The Feastie Blog

Do you want to hear something kind of crazy? My first taste of eggs benedict was this past summer - 2012. Granted, it was a smoked salmon eggs benedict (since I don't eat pork), but it had all of the amazing elements of the dish - smoky fish, toasty bread, perfectly poached eggs, creamy, slightly spicy hollandaise - heavenly. You may be wondering why I waited so long to try it - and the answer is simple and yet, quite sad. I thought I didn't like hollandaise sauce. I thought I didn't like it. Not like I'd tried it and hated it, or had a bad experience with it - no, I just thought I didn't like it. Madness. It was only after much coaxing by The Mr. that I even tried it at all - it's his favorite breakfast or brunch dish, and usually what he orders when we go out for either meal - he'd always offer me a bite of his and encourage me to try it. I wavered...I hemmed and hawed...and then I saw the smoked salmon version on the menu at (what was) our favorite breakfast place, and decided to give it a go. Damn. The dining room probably sounded a lot like that one scene in the deli in When Harry Met Sally - I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, so I won't take it any further. But suffice it to say, I enjoyed myself. Immensely. So when I was asked to bring a brunch dish to a bridal shower last month, I knew I wanted to do some version of eggs benedict for the ladies - and I came across this make ahead eggs benedict casserole at Very Culinary and thought, "BINGO." Brilliant!! Now I'll preface this recipe with these words of caution: This isn't like regular eggs benedict. In fact it's really nothing like eggs benedict - but it's really good. And unless you plan on standing in the kitchen poaching a zillion eggs and assembling eggs benedict for a crowd of hungry guests, this is a good compromise. Bonus points for being a make-ahead overnight casserole - you know how I love a good overnight brunch recipe or two. And if you're worried about the hollandaise sauce, worry no longer - this recipe is FOOLPROOF. Traditional methods for making hollandaise include double boilers and whisking and usually the sauce separates or gets all funky - this sauce is made in the blender and turns out a perfectly every single time. 

What's the first thing you eat or drink in the morning when you wake up? Chances are, it's a cup of coffee. Over 50% of the US population age 18 and older drinks coffee - that's a lot of beans. We're creatures of habit - most likely that cup of coffee is identical - every. single. morning. Whether it's an espresso shot or a skim latte, chances are the contents of your coffee mug don't vary much on a day to day basis. So why not switch it up? We've rounded up the top 5 coffee recipes on the web this week, and drinks are just the beginning! Coffee brownies, coffee-infused cakes - adding coffee to chocolate baked goods actually intensifies the flavor of the chocolate. Coffee and chocolate? Yes, please. 

Nutella Iced Coffee from Miss in the Kitchen
Photo from Miss in the Kitchen

Okay, okay - it's a salad like the one at Olive Garden, okay?! I'll admit it. I haven't been to the good ol' OG in years, but as a kid, I went bananas for their salad and breadsticks. When I was asked to bring a salad to a potluck recently, the first thing that came to mind was, "Oooh...Olive Garden salad." While I did fancy it up just a bit, I think it tastes just as good as the "real thing". As far as evidence of its deliciousness, the salad bowl was scraped clean halfway through the party - everyone was asking, "Wow - what kind of salad is this?" When I mentioned Olive Garden I got a few, "Ohhhhh they have the best salad and breadsticks!" Yup. They do. In any case this salad was a hit - with kids and adults alike. If you're making traditional pizza (or, heck, getting delivery pizza) this is the PERFECT SALAD to serve alongside. Mmmm - dip the pizza crusts in the dressing! There are variations of this recipe all over the net, so I riffed on a few of those and came up with my variation - it's a bit healthier, but just as delish as the original. I swapped some Greek yogurt for half the mayo - I swear you'll never notice. A final note - this is a great potluck dish - just bring the dressing on the side and toss right before serving. 

To all the mamas out there - Happy Mother's Day! Celebrate all the moms in your life - whether its a family member, friend, or your very own mom - this Sunday you have the perfect opportunity to show your love and appreciation for all that they do. What better way to show your love than to cook for them? Brunch is the perfect Mother's Day meal - you can do sweet or savory (or both!) and in the end, what dish isn't acceptable for brunch? Make this Mother's Day delicious and share homemade food with the ones you love. We've rounded up the top 5 recipes for Mother's Day brunch to get you started. And don't forget the mimosas or bellinis!

Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes from A Dash of Compassion
Photo from A Dash of Compassion

There is so much wonderfulness in the title of this post that I don't even know where to start. Just uttering the word "Biscoff" makes me giddy. I've admitted before to having a self control issue with cookie butter - I cannot, and I repeat, CANNOT have it in my house without destroying the entire jar in one go. But these frosted speculoos cookie butter bars from Butter Me Up Brooklyn were haunting my dreams. Literally - I can't even remember how many times I've flipped to this recipe in my binder of "to make recipes" and sighed deeply and wished that I could be trusted around a jar of cookie butter. I don't even remember what the occasion was - or if I just made one up - but I decided that these bars NEEDED to be made and I NEEDED to eat them. I mean, come ON!! Biscoff FROSTING?! Are you kidding me?!!! Biscoff!!! I want to eat all the Biscoff things!! And these bars are no exception. HOLY SHNIKES they're good. The frosting is good enough to eat on its own - it's dangerous. My friends and I devoured these bars - they're other worldly. The bars themselves have a dense, gingerbread-y type thing going on, and the frosting is a fluffy, cookie buttery, sweet, Biscoff-y heaven. But oddly enough, they're not tooth achingly sweet - you know how sometimes buttercream frosting makes your teeth hurt? Not these guys. Basically they're perfect and wonderful and delicious and trust me - you want to eat them. And so you do your friends.

We've gone rogue. While we usually have a theme for Feastie Friday and feature the top 5 recipes for that theme, we've decided to do something a little different this week - feature the top 5 recipes of the week - period. Feastie is updated daily with hundreds of new recipes from thousands of blogs, so as you can imagine it was difficult to choose, but we decided to go ahead and share our favorites with you. The titles of these recipes alone will have you running for the kitchen - and wait till you see the photos. This is food we want to eat RIGHT NOW. So here they are, in no particular order - our five favorite recipes from this week.

PB & J Tres Leches Trifle from Scarletta Bakes
Photo from Scarletta Bakes

Ordering soup in restaurants can be tricky - cream based soups are usually heavy and fatty, but broth based soups can be really, really salty. It's unfortunate, because many otherwise healthy utterly delicious soups will be total sodium bombs. So yeah, that minestrone or vegetable soup is a healthy choice, but if you're watching your sodium intake, they're just not a good option. So I tend to avoid soups in restaurants for that very reason, and attempt to recreate favorites at home. Chicken tortilla soup is definitely a favorite - tomato-based broth soup with chunks of chicken and veggies and topped with sour cream and crispy tortilla strips - delish. So when I had a craving for chicken tortilla soup last week, I decided to attempt a lower-sodium, homemade version. I came across this chicken tortilla soup from Bake Your Day and decided to give it a go - success! It delivered that zesty, spicy, tomato-y, creamy, crunchy, and yes, salty taste that I was craving - but with a lot less salt. This goes in the regular rotation - The Mr. loved this, and leftovers were fantastic. 

Tomatoes are beginning to appear in markets across the country - after the long, cold winter season, they are a beautiful sight! There is nothing quite like a perfectly ripe tomato - simply slice and eat. Of course they're delicious in just about every other dish as well - in sauces, salads, and sandwiches, soups and salsas - take advantage of the ripe tomatoes and make all of your favorite tomato dishes while you can. We've rounded up the top 5 tomato recipes for you this week - enjoy tomatoes while they're ripe and delicious. And if you're drowning in tomatoes, remember to can your tomatoes and enjoy them all year long!

Roasted Tomato And Goat Cheese Quiche from Savory Simple
Photo from Savory Simple

Bigfoot...the Loch Ness Monster...the abominable snowman...elusive, mysterious, studied and seeked by people all over the world. Let me add one to the list: the perfect chocolate chip cookie. Srsly. A chocolate chip cookie is NOT just a chocolate chip cookie - there are a lot of variables at play here. Do you prefer them thin and crispy? Or thick and chewy? Soft? Big chunks of dark chocolate, or semisweet chips? Nuts or no nuts? The variations are endless - and I've tried many of them. A favorite in our house has been the NYT ultimate chocolate chip cookie - good stuff. Like, really, really good stuff. BUT - possibly not the pinnacle of chocolate chip cookie-ness. Well maybe pretty damn close - but hey, there's always room for improvement, right? I came across these chocolate chip and chunk cookies from Averie Cooks, and decided to give them a go. No particular reason, no special event or celebration - when you need a chocolate chip cookie, you just need a chocolate chip cookie, you know? The one drawback to the NYT recipe is the lag time while you wait for the dough to chill - you need to wait an entire 24 hours from when the dough is mixed to when you form them into cookies and bake them. !!!! I don't have 24 hours! I need a cookie NOW! Averie's recipe does require refrigeration before baking - but only 30 minutes. That's just enough time to clean up the kitchen, preheat the oven, and prep your baking sheets - perfect. They also have a "secret" ingredient - cornstarch. Apparently cornstarch creates a soft, thick, chewy cookie - hey, I'm game. My favorite ice cream recipe uses cornstarch, so why not a cookie recipe? Lemme tell you - these babies are gooood. I made a few tiny changes - namely to make the cookies smaller and to add a sprinkle of fleur de sel on top (because again - why not?!) - but they're delicious just the way they are. If you like your cookies soft and chewy, MAKE THESE. You will not be sorry - as the The Mr. would say, "These cookies are serious business." And they are.

Remember when "buffalo" only referred to chicken wings and herds of large brown four-legged mammals? Well now you can "buffalo" just about anything! Buffalo wings are traditionally deep-fried chicken wings slathered in a buttery, vinegary hot sauce, served with blue cheese dip - the pinnacle of game day and bar food. There's something about that tangy, salty, spicy hot sauce that people find irresistable - as evidenced by the staggering number of "buffalo chicken" recipes on the web lately. If you're looking for a fun recipe to wow your friends at your next game day party, you're in luck - we've rounded up the top 5 buffalo chicken recipes on the web this week - everything from quesadillas to cheese balls and salads. You don't need a sports game on to enjoy one of these snacks - any time is a good time for buffalo.     

Buffalo Chicken Dip Quesadillas from Chocolate Moosey
Photo from Chocolate Moosey