Hill Repeat Treats

July 10, 2015Leave a comment

I’m on a running streak. Two days in a row. I rarely do that. I always like to have a day of rest in between runs. It’s a mental thing.

Yesterday morning I got up at 4:53 a.m. to meet my running friend. And it was a beautiful morning and a really great run for both of us.

It’s always good to watch the sun come up.

So today another friend asked me to go run hill repeats at the Big Dam Bridge. I warily said yes.

Three and a half miles, five hill repeats up the BDB at a pace 8:45/mile or better and buckets of sweat later, I made my way home to cook something for supper.

I was hungry and hot and impatient. So I threw something together without much thought. And my thoughtlessness paid off.

The best post-run meal I’ve ever created. The Breakfast Sweet Potato.

What you need:

Two eggs
Sweet potato
3-4 slices of bacon

And that’s it.

I cooked the sweet potato in the microwave to speed up the process. Crisped the bacon. Fried the eggs, but made sure the yolks stayed a little runny.

Holy. Crap.

The goodness is unreal.

The sweetness of the potato. The runny yolks of the eggs. The crunchy bacon pieces.

Best thing I’ve made in a long time. Go ahead and make it so we can talk about how good it is.

Cafe Gina’s Stuffed Sweet Potato

July 7, 2015Leave a comment

I have this friend. She makes asparagus topped sweet potatoes. And they are delightful.

She inspired me to make my own version of her famous sweet potato.

What happens is this. You bake a sweet potato. And while it’s cooking, you crisp up some bacon.

Once the bacon is crispy, you toss in whatever veggies you have on hand.

My combo was summer squash, red bell pepper and sweet corn.

The key is to cook the veggies in the residual bacon grease. With lots of pepper. And right before the veggies are done, you throw in a pat of Kerrygold butter.

Then you mash up the sweet potato and top it with your veggie mixture. And then you garnish it with the crispy bacon.

It’s a beautiful thing. So much goodness.

It’s can go lots of ways.

My friend always makes it with asparagus, onion, red bell pepper and chicken to make the sweet potato a complete meal. And she tops hers with turkey bacon.

It’s all too good to be true.

For the Love of Breakfast

July 5, 2015July 5, 2015Leave a comment

Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays. It’s one of the few holidays that happens in the summer when the days are long and the nights are warm and balmy. I love it.

Plus there’s fireworks, which I also love.

Yesterday I took Annie Mae to climb Pinnacle Mountain. My sweet 20 pound Boston Terrier has never climbed a mountain before, but she loves being outside.

Her star spangled banner bandanna was a huge hit, as was her squishy face.

I mean an American breed in a Betsy Ross tribute bandanna. It doesn’t get more American than that.

And it was an absolutely beautiful day. Sunny. Slightly cooler than normal. Fourth of July perfection that couldn’t get any better.

Until I made breakfast this morning.

I’ve been on a bacon and eggs kick, as you well know. When I got up this morning, the craving had not subsided. So I went with it.

Omelettes. The perfect breakfast package. It can be filled with whatever toppings you like. But I went classic with this one.

What you need:

2 eggs
A splash of half and half
A few pieces of bacon
Shredded cheddar cheese
Avocado
Salsa

Fry up the bacon until crunchy. It gives the omelette nice texture. While that’s getting right, scramble your eggs with the half and half. Put a little butter in a pan, throw the scrambled eggs in to start the omelette-building process.

Once the bacon is crispy, drain off the extra grease. To make sure the eggs are cooked like I like them, I always flip the omelette over before I fill it up. No runny scrambled eggs for me.

Crumble the crispy bacon. Top with lots of shredded cheddar cheese. Fold the omelette over to close it up.

Plate it. Top with half an avocado because it’s creamy and delicious with eggs. And throw on a little salsa for good measure.

The key to omelettes, or anything for that matter, is choosing good ingredients and keeping things simple. If you don’t like the ingredients I used, make it your own and use what you love. That’s the beauty of it.

BLT Egg Scramble

July 3, 2015July 3, 2015Leave a comment

I love eggs.

They are one of the most versatile ingredients to cook. And they keep me fuller for a longer period of time. Unlike pancakes, which make me miserable and hungry again in like an hour.

And I use to make omelettes all the time. But I’d get impatient and try to flip it too soon, so I’d call my mess-up omelettes egg scrambles.

But after many messed-up omelettes, I decided egg scrambles were easier and just as much delicious. Plus you can put whatever you want into the scrambled eggs, mix it up and call it breakfast.

Behold the beauty of the BLT Egg Scramble.

What you need:

2 eggs
A splash of half and half
A few slices of bacon
Cherry tomatoes
Fresh basil
Cheddar cheese
Avocado
Salt and pepper

Crisp up the bacon. I went extra crispy because I wanted to give the eggs a little texture. While the bacon is cooking, half your cherry tomatoes, chop up your basil and scramble your eggs with a little half and half, salt and pepper.

Put a little butter in a pan, and throw the tomato halves in there to let them soften a tad. Don’t let them get mushy though. Pour the eggs into the pan with the tomatoes, and cook slowly. Crumble the bacon and stir into the eggs.

Once the eggs are almost to the point of done, toss in the chopped basil and cheddar cheese. Let things get melty.

Transfer to bowl or plate. Top with a little extra cheddar and avocado.

And then all your breakfast dreams will come true when you take the first bite.

All-American Summer Supper

July 1, 2015July 1, 2015Leave a comment

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say summer supper?

Burgers.

Corn on the cob.

And beer.

That’s what comes to my mind.

With Fourth of July just around the corner, I decided to make something I feel is truly a staple around the American table. But I did put a healthy twist on it.

I know what you’re thinking. Where’s the bun, right? There’s just one of me, and I don’t let Annie have anything other than dog food. So the pack of eight hamburger buns would just go to waste.

Plus, I’ve found I feel better when I eat less bread-like products. That’s just my personal preference.

But this burger is not boring. It’s a homemade ranch burger. I mixed dried dill, dried parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, a smidgen of thyme, salt and pepper into the meat before I cooked it. I won’t make a burger without it ever again.

I used red leaf lettuce as a bun and topped my burger with cheese, tomato and avocado. The sides of cucumber sticks and fried corn were the perfect addition.

I’m not sure fried corn is actually a thing. But it’s one of my things.

A guy at my office was passing out sweet corn the other day. So I cut it off the cob and fried it in some Kerrygold butter with salt and pepper. And by fried, I mean sauteed until corn is done, and the butter has created this melty, delicious sauce.

I could eat this corn by the bucket. So delicious and simple. The key is the good Kerrygold butter. And corn grown in someone’s backyard.

I hope your Fourth of July weekend is filled with lots of All-American things. I plan to be on some body of water soaking up the sun and enjoying some awesome fireworks show that night.

And beer.

There will be beer somewhere in there.