Poached Eggs and Pesto

I decided to be a good wife this morning and wake him up with breakfast. Sadly this failed and I still had to force him awake (haha). We purchased a Ninja food processor yesterday, and I have been DYING to use it! So here is an easy fancy breakfast anyone can enjoy. :)

• Eggs
• Bacon (cut in half)
• Bread (any kind works, english muffins are popular, but we use ezekiel)

• 1 cup Spinach
• 1/4 - 1/3 cup Sun dried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Olive oil (I prefer robust, it has a deeper flavor)
• 1/4 cup Basil
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 Clove of smashed garlic
• Juice of one lemon
• 1/3 cup Shredded dry cheese (we use the parmesan, asiago, romano blend)

1. In a food processor blend the second half of ingredients from the spinach to the cheese until smooth and even.  Set aside.
2. In a large frying pan cook bacon pieces to your desired doneness. Soak up grease with a paper towel.
3. Poach eggs in a small saucepan with the water at a simmer, just under boiling. 

     How to poach eggs:

•      Place a saucepan on low-med heat with about an inch of water and bring to a boil. Turn down heat until just at a simmer and slowly pour egg in. (to make this easier I have a silicon egg ring that keeps it all together without any work!)
•      If you do not have an egg ring (super cheap!) you can manipulate the egg with a small spatula and keep pushing it together to prevent having egg soup for breakfast. 
•      Cover with a lid and let steam for a few minutes until the whites are done cooking and the yolk is to your preferred doneness.
•      Scoop out of pan with a slotted spatula and spoon and set aside until ready to plate.
•      (To save time, once the egg has set inside the egg ring, I take it out of the ring a push it to the side of the pan so I can put a fresh egg in the ring)

     4. Toast up your favorite bread and cut slices in half.


Plating:

• Spread pesto thickly onto bread, top with slices of bacon, egg, and a pinch of the cheese you used in the pesto
• Do the same thing as above, except wait until the end to add pesto and simply dollop it on top.

My tips:

• Blending the pesto beforehand is best since the flavors have more time to mingle.
• Leftover pesto is AMAZING and can be used on just about anything. (you can even add red wine vinegar and turn it into salad dressing!)
• Almost anything can go into a pesto, they're tons of fun and easy. Any combination of herbs, nuts, and dry veggies (like the spinach and dried tomatoes I used) will work.
• If you do not have a food processor you can still easily make this dish! Simple steam/saute/wilt spinach with the dried tomatoes, herbs, and garlic, and place a pile of it in between your egg and bacon!

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Sriracha Chicken Thighs!

This was an unexpected dish, but I do NOT regret it one bit. We were supposed to have sriracha grilled shrimp for dinner, but the seafood place we get our fresh stuff from was for some reason closed...ON A FRIDAY! So I more or less dug around in my kitchen and the internet, and after googling the different ingredients I had, eventually mashed together this recipe, a child of many others. (haha). And OH. MY. GOSH. This dish turned out absolutely AMAZING. So shocked. So satisfied. 

(Yes I forgot to put the honey in the picture) :P lol

• 1-2 lbs Chicken thighs
• 1/3 cup Sriracha sauce
• 3 tbsp Honey
• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp White vinegar
• 1 tbsp Fresh grated ginger (TOTALLY worth using fresh, but if you must use dried add an extra tbsp!)
• 1 tbsp Sesame oil
• 1 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds
• 1-2 tsp Black pepper

• Large handful of fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup Chopped scallions (green onions)
• 1/2 Sliced and deseeded jalapeno (it's spicy enough with the sriracha!)
• Some lime wedges (DO NOT FORGET ME! The lime brought the whole thing together!)
  

1. Wash chicken, dry with paper towels, and mix in a bowl with the first half of ingredients (chicken-pepper)
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in fridge all day or on the counter for an hour. (It's safe!)
3. Preheat your oven to 400 F, or fire up your grill!
4. Place in baking dish or on prepped/oiled grill and cook for about 45min until cooked (turn pan 180 degrees halfway through). The grill won't take nearly as long***
5. Serve with some steamed or roasted broccoli, or any other veggies you desire! 

Tips:

• The longer you let it marinate, the better!
• The measurements for any ingredient can be adjusted for personal taste. In my case, I NEVER measure pepper, I just grind a ton all over it haha. 
• You can always add stuff in, but you can't always take it out!
• Any topping or side works just fine
• Any part of the chicken would work as well. I'm typically a breast lover, but thighs just seemed right for this flavorful recipe. Wings would've been just to much work for me to eat right now haha. 
• Turning the pan 180 degrees when cooking AND baking can be essential to even cooking, especially if you have a conventional oven. A lot of ovens have 'hot spots', so turning it around makes for even cooking. :) 
• LET THE MEAT REST AFTER COOKING/BEFORE EATING! 
• ALSO! This can be made vegetarian friendly! (Look below)

      For my veggie lovers:

1.       Combine the frist half of ingredients into a small pot and simmer until thickened
2.       Stir fry some firm tofu and/or veggies and pour sauce on top

   (You could also simply swap out the chicken for firm tofu, marinate, and simmer on the stove!)

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