B&B/Accommodations

Asparagus is in season! I know this because it is growing in my garden... thin and delicate with a great snap! What goes best with asparagus? Splendor Farms Eggs Benedict with our homemade hollandaise! Hollandaise is so easy to make! You don't need that prepackaged stuff!
All you need is a blender, yes, a blender!

EASY HOLLANDAISE:

• 4 medium egg yolks or three large (depends on which chickens in my coop did the laying!)
• Juice of two lemons
• One and 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter melted
• Salt/pepper/paprika

Add eggs to the blender and blend/whip, add lemon juice and then slowly add the melted butter until it is creamy and smooth. Add a little salt & pepper and set aside until ready to top your eggs & asparagus. Sprinkle paprika on the top for presentation and serve!

Being from West Texas, I couldn't imagine a breakfast menu without Huevos Rancheros or Migas! Growing up, my mom, who worked full time, would spend her Saturday doing laundry and cleaning house and there was always a pot of pintos on the stove. It was the Saturday night supper many times! Served in a bowl (as a kid I squished ketchup in mine!) along with homemade fries, cornbread, and usually green onions on the side (whole, not diced!) It is as Texas to me as Red Beans & Rice to Louisiana!

Now, my MawMaw would have a fit if I opened a can of refried beans, so I make them myself. Very easy, but realize they cook all day, which can be cut almost in half by soaking overnight. I usually soak mine beginning at 5 a.m. and start them around dinner time to start cooking and then cook them slowly, so the beans don't disintegrate until I go to bed at 8 p.m. (If you soak overnight they will be creamier after cooking, but I don't like puréed beans!)

HERE IS MY RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE
FRIJOLES REFRITOS (REFRIED BEANS):

One pound of dried Pinto beans, looked over for pebbles, washed, drained, and put in a big bowl to soak about 6 to 7 hours. Cover with water and add the following:

• A quarter of a cup of Chorizo sausage drippings (my favorite) or bacon grease
• Two whole Spanish onions (yellow) peeled then cut in 1/2 and put over the flame on your gas stove burner and roast until browned, not burned. Turn frequently. Medium diced.
• Two Serrano or three Jalapeño peppers, roasted like the onion, then diced. Stems/seeds removed, but I leave the membrane the seeds grow on inside as there is nice heat from this part.
• Two tablespoons each of paprika (Spanish) and ground cumin
• Three tablespoons of garlic powder
• One to two tablespoons of salt
• Cook gently, all day.

I actually double this recipe for the B&B and freeze the beans in two-serving portions in containers for easy thawing and serving.

To make the refritos:

• Lard, yes lard, about a wooden spoonful
• Thawed frijoles
• Three tablespoons of small diced seasoning mix (onions, peppers, celery, garlic, & parsley)
• In heavy stainless steel or cast iron pot, heat lard, add seasoning, when seasoning is wilted, add beans (high heat). They may splatter so watch out!
• Stir beans in and around real fast in very hot lard & seasoning until hot and creamy, but beans are still whole, too!

Plate and top with crumbled farmer’s cheese and cilantro! Serve with our Huevos Rancheros (see menu above)

¡Olé!

P.S. One of my B&B guests (J. Evers of Baton Rouge) recently commented that my beans needed more seasoning, and I agree. However, my Ranchero sauce is spicy (it will be featured as our Cinco de Mayo recipe of the month) so I make the beans milder! He gave me a tip for his beans. he adds a pack of Taco Seasoning mix (per one pound)! Thanks for the tip! You may want to try it, too!

We have some guests who have been coming for years -- the owners of Sammy's Food Service & Deli in New Orleans. Check them out if you are in New Orleans (see their Guy Fieri review for the Food Channel's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives!) Great people and a lot a fun to have around. I always make a frittata, which I now call Sammy's Special! See ya'll in March!!

SAMMY'S SPECIAL FRITTATA:

• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 links sweet Italian sausage, removed from the casing and crumbled
• 1/4 cup diced yellow spanish onion
• 1 red bell pepper, 1/4-inch dice
• 1 yellow bell pepper, 1/4-inch dice
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, and salt & pepper
• Shredded Mozzerella

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Coat a cast iron skillet with olive oil.  Add the sausage and brown.  Add the peppers and onions and sauté until they are soft.
• In a bowl, add the Parmigiano to the beaten eggs and season lightly with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of garlic powder and oregano.
• Using a heat-proof rubber spatula, stir the eggs into the pan with the sausage and peppers. Stir the eggs to evenly distribute the sausage and peppers throughout the eggs.
• Once the eggs set on the bottom and around the sides of the pan, sprinkle shredded mozzerella on top then place the pan in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the eggs are cooked through.
• Serve in the skillet on the table!

This is great with whole wheat toast, biscuits, or english muffins on the side and a caprese salad of garden fresh tomatoes and basil from our gardens! Enjoy!

• 3 cups rolled oats (4 if using pumpkin puree)
• 1 cup slivered almonds or pecans or walnuts (whatever is in my freezer)
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds (fall) or cranberries (winter) or strawberries (spring) or blueberries (summer) (all dried)
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (fall only - it is heartier)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins (optional, too!)

DIRECTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, dried fruits and brown sugar.
• In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, (pumpkin puree) and salt.
• Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.
• Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

TIP: The key to this recipe is to WATCH it in the oven!!! No, don't get in the oven! Just keep your eye on your timer - don't go call your mom or best friend on the phone! You have to stir it every 12 to 15 minutes! Do like I do, put on the cooking channel in your kitchen and every time someone says Bam, or EVOO, you stir it!