I usually try to be modest, but even my kids agree....I make the best Caesar!  This is a little twist on the classic, making it a brunch-friendly salad.  Anyway, I really seem to be on an egg kick lately, but they go so well with everything!  Anyway, here's how I do it....

Bacon and Egg Caesar Salad:

serves 4

1 head Romaine lettuce, cut and washed and taken for a spin in a salad spinner

1 cup croutons made from crusty bread

(Just cube or tear bread into chunks, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and toast)

8 slices pancetta, baked until crisp in the oven

(Bake between two sheet pans to keep them flat, and sandwich between parchment to keep from sticking. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.)

4 eggs, poached

Mama Nelson's Caesar Dressing:

1/2 cup good quality mayo

2 cloves garlic, crushed in garlic press

1 anchovy, mashed with fork

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

juice of 1/2 lemon

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated

freshly ground black pepper

flake salt, crushed between fingers

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Whisk dressing ingredients together until smooth and taste.  Adjust seasonings to your liking.  Sometimes we add a splash of Balsamic, but Lilly doesn't really like vinegar, so I either leave it out, or sneak it in.  

Toss dressing with lettuce and croutons, divide into 4 bowls, and top each with 2 pancetta slices and 1 poached egg.  Enjoy with cracked pepper and grated Pecorino Romano on top.

*Photo beautifully shot by Rod Komis of Rod Komis Photography. Thanks, Rod!

Fried Egg and Veggie Hash and My Mom's Danish Puff

This is such a simple yet satisfying meal, and eggs so often serve as a quick nourishing meal for me, any time of the day.  This was inspired by some fresh eggs I bought from a friend of a friend who raises chickens, and the eggs were actually laid on Innaugeration Day, which really made these eggs something special.  Anyway, I usually like to doll my eggs up with hot sauce and olive jalapeno relish, but really wanted to focus on the rich and promising flavor of this Innaugeral egg, so I gently cooked in in a heated skillet with a little olive oil, being careful not to have the heat too high, and then seasoned it with dried herbs from my garden and sea salt.  A special egg deserves a special kind of side dish, so here's the recipe for Roasted Veggie and Potato Hash.

Roasted Veggie and Potato Hash

Serves 4

2 carrots, peeled and julienne cut

1 parsnip, peeled and julienne cut

1/2 Sweet Yellow Onion, julienne cut

2 russet potatoes, peeled and julienne cut

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 Tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt, cracked pepper, and dried herbs to taste

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Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss veggies, onions, garlic, and potatoes with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and herbs.  Roast in the oven, stirring every 8-10 minutes, and roast about 20-30 minutes.  

Kay Nelson's Danish Puff Pastry

serves 8-12

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

My Mom made this every Easter, and so to honor her memory, I make it every year.  Our whole family LOVES it!

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter

2 Tablespoons ice water

Blend the butter and flour together with a pastry blender, and then work in the water. Press together and then press into 2 strips 3"X12" on an ungreaded baking sheet.  Set aside and prepare the topping.

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter

Bring butter and water to a boil, and then add:

1 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup flour

Stir flour and extract in quickly until incorporated, then add

3 eggs

Stirring in one at a time until completely incorporated.  

Spread half the filling on each dough strip, and bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, until golden brown. Do not underbake.  Allow to cool slightly and ice with Almond Glaze.

Almond Glaze

tops 2 Danish Puff pastries

1 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon almond extract

*Photo is beautifully shot by Unleashed Productions photographer John Mowers.  Thanks, John!