These are a few of my favorite things

this is one of my favorite coffees
Kona blend
I can't describe the flavor
it's just good!

my favorite coffee mug
Montana
hand made pottery
sculpted on a pottery wheel
by a talented artist is Montana
love the glaze
bought it on a special vacation
a nine day snowmobile adventure in and around Yellowstone with my father, one of my brothers, and three sisters
paid $25 dollars for this mug
Yes...$25 dollars!
I really, really, really wanted it...
BAD!
I am so glad I bought it!

my favorite pastry
lady locks
or creme horns
whichever you call it
I grew up calling them lady locks
hand made from a local bakery called Kretchmars
the filling is so light and creamy
just the right amount of sweetness
the pastry is so perfectly flaky

4 dozen corn on the cob

I'll be busy tonight! I bought 4 dozen locally grown corn at the fruit market today. I'm going to blanch the corn in boiling water for 10 minutes....plunge it in ice water until cool...cut the corn off the cob...measure out 2 cup portions...and freeze in freezer bags. This is my first summer doing this and I am so happy I decided to do it. Yummy corn all winter long!

Homemade kettle Corn

Who likes kettle corn? I LIKE KETTLE CORN! Ok, really! Who DOESN'T like kettle corn? Also, who wants to wait until the next county fair to get some?! More importantly, who wants to pay $8 for a small bag!!


Well, good news! You can make your own at home....and I don't mean the kind in the microwave packages either!





First, put 1/4 C. oil in a large pot and add 1/2 C. popcorn.

Add 1/2 C. sugar and stir.

Keep stirring while heating over medium heat.

Put the lid on, let the oil heat up...alternate shaking the pot back and forth and letting it sit on the burner every few seconds. Be very careful not to burn the sugar. Don't let the pot sit on the flame for too long. If you continue to shake pot back and forth and lift from the direct heat, you will be safe!

Oh yummy!
Here's what it looks like when it's all done!

Sprinkle salt to your liking!
Salt is important to the flavor of kettle corn.
It's gotta be sweet and salty!

Give the kettle corn a few minutes to cool down before you eat it...hot sugar will burn your tongue!! While the kettle corn is still hot it is a little sticky. As soon as it cools it will form a nice hard sugary, salty coating. You can even separate the pieces of popcorn a little if you want and each popped kernel will be separate.

My kids love it and that's how I know it is good!
To me...it tastes exactly like the kettle corn you get at the fair.
You gotta give this a try!

Creamy Poached Eggs

Every once in a while, it's fun to make the ordinary....extraordinary! I know a perfect way to make a special breakfast with only a few ingredients that you probably have in your fridge right now. If you love eggs...and you love cheese sauce...then you will definitely love this!

First, get a small sauce pan and fill it with these ingredients:

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese



3 oz. cream cheese (basically it is a little less than half of an 8 oz. package)



1/2 C. milk



1/8 tsp. pepper



Heat and stir constantly over medium-low heat. Keep a close eye as to not burn the cheese.

Whisk cheese sauce when all melted to incorporate those last tiny bits of cream cheese that you will see in the mixture.



With heat on low, crack an egg into a measuring cup, then pour gently into bubbling cheese sauce. You can fit 4 eggs comfortably in a small sauce pan.



I only made 2 eggs today.



Cover pot and simmer on low for 3 to 4 minutes.



Here's a little peak...the eggs are pretty much done at this point...maybe 20 more seconds til perfect.



When whites are set and yolks are slightly set, remove egg from cheese sauce and place on toasted, buttered English Muffins.



Spoon some cheese sauce over eggs and garnish with snips of fresh chives.



Option: You can use chive flavored cream cheese if you like, but you won't have the pretty garnish on top. If you use chive flavored cream cheese, you could always garnish with some fresh or dried parsley to make it pretty!

This would make a great breakfast for a lazy Saturday morning! Or...wouldn't it be a great way to surprise your sweetheart before he or she heads out to work for the day! If you woke up just 15 minutes earlier, you could really make some one's morning!

Enjoy!

Poached Eggs

Oh yes!

Poached eggs on toasted Italian bread! Absolutely delicious! This is my favorite way to eat eggs! If you've never tried eggs this way..well..ya gotta try it..YA JUST GOTTA!

Ok...here's how ya make the magic happen!

1) fill pot or fry pan with 2 inches of water



2) heat water on medium-high heat

*While that's going on make some toast, butter it and have it ready to go on a plate



3) water will begin to simmer with teeny tiny bubbles



4) when the tiny bubbles begin to break the surface of the water...it's ready!



5) keep heat low enough that bubbles do not get too big or they will break the
whites of the eggs

6) grab 2 eggs...



crack 1 egg into measuring cup



7) hold measuring cup close to surface of water and pour eggs, one at a time into water.



8) cook eggs for 3 to 5 minutes until whites are set and yolks begins to thicken but
not get hard



9) scoop eggs out of water with slotted spoon



10)absorb water from slotted spoon on towel with egg still on spoon



11)place poached egg on buttered, toasted Italian bread



12)sprinkle with salt and pepper



13)if you like, you can cut slit into egg to reveal the gorgeous partially set yolk
These eggs could have been cooked about 30 seconds longer and the yolk would be a
little more set up. The egg on the right is actually cooked pretty well. But even still...oh my...it is just fine in my book! So very delicious!





14)pick up toast and eat with your hands..no forks and knives here people..just eat!

Here's a close-up of how the yolk should look. It should be soft and goopey, not runny, and somewhat stay intact.



P.S. I just wanted to show the difference between the color of the yolk of our own backyard chicken eggs and a basic, store-bought, white egg. Our free-range chicken eggs have a gorgeous, dark orange color, and the store-bought egg is a pale yellow.




Yummy! Yummy!

Now go make some poached eggs on toasted, buttered, Italian bread!
You won't be sorry!
I promise!

Stay tuned for my next post...Creamy Poached Eggs...simply put..it's eggs, poached in a rich cheese sauce, served on a toasted English muffin! Oh Mamma!