Eggs & Polenta

Tis the season for making and/or breaking your new year's resolutions, and if you happen to have made a resolution to shed a few pounds, or to tone up a few of the flubbier parts on your bod, then you're probably trying to eat lighter, cut back on your portion sizes and spending every other day googling 'healthy recipes'. Not the easiest thing to do. Luckily for you, I've been there and done that (a few times... lol) and as a result have found a few gems along the way.

One of those gems is this recipe - a staple in our house. I can't recall where I first saw the idea, but I do recall my concerns about the polenta... I had never cooked it before, nor had I ever tasted, so I really wasn't sure what to expect, turns out it's like a yellow version of Cream of Wheat. If you've never tried it, here's your opportunity to experiment!

Eggs Benny

After a week out of province (with a very slow internet connection), followed by a week of sickness (curse you stupid cold!), I'm finally, FINALLY on the mend and in a blogging mood again!! And since I posted the above image to my facebook close to 2 weeks ago now, promising the miracle recipe soon, I figure that's where I should start!

If you've been following along with my Instagram, you may have seen a post or two about Eggs Benedict. It's been a big year in Eggs Benny for me, I've graduated from first taste, to first attempt at home, to first mastered dish (a.k.a I accomplished a sauce that didn't separate!). You can view the word 'mastered' very lightly in this particular case, but I've experienced many trials and tribulations with this finicky sauce, so I feel I've overcome mountains!! In any case, I can honestly say I've tried many methods, with depressing results, until this blender method changed my life! Ok... so that may sound a tad over-dramatic, but when you know with certainty that you're not going to ruin your sauce, and have to start over again - waste another 3 eggs and a stick and a half of butter - you're not nearly as anxious when preparing it! Shout out to Simply Recipes for the tip!

Anywho, on with the recipe! Since I've also made this several times, I've established a rough timeline of how to prepare the other aspects of the eggs benny dish, so it's all nice and warm when you put it together. If worst comes to worst, heat everything in the microwave for a few seconds before adding the hollandaise, or preheat your oven to a low temp and leave your ingredients in there as you prepare them!

Pineapple Squares

Tis the season of cookies and squares, and although these don't pop into my head when I think of Christmas, they’re a welcome addition to any festive platter nevertheless. Not only are they light and fluffy and refreshing - making them the perfect cap to those heavy Christmas meals - but they're also super easy to make. Not to mention, versatile - if you switch out your square pan for a round pan, you've got yourself a fancy little pie! ;)

Tip: If you’re a bit paranoid about using raw eggs in the recipe, leave them out, or better yet, skip the middle layer altogether and just double up on the top whipped layer.