Mexican Egg Benedict Recipe and Some Exciting News

My family members are big fans of Egg Benedict!  We have it for breakfast quite often.  Instead of the same old Egg Benedict, I make different variations all the time, such as this hearty, yet refreshing Mexican Egg Benedict. 



The traditional Egg Benedict consists of two halves of an English muffin, topped with ham or bacon, poached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. Those are good, but this Mexican Egg Benedict is even better!



My Mexican Egg Benedict consists of toasted English muffin, topped with ground beef seasoned with taco seasonings; then covered with grated Jarlsberg Cheese (it’s mild and nutty) and sliced Avocados from Mexico (super smooth and creamy).  Then I topped it with a perfectly poached egg, a drizzle of salsa, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, and served with a couple of lime wedges.  If that doesn't sound like the perfect breakfast, I don’t know what does.  I think Mamma is always right, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and let’s make sure we all eat well.



Before we head over to the recipe and pictorial, I want to tell you about some exciting news!  So, are you ready?  I bet you are.  Here are the juicy details.  I’m joining Kitchen PLAY’s Breakfast Duos event, featuring Jarlsberg cheese and Avocados from Mexico.  It’s a great party that you don’t want to miss.  Yes, you are invited to the Breakfast Duos Twitter Party!  Best of all, it’s free to join and there is a treasure hunt at the party.  So, please follow all of the ten Breakfast Duos posts here and collect the clues about Jarlsberg and Avocados from Mexico that are included. They could be your ticket to winning one of six fabulous prizes at the Twitter Party (valued at approximately $100 each).  And my friends and readers, here’s is my clue for you:  Jarlsberg is available in a wheel, in a loaf, and in deli slices.  So, what are you waiting for?  Simply click here to register for the Twitter Party.



Wait, that’s not all, Avocado from Mexico is running an awesome sweepstakes and here is some of the information:
-Enter to win $2000 worth of cookware and other great prizes including free groceries!
-Over 500 prizes will be awarded
-You can enter on the Avocados From Mexico breakfast sweepstakes page
-Hurry, sweepstake ends April 14^th!
For more information and to enter the sweepstakes, please click here.

Please also join Avocado from Mexico’s Facebook page here and follow all of their exciting news.



Alright, now that I've got all those exciting news covered, let’s check out more pictures of this scrumptious Mexican Egg Benedict, shall we?



I love poached eggs and I can probably make one with my eyes closed, or not.  I love that the gorgeous yolk runs all over and mixes with the rest of the ingredients.   



Here’s how I make these beautiful Mexican Egg Benedict. 
1) Split the English muffins in half and toast them to golden brown and crispy.
2) Grate the Jarlsberg cheese, set aside.
3) With a wooden spatula, break the ground beef into small pieces as they brown in the skillet.
4)  Then, add the taco seasoning package.  Set beef aside.




Next, we get the poached eggs ready.  Here’s how to make the perfect poached egg:

1) Bring a small pot of water to a simmer, NOT boil, just simmer.
2) Add about a teaspoon of vinegar into the water. 
3) Stir with a wooden spoon in one direction to create the circular motion in the water.
4) Gently slide the egg into the water.  (Note: it’s better to crack the egg into a small bowl first instead of cracking the egg directly into the water to prevent breakage)
5) Let the egg cook for 2 minutes, the circular motion in the water will help fold in the egg white.  Then, gently flip the egg and cook for another minute or two, until the egg white is set and the yolk is still soft.
6) With a slotted spoon, remove the egg from the water and gently tap on a paper towel to remove excess water.

Note: I usually poach two to three eggs at a time.




Last but not least, let's get the avocado slices ready.  Here’s how to cut the avocado to get the perfect slices:

1) With a sharp knife, run the knife over and around the skin of the avocado to split it in half.
2) Gently twist the two sides and it’ll split in two halves.
3) Tap the knife into the pit and twist.
4) The pit should come right off.
5) Slice the flesh of the avocado; be careful not to cut through the skin.
6) With a large spoon placed between the flesh and the skin scoop the flesh out.  You should get perfectly sliced avocados.



Now that we've got all the ingredients ready, here’s how to assemble the Mexican Egg Benedict:

1) Place the toasted English muffin on the serving plate.
2) Spoon the cooked ground beef on top in a single layer, as much or as little as you want.
3) Sprinkle a layer of grated Jarlsberg cheese on top.  The heat from the ground beef will melt it slightly.
4) Place a few slices of Avocado on top.
5) Top with the poached egg.
6) Drizzle the salsa, sprinkle some fresh cilantro leave on top, and serve with a couple of lime wedges, enjoy!



Pretty simple, isn't it?  I hope you all enjoy today’s recipe and give it a try soon.  I know you'll love it.  Please don’t forget to register for the twitter party and sign up for the sweepstakes!  Good luck everyone.






Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post for Kitchen PLAY, Jarlsberg cheese and Avocados from Mexico.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Sparkling Watermelon Bubbles — with Carving Pictorial

The very first time I carved a watermelon and made this Sparkling Watermelon Bubbles was back in my college years. Oh well, that was many, many years ago…ahem…Those were the good old days. It was always fun to make and serve this Sparkling Watermelon Bubbles at parties. With this watermelon basket as a centerpiece, you can expect to get all the “ohhs and ahhs” from your guests. The recipe was slightly different back then. The “sparkling” ingredient was wine coolers instead of the sparkling white grape juice that I used in this recipe. Why did I switch the wine cooler out and use sparkling grape juice this time? Because my kids adore watermelons! With this kid-friendly version, everybody can enjoy this wonderful treat.



So, when Kitchen PLAY invited me to participate in this month’s Progressive Party to create a watermelon dessert recipe, I was really excited and couldn’t wait to get started. My kids were on their winter breaks and they were just as excited when they saw the fridge filled with watermelons. My kids ask for watermelons all the time, even in the winter. Good thing is that watermelons are available all year-round, typically as a mini-watermelon, or pre-cut melon as found in the produce aisle. I love using the mini ones as they are usually sweeter. Plus, they are perfect for carving into these lovely baskets (I’ll show you the step-by-step pictorial in just a second).  




I love serving these Sparkling Watermelon Bubbles to my kids. Not only are they refreshing and delicious, but they are packed with nutrients that your body needs. Did you know watermelon is 92% water? Oh yeah, with the dry weather during the winter, you can feel good about filling up, as it hydrates while satiating your appetite. Watermelon is a multivitamin unto itself; it is packed with lots of Vitamins A, B6 and C. For more information about health and nutrition on watermelons, feel free to visit Watermelon.Org.




Are you ready to learn how to carve this watermelon basket? It’s way easier than it looks. Before you get started, I have two important tips for you. Tip number one: have a sturdy and stable cutting board. Place a damp paper towel underneath the cutting board to prevent your board from sliding around when you carve. Tip number two: use a very sharp knife for carving. It’s much safer when your knife is sharp so it cuts through the skin of the watermelon with ease.
So, here’s what I did.

1) Slice 1/4-inch off the bottom of the watermelon to provide a stable base.

2) Cut vertically from the top, 1-inch to the right from the center of the melon until you reach half way of the melon.

3) Cut horizontally in the middle of the melon until you reach the corners of the vertical cut.

4) This slice of watermelon should come off easily, set it aside. (You can slice this piece into 1/2-inch thick slices and out flesh into star shapes ones with a cookie cutter, see pictorial #8 below)



5) Do the same on the other side of the watermelon to create the “handle” of the basket.

6) Scoop out the flesh with a melon-baller, be careful not to scrape too deep on the bottom as part of the skin was cut off as the base.

7) Make zig-zag cuts with a paring knife, all the way through the rind and on the handle.

8) Use a cookie cutter to cut out other fun shapes.



It’s fun and easy, right? I hope you enjoy today’s pictorial.



Lemon zest and lemon juice really brighten up the flavor of this dessert. The basil adds a nice zing and depth of flavor to the melons. When I bit into one of these melon bubbles, it burst in my mouth because of the sparkling grape juice it absorbed. It’s so much fun to eat.



I hope you’re inspired to get your own watermelon and carve something fun. Give this recipe a try; I’m sure you’ll love it as much as my family does.





Join Kitchen PLAY, the National Watermelon Promotion Board and some of your favorite food bloggers for a Twitter Party on January 22 at 7 PM ET where we’ll be chatting about this tasty, nutritious and versatile fruit, and testing our watermelon knowledge.  You’ll also be eligible to win great watermelon prizes, so RSVP for the Twitter Party here!
Also, beginning today, read all 6 posts at Kitchen PLAY sponsored by Watermelon for clues. Each post contains an "watermelon fact" that may appear as a trivia question during the Twitter Party.

Tuesday, January 22

7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PST

Follow the hashtag #All4Watermelon

Disclaimer:  This is a sponsored post by the Watermelon.org and Kitchen PLAY.  As always, all opinions are 100% my own.