Soft Boiled Eggs

Step by Step Instructions:

Fill a pot with about 1/2 inch of water. Yes, that’s all you need. Use the smallest pot you have that will house the number of eggs you’re making. I usually only do one or two eggs at a time, but this same technique can be used for any number of eggs.

Bring that 1/2 inch of water to a rolling boil over high heat (with a lid on top). This happens very fast because it’s only a 1/2 inch of water, after all.  That’s one reason this is so much faster than boiling an egg. Gently place the egg(s) into the pot. Tongs make this easier to do without burning your finger tips. Make sure to not drop the egg or else it can crack and the whole process will be ruined. Just gently set it on the bottom of the pot.

So, now your eggs are sitting in a little bit of rapidly boiling water. It’s not actually the water that cooks the eggs, but the surrounding STEAM. So, we’ll need to put a lid on top to trap the steam and create a steam bath.

After adding the eggs, place a lid on the pot and set your timer for SIX MINUTES (for large eggs). 

After exactly six minutes, turn off the burner and carefully pour out the hot water. Fill the pot with cool water to stop the eggs from cooking. After about 30 seconds to a minute in the water, they’ll be cool enough to handle.

Carefully tap the egg on a hard surface to crack the shell, then gently peel it away. You’ll need to be gentle because the inside is still liquid and the egg will be somewhat soft and wobbly. Give it a quick rinse after removing the shell to get rid of any shell fragments.

Source from http://www.budgetbytes.com/2014/02/make-soft-boiled-eggs/

Parmesan & Pepper Kale Pasta

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp butter 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 8 oz. button mushrooms 
• 1 bunch kale (curly or lacinato) 
• ½ cup chicken broth 
• ½ lb. pasta (any shape) 
• ½ tsp salt 
• ½ cup grated Parmesan 
• Freshly cracked pepper 

Instructions

1. Mince the garlic and slice the mushrooms. Place the butter, garlic, and mushrooms in a large pot and sauté the mushrooms over medium heat until they are soft and dark (about 5 minutes).
2. While the mushrooms are sautéing, tear or cut the kale leaves from the stems, then chop them into small pieces. Rinse the kale well.
3. Add the kale to the pot along with ½ cup chicken broth. Stir the kale as it cooks until it is fully wilted. Let the wilted kale simmer in the broth without a lid over medium heat until most of the broth has evaporated (about 10 minutes).
4. While the kale is simmering, bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add the pasta, and cook until al dente (7-10 minutes). Drain the pasta and let it cool slightly, or until it looks a little dry and tacky in texture.
5. Remove the pot with the kale and mushrooms from the heat. Add the pasta and stir to combine. The pot should be warm, but not steaming hot. If it's still steaming, let it cool for about 5 minutes.* Once slightly cooled, add ½ tsp salt, about 20 cranks of a pepper mill (or more if desired), and the grated Parmesan. Stir until all the pasta and vegetables are coated in Parmesan and pepper. Taste the pasta and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Notes

*Allowing the contents of the pot to cool slightly helps the Parmesan stick to the pasta instead of melting and sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Step by Step Photos

Start by slicing an 8 oz. package of mushrooms and mincing two cloves of garlic. Add the mushrooms and garlic to a large pot along with 2 Tbsp of butter.

Sauté the mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until they are soft and dark (about 5 minutes).

While the mushrooms are cooking, remove the stems from one bunch of kale. You can either just pull the leafy parts from the woody stems, or take a knife and run it along the side of each stem. Once the stem is removed, chop or tear the kale into smaller pieces.

Rinse the kale really well because a lot of dirt and debris (and maybe bugs??) can hide in those curly leaves. You don’t have to worry about waiting for it to dry.

Add the cleaned kale leaves to the pot along with a half cup of chicken broth. This is why I love Better Than Bouillon. You can mix up EXACTLY the amount you need, whenever you need it. It comes in low sodium and organic, too, if you were wondering (not a paid product mention!).

Cook and stir the kale until it wilts down, then let it simmer in the broth until most of the broth has evaporated away (about 10 minutes). Remove it from the heat and let it cool a little. While the kale is simmering away, cook a 1/2 lb. of pasta according to the package directions (boil for 7-10 minutes). Drain the pasta well and let it cool slightly. Wait until it gets a little tacky and dry in the surface.

Letting the pasta and the pot cool just slightly is really important. If it’s still steaming hot when you add the Parmesan, the Parmesan will melt and stick to the bottom of the pot rather than coating the pasta in flavorful little granules. It’s okay for the pasta to still be warm, just make sure it’s not still steaming. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, and a good healthy dose of freshly cracked pepper (20 cranks of a mill or more). Stir the pot until everything is coated in Parmesan and pepper. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.

Source from http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/03/parmesan-pepper-kale-pasta/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BudgetBytes+%28Budget+Bytes%29

Homemade Freezer Garlic Bread

Ingredients

• 1 stick (8 Tbsp) salted butter 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic 
• ¼ tsp salt 
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley 
• 1 16-inch loaf French Bread 

Instructions

1. Allow the butter to come to room temperature. Mince the garlic, then combine it in a small bowl with the butter, olive oil, salt, and dried parsley. Mix the ingredients together until they form a fairly smooth paste.
2. Cut the bread loaf into 16 one-inch slices. Scoop ½ Tbsp of the butter mixture onto each slice, then spread it over the surface with a knife. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and then place them in the freezer for about 15 minutes to allow the butter to firm up. Once firm, stack the slices two at a time and place in quart sized freezer bags. Store in the freezer up to three months.
3. To cook the frozen slices of garlic bread, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once the oven is heated, take as many slices out of the freezer as you'd like, carefully separate the stacked slices, and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.*

Notes

*If using a different type of bread, the baking time may change.

Step by Step Photos

Start by letting one stick (8 Tbsp) of butter come to room temperature. Combine it in a bowl with 2 Tbsp olive oil, 4 cloves of garlic (minced), 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 Tbsp dried parsley flakes.

Mix them all up until it forms a fairly smooth paste (a few chunks of butter are a-okay).

Take a 16 inch loaf of French bread and slice it into 16 one-inch pieces. The easiest way to do this is to first slice the loaf in half (2), then slice each half in half (4), then each quarter in half (8), and then each piece in half one last time (16). It’s much easier to eye-ball a “half” than to just start slicing one inch pieces from one end to the other.

 started with 8 Tbsp of butter, so I estimated I’d have about 1/2 Tbsp of the butter mixture for each of the 16 slices. Scoop the butter on to the slices, then…

Spread it out smooth with a knife. Place the buttered slices on a baking sheet and pop them into the freezer for about 15 minutes, just to firm up the butter a bit.

Once the garlic butter is a little more firm, you can stack them two by two and place them in a quart sized freezer bag (6 to a bag). Freeze the slices for up to 3 months for best results. To cook the garlic bread, simply preheat the oven to 400 degrees, then take out as many slices as you’d like and place them on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown (you don’t have to wait for them to thaw first).

Source from: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/03/homemade-freezer-garlic-bread/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BudgetBytes+%28Budget+Bytes%29

Lemon & Thyme Chicken Breasts

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 tbsp olive oil
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of chicken broth
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Two sprigs of fresh thyme
1 lemon cut into 4 wedges

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, making sure not to burn the garlic. Add the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, and thyme leaves to the pan. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Place the chicken in the baking dish along with the lemon wedges and the two sprigs of thyme.

Place into the oven and bake, basting occasionally, for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Drizzle the pan sauce on top of the slices of chicken and serve. Enjoy!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute, making sure not to burn the garlic.  Add the chicken broth, lemon zest,  lemon juice, oregano, and thyme leaves to the pan.  Pour the mixture into the baking dish.  Season both sides of the chicken breasts with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.  Place the chicken in the baking dish along with the lemon wedges and the two sprigs of thyme.

Place into the oven and bake, basting occasionally,  for 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.  Remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing.  Drizzle the pan sauce on top of the slices of chicken and serve. 

Enjoy!

Source from: http://www.fortheloveofcooking.net/2012/01/lemon-and-thyme-chicken-breasts.html

Fudge Brownie Pots

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp butter 
• ½ cup granulated sugar 
• ¼ tsp vanilla 
• 1 large egg 
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour 
• ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• ¼ tsp baking powder 
• ⅛ tsp salt 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.Cut the butter into chunks and place it in a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then stir until the butter is fully melted. Add the sugar and microwave for 15 seconds. Stir again, then repeat the 15 second intervals until the sugar and butter no longer separate from each other after being stirred (about 30-45 seconds total).
2. Add the vanilla extract and egg to the melted butter and sugar, then stir to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until well combined.
4. Pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir just until a smooth, chocolatey batter has formed. Pour the batter into two 8oz. ramekins.
5. Bake the brownies in the preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the center of each brownie has risen up into a dome and the surface looks glossy and cracked. Let the brownies cool slightly before eating.

Step by Step Photos

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Melt 4 Tbsp of butter in a microwave safe bowl. I usually microwave on high, then stir until the butter finishes melting. This and the next step can be done on the stove over low heat, if desired.

Add 1/2 cup sugar to the melted butter, microwave for 15 seconds, then stir again. Repeat the 15 second intervals until the sugar no longer separates out from the melted butter after stirring. This should only require 30-45 seconds total. (When you first add it, the sugar will look very granulated and the oil from the butter will seep out. After heating it a bit more, the sugar melts a bit and the two incorporate into a mostly smooth mixture. It may still looks every so slightly granular.)

Add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract and one large egg.

Stir those in until the mixture is smooth.

To a separate bowl, add 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/8 tsp salt. Stir until they are very well combined and no clumps remain.

Pour the bowl of dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir until everything is combined and a smooth, chocolatey batter has formed.

Pour the batter into two 8oz. ramekins.

Bake the brownies for 25-30 minutes, or until the centers have risen up into a dome and the surface looks glossy and cracked. Mine could have gone for a minute or two longer because the center deflated a bit upon cooling, but I was okay with that because it just meant that the center was extra fudgey. 

Source from: http://www.budgetbytes.com/2015/02/fudge-brownie-pots-for-two/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BudgetBytes+%28Budget+Bytes%29