Breakfast of Champions!

I love breakfast!  I don't get to eat it all the time due to my schedule, but when I do this is one of my favorite meals...

What you'll need:

• 2 Eggs
• 1 English Muffin
• Capers
• 1 package of smoked salmon
• Home made Parsley Pesto
• Shredded cheese
• Butter
• Salt/Pepper
• Whatever sides you want with the eggs (I chose potatoes)

I start out by melting the pesto in a pan and once it's melted I put the eggs in and start toasting the English muffins.

 Typically around the time the English muffins are done, the eggs are.  I take the English muffins and put them on a plate, then top them with the warmed pesto...



Then I sprinkle on some shredded cheese, followed that by the smoked salmon..

 Then I layer on the eggs and capers! I made a side of parsley potatoes in a cream sauce and strawberries!

I absolutely LOVE this breakfast dish and hope you do too!!

Recipes

I have found a love for cooking and I'm getting better at baking and this blog is my way of keeping track of all my recipes while sharing then with whoever wants to try them!

Home Made Parsley Pesto

Pesto Cellentani with Smoked Sausage and Mushrooms

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice with Mushroom Casserole

Crockpot Shredded Pork

Fried Eggs w/Pesto and Smoked Salmon

Penne Pasta with a Parsley Butter Clam Sauce

Chocolate Malts

One Pot Chili

I'll keep adding my recipes as I make them! I hope that your family enjoys them as much as mine does!

Homemade Parsley Pesto

I have a pesto recipe that is super easy to make and easy on your budget.  I've always found that making pesto with basil and pine nuts or the dry packets can be kind of expensive, but I love using pesto in tons of dishes.  I've come up with my own recipe that I make in batches and freeze and use when I need it.

What you will need:

• 3 bundles of flat leaf parsley
• Oil
• Salt/Pepper
• 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
• 6 cloves of garlic
• Zest of 1 lemon + juice from half
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup of chicken stock

Either in a food processor or a blender cut the tops off of the flat leaf parsley and put them into the blender. I did this one bundle at a time due to limited space in my blender.  Throw in the chicken stock, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice and turn on the blender.  While its on, start pouring oil in until is begins to mix.  The amount of oil will all be dependent on how smooth you want your pesto.  (You may have to turn off the blender and push down the parsley so it can mix thoroughly)

 Keep blending until you get a relatively smooth consistency but can still see chunks of the parsley in it.  Next add in the next bundle of parsley and blend until the same consistency then add in the third.  Continue to add oil each time until you get the consistency that you prefer.


I taste test and then add salt and pepper.

Once done I add in the shredded Parmesan cheese and fold it into the mixture.

When its completely mixed pour the mixture into nonstick cupcake tins (without the liners) or an ice cube tray, put it in the freezer overnight to harden.

 The next day take them out and put them in a Ziploc bag.

I don't add nuts to my pesto, but if you want to you can definitely add them, its all a personal preference. 

I love the ease of being able to pull out a few at a time and throw them into pasta, rice, shrimp, scallops and pretty much anything to add a little flavor!  Making the pesto ahead of time definitely saves a lot of hassle and mess in the kitchen when I'm cooking.

**In the summer when I grow basil or parsley I use what I grow, but in the winters when basil is a little harder to come by or more expensive I use parsley.  I actually found a garlic basil herb plant that was great in this pesto recipe.

Pesto Cellentani with Smoked Sausage and Mushrooms

If you're looking for a quick, easy dish that takes less then 30 minutes to make and is absolutely delicious this is something to try!  I used to go to Noodles and Company and get their Pesto Cavatappi all the time, but it was super expensive, so I've been trying to figure out my own recipe for it for years, tweaking it and changing things around.

What you will need:

• 1lb of sliced mushrooms
• 4 Roma tomatoes halved and quartered
• 1 package of firm or extra firm tofu
• 1lb of Cellentani pasta
• Two packages of smokes sausage/turkey etc... (whichever you prefer)
• Salt/Pepper/Oil/Garlic Powder/Red Pepper Flakes
• Shredded parmesan cheese
• Homemade Pesto



  

I start out by boiling salted water.  Once it gets to a rolling boil  throw the pasta in.  While the pasta is boiling, take a separate pan and heat up some oil and a tablespoon of butter and start cutting up your tofu into small squares then put it in the pan with some red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt and pepper (to taste) and start browning  them and making the tofu slightly crispy on the outside.

Once the tofu is browned take it out of the pan and put it on a paper towel to let the oil drain.

While the tofu is draining the oil, use the same pan and put a little more oil and a tablespoon of butter in the pan, once melted then add the mushrooms with a sprinkle of salt.  Once the mushrooms are browned add the tomatoes, sliced smoked sausage and pesto.  (I make my own pesto so I add about 3-4 ice cube squares)  Once the pesto is in the pan keep stirring  until its melted and mixed thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients.

By the time you get to this point, the pasta should be done, but check it periodically while cooking so it doesn't overcook.  Once done, strain and put back into the pot it was boiling in and add the tofu.

Once all of the ingredients are warmed through take all of the ingredients in the pan and pour them in with the pasta and tofu mix and fold everything together until mixed through.  When it's done put some in a bowl with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top and enjoy!!