Salmon Eggs Benedict and Reality Creation Recipe

It all began about a week ago.  While browsing through some stunning pics on someone's blog,  I fell in love with an image of a meal this blogger enjoyed in the days prior.  By the looks for it, her meal, was probably consumed at some fancy restaurant.  Not only did it look tasty, it was visually stunning.

The very next moment I made the decision to try to replicate this dish.  On Sundays my husband and I like to sometimes enjoy brunch at a local eatery.  The food is wonderful but the cost adds up after a while. So I thought to myself, "this could be the opportunity to save a few dollars while flexing my skills in the kitchen". Immediately, I began assessing the ingredients I would need to create this meal.

Salmon? Check! Hash browns? Check! Leafy greens? Check! Eggs for poaching?......

Getting a hold of some eggs would be easy but I had never in my life poached an egg.  I pretty much like to enjoy my eggs in the same way. Something about runny eggs never appealed to me so learning how to make poached eggs was never a priority.

Once I'd made the decision, I didn't think twice about my lack of skill in the area of egg poaching.  The only thing I knew was that I had to move forward and turn this desire into a reality.  I told myself that on the next Sunday morning, I'd be creating this meal and that was it. 

Sunday came and I knew what I had to do.  After taking assessment of the elements needed to prepare this creation, I realized that I was missing a few items.  One trip to the store took care of that.  After arriving back home, I went to work.

I stumbled around a bit in the kitchen before I was able to produce the finished product.  I felt all warm and fuzzy inside about my completed dish.  Finally, the moment came when I was able to share the meal with my husband.  Minutes later, he looked at me and said, "this is better than the restaurant."  I'm not sure I completely agree with him, but I was proud of the result none the less.

As I finished up my meal, I had somewhat of an epiphany.   I felt like I learned a lesson from this experience.  A few days earlier, my attention was caught by a visually stunning image, next thing I knew, the image was a reality.  Can I use the same process to bring other things I desire into reality as well?  So I thought back and retraced my steps.  How did I get here?

Desire.
The moment I laid my eyes on the image. I knew I wanted to have it.  I wanted it so bad that started planning it out in my head right away.   There's a difference between "liking" something and "wanting it."  When I'm at the mall, I may see something and say, "this is nice, I really like this."  But that isn't as powerful as when I say "I want this, I'm gonna get it."

Intention.
After connecting with image of the dish I wanted, I immediately told my husband of my plan to prepare this dish.  In doing so, I was expressing my intention to bring this meal into reality.  By verbally expressing my intention to him, I already began the process of creation.  I also told him exactly when I would prepare it.  This is like saying, "I'm going to the gym on Tuesday" versus "I need to go to the gym."

Action.
Sunday came.  The moment I woke up that morning, I knew it was about to go down.  I made no excuses nor did I allow any distractions to get in the way.  I didn't try talk myself out of it.  I got up, went to the store and that was it.  All of my actions that morning were correlated to the outcome I wanted to create.

Focus.
Throughout the process, I nearly burned the potatoes, I dropped a poached egg on the floor, and I screwed up the first batch of hollandaise sauce.  Yet I let none of that deter me from getting to my goal.  With every set back, I learned from it, and just kept moving forward.  Egg on the floor? No problem, I'll just make another one.  It's all about getting to finally taste the meal that I so longed for. Nothing else. The goal is all that matters.

The process of poaching egg and sauteing salmon did so much more than just satisfy my hunger, it taught me a lesson in life.  From now on, if I see something that I'd like to create (no matter what it is), instead of thinking "wouldn't that be nice" I'll ask, "what will I do to create this?"


Eggs Benedict with Salmon Recipe
Ingredients:

• 1 salmon fillet (I used a frozen fillet purchased at Sam's Club)
• Ore Ida frozen potatoes 
• Leafy greens of your choice
• Eggs
• Hollandiase sauce mix (purchased at Walmart. For the more adventurous types, the recipe to make it form scratch is here.)
• Pink salt and pepper to taste.
• Butter
• Vinegar

-Season your salmon with salt, pepper, parsley to taste
-Start by cooking the potatoes on the skillet to your liking.  I prefer my potatoes a little crispy.
-Once potatoes are 10-15 minutes from completion, melt a little butter in the skillet and place salmon in the pan on medium heat.
-If making instant hollandaise, begin preparing the sauce by following the recipe.
-In a  separate pot, prepare the water by warming it to the right temperature required to poach the egg (hot but not boiling). Add a little vinegar to the water.

If all goes well, the potatoes and salmon should be ready at around the same time.  Turn of heat and allow ingredients to remain in pan to maintain temperature.  Poach the egg by carefully dropping a raw egg into the warm water ( first, I cracked the egg into a cup then use the cup to carefully place the egg into the water. Using the cup gives you a little more control, making the process a little easier).  Allow the eggs to begin cooking in the warm water for a few minutes.  Plate potatoes, salmon and leafy greens.  Scoop out with slotted spoon and allow the water to drain from the egg.  Place egg on top of salmon, top with salt/pepper and hollandaise and voila!