Tag Archives: Egg

Cheesy Poofs

Posted on March 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

“I love cheesy poofs,  you love cheesy poofs, if we didn’t eat cheesy poofs, we’d be LAME.” the immortal words of Cartman.

Alright, so these aren’t quite the fabled South Park junk food but they are so very nummy. The beauty of these is that you can use any cheese you have on hand to make it suit your taste. My favourite version of these is a toss up between the smoked gouda or my goat cheese ones. The goat cheese is my healthiest version so I will go with that one today. The perfect snack for entertaining guests, as part of an afternoon tea platter, or just because you want them. Remember, you can’t share them with kitty…they are YOUR cheesy poofs.

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  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or buttermilk
  • 4 tbl butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 ounces low fat goat cheese
  • 1/8 tsp ground mace
  • 1/8 tsp dry mustard powder
  • freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
  1. Preheat oven to 400F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a saucepan combine the milk, water, and butter. Bring almost to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to low. Add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon. Stir constantly until a smooth dough forms. Once it begins to pull away from the edges of the pan remove from the heat and allow to cool for one minute.100_2914
  4. Add one of the eggs, beat in until the dough is smooth again. Repeat with the second egg.
  5. Stir in the cheese, pepper, salt and mace until smooth.
  6. Transfer the dough into a piping bag (or in my case a freezer bag that I cut a corner off of). Pipe the dough into desired shape on the parchment covered pans. I go with little round cushions.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes or until puffed and slightly golden brown. Serve warm.100_2918

Makes 40 cheesy poofs. Each poof contains 22 calories, 1.6 grams of fat, 1.2 grams of carbs, 0 gram fibre, .6 gram protein. Why not have a few? Then pat yourself on the back for making a choux pastry. You top chef, you.

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Easy Eggs Benny

Posted on July 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

Hollandaise sauce can be pretty hard to get just right. Traditionally made. I am fond of a shortcut that I use though. For those special treat brunches when only an egg benny will do. Now, the simple parts I’m sure you can figure out on your own, toast an english muffin (multigrain is best!), pan fry a piece of canadian bacon, and poach an egg to medium. Layer them up and then top with this delicious sauce…proclaim yourself the god or goddess of brunch and enjoy.Keep in mind this is a totally bastardized version of making hollandaise but, num.

  • 2 tbl unsalted butter
  • juice from two lemon wedges, more if you like a really tart hollandaise
  • 1 egg
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. In a microwave safe dish melt the butter in the microwave until it boils slightly. About 30 seconds maximum, watch the butter for the right moment.
  2. Crack an egg into a blender. Add a tsp of the melted butter to the egg and blend.
  3. Add the rest of the melted butter, the lemon juice, and seasonings. Blend until thickened and slightly frothy.
  4. Serve immediately.

Serves 4. Each serving of sauce contains 69 calories, 7 grams fat, .3 gram carbs, no fibre, 1.6 grams protein.

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Hardcore Hobbit: Fruit Roll

Posted on September 27, 2011 | Leave a comment

What an exciting week! I was successful at completing the first phase of my training, so I am now a certified pilates instructor. Boldly going where no geek has gone before. Now Isengard is live on LOTRO!! Woot! I myself don’t get to play yet because all this schooling means very little gaming money right now. Can’t go running off and buying it yet. Still all this exciting stuff deserves cake…it deserves hardcore hobbit cake. In the game the fruit roll is made of honey, blackberries, and barley flour. ! It also gives that boost of will power that we all need. This to me says lemon cake with a blackberry cream cheese filling. Shall we?

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup honey or splenda
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 1/2 tsp grated lemon rind
  • 1 tbl fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 blackberries, fresh or thawed
  • 2 tbl light strawberry cream cheese
  1. Combine the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Make a well in the centre.
  2. In another bowl combine the eggs, water, lemon rind, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix until all one colour. Add the honey or splenda and mix until smooth.
  3. Add the liquids to the well in the flour. Add the dry around the sides of the well to the liquids until smooth.
  4. Grease a jelly roll pan very well, for extra care line with parchment paper. Pour the batter into the pan and smooth out evenly.
  5. Bake at 350F for 10-15 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure it is done. Immediately loosen the cake from the pan and upend onto a clean tea towel. Roll the cake gently like a jelly roll using the towel. Allow to cool.
  6. Combine the blackberries and cream cheese. I don’t get to worried about a smooth texture. I think its more fun to have little pockets of cream cheese and berry. Unroll the cake. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the cake giving about an inch of space from the edges.
  7. Roll the cake back up carefully. Slice into 16 pieces and serve!

Each slice contains (with honey) 91 calories, 1 gram fat, 19.8 gram carbs, .4 gram fibre, and 1.8 grams protein. With splenda each slice contains 43 calories, 1 gram fat, 8 grams carbs, .3 gram fibre, and 1.8 grams protein. Sure you can frost this cake but with the way that cream cheese berry filling is you really don’t need the extra calories and fat to enjoy.

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Hardcore Hobbit: Full Breakfast

Posted on August 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

This is a nice and easy hardcore hobbit to get back into the swing of things. Apparently when hobbits say full breakfast, they truly mean FULL breakfast! This makes a great meal for a busy day when you might not have time to stop for a full lunch. You certainly will not be hungry by lunch time….you might not even be done eating your full breakfast by lunch time. In the game a full breakfast includes mushroom, egg, tater, bacon, pork sausage and chives to make it epic. Yes, we got it all in there, with healthy alternatives! Want to see?

  • 2 chicken or turkey sausages ( I suggest visiting your local farmers market or butcher for some really unique flavours. The one we have here is a chicken, pineapple, curry, and cheese sausage from market on millstream)
  • 1 cup egg substitute (like egg creations, etc.)
  • 2 tbl chopped fresh chives
  • 4 slices of canadian bacon
  • Hardcore Hobbit fried mushrooms
  • potato pancakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Prepare the sausage and canadian bacon to taste. We did ours on the bbq. Who said the grill is for lunch and dinner only?
  2. Prepare the fried mushroom and potato pancakes and plate.
  3. In a medium heated pan scramble the eggs and plate.
  4. Plate the sausage and canadian bacon and garnish with the chopped chives.

This is another one of those recipes that a nutritional calculation cannot be done for since it all depends on your sausage choices in the end. Choose wisely young hobbits and enjoy a full breakfast!

Is it just me or is that breakfast kind of smiling at us?

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Hardcore Hobbit: Onion and Mushroom Omelet

Posted on July 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

Cooked to perfection! In the game this particular omelet is made with mushrooms, chicken egg, green onion and mixed herbs. This just sounds like a great way to start the day or even enjoy a light dinner! To me there is just something so elegant about enjoying a nice light omelet for dinner with a nice glass of white wine….candlelight is required ofcourse. Better yet, a fireplace nearby. Can you envision it too? A beautiful way to shut out the modern world for a bit. Omelets are so beautifully fluffy on their own but this time I wanted to pair it with a bit of a light fluffy mushroom foam. What hobbit would turn down extra mushroom on their mushroom omelet? Indeed.

  • 1 large egg
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1 tsp skim milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 5 crimini mushrooms, slice 2 leave rest whole
  • 1 tbl white wine
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • a splash chicken stock or water
  • 1/4 tsp thyme
  • 1/4 tsp rosemary
  • 1 garlic scape, sliced thinly
  • 1 green onion, sliced thinly
  1. Combine the egg, egg whites, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk until light and foamy.
  2. Heat a small or medium pan to medium. Add the garlic scapes, green onions, and sliced mushrooms. Stir constantly cooking for just one minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. Spray the pan and add the egg mixture. Allow to cook one minute, cut into it to allow more of the egg to leak through the bottom and cook. Careful you don’t scramble! Allow to cook another minute.
  4. While the egg mixture cooks combine the whole mushrooms, soy sauce, white wine, stock, thyme and rosemary in a blender. Blend until a foam forms.
  5. Place the previously cooked onion mixture on half of the omelet.
  6. Fold the uncovered slide over carefully. Slide the completed omelet off the pan and top with the mushroom foam.

Serves 1. The serving contains 131 calories, 5.4 grams fat, 3.2 grams carbs, .8 gram fibre, and 18.4 grams protein. Filling, elegant, and tasty!

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Posted in Breakfast, Comfort Foods, Dinner, The Hardcore Hobbit

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Cheesecake Pancakes

Posted on June 29, 2011 | Leave a comment

I have totally weirded you out but intrigued you at the same time, haven’t I? So there I was. The morning of my husband’s birthday. He was happily sleeping in and I knew I wanted to surprise him with a tasty but different breakfast in bed. When I looked in the fridge the cream cheese completely caught my eye. Do I think of making some sort of bagel with a custom flavoured cream cheese like a sane person would? No! Instead I begin pondering how a breakfast cheesecake would be done. In the morning, before coffee or tea, a cheesecake pancake is ofcourse the logical answer. Feeling a bit like a kid mixing up a possibly monstrous concoction to surprise the parents with, I get to work. Then, a miracle happened. I served it with a choice of strawberry jam or maple syrup…and it was delicious!!! Decadent yet light, and oh so filling. Cheesecake for breakfast…the world is now perfect. You are welcome, I await my nobel prize. Hehe.

  • 4 oz light cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup splenda or sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbl coconut flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 egg whites
  1. Combine the cream cheese, splenda/sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and coconut flour in a bowl.
  2. In a seperate bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
  3. Fold the egg whites into the cream cheese mixture carefully.
  4. Spray a pan and heat over medium low. Spoon about 1/4 cup onto the pan. Allow to cook about 2 minutes on each side achieving a golden brown. If they are a bit dark, don’t worry! It’s cheese, it remains tasty…unless you’ve completely burnt them.

Makes 4 pancakes. Each pancake contains 86 calories, 5.3 grams fat, 5.3 grams carbs, 1 gram fibre, and 6.8 grams protein. Absolutely delicious served with fruit, jam and maple syrup. I think this may even be gluten free…double check that though with your resident gluten free person, I am not a gluten free expert.

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Toasted Coconut Pie

Posted on June 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

No hardcore hobbit today, but really, what hobbit would say no to pie? We had this tasty pie this weekend and I just had to share. For years I have been buying all sorts of coconut cream pies for my husband. It’s his favourite but I’ve never tried to make one because I just didn’t trust myself to get it right. Each store bought pie I got for him was a store bought disappointment. We just weren’t achieving an acceptable level of coconut flavour. So, it’s time I gave it a go. To us the best kind of coconut is toasted coconut. If making it on our own is the only way we can make this happen, then we are going to bring it! I did…and epic coconut flavour was achieved.

  • 10 reduced fat oreo cookies, crushed (creamy center and all)
  • 1/2 unpacked brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup splenda
  • 2 egg whites
  • 370 ml can evaporated skim milk
  • 1 tbl cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp coconut extract
  • 1/4 cup toasted coconut
  1. Press the crushed oreos into a pie pan to from your crust.
  2. Mix together the cornstarch, splenda and brown sugar in a pot. Slowly add the egg whites, vanilla extract, coconut extract and milk while whisking to keep smooth.
  3. Heat the mixture on medium heat, whisking frequently, until it thickens.
  4. Stir in the toasted coconut, reserving some of it to sprinkle on top of the pie.
  5. Pour carefully over the crust. Top with remaining coconut and allow to cool.
  6. Best if left in the fridge overnight.

Serves 8. Each serving contains 147 calories, 2.5 grams fat, 30.4 grams carbs, .5 gram fibre, and 5.8 grams protein. I have figured out where they were hiding all the coconut flavour in all those store bought pies….it was in my cupboard all this time.

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Hardcore Hobbit: Complete Hobbit Breakfast

Posted on June 6, 2011 | 3 comments

Lotro tells us this delicious breakfast is full of potato, egg, bacon, and mushroom. Really, who could ask for more? This one came to us by accident sort of. Weekend breakfasts are my husband’s domain. Lately though he has been strapped for ideas. He told me he was in the mood for eggs though. So we talked it out and concluded that we should poach said egg and place it on a tasty potato pancake. Then he asked if I wanted bacon. To which I countered “you know…if we work in mushrooms…we have a complete hobbit breakfast!”. So, we tried it out and yes it works. Totally delicious and I would do it again. Each flavour comes through and it is indeed those ingredients in their purest form. Best of all, the egg was a perfect medium poach. My favourite kind. I love it when the egg yolk becomes this gooey buttery sauce to tie together the dish. Break the yolk first and dive in, you won’t regret it.

  • 2 medium red potatoes
  • 2 strips bacon
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 crimini mushrooms (or mushroom of choice), sliced
  • cooking spray
  • ground pepper to taste
  1. Peel, grate and squeeze the moisture out of the potatoes. Form into two cakes and set aside.
  2. Crisp the bacon in a pan and drain off the fat. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until the liquids come out and get soaked up again.
  3. Pulse the mushrooms in a blender to create a tapenade  like texture (chunky, not a puree). Set aside.
  4. Place the potato pancakes in the pan. Cook until golden on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip, press down, and cook until golden. Place on your plate.
  5. Poach the eggs to desired firmness. We use an egg poacher, for the free wheeling way of making these without a poacher you would best refer to Julia Child.
  6. Spoon the mushroom tapenade on the potato pancake. Place the poached egg on top and garnish with your pieces of bacon. Serve!

Serves two. Each serving contains 275 calories, 8.4 grams fat, 37.8 grams carbs, 4.9 grams fibre, and 13 grams protein. What a pretty plate and a tasty brunch that was. Go husband!

 

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Hardcore Hobbit: Medium Master Repast, Rhubarb Meringue Tarts

Posted on May 2, 2011 | Leave a comment

Spring has sprung and with it comes waves of rhubarb hitting the farmer’s market. Something must be done!! Well, as it so happens I can use some of this rhubarb to earn a bit of rep in LOTRO. The medium master repast is another one of those reputation building recipes for cooks. This one is made with egg, pie crust, tasty frosting, rhubarb, and flour. For the tasty frosting I used it’s ingredients to make a nice custard to surround our delicious rhubarb. The egg of the recipe is gloriously featured as the brown sugar meringue topping. It smelled so delicious that upon entering the house my non rhubarb eating husband had to have one. Nom!

  • Hardcore Hobbit Pie Crust
  • 3 cup fresh rhubarb, chopped
  • 4 tsp splenda or sugar (for sprinkling)
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tbl sugar or splenda (for custard)
  • 2 tbl unpacked brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup skim milk
  • 2 egg whites
  1. Make the HH pie crust and use to line 10 mini tart pans.
  2. Spoon the chopped rhubarb into the tarts so that they just fill each tart.
  3. Sprinkle the rhubarb tart with the sprinkling sugar and cornstarch.
  4. Bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes. There should be some tenderness to the rhubarb.
  5. While it bakes, separate the eggs, keeping both parts in different bowls.
  6. Combine the yolks with the custard sugar until it changes colour to a light yellow. Slowly whisk in the milk. Whisk until smooth.
  7. When the tarts are removed from the oven spoon the custard over each tart. Careful not to overfill!
  8. Lower the temperature to 375F. Bake the tarts for another 15-20 minutes.
  9. While the tarts continue baking, add the brown sugar to the egg whites and beat until stiff peaks form.
  10. Remove the tarts from the oven, spread the meringue over the tarts. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes to brown the meringue. Allow to cool.

A lot to do but what a tasty and impressive tart! Makes 10 tarts. The filling and meringue of each tart contains 33 calories, 1 gram of fat, .7 gram of fibre, 4.5 grams of carb, and2.3 grams of protein. Remember to add your pie shell to your total! I wanted to leave the option open for those who don’t want to make their own. Enjoy!

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Hardcore Hobbit: Sandson’s Famous Hardboiled Eggs

Posted on April 19, 2011 | Leave a comment

I’ve been waiting so long to do this one. When I first glanced at the recipe in LOTRO I knew exactly what I had to do for these eggs. I’ve been waiting for that perfect time of year to do this. In the game these eggs are made with eggs and onions. They are described as “what seem to be normal hardboiled eggs are really Farmer Sandson’s famous recipe!”. How do you make hardboiled eggs with onions, you may ask. Simple! We’ve been doing it in my family for years! Start saving your yellow onions skins! I think this method makes them taste better than your average hardboiled egg but then it could just be because they are pretty.

  • 4 white large eggs
  • 1-2 cups of dry yellow onion skins
  • COLD water
  1. Place the eggs in a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover with an inch of water from the top of the highest egg.
  2. Add the onion skins to the pot covering the eggs.
  3. Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat. Once it begins to boil reduce the heat to medium and allow to cook for 10 minutes. The water will get beautiful and dark, that’s perfect.
  4. Remove from heat and immediately place the eggs into icy water to chill. This keeps those egg yolks pretty and yellow, instead of greenish. Chill for atleast 5 minutes. Longer is perfectly ok.
  5. Remove from the icy water, rub dry with a towel and serve! Or keep in the fridge with the shells on for up to a week.

Note: all the info I found for just one egg seems to vary. Check the package on your brand. For general info here is what I had: each egg contains 80 calories, 5 grams of fat, 0 carbs, 0 fibre, and 7 grams of protein. Also, I am not declaring for any particular sports team over there. I had them on hand and I live in Victoria, BC…I gotta put the Vancouver team up there lest I possibly face some sort of lynch mob or something. Hope you have as much fun making these as I do!

BTW you can totally make more than four with the amount of dye those egg skins will give you. Just cool and start again.

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Posted in Breakfast, Ingredient, Snack, The Hardcore Hobbit

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