Eggs Benedict with Pumpkin Hollandaise... There are no words

I am that girl. I LOVE pumpkin everything. But I mean real pumpkin... Like the kind you carve. Not just the cinnamony nutmeg flavor we associate with a PSL or pumpkin pie. I don't want to discriminate so I will broaden this to say I love pumpkin, squash and gourds in general. They can be sweet or savory and serve as awesome bases for soups and sauces...which is how I discovered this treat for today's follow-on blog to why brunch is king.

I adore eggs Benedict. It's the first thing I order if I go out for breakfast somewhere but it is also the dish I am most often disappointed by. My husband and I have been on a mission to stop eating out and instead spend that time recreating things in our kitchen. I've said before he's an amazing cook, and he is... But I've been stepping up my game and I'm VERY proud of this dish. 

The hollandaise sauce is what makes a Benedict for me. It can be done really badly and kill the whole dish. Of course, it's not the easiest sauce to make and can split in a second if anything is off. Pumpkin doesn't split! 

We decided to explore pumpkin hollandaise after making a twice baked pumpkin dish and realizing we had a lot of extra butternut squash purée left over. The purree was so smooth, sweet and creamy and just begged to be used in a other dish. After sprinkling paprika on our original dish and taste-testing we knew just what to do! And so, this fall-inspired dish was born.

Dr. P's Pumpkin Hollandaise for Eggs Bennie ( or anything else you want to smother in hollandaise...which for me is everything!)

For the hollandaise you will need:

1. Squash purée ( we baked a butternut the night before, scooped out the insides and puréed ( and puréed and puréed and then when we thought it couldn't get smoother we puréed it further) with some unsweetened almond milk. Depending on your dietary needs you could do the same, or use regular cow's milk or cream. For this recipe you will want a more liquidy purée versus a thick, soup-like consistency.)
2. Paprika, salt and pepper to taste 
3. Lemon or lime juice to taste ( I used the juice from one lemon, but I love a lemony hollandaise)
4. Butter if you want to use it

What to do:

1. Warm purée, add seasonings, lemon/lime juice and butter if you desire! So simple :)
2. Drizzle over poached eggs and whatever other delicious accouterments you choose!

Enjoy, savor, and delight in how deliciously guilty this dish looks, but revel in knowing it is nowhere near as guilty as its buttery, eggy traditional cousin!

Cheers

Dr. P

Brunch foods are king

I I LOVE brunch. Everything about brunch is right. It elicits ideas of sleeping in luxuriously late, and dining on delectable dishes that could pass as both breakfast and lunch all at the same time! Since I've been working on my PhD and I've been home during work hours, brunch has become a popular thing in my house. I am an equal opportunity breakfast food consumer, especially at brunch time. Eggs Benedict, waffles, pancakes, hash, omelets, French toast. I love it all. Of course, it is not feasible to consume all of these delicious treats daily and remain in your current pants size, but many of them can be done in a more health conscious manner. So today I made some amazing almond and coconut flour pancakes with whipped honey yogurt and fresh fruit. The pancakes were fluffy in the middle and crispy on the edges with a delicate crunch and nutty flavor from the alternate flours. The whipped honey yogurt was a nice, sweet addition that did not leave me longing for powdered sugar... Although I will admit adding a splash of maple syrup in there.

My husband loved them- which is saying a lot- because he (maybe sometimes) can be a bit of a food snob. In his defense he's an awesome cook and I'm more of a novice tinkering with ingredients and my kitchen aid but he loved them anyway! 

But I digress! I wanted to make a flourless pancake that wouldn't cause the energy slump that usually occurs after eating regular pancakes. We're renovating our home and just got a new puppy so energy is in short supply around here. These pancakes fit the bill. 

Here is my version of almond and coconut flour pancakes! *Coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture so you can always omit the coconut flour and adjust accordingly for just almond flour! 

Pancakes: adapted from marinmamacooks.com. Yield was 4 medium sized pancakes. 

You will need: 

¾ cup almond flour ( you can grind your own using whole almonds but be careful you don't over process or you'll get almond butter! Delicious... But no good for the pancake batter)

¼ cup coconut flour 

½-¾ cup almond or cashew milk ( pay attention to your consistency... If the batter is too thick, add in more milk a little at a time to adjust)

2 eggs ( I've used Greek yogurt as a substitute to make these eggless and found it works but makes a denser pancake)

1 Tbsp baking soda

1 Tbsp baking powder 

1 tsp vanilla 

Pinch of salt 

 I didn't use any sweetener but feel free to add that if you want. 

Steps:

1) Heat your pan or griddle to a medium heat. I use the butter/ coconut oil mixture I grease the pan with as a measure of when the pan is ready; when the mixture starts to crackle and bubble I pour the batter in! 

2) Pour approximately ¼ cup scoops of batter into the pan or griddle. 

3) Although these will bubble like normal pancakes, the bubbles are not a sign for flippage ( of course I mean to flip). The edges will start to turn golden when it is ready! I shifted the pan back and forth as if I was preparing to flip and waited until the top stopped looking liquid and wiggly ( scientific foodology terms, obviously)

4) Cook the other side 3-4 minutes util equally golden delicious! 

Whipped Greek Yogurt Topping  

You will need:

½ cup Greek or plain yogurt

Honey to taste 

Fruit (I used blueberries, raspberries and nectarines)

Walnuts or almonds or any other crunch element you fancy

Steps:

1) In a mixing bowl, beat yogurt and honey until ribbons begin to form.

2) Spoon onto pancakes and top with fruit and nuts! 

3) Eat. Savor. Enjoy. 

These pancakes would probably freeze and toast well for quick weekday breakfasts!

If you make these awesome pancakes don't forget to tag me on Instagram! #drparko121314

Delight in the delicious!

-Dr. P

Love, light, and a little face scrub

My beautiful mess is a mix of all the things. As I explore and discover my life I get excited about what I've found out and want to share it with you!

So I start my first blog (ever) with an introduction to me... and then my most recent, DIY discovery to find an awesome, natural face scrub that wouldn't cost me a zillion dollars or be harmful to the environment! I get super excited when I can recreate products in my kitchen, and I think you'll appreciate this too!

But first since we don't know one another, here I am!

I'm a closet nerd/PhD student, fitness fan, yoga lover, homemade homemaker, renovation renegade, makeup junkie, neat freak, who has been determined to avoid social media... until now. I love my husband, my hair,  the gym and pink lipstick ( sometimes going to the gym in pink lipstick because, well, why the heck not). I love to recreate delicious things in my kitchen, travel everywhere and anywhere and spend time with my family. I've never met a cheese I didn't love, and find the world is so full of interesting things, I struggle to find favorites and instead I just love. So, this is me!

Now, on to the goods!

I have a love/hate relationship with my skin. I had PERFECT skin when everyone else had teenage acne, I never needed foundation or cover up and then I turned 24. It's like my teenage years realized they didn't torture me and have now come back like the ghost of Christmas past. Fast forward 3 years and I have tried what feels like every acne product ever. They just don't work for me! Typically, they lull me into a false sense of security for a few weeks and then BAM! Teenage face is back. Enter vicious cycle of trying to treat acne covered skin, but wanting to cover it up, but it being too dry to cover up, then having to wash the makeup off with more face wash that re-irritated my skin.

What. The. Heck?

I decided to give up on over the counter, or prescription treatments because they were making my skin red, tender and crazy dry! I forfeited my huge haul of treatments and did some (ok, A LOT) of research and have found some awesome, natural products that have cleared my skin up, saved me a ton of money and given me an excuse to make a big mess in my kitchen all in the name of beauty!

Today's recipe is to make a face scrub/ mask inspired by Lush Cosmetics Angel's on Bare Skin. Lush makes awesome, crushworthy products, but I was looking to do a version that was entirely natural. As such, I recommend making small batches because it can go bad if you leave it to sit. I chose to use bentonite clay because I was looking for a more active way to use my clay other than just the very tight mask it is typically used for. By incorporating it into this scrub, I am able to use it as a scrub and then leave it on while I shower, do laundry, pretend to be a Ninja Turtle etc and get a 2-for-1 from one, natural, homemade product. I won't say I am lazy, buttttttt I do love a product that does double duty.

Without further ado: Dr. P's Mud Man Scrub and Mask.

You will need:

1/3 cup bentonite clay (I got mine here)
⅓ cup ground almonds/ almond flour ( You can order the flour, or you can grind almonds yourself. I've done both and I prefer the almond flour because of the consistent size. But, if you have an awesome food processor, go for it on your own. Be careful not to overprices or you will make almond butter which is delicious but not great for this recipe. )
4 TBSP raw honey to form a crumbly "dough" ( I've used a lot of honey in a lot of beauty recipes, and I'm favoring this one at the moment. ~Tip~ If you use a little bit of almond or jojoba oil in the measuring spoon before you put the honey in, the honey will slide right out instead of sticking to the spoon!)
2-3 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar: 2 TBSP will give you a more crumbly scrub whereas 3 will give you a more mask-like consistency.  (I buy a few bottles at a time because ACV is awesome for your complexion and your hair, but also has benefits when taken internally. I got mine here)

*Optional* Tea Tree Oil, Grapefruit Oil and any other oil you like for your skin or for scent. Tea Tree oil is a great antiseptic and kills acne. Grapefruit oil is also awesome for your skin and helps the scrub smell less earthy- it doesn't bother me but my husband doesn't really like it, so Grapefruit Oil it is. I use this Tea Tree oil and this Grape Fruit oil.

I do all the below steps inside a quart-size sandwich bag to keep it neat and for storage purposes for any extra that doesn't fit in the container.

• Add the bentonite and the almond flour together. 

• Add the honey to the dry ingredient mixture one TBSP at a time. ( If you make pie, the "dough" looks like pie dough does before you add the water in)

• Add oils if you decide to
• Add the ACV and smush together 

• You can either store this in the plastic bag, sealed tight in between uses or you can put it in a nice looking jar or container, that seals tightly.

To use:

1. Wet face
2. Grab a quarter-sized blob of Mud Man and add water to your palm until the dough spreads into a paste between your hands. 
3. Scrub! 
4. You can either rinse right away or leave it on for awhile. Since I leave the bentonite mask on for 20-30 minutes, I usually leave the Mud Man on for that long.

Happy Scrubbing!

Love and Light

- Dr. P