Hayley Hendel's Bacon Cheddar Sous Vide Egg Bites

This pan is a splurge purchase, but because of its absolutely no-stick capabilities, it is 100 percent worth it.

Cleaning a muffin pan is one of my least favorite kitchen items to tackle.

Ingredients:

6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup shredded cheese of choice

8 eggs

1 cup cottage cheese

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Place a 9x13 baking dish on the bottom rack and fill 2/3 full with water and allow to warm while the oven preheats.

2. Cook bacon as desired.  (I use precooked, bake mine in an air fryer for 5 minutes, remove and set on paper towel, and allow to crisp.)

3. Omitting the shredded cheese, in a blender, combine remaining ingredients (eggs to pepper).

4. Using avocado oil spray, generously grease a muffin tin and divide blended mixture evenly into 12.  They fill about 3/4 full.  Top each with cooked, crumbled bacon and cheddar cheese.

5. Place muffin tin on middle rack and bake for 25 minutes.

6. Store in sealed container in refrigerator.  When ready to indulge, reheat and serve warm.

*Ingredients to switch up the flavor of egg bites can vary!  Instead of bacon, try diced ham + peppers, or even spinach, tomatoes, and feta for a Greek-inspired flavor combo!   

*Hayley Hendel Instagram

Chicken Milanese

The original recipe serves 4; my modifications to serve 6 are in red, just in case 

you need a bit more chicken for your family or want leftovers!

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 1.5 pounds (I used 3 breasts, roughly 1.8ish pounds.)
• Kosher salt and black pepper, for seasoning 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs (I used Italian-seasoned.)
• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (I used an entire lemon.)
• 1/2 cup olive oil, for frying
• Arugula, for serving
• Lemon, for serving (I used the lemon I zested!)

Directions: 

1. Place the chicken breasts on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice the chicken breast halves horizontally, butterflying them open. Cut each breast in half, to create 4 equal size pieces. (Because I used one more breast, I had 6 pieces.)  Cover the chicken with plastic wrap. Use a mallet or rolling pin to pound the chicken out until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Remove the plastic wrap and season both sides with salt and pepper.

2. In a medium shallow bowl or baking dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside.

3. In a second medium bowl or baking dish, whisk the eggs and set aside.

4. In a third medium shallow bowl or baking dish, combine the panko, Parmesan cheese, parsley, and lemon zest.

5. Create an assembly line; dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, coating both sides, shaking off excess. Next, dip the chicken into the eggs, letting any excess drain off. Add the chicken to the panko mixture and press until both sides are well coated. Repeat until all pieces are all breaded.

6. In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, carefully place 1 or 2 pieces of chicken into the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, on each side, or until chicken is cooked through.

7. Remove the chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process with the remaining chicken. Add more oil, if necessary.

8. Transfer chicken to a plates and serve with arugula salad and a squeeze of lemon juice. (I drizzled my arugula with lemon-infused balsamic vinegar!)

*www.twopeasandtheirpod.com

S'mores Cookie Cups

The recipe calls for 24 s'mores cups.  Each time I've made these, there's been enough graham cracker mix to make anywhere from 28-30, so if you have extra marshmallows and chocolate, make a few more! 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour (not packed)
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12 large marshmallows, cut in half
• 2 Hershey’s chocolate bars (24 chocolate pieces)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth.

3. To the butter/sugar mixture, add in the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

4. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the large bowl (wet ingredients) and mix until just combined.

5. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough into a greased mini muffin tin.  (Using a tablespoon cookie scoop is super easy!)

6. Using the backside of a tablespoon measuring spoon, press dough down into the muffin tin to create a small indent in the dough. (I like to spray the back of the tablespoon with a little bit of cooking spray avoid the stickiness of the dough to the spoon.)

7. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are just getting golden brown.

8. Remove from oven and gently press a half marshmallow, sticky side down, onto each cookie.  Let the cookies cool completely.

9. Once cooled, preheat the broiler (lowest broiler setting) on your oven.

10.  Place cookies back in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes, keeping a close eye on them so they don’t burn! (Do not exceed two minutes.  I usually end up just standing there the entire time to monitor.)

11. Once golden brown, remove from the broiler and place/gently set a piece of chocolate on top of each cookie.  No need to press them down; the heat from the marshmallow will help the chocolate to adhere.

12. Let them cool completely before removing them from muffin tin.  (TIP!!!  After I place the chocolate onto each cookie, I give them a minute or two to adhere, and then put the muffin tin into the refrigerator for quicker cooling time.  The cold temp from the fridge hardens the cookie, making it much easier to pop out.  I use a toothpick to poke into the edge of each cookie and it pops right out.  Don't worry, the cookies will soften once they've gone back to room temperature.)

*www.sixsistersstuff.com

Maple Rosemary Grilled Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided (I only used 2.  See directions below.)
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (I used frozen Dorot cubes.)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine maple syrup, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, diced shallot, chopped rosemary, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and minced garlic.

If chicken is not of even thickness, pound for more even cooking.  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.

In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, combine maple syrup mixture and chicken; marinate for at least 30 minutes to overnight, flipping the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade and discard.

Preheat grill to medium high heat, around 400-450 degrees.

Brush chicken with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.  (I did not do this.  Instead, I lightly spritzed the tops of the chicken with avocado oil spray.)  Add chicken to grill and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.  Dependent on its thickness, it can take anywhere from 10-12 minutes or so.

Serve immediately.

*www.damndelicious.net

Greek-Style Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used Italian.)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced (or frozen garlic cubes)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup shredded zucchini (well-squeezed of excess liquid)
• 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
• 2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
• 1/4 cup finely diced red onion
• burger buns, feta cheese, red onions, lettuce or spinach, tomatoes, and/or tzatziki sauce for serving

Directions:

• Add the ground turkey to a large bowl along with the breadcrumbs, garlic, egg, paprika, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, zucchini, feta, sun-dried tomatoes (optional), and red onion. 
• Mix well with your hands until everything is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
• Divide the mixture into 4 patties.  
• Grill over medium-high heat, around 400 degrees, (or fry in a frying pan over medium-high heat) for about 7-8 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of the burgers reach 165 degrees Fahrenheit (74 Celsius) measured with an instant read thermometer. (I air fried mine on the grill setting (500 degrees) for about 5 minutes per side.)
• Remove the burgers from the heat and let them sit for about 5 minutes before serving. This helps them stay juicy and prevents them from falling apart. 
• Serve on toasted buns with spinach or lettuce, tomato slices, additional red onions and feta cheese, and a generous amount of tzatziki sauce.

Notes:

To make these burgers ahead of time, simply form the burgers and place them on a plate in the fridge (place parchment paper between the burgers to prevent them from sticking to one another) for up to 24 hours until you're ready to cook them. 
*www.thebusybaker.com

Frosted Sugar Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

For the cookie bars:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon milk

For the cream cheese filling:

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 8 x 8 baking pan with parchment paper and set aside. (In my opinion, it's helpful to lightly spritz the 8 x 8 pan before laying the parchment paper on top, simply to keep it in place for spreading the batter later.)
2. Using a stand mixer fixed with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together until just combined. Add in the egg, milk, vanilla, and almond extract and beat well.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the salt and flour, beating for about 1 minute.
4. Transfer the cookie dough to your prepared pan, spreading all the way to the edges and smoothing out the top. Don’t worry too much about it being perfectly smooth, because it will soon be covered in frosting!
5. Bake the bars for 20 to 30 minutes.  (I checked at 20, but needed all 30.) You’ll want to take them out when the edges are golden brown, but the center of the bar is still gooey.

Frosting directions:

1. Place the room temperature butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer (or hand mixer is fine!) and beat well. Add the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 
2. Once the cookie bars are cooled, spread the frosting in an even layer over the cooled cookie bars. Sprinkle with your favorite sprinkles, cut into 16 squares, and enjoy!

*www.bromabakery.com

BBQ Soy Ginger Chicken Thighs

 

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 4 frozen garlic cubes, or minced cloves
• 4 frozen ginger cubes, or 4 tsp. minced ginger
• 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1/2 cup chives, finely chopped
• Kosher salt and pepper (just before cooking)

Spicy Peanut Ginger Vinaigrette (optional, but highly encouraged)

• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• ¼ cup nonfat Greek yogurt (I used 1/2ish cup, or one 5.3 oz yogurt container.)
• 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
• 4 frozen ginger cubes, or 4 tsp minced ginger 
• 2 frozen garlic cubes, or minced cloves
• 2 tablespoons sriracha 
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or honey
• Squeeze of lime

Directions:

• Trim your chicken thighs of any extra fat, pound the chicken for even thickness, then set aside in a bowl or large resealable bag.
• Whisk all the marinade ingredients together well and pour over chicken.  Marinate for at least 30 minutes and as long as overnight.  Before grilling, allow the chicken to sit on the counter for at least 30 minutes.
• Remove chicken from the marinade and sprinkle each side with a generous pinch of kosher salt and a little pepper.  Cook on a preheated grill, indoor grill pan, or skillet over medium/high heat for about 5-7 minutes per side, or until internal temp reaches 165°.  (You can also air fry at 400° for about 15-18 minutes, flipping half-way through.)
• Let rest for a few minutes, sprinkle with extra chopped chives, and pair with your favorite Asian-inspired sides!  If desired, drizzle with spicy peanut ginger vinaigrette.
  *www.lillieeatsandtells.com