Sausage Potato Brunch Casserole

Here's another recipe that I would imagine serving if I ran a bed and breakfast.  We have frequent overnight guests, so sometimes it does feel like a bed and breakfast around here!  This is a great one to serve to guests because you can whip it up the night before.  That means in the morning you get to spend more time in conversation around cups of coffee and not whipping yourself into a short-order-cook-syle-breakfast-making-frenzy.  It covers all the bases in one dish: eggs, meat, cheese, vegetables, potatoes...it'll really leaving you feeling satisfied.  Feel free to substitute diced ham for a more "Denver-omelet" style breakfast casserole. 

Sausage Potato Brunch Casserole
4 cups (about 16 oz) frozen diced potatoes ("Country Style Hash browns"), thawed
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pound bulk ground breakfast sausage (or links, casings removed)
1 small onion, finely diced
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
1/4 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
10 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (i.e. Tobasco), optional
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
salsa or ketchup for serving, optional

Grease a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Spread potatoes in an even layer across dish.  Sprinkle surface evenly with garlic powder and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown sausage until cooked through.  Crumble and sprinkle evenly over potato layer.  In the same skillet, saute onion until softened, about 5 minutes.  Remove from skillet and set aside.

Return skillet to heat and saute peppers and mushrooms until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add pepper-mushroom mixture to onions, stir together and spread evenly over sausage and potatoes.  Layer 1/2 cup shredded cheese over top.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs until well combined.  Stir in milk, hot pepper sauce and additional salt and pepper.  Pour egg mixture over top of casserole.  Top with remaining shredded cheese.  At this point, casserole can be covered and refrigerated overnight.

When time to bake, remove from fridge for about 15 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until eggs are set, cheese is melted and a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Adapted from: Easy Breakfast Casserole Recipe with Sausage and Potatoes

No Fail Hard Boiled Eggs

Ok, I realize that I am probably the last person on Earth to learn how to properly hard cook an egg.  In the past, I always felt like it was a guessing game...were my eggs going to still be runny? Were they going to have that extremely unappealing green ring around them?  It felt like such a head game.  On the off chance that maybe others, too, have been stymied by a such seemingly simple task (And if that's so, don't feel badly--I'll share with you that it wasn't until a few years ago that I was successfully able to make Jell-O, for Pete's sake!), I thought I would share this technique.  

To give credit where credit is due, my husband was actually the one who taught me (thanks, Honey!).  Now, I have it down to a science and hard boiled (really, the appropriate term is supposed to be "hard cooked" because you don't actually want to "boil" your eggs, per say) eggs are pretty much a staple in our house.  They come out creamy and golden every time.  Not runny nor a hint of green and no strong smell (that comes from overcooking which is why the yolk turns green in the first place).  My boys will eat multiple in a sitting (if I let them).  Sprinkled with salt and pepper, they're a cheap, nutritious snack that can also be used to bulk up a salad, treated a bit devilishly or whipped into a sandwich filling, pronto. 

No Fail Hard Boiled Eggs
Place raw eggs in a pot just big enough to hold them in a single layer.  Add water to cover eggs completely.  Over high heat, bring water to a rolling boil.  Immediately, turn off heat, cover pot and let eggs sit off heat and covered for 12 minutes.  After 12 minutes, carefully drain water and cover eggs with cold water, allowing to sit until cool enough to handle.  Store in their shells in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Tips:
- Older eggs are easier to peel.  Hard boiling is a great way to use up eggs that are nearing their expiration date (you might notice the one in the picture above is a little jagged around the edges, that's because they were pretty fresh eggs).

- Peel eggs under running water for easier removal and to make sure you don't crunch on any little egg shell bits (that totally ruins things for me).

- Eggs once they're boiled will keep in the fridge for up to one week.

Pinepple Upside Down French Toast Bake

This is a breakfast dish that is probably not going to win too many health awards.  I think it ranks pretty highly in the delicious category, though.  French toast is really elevated to the next level when baked with a layer of caramelized pineapple.  Sometimes I dream of running a bed and breakfast someday, and if I did, this dish would likely make a frequent appearance.  Here, it is pictured (don't mind that the last piece available to photograph after we'd had brunch with our church happened to get a wee bit dark--ahem, that's just "extra caramelization" : ) alongside Honey-Lime Drizzled Canteloupe and Blueberries (scroll down for my extremely precise recipe! : ). 

Pineapple Upside Down French Toast Bake
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained and juice reserved
6 large eggs
1 cup half and half or milk
1/4 cup reserved pineapple juice
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8-10 1" slices of bread (French, Sourdough, Italian), day-old is great

Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.  Stir in brown sugar and stir until dissolved.  Add pineapple and mix well.  Remove from heat.  Spread in an even layer over bottom of baking dish.  Arrange slices of bread in a single layer over top of pineapple mixture.

In a bowl, mix together eggs, half and half, reserved pineapple juice, salt, vanilla and cinnamon.  Pour over bread.

Bake French Toast in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, or until bread is golden, eggs are set and knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to sit 10-15 minutes before serving.  Cut into squares, and lift out of pan with a pancake turner (you can flip it over so the pineapple part is actually upside down, if you like). 

French Toast can be made a day ahead of time, covered with foil and refrigerated overnight.
Remove from fridge 15 minutes before baking.

Source: Pineapple-Upside Down French Toast presented by The Bouldin House Bed and Breakfast

Honey-Lime drizzled Cantaloupe and Blueberries
Slices of cantaloupe, rind removed
blueberries
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil or mint leaves

Arrange melon and berries on a platter.  Sprinkle lime zest over fruit.  Whisk together lime juice and honey.  Drizzle over fruit.  Garnish with thinly sliced mint or basil leaves.  Serve immediately.

Thoughts on The Next Food Network Star...Episode 1

Note: These are purely my ramblings, proceed at your own risk! : ) 

I had a very sweet friend say that while she was watching The Next Food Network Star she was thinking of me and wondering what I would've made for the challenges.  I have always watched that show and thought "I could do that!" (to the tune that I--to my embarrassment--have actually auditioned a couple times.  I actually got a bit of positive feedback in a previous season's audition rounds but that's as far as it ever went).  On the other hand, I have also watched the show and thought, "There's no way on Earth I could do that!  I am so not cut out!"

One of the things that always goes through my head when I watch the show is that the food I cook is not flashy enough for the show.  It always seems like the contestants make really complicated sounding sauces and use exotic ingredients.  While I think this is interesting and I enjoy the challenge of using lesser known items and techniques, my cooking style definitely is aimed at accessibility.  I want to make things that aren't intimidating and use ingredients that every day people have actually heard of and can find in their own local grocery store.  Still, since I feel like I have a strength in coming up with dishes made from what's on hand, I have always thought the challenges looked really fun. 

Since we got rid of our cable this past Fall, I thought I wouldn't get to see the show I enjoyed so much, but thanks to Hulu, I am getting to see the episodes.  They don't post right away, and since I've had a really busy week I'm pretty behind in viewing, but I suppose as more episodes go on, there might be marathons played and maybe these thoughts (although probably not interesting) might be more relevant.


First Episode Challenge:
Brunch or Breakfast Dish that is "You on a Plate":
I would probably make something along the lines of a breakfast sandwich with a "frizzled egg (see my poached fried egg post)," slices of ripe tomato, freshly ground black pepper and tangy goat cheese broiled on an whole wheat English muffin (maybe finished with some ripe, creamy avocado slices?).  Why is this me?  Born out of ingredients on hand, it comes together in a snap.  It's on the healthy side with the whole wheat muffin and a simple, slight twist on an original, familiar food (the poached-fried method on the egg rather than just a fried or plain poached).

It doesn't seem very fancy compared to what the other contestants put out there...oh well, it's "me" and accessible to other home cooks.

Also, to anyone else who's watching the show...oh my goodness, how awful does Penny come across in the editing? Who's your favorite contestant on the show?

p.s. For real recipes this week, I'm hoping to make a BLT Panzanella Salad, a Coconut Lime Pie and Boston Cream Cupcakes...we'll see how that pans out and if it does, I'll definitely share my results!

Lemon Curd and Lemon-Yogurt Brunch Parfait

Lemon-Yogurt Brunch Parfait

 I feel like I've been on a bit of a lemon kick lately and as long as I am, I might as well share with you this yummy recipe for lemon curd.  Lemon curd is a thick spread made from lemon, sugar, eggs and butter (think of the filling in a lemon meringue pie) and is really a delicious addition to a wide number of foods.  Traditionally, it is served with scones (kind of like biscuits) for brunch or teatime, but it can be used to top slices of pound cake or pieces of shortbread, used as a filling in between layers of  cake, spread on toast or even stirred into plain yogurt (one of my favorite uses!).  To buy a jar at the store can be crazy expensive (and I've found I don't really like the taste of the jarred stuff that much anyway), but you can make your own in about 15 minutes and with mostly ingredients you probably already have on hand. This recipe makes about 2 cups, so there's plenty to share--turn it into a sweet gift by putting some in a jar tied with a pretty ribbon!

Lemon Curd
2/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened to room temperature
4 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 4 small lemons)
1 tablespoon lemon zest

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks and egg and beat together over medium speed until mixture is smooth.  Add lemon juice and mix thoroughly (the mixture may look a bit curdled but it will smooth out during cooking).  Transfer mixture to a heavy sauce pan.  Stir mixture constantly over medium-low heat until it is thick and coats the back of a spoon (about 8-10 minutes).  Do not let it boil.  Stir in lemon zest and transfer to a bowl to cool.  Cover surface of lemon curd with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator.  Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or you can freeze it as well.  Makes about 2 cups. You can also substitute lime juice and zest for a lovely lime flavored spread!
Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking

 
Lemon-Yogurt Brunch Parfait 
Even though this is more of a concept than an actual recipe, I felt like this use for lemon curd has to be included.  Layers of lemon curd, plain yogurt, berries and lady fingers, combine for a refreshing treat. It would make a lovely finale to an Easter brunch, a light dessert or just relatively guilt-free snack.  These are really just suggestions, please feel free to improvise.

Ingredients:
plain yogurt 
lemon curd
some kind of cookie: lady fingers, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, lemon wafers, shortbread, etc.
berries, fresh or frozen, any kind (I used blackberries, but raspberries, strawberries or blueberries would all be beautiful and tasty)

Layer all ingredients in either individual wine glasses or all together in a trifle bowl (or some other clear glass serving dish, preferably clear so you can see all the layers), repeating layers until you run out.  Serve immediately or can be made ahead (for softer cookie layers).  Store pre-made parfaits in the refrigerator. 

Ham and Spinach Strata

I love brunch foods.  I love breakfast foods.  I could eat morning foods anytime of day.  This is a dish that is especially versatile.  A strata is a savory egg casserole using day old (read: stale) bread and this time, it's filled with Mediterranean style flavors--spinach, red bell peppers, feta cheese and diced ham to make it even more substantial.  The lovely thing about a strata is that it's begging for you to use any fillings you have on hand (read: a great way to use up leftovers--see my note below for some suggestions).  Simple, economical and able to be assembled ahead and popped into the oven whenever you're ready, this is an excellent dish to keep in mind for upcoming brunch-centered celebrations (read: Easter, Mother's Day, Baby Showers) and also lazy Saturday mornings. 

Ham and Spinach Strata
6 cups cubed (or torn into bite sized pieces) bread: day old French bread is lovely, croissants are elegant, you can even use leftover hot dog buns if that's what needs to be used up--sometimes they do!
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 red bell pepper, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 12 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups (1 8 oz package) shredded cheese (Italian blend is nice, feel free to experiment)
1/4 cup feta cheese (optional)
2 cups diced ham
8 eggs
1 cup milk or half and half
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

Directions: Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.  Spread half of the bread cubes in the bottom of the dish.  Set aside.  In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium high heat.  Add onion, and saute, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened (2-3 minutes).  Add bell pepper and saute for 2-3 minutes longer or until bell pepper is crisp-tender.  Stir in chopped spinach and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Spoon spinach mixture evenly over bottom layer of bread pieces.  Sprinkle cheeses over spinach layer and cover with remaining bread cubes.  In a large bowl, beat together eggs and milk. Stir in dry mustard and season egg mixture with additional salt and pepper.  Pour over casserole.  At this point, you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.  Bake uncovered until puffed and golden, about 45-55 minutes. 

note: Experiment with different combinations depending on what you have on hand: Chopped broccoli and cheddar cheese, breakfast sausage and mushrooms, asparagus and Swiss cheese, green chiles, corn and pepper jack...the possibilities are endless.

Little Lemon Meringue "Cookies"

I admit, I have a bit of a hard time calling meringues cookies.  But, especially when you're dealing with lemon meringues, you have to call them something (otherwise, someone might be fooled into thinking this was a recipe for pie, right?).  Anyway, whatever you call these, I thought they would make a lovely (and surprisingly simple!) addition to a cookie exchange.  It's nice to have something that's light and guilt-free (about five calories a pop!) but still a little sweet in the midst of so many holiday treats.

Little Lemon Meringue "Cookies"
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon peel, finely grated

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper (silicone baking mats would be lovely as well--maybe someday I'll have some of those! sigh).
In a medium bowl with mixer on high speed, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form.  With mixer still running, sprinkle in sugar gradually (about 2 tablespoons at a time) beating until peaks are stiff and glossy when beaters are lifted.  Gently fold in lemon peel.
Spoon egg white mixture into a decorating bag (or a quart sized ziploc bag with a tiny corner snipped off) fitted with a star shaped decorating bag.  Pipe meringue into small stars about a 1/2 inch apart onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake meringues about 1 1/2 hours until crisp but not browned.  Turn off oven and allow meringues to stand in hour 1 hour longer to dry.  Cool completely.
Peel from sheets and store in an air tight container.

Migas, or really delicious Tex-Mex style eggs

Migas, which translates to "crumbs" is a Tex-Mex style dish that is the perfect way to use up those leftover, broken tortilla chips in the bottom of the bag (seeing as how frequently my husband goes through chips and salsa, we always seem to have).  The chips, when mixed with scrambled eggs, salsa and cheese make for an absolutely heavenly combination.  I had read about the concept on a couple different blogs and one night last week when we were fending for ourselves decided to give making them a try.  I was very glad I did.  Even the husband (who was skeptical at first) was very impressed.  Apparently, they're a breakfast staple in Austin, but seeing as I've never been there, I wouldn't know.  What I do know, however, is that this is a simple and fantastic dish that is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

Migas
(serves one)
cooking spray
1/4 cup pico de gallo, salsa, (or combination of finely diced onion, peppers and tomatoes)
1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips, plus more for garnish
2 eggs, well beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup shredded cheese (Mexican blend or colby-jack recommended)
chopped cilantro for garnish

In a small saute pan coated with cooking spray over medium heat, combine pico de gallo or salsa and crushed tortilla chip.  Stir to combine.  Pour in eggs and allow to set, folding ever so gently (do not stir and only fold as infrequently as possible.  Basically, you just want to push a section of eggs once they've set toward the middle and then tilt the pan so that the runny part gets to run onto the pan) until eggs are fully set but not dried out.  Sprinkle cheese over top of eggs, reduce heat to low and cover just until cheese melts (1-2 minutes).  Remove from pan and transfer to a plate.  Top with more crushed tortilla chips and chopped cilantro to garnish.  

Pasta Carbonara and Vegetable Ribbon Saute

Pasta Carbonara, long pasta coated in thick, luxuriously creamy sauce with salty bacon, this is true Italian comfort food!  I must admit, before I tried it I was a little unsure.  That is because the sauce is made primarily of eggs that are stirred into the pasta while they're still raw.  Sounded a bit suspect to me... Don't be afraid though, the heat from the pasta cooks the eggs, and in the process, makes this incredible sauce that reminds me very closely of fettuccini alfredo (one of those dishes that I love--who doesn't?--but feel totally guilty eating because it's as they say "a heart attack on a plate," right?).  Good news is this dish is healthier (and easier, in my opinion) than fettuccini alfredo.  And, when you top it with ribbons of vegetables sauteed in garlic and olive oil, you have a complete meal that you can rest easy with a full tummy!

Oh, and for those trivia nerds like myself, legend has it that the name "Carbonara" came from all the tiny flecks of black pepper in the pasta--it looked like coal dust. 

Vegetable Ribbon Saute

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
1 medium zucchini
1 medium carrot
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced, lengthwise
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
salt and pepper to taste
1 small roma tomato, diced
fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces for garnish
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Using a vegetable peeler, peel thin strips from both the zucchini and carrot (rotating if necessary) until you can't peel off anymore and have just a little nubbin left to snack on.  Set "ribbons" aside.  In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Toss in slivers of garlic and saute, stirring frequently to prevent from browning.  When garlic is fragrant (30 seconds to 1 minute) add in onions and peppers.  Saute until onions are slightly browned and begin to soften.  Add in ribbons of zucchini and carrot, season with salt and pepper and continue to saute a couple more minutes or until vegetables are crisp- tender.  Remove from heat.  Stir in diced tomato.  Garnish with basil leaves and Parmesan cheese.
Serve as a side dish or on top of pasta carbonara.

Pasta Carbonara
(serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are)
1/2 pound long pasta (spaghetti is most common, I prefer the slightly more substantial fettuccini)
2 eggs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup water reserved from cooking the pasta
1/4 cup half and half, if needed
1/4 pound (four slices, maybe?) thick-cut bacon (feel free to increase this amount as practically everything is better with bacon)
fresh ground pepper (lots of it) and salt to taste

Boil a large pot of water and cook the pasta until it is al dente.  When you drain the pasta, make sure to reserve some of the cooking liquid.  Return pasta to the pot and keep warm.  While the pasta is cooking, cook bacon until it is crispy.  Remove from heat, drain on paper towels and once cool enough to handle, crumble into bite-sized pieces.  Reserve.  Also while pasta is cooking, in a bowl or measuring cup, break eggs and scramble with a fork until thoroughly combined.  Stir in cheese and garlic powder.  While stirring the egg mixture constantly, slowly add the half cup of hot pasta water.  This will help temper the eggs so they don't scramble when added to the pasta.  Put the pot of drained pasta on a burner over medium heat.  Pour the egg mixture over the pasta, tossing constantly and rapidly, until pasta is completely coated and the sauce becomes creamy (it will happen almost immediately).  Remove from heat.  If sauce is too thick, add half and half and stir to combine.  Season with a lot of fresh ground pepper and a little salt.  Toss in bacon pieces, stir one final time and serve immediately.  Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese or top with vegetable ribbon saute.

Recipe Mash Up: Breakfast Burritos

I know I am not alone when I say that I really enjoy the t.v. show, "Glee."  I especially love episodes that have song mash up's--when they take a couple familiar songs and combine them in a clever way.  This is what I would consider a mash up of some of the recipes I've posted in the past, and thus, this post has links galore (cleverness, I guess could be debated, but deliciousness is a sure bet!).

Spinach "Souffle" and Riso Verde

I realized I still had leftover egg whites from the most recent banana cream pie I had made.  If I had been smart and 1) combined the leftover egg whites from all my pie-making escapades last week and 2) had been careful to make sure I didn't get any yolk in one of the batches of egg whites (egg whites won't stiffen up if there's even a smidge of fat--i.e. egg yolk--in them) I would have made an angel food cake.  I adore angel food cake...
That said, with the original egg whites, we just had some very healthy scrambles last week and with the three most recent egg whites, I thought I would try and do a quick, healthy version of Stouffer's frozen spinach souffle.  If I had had more time, I probably would have made the riso verde (see recipe and notes below), but I think this was a pretty good (and guilt-free!) substitute!


Spinach Souffle
(makes about 2 servings, feel free to double all the ingredients except for the egg whites--up that to four--to make a bigger batch)

6 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and extra water squeezed out
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons half and half
1/4 cup Italian blend shredded cheese
3 egg whites, beaten until stiff
cooking spray
grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine spinach, seasonings, half and half and shredded cheese.  Fold in egg whites and transfer mixture to small baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Sprinkle top with grated Parmesan. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until souffle is browned and no longer "jiggly."
(or, if you're in an even bigger hurry, microwave on high for 2 minutes and then finish off in the oven for about 5 more)

The inspiration for the above recipe was this Riso Verde.  I think the original recipe came from one of my mom's friends.  I loved this as a kid and have recreated it many times since then.  It's very rich and has a lot of room for nutritional improvement (I have experimented quite a bit by reducing the amounts of butter and cheese), but this is pretty close to it's indulgent glory.

Riso Verde (Green Rice)  Serves 6-8

1 8 oz. package frozen chopped spinach thawed and drained (can substitute broccoli, if preferred)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 cups cooked white rice, cooled
4 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. shredded Swiss or Monterrey Jack cheese
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 eggs, separated

Beat egg whites until stiff.  In a separate bowl, stir together egg yolks, cheeses, seasonings, onions and spinach.  Add rice and stir until well-combined.  Fold in egg whites just until combined.  Pour into greased baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes and top is lightly browned.

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding

If you're anything like me, you anything that involves custard is an easy sell (and that's really what bread pudding is, a baked custard with bread in it). It's just one of those food buzz words that makes me immediately think I'll like it. A few more: caramel, goat cheese, spinach, artichoke, portabella mushrooms...(not together, mind you, but certainly any of those ingredients listed on a menu and I'm likely to order).

Anyway, in my constant quest to not let anything go to waste, I used last week's stale Kaiser rolls for this week's dessert (or a rather indulgent breakfast made out of the leftovers--I felt like Bill Cosby rationalizing chocolate cake for breakfast because it has nutritious things like eggs and milk in it. But really, guilt aside, it really is like a big French Toast casserole, so it's perfectly acceptable for this to appear for brunch. You hear that? You have my permission!). It tasted kind of like a chocolate croissant. And that, friends, should probably be added to my list of buzz words!

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
About 5 cups leftover, stale bread torn into bite sized pieces (a French-type bread or roll is good)
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups milk
1/2-1 cup chocolate chips (depending how chocolate-y you like it--I used a combination of milk chocolate and mini chips)
Whipped cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 casserole dish and set aside.
In a large bowl, thoroughly beat eggs. Whisk in sugar and vanilla. Add milk and whisk until combined. Stir in bread pieces and toss just until bread is soaked through. Add chocolate chips, stir once more and then pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes-1 hour, until a knife comes out clean and the bread pudding is golden brown and puffed around the edges. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream (or at room temperature, or cut into slivers directly from the fridge and furtively eaten while still standing in the open fridge).

Note: you can also cover this and refrigerate overnight if you want to make ahead of time for in the morning. Just allow for a longer baking time if it goes into the oven right from the fridge.
Additionally, you can substitute blueberries and cubed cream cheese for the chocolate chips if you'd like to take more of a "breakfast-y," French Toast Casserole approach. In that case, you might want to also cut down on the sugar and pass maple syrup for serving, but that's just me...

Pad Thai Time!

When we lived in Southern California a few years ago, Jay and I tried just about every Thai restaurant our meager dining out budget allowed. Even though there were plenty of tempting dishes on the menu, I was always hard pressed to try anything else besides Pad Thai, especially on a first visit to a place. Maybe it's silly, but it seemed like a really good measuring stick (we like to do the same thing with pizza places and compare pepperonis--even though I'd always prefer vegetarian, heaven help me if a pizza comes with canned mushrooms...ick! ick! ick!).

Anyway, I have come to realize that making Pad Thai really is easy and after attempting lots of recipes (some even have included ketchup--not so sure how traditional that is!), I think I've landed on a keeper. I have adapted my recipe from Mark Bittman's NY Times column "The Minimalist" along with one from "Everyday Food."

Oh, and this came together in just under 30 minutes! That's even faster than I can get to my nearest Thai restaurant!

Pad Thai:

serves four
8 oz. dried rice noodles (the fettucini width is my favorite)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

sauce: (*see note*)
4 tablespoons tamarind paste (check the Latin foods section)
1/4 cup fish sauce (nam pla--found in Asian foods section)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, thinly sliced (or 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion)
4 scallions sliced into 1" pieces, white and green parts divided
2 eggs, well beaten
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups bean sprouts, divided
lime wedges
1/4 cup crushed peanuts
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

thinly sliced meat or tofu, seasoned with salt and pepper or as desired (**see note**)

In a small sauce pan, combine tamarind paste, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and chili garlic sauce. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, pour boiling water over rice noodles. Stir to separate and allow to soak until just softened, about 5-10 minutes (check them frequently, you want them very "al dente," otherwise they'll get mushy during stir frying--a mistake I've made all too often!). Drain off water and toss with one tablespoon of oil to keep them from sticking together.

Heat two teaspoons oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Stir fry shallots, garlic and white parts of scallions until onions are crisp tender and fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add beaten egg, season with salt and pepper. Scramble until just set. Remove eggs from pan and set aside.

Add remainder of oil to pan over high heat. Throw in softened noodles and pour sauce over top. Stir fry until noodles are heated through. Add cooked meat, egg mixture, two cups of bean sprouts and half of green scallion pieces. Stir to combine one last time. Divide into bowls and garnish with remaining bean sprouts and scallions, lime wedges, cilantro and crushed peanuts.
Serve immediately.

*A recipe I came across uses a sauce with extremely accessible ingredients. If you can't find tamarind paste and fish sauce, you can give this alternative a try:

2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus wedges for serving
3 tablespoons soy sauce
about 1/8 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (Sriacha) or a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Whisk together ingredients in a small bowl and set aside. Add to the noodles at the same step as the original sauce.


**Tonight, I used pork chops tonight and grilled them while I was stir frying the pad thai so that I didn't have another step of cooking in my wok. You can also stir fry the meat or shrimp in the same pan as the rest of your pad Thai. Just add a step in between scrambling the egg and stir frying the noodles. Also, most traditional in pad Thai is shrimp and tofu, but use whatever you please or leave meat out all together.

My new favorite eggs

We have been going through a lot of eggs these days. Silas ate three hard boiled eggs in one sitting the other day and it makes me wonder if I need to be worrying about high cholesterol in a four year old...My favorite preparation, however, is poached-fried. Yes, you heard me. Poached-fried. As Jay says, they have more flavor than poached and don't have the icky crispy bits of a fried (I happen to like the crispy bits myself). I am delighting in the fact that these are a hundred times easier than poached eggs to make and (I think) just as tasty! Be prepared to whip these up for your own Egg McMuffins (for both of my pregnancies, there were many nights I would cry at 8pm because McDonald's doesn't serve breakfast all day), Benedicts, just on toast, or as we ended up having tonight, on top of sauteed swiss chard with garlic.

Poached-fried Egg
1 egg
non stick cooking spray
ice cubes
non-stick cooking spray

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Pull away from heat and spray with cooking spray (I have a big fear of cooking spray-open flame explosions). Return to heat and break egg into skillet. Allow to cook just until edges are slightly set (30 seconds to a minute). Add ice cubes to skillet (about 1/4 cup ice cubes or around four cubes. Cover and allow egg to steam in the melting ice cubes. Cook until yolk has reached desired doneness (we like ours cooked all the way through, about five minutes). Remove from skillet and salt and pepper to taste.