Better than McDonald's Breakfast Sandwich

Who doesn't love a breakfast sandwich first thing in the morning?  Breakfast sandwiches are a weekend breakfast staple for us and never get old since you can change the ingredients, depending on your mood.  I usually make ours with a combination of bread, cheese, egg and sometimes meat.  My standard sandwich is with 1 egg cooked over hard, 1/2 to 1 full cheese single on a whole wheat english muffin.  However, the bread, egg, meat and cheese options are endless!  Here are some suggestions, I'm sure there are many more!

Bread: sliced bread, english muffin, bagel, biscuit
Meat: Canadian bacon, real bacon, turkey bacon, sausage patty, turkey sausage patty
Cheese: cheese single, shredded cheese, cream cheese, feta cheese, goat cheese
Eggs: over hard, over medium, over easy, poached, scrambled, egg white
Other: spinach, sauteed mushrooms, sliced tomato, ketchup, hot sauce

It's probably self explanatory how to make your sandwich... but here's a quick explanation or how I make my usual breakfast sandwich.

Put the english muffin in the toaster. Spray a small non-stick saucepan with Pam spray.  Heat pan for about 2 minutes over medium heat.  I put my burner on 5 (out of 8).  For my usual over-heard egg, I break 1 egg into the pan and cook until it looks set, about 1-2 minutes.  Gently flip egg over.  It's okay if it breaks apart, just try to push it back together into a shape that will fit onto your bread.  If I was using meat, at this time I would place it in the other side of the saucepan. 

Cook egg for another minute or two.  Meanwhile, your bread has probably finished toasting.  I put it on the plate and put the cheese on one side and squirt a little ketchup and hot sauce on the other side. 

When the egg is done, I place it on top of the cheese, top with the other piece of bread and enjoy!  If I was using meat, I'd add that to the sandwich once it finished cooking, hopefully at the same time the egg is done. 

I hope this sandwich idea, whichever option you choose, brings a little joy to the start of your day, like it does to mine!

What are you favorite breakfast sandwich ideas?  I'd love to hear them!

xoxo Melissa

How to Cut Up a Pineapple

In college I worked in a prep kitchen at one of our dining halls.  My job was to cut up fruits and vegetables, generally: pineapple, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, green peppers, onions, and anything else the kitchen might need. It wasn't uncommon to walk into work and have 40 pineapples to cut up or a bushel of green peppers waiting for me.  It wasn't necessarily my favorite job, but it allowed me to become pretty good at prepping foods, especially tricky ones like pineapple.  When I came home from college, my mother would actually buy pineapples for me to cut up for her.  It's really quite easy once you get the hang of it and then you will never have to buy a pre-cut pineapple at the grocery store, which are sometimes twice the cost of a whole one!


Here's what you do.  Step one, take your pineapple and lay it down sideways on your cutting board. 

Hold the pineapple with your non-dominant hand and cut off the top and bottom with your other hand.  With a sharp knife, it shouldn't be too hard to cut through.

Stand the pineapple upright and slice the pineapple in half, from top to bottom.  Then turn it 90 degrees and make another cut from top to bottom, creating 4 equal pieces.

Take one quadrant and slice off the inner core, which is usually 1/2 - 1 inch thick on the pointy end of the pineapple quadrant.  The core is hard, lighter than the pineapple "flesh" and not generally eaten.  If you don't cut it all off the first time, you can just make another cut to get it all.  Do this to all four pieces.

Take one of the quadrants and lay it on the cutting board, flesh side up.  You're going to take your knife and make a diagonal slice on each side, separating the flesh from rind.  Repeat with other 3 pieces.

Cut pineapple flesh down the middle, length-wise. Repeat with other 3 pieces.

Turn pineapple length-wise and slice into smaller pieces.  I store my cut up pineapple in plastic food-storage containers in the refrigerator.  Depending on how ripe your pineapple is, it should last a few days to up to a week. 

How easy was that?  Believe me, once you do it a few times, it'll become second nature and you won't even have to think about it .  Good Luck!

xoxo Melissa

Breakfast Black Beans

I've always been a fan of Sandra Lee.  Maybe it's the similar name, Sandra Lee, Melissa Lee?  Maybe it's the cool tablescapes or fun cocktails she makes on her shows?  Who knows?  In any case, I'm generally a fan of her recipes, although I sometimes don't use all of her cooking shortcuts.  I came across one using refried black beans several years ago from one of her Semi-Homemade cookbooks.  I had never seen nor used refried black beans and thought I'd give it a whirl!   I modified it slightly a few years ago and do not remember her exact recipe any longer, however I think my version is pretty good and not to mention quicker and easier to make!  This recipe is a great side with some eggs and potatoes and makes for a hearty breakfast.  On occasion I will serve these beans for dinner with enchiladas, tacos or quesadillas. 

Breakfast Black Beans
Serves 3-4

1 can (14.5 oz) Refried Black Beans
1/4 cup Salsa
1/4 cup Chopped Cilantro
diced green chilies, optional
sour cream, optional

In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, add beans and salsa.  Stir together.   Once incorporated, add almost all of the cilantro, saving just enough to sprinkle on the finished dish.  Stir occasionally until warmed through, about 5 minutes. 

I know it may not look delicious from this picture.  Give it a chance, it is refried black beans after all. I don't know if they were really meant to be a "pretty" food.  Spoon a helping onto a dish and serve with a sprinkling of cilantro.  If I happen to have a small can of diced green chilies, I might add a tablespoon or two and stir in with the salsa.  I'm pretty sure Sandra used this in her original recipe, however if I don't have any in the pantry I just go without and it's fine. If I also happen to have sour cream on hand, I might add a little dollop on top if I'm feeling a little luxurious.

xoxo Melissa