TK) in Holidays

Growing up, corned beef was an occasional—and much-enjoyed—breakfast treat. I was more familiar with the kind that came in a can, and I always looked forward to Saturday mornings watching cartoons as the smell of corned beef frying with garlic, onions, and tomatoes filled the kitchen. It was many years later that I was properly introduced to the kind that didn’t come in a can, which opened my eyes to a whole other world of cured meat goodness.

Corned beef, however it’s packaged, is not inexpensive, but around this time of year, almost every supermarket has it on sale because of St. Patrick’s Day. I don’t know about you, but every time I prepare corned beef, I always end up with a lot left over. If you find yourself in that same predicament, we thought we’d help you out with a few ideas for those corned beef leftovers.

Here are a few that caught our eye:

Corned Beef and Slaw Sandwich. It doesn’t get easier than this. Turn any extra cabbage into a quick creamy slaw that pairs perfectly with the salty goodness of corned beef.

Corned Beef Hash with Creamy Horseradish Sauce. Go the corned beef hash route and spice it up with creamy horseradish sauce.

Corned Beef Hash Baked Eggs. Same hash idea, but with a twist: baked eggs on top!

Corned Beef Cabbage Grilled Cheese. Because melted cheese. Amen.

Corned Beef Cheeseburger. Take the corned beef and melted cheese, then add a burger. Boom.

Caraway Havarti Grits with Shrimp and Corned Beef. Southern dish with an Irish twist. Plus, who can resist cheesy grits?

Those are just a few ideas from our lovely TK members! How about you? Do you have any favorite ways to enjoy leftover corned beef? Come share below!

Mar 20 2015

Looks Delicious! Chicken Shawarma

Posted by Erika (TK) in Looks Delicious!

Have you ever had shawarma?

“There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is but I want to try it.”

Iron Man may not know have known shawarma then but he quickly remedied that. And I don’t blame him. Shawarma is very similar to a gyro or doner kebab, and many years ago, I was fortunate enough to live in a place where I had easy access to it. It’s one of my all-time favorite street foods, so imagine my excitement when I saw a home-kitchen-friendly version here on Tasty Kitchen!

I say “home-kitchen-friendly” because, like gyros, shawarma meat is usually roasted on a vertical rotating spit, preferably over a wood fire. I don’t know many home kitchens equipped with one, but Julie’s recipe for Chicken Shawarma with Hummus and Pita only needs a hot oven. And she makes chili hummus to go with it. (Click the photo above to get the printable!)

Ah, chicken shawarma. Luscious chicken full of earthy flavors, roasted in the oven, served on toasted pita bread spread with chili hummus and topped with fresh veggies and some tzatziki or tahini sauce. It’s no wonder even superheroes who just spent a few hard days saving the world make time to kick back and polish off one or two (or twenty—I’m looking at you, Hulk) of these.

Thanks for sharing, Julie! Chicken shawarma is definitely happening in my kitchen soon, and you can bet I’m going to have fun saying “shawarma” over and over again until someone tells me to quit it already.

Have a great weekend, friends!

Apr 1 2015

Easter Eggs!

Posted by Betsy (TK) in Kitchen Talk

Easter week is in full swing, and if you haven’t already boiled and dyed eggs, it’s more than likely on your agenda in the next couple of days. Dyed eggs are the centerpiece of many families’ Easter celebrations, so we want to share knowledge today about all things Easter egg. Tell us:

Do you have tips for perfect Easter eggs?

Whether it’s cooking, dyeing or using the leftover eggs in a recipe, we want to hear your tricks.

First, the cooking. We all have our favorite method for achieving the perfect hard-boiled egg. Some of us add vinegar to the water before it boils. Others skip this step. Some boil rapidly for a set period and then remove and add cold water to cool. Another method is to bring water to a boil with the eggs in the pot and then remove from heat, cover and let sit for several minutes to complete the cooking. We know folks who swear by using an ice bath to stop the cooking. How about you? What are your best hard-boiled egg tricks? Since we’ll be boiling at least a dozen eggs, we want to make sure they come out right. We’ll eventually eat these babies, after all.

Now for the dyeing. Always a fun (though sometimes messy) undertaking, we’ve seen some really fun variations on the typical approach and some clever uses of natural ingredients to dye eggs. TK Member Patricia from ButterYum shares a neat method from Le Creuset for dyeing eggs purple using grape juice. We also adore these crackled eggs from Stephanie of Girl Versus Dough. Tell us your tips for the best dyed eggs. How do you get the most vivid colors, and/or what natural ingredients have you found success with for dyeing?

After the hunt, we’ll be ready to crack open our eggs and use them for deviled eggs, a great egg salad or maybe perfect potato salad for Easter dinner. I always love a good Cobb or Nicoise salad, and both call for a hard-boiled egg or two. Then at least one or two eggs will end up in school lunches around here. I’m thinking I need to have another dozen eggs on hand! Let us know your favorite uses for your leftover Easter eggs. We’re ready for some fresh ideas!

We wish you wonderful celebrations with family and friends and hope your eggs turn out lovely and tasty!

Mar 23 2015

Fudgy Black Bean Brownies

Posted by DessertForTwo in Baking

Yes, we’re really making brownies with black beans. Embrace it. They’re good for you!

Mar 25 2015

Growing Vegetables

Posted by Erika (TK) in Kitchen Talk

Do you have any tips for growing vegetables? Favorite veggies you like to plant each year? Any particular challenges planting specific varieties? Any questions that other gardeners here may be able to answer?

Apr 8 2015

Let’s Talk Asparagus

Posted by Erika (TK) in Kitchen Talk

Asparagus is our topic this week: growing, storing, preparing, cooking, you name it. Tell us:

Do you have any favorite asparagus tips (ha!) or recipes?

Apr 6 2015

Hammy Monday!

Posted by Erika (TK) in The Theme Is...

In case you're looking for inspiration or just something new to try out, we rounded up a few that we've featured right here on the Tasty Kitchen Blog.

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