Often, when I travel, I'm inspired by the food I'm seeing and the food I'm enjoying…I have a really long note in my Evernote app called Recipe Ideas. It's so long, I had to split it off into two notes, one called Sweet Recipe Ideas and another one called Savory Recipe Ideas. I add recipes to these notes probably every few days but when I'm traveling, I'm always adding to them…like crazy, every. single. day.

A lot of times, I get home and immediately want to make//find//develop recipes from my ideas…like this grilled cheese sandwich we had at the Churchill, a bar we stopped at during our stop at the port city of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, while we were on an Alaskan Cruise with Princess Cruises.

I really wish I had taken more photos of the place…they had a ton of beers on tap, so many that on their website, they don't even maintain an online listing of the beers they serve at any given time. You have to check their instagram account for that information.

I need to admit about my obsession with bacon…I didn't eat pork for fifteen years, I think I'm just making up for lost time! When we ordered this grilled cheese sandwich with fries and drinks…I immediately asked the server to add bacon to it. Curtis side-eyed me…I think he thinks he created a monster (since I now eat bacon).

First things first, prep the bacon. We have gotten into this habit of cutting the bacon slices in half down the middle before cooking them. That way they are easier to handle when flipping it in the skillet and I also feel like they cook more evenly!

We freeze the leftovers (uncooked bacon) if there are any and portion them out so we can easily grab a few pieces without having to defrost the entire batch.

I cook bacon in a nonstick skillet. I also cleaned the skillet with a clean paper towel after I finished cooking the bacon.

I also have to admit, I selfishly made this grilled cheese sandwich five times when I got home before sharing it with you. I'm sorry, I waited so long. Before we left the pub and paid our bill, I asked the server to ask someone in the kitchen what cheeses they used. She came back and told me swiss and cheddar…total music to my ears!

I could also tell they used a garlic & herb butter on the bread and knew I had to try this recipe with Land O'Lakes Garlic & Herb Butter Spread!

You know how to make grilled cheese! One thing, I always try to do when adding bacon or anything else in addition to grilled cheeses is making sure there's even more cheese in between the non-cheese ingredients.

See the crusty cheese on the bottom of the pan? That's my favorite!

Once you flip it once, make sure to press down with a spatula on your sandwich.

And there you have it, another great recipe inspired by our Alaskan cruise! Excuse me while I go make another one of these!!

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Swiss & Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 sandwiches

Ingredients

• 6 to 8 slices cooked bacon
• 4 pieces of your favorite sliced bread I used sourdough
• garlic and herb butter spreadable butter I used Land O’Lakes
• 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese you can also used 2 slices of Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

• Cook the bacon and prep your other ingredients, including spreading butter on one side of all slices of bread.
• Heat a nonstick skillet on medium. Add two slices of bread with the butter side down. Add swiss cheese, then bacon and then top with cheddar cheese. Top with remaining slices of bread with the buttered side up.
• Cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, paying close attention so the bread doesn’t burn. Lower heat if necessary when flipping over the grilled cheese sandwiches. Also, after flipping it over, use a spatula and press down on the sandwiches.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Princess Cruises. I only share with you brands that I love and share with you my own opinions.

The post Swiss & Cheddar Grilled Cheese Sandwiches appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Hello, smoked salmon. I love you. Usually, I'm eating it on a bagel with cream cheese. But this…this takes it to another level.

breakfast earlier with @nicolechismar avocado toast with smoked salmon, kale, shredded carrot and shaved fennel from @lepainquotidien #nyc #thisisnewyorkcity @nycgo #nyceats

A photo posted by Julie Deily (@thelittlekitchn) on Jun 30, 2015 at 10:16am PDT

I went to New York City recently and met my friend, Nicole, for breakfast/lunch…brunch and she suggested we go to Le Pain Quotidien…great choice! I copied her order of an avocado toast and ADDING the smoked salmon. I love that they included kale too!

Other places that I went to while in NYC…Shake Shack…yesssss.

Rex Coffee…the coffee was spectacular so were the breakfast sandwiches (the bacon was to die for) and the scones!! Order it all!

And then we went shopping to at Anthropologie and I fell in love with this purse. My favorite color is yellow…isn't it perfect? I didn't buy it though…

Oh gosh, it's a food blog and it's a fitting room selfie…this top, I'm obsessed with it. I bought it and then proceeded to leave it in the bag on a NYC subway. ::(

Aren't these bags from Pamela Barsky awesome? I love this one!!! They are all handmade and screenprinted in NYC. I bought this one but also left it on the subway with the Anthro top…I think someone else probably had a really good day when they found that bag!

My sister and I had an amazing dinner at Ippudo…ramen foreva…seriously…epic meal. They are on my hit list every time I visit now!

And yes…I bought cronuts…and didn't wait in line. Because I preordered them! Every Monday at 11am ET, the dates that are up for preorder are for one week…the week that's up for preorder is two weeks away so plan accordingly! Put it in your calendar, set reminders and be there or be square.

Right at 11am, it didn't work really well for me but I was persistent and my order finally went through at 11:32am. Remember, some people aren't able to submit their order and it takes a few minutes for the inventory to be released. Some people give up and go away so even if you don't get your preorder done right at 11am, there's still a chance!

And now for this wonderful toast that I have enjoyed at home several times now!

Cut the stems from the kale.

See that? You don't need that.

Massage the kale.

I always feel like the kale looks even more vibrant green when it's massaged.

I used this everything bagel shake and added it to the kale…

Thanks to the folks at hatchery for sending me some fun stuff to try, I bought the bagel shake blend myself!

along with olive oil.

Slice and dice up three quarters of one avocado, add lime juice and mix and mash.

The last quarter of the avocado, just slice it up. Squeeze lime over these slices.

Toast the bread and spread butter on the bread.

Spread the mashed avocado over the slices.

Then, add the smoked salmon, sliced avocado and then top with the kale!

Umm yeah…no words, I'm really lame but I have no words. The buttery avocado and the BUTTERY salmon…hits the spot. I'm obsessed and I salute and thank my friend Nicole for introducing me to this wonderful concoction. I hope you thank me too when you make this!

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Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon and Kale Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 3 to 4 pieces of toast

Ingredients

• 2 kale stems washed
• olive oil
• bagel shake optional
• 1 avocado washed
• 3 to 4 slices of really good quality bread I used a multigrain bread from my local grocery store’s bakery
• freshly squeezed lime juice
• salt
• spreadable butter
• smoked salmon
• lime wedges for serving optional

Instructions

• Remove the stems from the kale and chop into big pieces. Massage with your fingers to soften up the kale leaves. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil and mix together with your hands. Add a sprinkle of bagel shake or salt and pepper and mix again.
• Prep the avocado, while you’re prepping the avocado, toast the bread. Cut avocado in half and remove the seed carefully. Using a knife, on one half of the avocado, slide up and down and then side to side. Scoop the avocado pieces out into a small bowl. With the other half, only cut half of it and place into the bowl. The other half (or the last quarter of the avocado), you’ll remove and place on a cutting board and slice to top the toast with. Add some lime juice to the slices of avocado.
• Mash the avocado with the back of a fork, add lime juice and salt to taste and mix. Spread butter on the slices of toast and then spread the mashed avocado on top. Add slices of smoke salmon and then top with the avocado slices. Top with kale and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Optionally, drizzle olive oil and lemon juice on top. Serve immediately.

Notes

Inspired by a dish I had at Le Pain Quotidien

Just sayin' this isn't a sponsored post. The hatchery folks were nice enough to send me some fun products to try out and I bought some items myself, including the bagel shake.

The post Avocado Toast with Smoked Salmon & Kale appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

Brace yourselves, this is going to be a long post. I have so many photos to share…and this toast…

I recently traveled to Oklahoma and stayed at Ree's Ranch — the Drummond Family Ranch for food, fun and butter learning thanks to Land O'Lakes. I had an amazing time just like I did last year and I wanted to share with you this recipe for this toast…because it's amazing and all about my trip!

We stayed at Ree's Lodge, where she films her food network shows and the first morning, I ran outside in my pajamas to enjoy the sunrise. This photo is barely barely edited…it's so beautiful out there. I heart Oklahoma.

I shared my recipe for French Toast Sticks…lots of talking with my hands of course.

There's a close up and that's actually a maple butter dipping sauce that's made with Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil.

What I love love about getting together with the other Kitchen Conversations ladies and Land O'Lakes is we always get to try each other recipes. And they are amazing.

Ree's strawberry muffins with strawberry butter…I must make these ASAP!

And Sadie's genius monkey bread…made in a 9×13 dish…you don't have to make monkey bread in a bundt pan!

We ate so much…it was amazing!

Photo Courtesy of Land O'Lakes

And then, came the challenge…a toast challenge! Toast is a thing…did you know that there are restaurants that just serve toast?

We had a huge array of ingredients…

Photo Courtesy of Land O'Lakes

and Land O'Lakes spreadable butter. It took me a long time to think about what to make…

And I was ready once I saw the roasted cauliflower.

It's a beautiful thing, don't you agree?

It was literally amazing, the amount of creativity everyone had and I had to try my toast (top) after I found out I had won for most creative toast (yay!)…my prize was a butter t-shirt.

By the way Joanne shared her recipe for Classy Toast (to the right of mine), which had goat cheese, strawberry preserves, strawberries and more! And Brenda shared hers too: Grilled Asparagus and Red Pepper Toast…loved their toasts!

And then we went on a little tour of the ranch and met some cows. This kinda looks fake doesn't? Her ranch is so beautiful!

Car selfie LOL

And then, we got to check out the Building that Ree and her husband have been working on forever. It was really neat to see the difference from last year!

Our lovely group! <3 these ladies!

Can you see the paint on the wall? It's a painted logo for the national biscuit company that they discovered when they removed a lot of of the plaster from the walls. They restored it…love that touch!

And Ree's desk with her chandelier.

And then, we went to a ridge on Ree's ranch and sat around on picnic blankets and snacked on Land O'Lakes new European Style butter (I'm obsessed btw) and hung out and caught up and just had so much fun. It was a great time.

As we were getting ready to leave, Ree said she had a little something for us and wanted to show us something. She opened her trunk and presented us all with boots she picked out for each and every one of us.

We were all so touched…seriously, the sweetest gift ever. Ree is the best!

I love my turquoise boots! I shouted I didn't know I was a cowgirl when I put them on. I seriously LOVE them. And it's one of my favorite colors!

We of course had to do several group photos in our new boots!

A perfect end to an awesome trip. I love love working with these ladies, Ree, Bridget, Sommer, Joanne, Brenda, Maria and the rest of the Land O'Lakes team. It's really a dream working with all of them. I say it over and over again, I only work brands that I love…because that's what feels right. I love butter…in a crazy obsessive way and getting to work with great ingredients like Land O'Lakes butter makes me feel good! Working with the LOL team feels right and I often pinch myself wondering if it's actually true.

Oh this toast…seriously…you need this in your life. I tell everyone who will listen that I have this obsession with cauliflower. But I haven't shared many cauliflower recipes on TLK, not sure why…I need to change this.

Roast the cauliflower.

Toast the bread and spread on Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil on each piece of toast.

Then, spread the goat cheese.

Fold the prosciutto and lay it on top of each piece of toast.

Add the cauliflower and stack the pieces of bread. I insisted in Oklahoma that this is not a sandwich…that it's a double decker toast. Hehe

Make this…I know you'll love it!!! I can't wait to make this again and again. Call me hashtag obsessed!

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Roasted Cauliflower Toast with Goat Cheese & Prosciutto Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1/2 head of cauliflower sliced
• 4 slices of bread toasted
• Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil
• 2 ounces goat cheese
• 4 slices prosciutto
• chopped fresh Italian parsley optional

Instructions

• Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Place cauliflower on a baking sheet. Drizzle a little bit of olive over the cauliflower. Place baking sheet in the oven and roast for 17 to 20 minutes.
• When the cauliflower is finished, toast bread and spread Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil with a butter knife onto each slice of bread. Next, spread goat cheese on each slice of bread. Fold prosciutto in half and place on top of each slice of bread. Top with cauliflower.
• Stack one slice of bread on top of another and do the same one with other toasts to create to two double decker toasts. Top each with parsley and serve immediately.

Disclosure: This trip to Ree's Ranch in Oklahoma was covered by and sponsored by Land O'Lakes. Although, I have a working relationship with them, I was not required to do this post or share this recipe. I only work with brands that I love and share with you my own honest opinions. Thanks for supporting the companies I work with!

The post Roasted Cauliflower Toast with Goat Cheese & Prosciutto and Trip to The Pioneer Woman Ranch in Oklahoma appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

You know me, I'm all about butter…that's why I'm so happy to be on the Land O'Lakes Kitchen Conversations panel, for the third year! Yay! The first time I had French toast? My older sister, Quyen, made it for me. Just like my first crepes and my first tuna pasta salad, all recipes I have shared on The Little Kitchen before. I have great memories of Quyen cooking for me and my other siblings.

She's the oldest out of all of us six kids (yes there are six kids in my family!) and I'm the second oldest. My mom often worked two jobs when we were younger and my sister was like a second mom to us, taking care of us and cooking for us.

When it came time to change up the French toast, I thought of making them into sticks and a super dippable sauce made with Land O’Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil. It's so simple.I have a theory that your kids will LOVE this! In fact, adults will love it too!

Last week, I made another trip to Oklahoma to Ree's ranch and stayed at her lodge, where she films her Food Network tv show. It was beautiful and peaceful.

We ate a ton of great food including each others' recipes…Ree's strawberry muffins with strawberry butter…were so amazing!! Butter and strawberry, you have to try it!

We had so much fun! I can't wait to share more with you later this week about my visit to the Ranch!

I buy the buttery homestyle bread my grocery store bakery sells but I ask for the unsliced loaves. I cut the loaves into 1 inch thick slices and then into 1 inch thick sticks.

Whisk the eggs, vanilla extract and sugar together.

Then, whisk in melted butter and then the milk.

Just like my sister did it when I was kid, I cook my French toast in Land O’Lakes^® Unsalted Butter .

I dip the sticks in the egg and milk mixture really quickly. They don't need to bathe in the batter or they will get soggy. No one likes soggy French toast!

Cook them on all sides, the first side, I cook for 2 minutes and the remaining sides…

for 1 minute each.

Once they are all done, mix the Land O’Lakes^® Butter with Canola Oil and maple syrup together with a whisk. The spreadable butter is already soft, so it makes mixing the dipping sauce super easy.

It's an amazing dipping sauce, perfect for brunch, breakfast and even dinner! Raise your hand if you like breakfast for dinner!

These are my new favorite brunch item for sure!

I just know you'll love these if you give them a try! The maple butter dipping sauce is where it's at…dip them or drizzle it on top, it's a winner!

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French Toast Sticks with Maple Butter Dipping Sauce Recipe

I buy the buttery homestyle bread from my grocery store bakery unsliced for this recipe. That way, I can control the thickness for the French toast sticks! If you're making this for brunch or as a breakfast for your family, slice the bread first before you do anything else. This will allow the bread to dry out a little bit and hold the egg-milk mixture even better.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 16 French toast sticks

Ingredients

French Toast Sticks

• 1/2 cup Land O’Lakes® Unsalted Butter 1 stick
• 1/2 loaf homestyle bread cut into 1-inch thick slices and then cut into 1-inch thick strips (about 4 sticks per slice)
• 3 large eggs
• 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup whole milk

For Dipping/Serving

• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons Land O’Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil

Instructions

• Melt 2 tablespoons Land O’Lakes® Unsalted Butter in the microwave and set aside, allow to cool.
• Cut the bread into 1-inch slices and then into 1-inch sticks, about 4 sticks per slice of bread. Place on a paper towel-lined baking sheet and set aside.
• In a shallow dish, add eggs, vanilla extract and powdered sugar. Using a whisk, whisk until thoroughly mixed together. Add melted (cooled) butter and whisk thoroughly. Slowly add whole milk while whisking. Continue whisking until the egg-milk mixture is thoroughly combined.
• Add 3 tablespoons Land O’Lakes® Unsalted Butter to a non-stick skillet and turn heat to medium. Cook the sticks in half batches. Once butter melts, one at at time (for 8 sticks) dip the bread sticks in the egg-milk mixture for just a second, turn over and dip again. Add to the pan and continue until there are 8 French toast sticks in the pan.
• Cook for 2 minutes on the first side and then flip and cook for 1 minute each for the remaining sides. Use tongs to turn the French toast sticks. When they are done, remove from pan and place on another baking sheet lined with paper towels.
• Wipe pan out with a clean paper towel. Add 3 tablespoons Land O’Lakes® Unsalted Butter to a non-stick skillet. Repeat the dipping and cooking of the remaining 8 bread sticks.
• Add maple syrup and Land O’Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil to a small bowl. Whisk together (with a clean whisk) until mixed together.
• Serve the French toast sticks with the maple butter dipping sauce.
• Notes: These actually refrigerate very well, if you want to cook them ahead. I store them in a zippered plastic bag and reheat in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds. They won't be as crunchy as they are when they are fresh but they still taste great!

Disclosure: The Little Kitchen has partnered with Land O’Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for their Kitchen Conversation blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O’Lakes.

The post French Toast Sticks with Maple Butter Dipping Sauce appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I mentioned recently how much I love French toast and even more, I love convenient French toast. Do you love make-ahead meals as much as I do? Prep the day ahead and pop it in the oven or cook on the stove. It makes it so easy and you can enjoy the day, holiday or celebration with family and friends.

When Bisquick approached me about joining in to share a couple of make-ahead recipes for this holiday season, I jumped at the chance. We love Bisquick in our family especially for garlic cheddar biscuits. Making things easier for yourself, planning using quick and simple recipes and planning ahead makes it so you can actually enjoy the time you have to spend with your family and friends this holiday season.

Fore more make-ahead ideas, you should definitely check out Betty Crocker's Bisquick site and follow along via Pinterest and Facebook!

This recipe for Nutella-stuffed Baked French Toast is so simple to put together! I like to use buttery white bread and I spread the Nutella on like I'm making a sandwich, six sandwiches to be exact.

Then, beat the eggs.

Beat together the eggs and milk.

Add the melted butter.

Measure out 1/4 cup Original Bisquick Mix.

Mix together with a whisk.

Arrange the Nutella sandwiches in a baking dish that's been sprayed with baking spray. Pour the Bisquick mixture over the bread ensuring all pieces of bread are covered. Allow to sit for 15 minutes or overnight in your refrigerator and then bake for 45 minutes.

And it looks just like French toast doesn't it? Serve while still warm with maple syrup. It's so lovely. You will not be able to resist eating just one piece!

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Nutella-Stuffed Baked French Toast Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 12 slices white bread I like the bread with the buttery tops
• 1/4 cup nutella hazelnut chocolate spread
• 4 large eggs beaten
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup Original Bisquick mix

Instructions

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 9 inch square baking dish with baking spray. Set aside.
• Two slices at a time, spread Nutella on one slice and put together like a sandwich. Repeat for the remaining slices.
• In large bowl, mix eggs and milk together with an electric hand mixer. Add vanilla  extract and mix thoroughly. Mix in Bisquick® mix and melted butter and use a whisk if necessary. Add sandwiches to the baking dish. Pour Bisquick mixture over the bread, making sure all of the bread is covered. Allow to soak for 15 minutes (or overnight in the refrigerator).
• Bake 45 minutes at 350°F. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm with maple syrup.

Disclosure: I’m thrilled to be working with Betty Crocker to #GetYourBettyOn! I only work with brands that I love and only share with you my honest opinions. This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Betty Crocker. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Nutella-Stuffed Baked French Toast appeared first on The Little Kitchen.

I’m so excited to be working with Land O’Lakes this year to share some recipes and one of my favorite things in life, butter. This year, I’ve partnered with Land O Lakes® Butter and Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, together to bring you Kitchen Conversations. We have three other fabulous food bloggers joining the conversations: Brenda from A Farmgirl’s Dabbles, Sommer from A Spicy Perspective and Maria from Two Peas & Their Pod. The goal of the Conversations is to inspire home cooks to feel more confident in the kitchen and to provide a platform to learn from each other’s hits and misses.

You can follow the food-filled conversation and recipe ideas through the hashtag #KtchnConvo on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Of course, I’ll also keep you up to date through ongoing blog posts and recipes on The Little Kitchen!

So, our first topic of conversation is food trends. What is inspiring you in your kitchen? Each blogger took a different food trend and created a signature recipe to share. Check out all the creative recipe ideas from the Kitchen Conversation bloggers on landolakes.com.

There are a bunch of food trends every year, but the one that’s most relevant to me is incorporating Asian cooking. As some of you know, I’m Vietnamese and I’m definitely seeing Asian influences in fashion, in décor, and—in a big way—in food.

If you have never heard of a banh mi before, I'll tell you about them. Banh mis are the Vietnamese's equivalent of a submarine sandwich – and usually includes paté and cha which is a Vietnamese pork cold cut. I don't eat pork so I haven't had an authentic banh mi in a longgg time! This beef version is inspired by a visit to a banh mi shop in Orlando – they do an Americanized version and put a fried egg on top and I just had to recreate it!

Pickled Carrots and Daikon – first things first, prep the veggies, I used a julienne slicer for these and set them aside for two hours. (This is my Mom's recipe for quick pickled carrots & daikon.)

I'm lucky to have a couple of lemongrass plants in my backyard, thanks to friends who gave me parts of their plant last year to start me off. You can also find lemongrass at Asian grocery stores, fresh or frozen. If you can't find it, substitute with a little bit of lemon zest.

Cut off the ends and then cut the lemongrass in half lengthwise and in half again.

And then chop into as small pieces as you can.

Next cut the beef across the grain and then chop into smaller pieces. Marinate beef with lemongrass, sesame oil, salt and pepper.

I love these half sticks of Land O Lakes® Butter! A lot of the time, I only need one tablespoon or half a stick, and it’s much easier than a full stick (most of the time). I say “most of the time” because sometimes I’ll use a full stick for a recipe.

For this recipe, I used a Land O Lakes® Salted Butter half stick.

Melt Land O Lakes® Salted Butter in a nonstick skillet.

Add the beef and cook until all of the juices disappear and the beef is browned.

Looks perfect.

Prep your hoagie rolls by slicing them and add the beef and the toppings including Land O Lakes® Muenster cheese (this is the Americanizing part, there usually isn't cheese in Vietnamese banh mis), sliced jalapenos, cilantro, cucumbers and of course the pickled vegetables.

Fry one or two eggs at a time in a Land O Lakes® Salted Butter and top the banh mis.

Honestly, put a fried egg on top of anything and I'm there. Do you feel the same way? These sandwiches are fantastic…I can't wait to make them again!

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Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi Recipe

Prep Time 3 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 sandwiches

Ingredients

Quick Pickled Carrots and Daikon

• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup carrots cut into matchsticks
• 1 cup daikon white radish, cut into matchsticks
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemongrass chopped fine
• 1 pound beef sirloin top filet cut across the grain and chopped small
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 half stick 4 Tablespoons Land O Lakes® Salted Butter
• 2 foot long hoagie rolls
• 2 small cucumbers sliced into spears
• cilantro
• 2 slices of Land O Lakes® Muenster Cheese
• 1 jalapeno sliced (optional)
• 4 eggs

Instructions

How to Make Pickled Carrots and Daikon

• Combine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix until the sugar and salt has dissolved. Add carrots and daikon and cover and set aside for at least 2 hours.
• In another medium-sized bowl, add beef, lemongrass, sesame oil, salt & pepper. Allow the beef to marinate for at least 10 minutes.
• In a nonstick skillet, melt one tablespoon of Land O Lakes® Salted Butter on medium heat. Add half of the beef and cook until all of the juices disappear and the beef is browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove beef from skillet and wipe clean with paper towel. Add 1 tablespoon Land O Lakes® Salted Butter and cook the other half of the beef. Remove beef from skillet and turn off heat. Wipe clean with paper towel again.
• Cut hoagie rolls in half so that you have 4 separate sandwiches. Then, slice lengthwise and add beef. Layer ingredients starting with cheese, cucumber spears, pickled vegetables, jalapenos and cilantro.
• Add 1/2 or 1 tablespoon of Land O Lakes® Salted Butter (depending on one egg or two eggs at a time) to the skillet and turn on heat at medium low. Crack egg and place in skillet, being careful not to break the yolk. Fry the egg until desired runniness is reached, usually about 2 to 4 minutes. Place egg on top of banh mi sandwich and enjoy! (Repeat with the remaining eggs.)

What’s your favorite food trend for 2013? Here are a few more tips for incorporating food trends into your everyday cooking.

If you have a picky eater in your house like I do, try mixing a new ingredient with ones they already know and love.
For example, usually Curtis would turn his nose up at pickled vegetables (except for regular pickles), but because this banh mi involves beef, lemongrass and cheese, kind of like a cheesesteak, which he knows and loves, I was able to get him to try the pickled carrots and daikon, and he actually liked it!

I love to incorporate new trends by mixing up a classic recipe. One example of this is making baked mac and cheese with panko bread crumbs instead of regular breadcrumbs.

I love, love doing this. Another example is making fried zucchini with panko breadcrumbs!

Making a meal plan for the week over the weekend makes it really easy to incorporate new things and trends into your weeknight meals.

I like to make a list of meals for the week on Saturday or Sunday, and then I’ll make a grocery list based on those meals. Makes it so much easier during the week!

I’m constantly inspired by new trends and the meals I have at restaurants and try to blend them into meals I make at home.

So much so that I keep lists in my Evernote app to keep track of my ideas. I even take pictures of menus so I have all of the information I need for inspiration to try them at home!

Try to keep it simple by taking shortcuts with some ingredients (such as stocks and broths) but at the same time using fresh ingredients when you can.

Sometimes we don’t have hours to cook a weeknight meal. I think it’s fine to take shortcuts, but don’t scrimp on your favorite ingredients like butter and cheese!

I'm excited to share with you this wonderful giveaway from Land O'Lakes which includes a Le Creuset cast iron skillet and some fun goodies from Anthropologie and of course…Land O Lakes® Butter! To enter, hop on over to the giveaway.

Disclosure: I've partnered with Land O'Lakes for an exclusive endorsement of Land O Lakes® Butter for their Kitchen Conversation blogger program. This blog post is sponsored by Land O'Lakes. I always share my own honest opinions and only work with brands that I love.

The post Lemongrass Beef Banh Mi with Fried Egg on Top appeared first on The Little Kitchen.