My Tasty Valentine {Eggs Benedict Recipe}

Let's face it, anyone can buy a bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates. But it takes special thought, preparation and care to do something extra nice for your significant other. Making their favorite dessert (my favorite is crème brulée ;-) or bringing breakfast in bed, or even surprising with weekend getaway all would be extra special. 

I'm a self proclaimed queen of breakfast food. I love everything from french toast to savory crepes with smoked salmon, but nothing tastes better than a hot plate of Eggs Benedict first thing in the morning. Of course, it takes practice to get the egg perfectly poached but it's certainly worth it. Then comes the sauce - smooth, velvety, decadent Hollandaise sauce. I have made the sauce from scratch and it was delicious but using packaged dry mix is just fine too. Your sweetheart won't know the difference tasting this delectable dish and admiring the work you put into it. 

Ingredients: 

2 Eggs

1 English muffin

2 slices of Canadian Bacon

1 Package of Hollandaise Sauce dry mix (make it from scratch recipe here)

2 tbsp butter 

1 cup milk 

Method:

First, bring a pot of water to a boil. While the water’s boiling, place a few English muffins halves and an equal number of Canadian bacon slices on a cookie sheet. Lightly butter the English muffins and place them under the broiler for just a few minutes, or until the English muffins are very lightly golden. Be careful not to dry out the Canadian bacon.

Now if you do not have an egg poacher you can poach your eggs by doing the following: With a spoon, begin stirring the boiling water in a large, circular motion. When the tornado’s really twisting crack in an egg. Or two. Or three. The reason for the swirling is so the egg will wrap around itself as it cook, keeping it together. Cook for about 2 ½ to 3 minutes but be careful not to over cook the eggs because they will be hard inside and that's not how you eat eggs Benedict. With a slotted spoon remove the eggs from water and place them on paper towel, keep warm in the oven heated to 200F until ready to serve. 

Melt two tablespoons of butter and add the dry sauce mix, whisk together incorporating it into the butter. Increase hit to high and add the milk, keep stirring and bring to boil. Set aside.

Place the English muffins on the plate, face up. Next, place a slice of Canadian bacon on each half. Vegetarian variation: you can omit the Canadian bacon altogether, or you can wilt fresh spinach and place it on the muffins for Eggs Florentine, which is divine in its own right. Place the egg on top of the bacon and then top with a generous helping of Hollandaise sauce.

Note: To ensure that everything is hot at the time when it’s ready to serve plunge the poached eggs back into the hot water just before serving, and make the Hollandaise at the very last 

Recipe adopted from here.

I'm Not Ready

Before having Jonathan, I could not imagine loving a baby so much. I didn't think I was ready for the responsibility of motherhood but more than that, I wasn't ready for all the love. Now, with every passing day I'm still not ready for the enormous experience of unconditional love that motherhood is. I'm truly not ready for the time to fly so fast.

I'm not ready for him to grow up  and abandon the cute infant stage. I'm not ready to give up the random hugs and kisses when we are goofing around. I'm not ready for the most sincere and funny laugh I have ever heard every time I  tickle or play with him. I'm not ready to be a mom of a toddler. I'm not ready for the love that overfills my heart to the point that it almost hurts. I'm not ready to feel the ache when I think about anything that may hurt him. I'm definitely not ready for the enormous responsibility of raising a human being, a gentleman, future husband and father. I don't know if I'm up for the job. I'm not ready for the tantrums and gentle discipline. I'm not ready hold my tamper when all I want to do is yell. I'm not ready for his hands to wrap around my neck when he had a scary dream and I calm him saying everything is ok. Mommy is here. 

I'm not ready for his serious face when I tell him not to touch something and he's trying to tell me otherwise. I'm not ready for the bruises and scuffed knees. I'm not ready for the boyish fun and rombanxious spirit that wants to come out every time he's on the loose. I'm not ready for his impressionable soul to take everything in. I'm not ready for all the funny giggles and sweet smiles right after nap time. I'm not ready to see him grow and change with every minute of the day. I'm not ready to teach him right from wrong, because some things I'm still unsure of myself. I'm not ready to show him all the hurt and darkness of the world.

I am not ready for my heart to be so full, and life to be so different. I feel like most days I want the time to stop and speed up at the same time. I want him to grow up yet to stay little forever, because I'm not ready for the depth of emotions and huge responsibility of parenthood. Yet it's here. I'm here. No matter how much I prepare myself, I don't know what the future holds. But I know Who holds tomorrow and that I can trust God to hold me in His hand. So, although I feel no ready for this life ahead of me and the role of motherhood, I know that God knows my heart. He will be with me through it all, guiding through the unexpected and unknown.

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

So, bring it on, life. 

I'm ready.

Favorite Remix

button down: H&M, top, skirt: J.Crew, boots: from Belarus, glasses: DKNY

I've been working on a very heart felt post for weeks now and  it's still not coming to me. It's hard to write well when your major in college was math - what was I thinking starting this blog anyway? Clearly, I wasn't.

The only thing I was thinking about is sharing some outfit ideas for an everyday girl and inspiring other moms to look their best. Trust me I don't always look like that, but I certainly try. Also, I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings about my outfit posts. I wear every single outfit I put on here - whether I plan to wear it or already have. I don't just style clothes, snap couple pictures and then jump back into my pajamas. These are actually my clothes and I do wear them. Now that I got that off my chest, I hope your week is going well.

Thanks for stopping by!

Let's Party

top: J.Crew Factory, button down: Target, skirt: J.Crew, booties: Ann Taylor

Welcome to post Superbowl Monday! Did you watch the game? Or just munched on the party food? I'm in the second category. I could care less about the game but always get together with friends for the super bowl party. Ladies are chatting away about their girly stuff while guys are cheering on their team.

Speaking of parties, another on is on the horizon - Jonathan's birthday party. I cannot believe my little boy is going to be a toddler although I'm excited for the change. He is officially walking as of Saturday night (showing off at grandparents' house) and it's the cutest thing. I did not think he was going to start before his birthday. I'm excited to throw his party because I'm a control freak and love to plan events. I'm going a little overboard with the food, themed cake, decor and personalized invites but loving every minute. Are you big on baby birthday parties? Or is it too much for one year old? I adore all the cute pictures afterwards, especially the ones with cake smashing. Cutest thing ever!

Thank you for stopping by and have a great day!

P.S. Also, I'm quiet proud of myself for figuring out the setting where you can add different movements to the pictures like snow. Isn't it cute? I thought so.

Get Over It

sweater: TJMaxx, coat: J.Crew, booties: Ann Taylor, bag: Kate Spade, hat & scarf: Gap

It's easy to fall into winter blues, especially in January. Nothing is happening (except getting my credit card statements and realizing I spend too much over holidays) and it's absolutely frigid outside. But you already know that. Everyone (and I mean, everyone) is complaining about how cold it is and how we cannot wait until summer. Then summer comes and we can't stand the heat and the humidity. So which one is it? I have nothing to complain about. I'm sitting in a nice, warm house with peacefully asleep baby and a wonderful husband who's nodding off as I type this. Millions of people around the world don't have even half of what I have and that's something to be thankful for. Yes, winters are cold and how is that a news? I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm tired of complaining. I'm tired of hearing people complain and I'm tired of myself getting caught up in it. It's January. Temperatures are below zero. Get over it.
So what's new with you?