BECS Challenge: Semi-Finalists

Just a reminder of what the BEC options are. Cast your vote.  And, I’m really psyched for the next challenge we have cooked up too!

My son Calder and the MAD Hungry Testing Team went through all of the entries and narrowed it down to 5 semi-finalists. A BIG thank-you to everyone who submitted a recipe-if we do anything like this in the future, we hope you’ll participate again!

Now comes the tough part–choosing a winner. Luckily, that’s where you come in. Check the BECS Challenge Poll on the right side of the MH blog and vote for your favorite entry. You have until October 31 so vote wisely!

To find out who made it to Round 2, check out the pictures and Calder’s report below:

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1) Bacon and Cheese Biscuits with Sausage Gravy and a Fried Egg: SCOTT HARGROVE

A BEC take on the traditional breakfast of biscuits with sausage gravy, this version also had a fried egg.  However, its genius lied in the inclusion of bacon bits and cheese in the flaky biscuit.  While a little labor intensive, first having to bake the biscuits then make a quick gravy, we found it succeeded admirably in its aim to put a clever flourish on a simple breakfast recipe, although it was a little lacking in flavor.

2) Double Down: TRACY AGREDA

This beast of a BEC has two basic grilled cheeses sandwiching two sunny-side-up eggs and four, count ‘em four, strips of maple bacon.  This BEC sounds good on paper, but to see it person is the only way to honor its true glory: three layers, two hot and sticky with melted cheese, one oozing with an unctuous yoke.  It was all its description promised and was voraciously devoured by the Mad Hungry testing team.

3) Pastrami, Bacon, Egg and Cheese Sandwich: CAMILLE GERBYSHAK

Hailing from Wisconsin, this three-cheese, pastrami BEC on a croissant is made special with a “shmear” of Ron’s Cream Cheese (a local Wisconsin brand of cream cheese) on either side of the cut croissant.  Rounded out with some fatty pastrami and cheese melted on both the sandwich and in the two-egg omelet, it proved a little salty for one tester but was never the less a success.

4) Turkey, Bacon, and Egg Breakfast Sandwich: KEELEY STEEGER

This next entry was pretty basic: a simple BEC on toast with four homemade slices of oven-roasted turkey.  Not unlike a turkey club with the combination of turkey and bacon, it was easy to put together and predictably wholesome on its way into the belly.  The testers were convinced that the suggested addition of a ripe tomato slice would have done wonders.

5) B.E.C. “hot pocket”:  ANNITA & MIKE STEPHENS

This was our most multi-purpose entrant: the BEC “hot pocket”.  It began by gently cooking an egg in an egg-round then forming crescent roll dough into circles. Next, we assembled the bacon, egg, and cheese between two circles of dough and finished it off with an egg-wash before baking the whole concoction.  The process took some time and was a bit frustrating with a finicky crescent roll container, but it can be commended for its ease of transport, lack of mess (while eating), and freeze-ability.