13 Days and Potato Leek Spinach Hash with Eggs

13 days!!!!  Only 13 days and my hubby sets sail over the sea to work in Bahrain for a year.  Without me.  Without our two boys.  That's right.  I'll be single mom to two wrestle-loving, sweet-toothed, snugly boys for a whole year.  That means that you won't see a whole lot of this on this blog over the next  year.

That's right.  Little boys like to eat hot dogs and ice cream.  Not smoky vegetables.  Not baked eggs.

I will miss these kinds of meals.

I might sneak them in every once in a while.  When the boys can eat leftover chicken nuggets.

But you.  You can make this.  And you should make this because it's just about the best breakfast/lunch/dinner I've ever eaten.  You won't believe that you made something this delicious.

Go ahead.  Put down that pack of hot dogs.  Make this.

Potato Leek Spinach Hash with Eggs
Adapted from Cooking Light


Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, thinly sliced
1 pound new potatoes cut in half or quartered if they are a bit large
2 cloves garlic minced
1 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (This is a very important ingredient.  You MUST use this.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 cups baby spinach
4 eggs
Parmesan


Directions:
1.  Heat oil in a large skillet (preferably non-stick) over medium heat.  Add leek.  Cook 8 minutes stirring often.
2.  Add potatoes.  Cook about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add minced garlic, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3.  Add spinach to pan and cook for 4 minutes, stirring constantly.  If spinach begins to stick to the pan or cook to quickly add a bit of water to the pan, a tablespoon at a time, to cool it down and stop the sticking.
4.  Push the vegetable mixture aside to make 4 egg-sized spaces.  Crack one egg into each space.  Sprinkle eggs with remaining 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Cover and cook about 3 to 5 minutes or until the eggs have reached the desired doneness.  Sprinkle parmesan on top to garnish.  Serve.

Martha Monday: Strawberry Shortcake

As a child I refused to eat strawberries.  Anything RED was disgusting to me.  I still have a hard time getting cherries down but strawberries have certainly found a place in my heart.

So, thanks to Pru for picking the perfect dessert as strawberry season is upon us here in Maryland.  I have a freezer full of jam.  I've made popsicles, pie, smoothies, and strawberry lemonade but I hadn't made shortcake.

Strawberry Shortcake is really easy for those of you who approach baking with fear and trepidation.  And this recipe does most of the work in a food processor so it really can't get any easier.  I made my shortcakes a bit patriotic by using the red, white, and blue sugar crystals my son had so lovingly selected at the store.  The shortcakes are like a really tender, slightly sweet biscuit.  Mound on the sweetened strawberries and a bit of vanilla whipped cream and you are ready to take on the world.

Or perhaps play the piano at your first recital.

Yup, that's my seven-year-old playing at his first recital.  He did fabulously!  Nary a mistake.  Must've been the shortcake.

Martha Monday: Honeydew Popsicles

Well, I'm back on the Martha Monday wagon now that I've moved and unpacked.  I selected this week's recipe - Honeydew-and-Cream Ice Pops with Pistachios.  I actually DID make them on Monday but I couldn't find the cord that would get my photos off my camera and onto my computer.  So much for unpacking in an organized manner!

Anyway, the cord has been found.  The pictures downloaded.  And here I am to tell you about these great popsicles.  

When it's 96 degrees outside any popsicle will taste good.  But these really are.  Even when you are inside in the air conditioning.

The recipe is really simple.  Honeydew melon and cream and honey.  The pistachios were the only odd thing.  Tasty but odd.  I think I'd rather have something else in the pops, something with a zing, like whole raspberries or a cherry puree stripe running through the middle.  Something loud and sour to offset the cool calm flavor of melon and cream.  

Anyway, check out the recipe and come up with your own creative variations.  Make sure you have a cutie pie to eat your popsicles with!