By Week 245. Tom and I discuss the property dream — he's been saving too, combined savings growing
The kitchen continues its work. Every week, the stove is lit and the meals are made and the family gathers at the table — a table that now holds four people, two dogs, and the accumulated weight of six years of cooking through everything life has thrown at this family. The table holds. It always holds.
The rhythm of this life — Tom\'s morning coffee, my evening cooking, Mason\'s questions, Lily\'s horses, Hank\'s slow decline, the garden\'s steady production — is the rhythm I chose. Not the rhythm I was given. Cancer gave me a different rhythm: infusion, crash, recover, repeat. Divorce gave another: manage, endure, rebuild, repeat. But this rhythm — cook, eat, love, repeat — this one I chose. This one I built. And it plays in the kitchen every night, the same song with new verses, the same recipe with small variations, the same life getting better by degrees so small you only notice them when you look back and see how far you\'ve come.
I made food this week that reflects where I am: steak dinner, planning conversation. The food is the evidence. The food is always the evidence — of who I am, of what I\'ve survived, of the people I feed and the love I put on plates. The recipe is the record. The kitchen is the archive. And I am the cook, standing at the stove, stirring, waiting, serving, and beginning again tomorrow.
When Tom and I finally sat down this week and laid out the numbers — both of our savings, the combined picture, the property dream that’s been hovering just out of reach for years — I wanted dinner to match the moment. Not fancy for the sake of fancy, but intentional. Something that took a little extra effort because the conversation deserved it. These Eggs Benedict Burgers are exactly that: a steak-night feeling dressed up with a runny yolk and hollandaise, the kind of meal you make when the ordinary Tuesday suddenly becomes the night everything starts to feel possible.
Eggs Benedict Burgers
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef (80/20 blend)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 thick-cut slices Canadian bacon or ham
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar (for poaching)
- 4 English muffins, split and toasted
- 1 cup hollandaise sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped (for garnish)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Form the patties. Divide ground beef into 4 equal portions and shape into patties slightly wider than the English muffins. Season both sides generously with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Press a small indent into the center of each patty to prevent puffing.
- Cook the burgers. Heat a cast-iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook patties 4—5 minutes per side for medium, or to your preferred doneness. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil to rest.
- Warm the Canadian bacon. In the same skillet over medium heat, melt butter and cook Canadian bacon slices 1—2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Set aside.
- Poach the eggs. Fill a wide saucepan with 3 inches of water and bring to a gentle simmer. Add white vinegar. Crack each egg into a small cup. Gently swirl the water and slide the eggs in one at a time. Poach 3—4 minutes until whites are set but yolks remain runny. Remove with a slotted spoon and blot dry.
- Toast the muffins. While the eggs poach, toast the English muffins until golden. Arrange the bottom halves on serving plates.
- Assemble. Layer each toasted muffin base with a burger patty, a slice of Canadian bacon, and a poached egg. Spoon hollandaise generously over each egg. Top with the muffin crown if desired, or serve open-faced. Garnish with fresh chives and a crack of black pepper.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 640 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 38g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 980mg