 There are times that my cooking stays within the boundaries of the room. And then, there are days where I take over the house. Take last Thursday for example when my husband walked through the door to find his tool box pilfered and me on the floor pounding the holy bejeezus out of my chicken breasts with his huge rubber mallet. "I wondered who had gotten into my tools.." He quipped, visibly shaken that I had violated the tower of Black and Decker and taken something from the holy of holies. "I needed something big to make these paillards!" I chirped in, wiping my brow and looking up from my prone position to see more than just a bit of fear on his face. I needed flat chicken breasts, sweetie. See?..." And then he ran out of the room. I didn't mean to terrify him; or did I? Well, anyway. If you're longing for a beautiful dish for dinner, along with something physical to help you feel powerful, this is your recipe. And the wonderful part is you can serve it hot with creamed sweet potatoes and cheesy rice luxuriously covered with a white wine lemon butter sauce, or cold the next day as a fancy lunch drizzled with a quick honey mustard sauce. With either choice, you can see that this doubles as way to keep your husband in line and slightly afraid of what you might do next when he's not looking. Yeah, you're welcome. RECIPE: Ham and Herbed Cheese Stuffed Chicken Paillards |
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You really don't need anything else with this perfect winter meal. Except a companion across the table to share it with...hopefully one with a heart beat.
RECIPE: Beef Vegetable Rice-A-Roni Soup with Kale
#fabin40 - Serves 4-6 - Click here for printable version.
1 to 1 and 1/2 lbs sirloin or other tender stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 package Rice-A-Roni Beef flavored rice
3 medium carrots sliced
3 medium stalks of celery sliced
½ red pepper diced
1/3 yellow onion diced
1 C tomato juice
4 ½ C water (more if needed)
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
2 C purple kale, rough chopped
2 T butter
1 T oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese to garnish
1 package Rice-A-Roni Beef flavored rice
3 medium carrots sliced
3 medium stalks of celery sliced
½ red pepper diced
1/3 yellow onion diced
1 C tomato juice
4 ½ C water (more if needed)
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
2 C purple kale, rough chopped
2 T butter
1 T oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated parmesan cheese to garnish
In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter and then add the oil. Add the rice mixture from the package and sauté for a minute or two until you see some browning of the vermicelli bits in the pan. Add the meat and continue to stir and brown the meat for only about 3 more minutes. You don’t want to burn the rice/vermicelli and you won’t be able to sear the meat. Just start the browning process. Then add the carrots, onion, red pepper and celery, Worcestershire, half the tomato juice, 3 C of the water and the packet contents on the Rice-A-Roni mix. Stir well and bring again to a boil. Cover with the lid sitting on the top askew a bit to allow a bit of steam to be released, and turn on low to let simmer for about 20 minutes. When you remove lid it will be more of a risotto looking soup. Add the rest of the water, and the rest of the tomato juice, taste and season. Then add the chopped kale, and return to a slow simmer only to bring to temperature, not to cook. When hot, serve! Can garnish with a little parmesan cheese if you like!
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Last week we hosted my mom, Lenis and my step-father Ted to a week in the Queen City. Symphony, BBQ, shopping, TV studio tours, and of course some southern cuisine. With all that shuttling back and forth we had lots of time for fun chatter that included some hilarious one-liners that will become a permanent part of my vernacular.
Case in point, during a shopping trip to TJMaxx, we asked Ted if he wanted us to look for some new duds for him. Not that he needs any, (he's a sharp dresser!) it just seemed polite to ask him if part of our shopping time should be spent looking at things for him. His response was hilarious.
"Nah, I'm good. And except for the bullet holes this old coat works great!"
An instant quote to adopt, don't you think? Seems all of us are hiding a hidden bullet hole, are we not? One way or another, we cannot escape life and its lessons as they run clean through us like a 44 caliber lead slug shot from a gun. It makes me realize that what is most endearing about those we love is the fact that they've survived with nobility ... and we rarely factor in their quiet heroism.
It's kind of like cooking, really. Good food is only the result of techniques perfected through utter failure. One cannot produce an amazing souffle, or an exquisite sauce without having ruined at least one pan or scraping burnt batter off the bottom of an oven. What eventually goes on the table is never something arrived at without sweat and a few tears. And unless you're tearing the plastic off a tray microwavable lasagna, (Please tell me you won't do this!) your hard work next to the stove gives one a sense of satisfaction that is really quite euphoric. And then, bullet holes and all, you arrive triumphantly to serve, nourish, and share with those you love.
Enjoy the photos and then ALL the recipes I cooked are at the end of the post. As for me, I'm heading out to buy a flack jacket today.
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So many things to do in the Queen City. Baked French toast above, then a trip to Fort Mill to eat at "Local Dish." A tour of WSOCTV is the photo at the beginning of the blog, and an evening with the Charlotte Symphony helped us make some great memories. Plus a delicious dinner of fresh Cod, Black Lentils, Roasted Golden Beets and Quick Pickled Leeks had us licking out plates!
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Enjoying Fresh Blackberry Muffins for breakfast started the day that ended with Peach Salsa Baked Chicken and Creamy Rice.
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No visit to my house is complete without the girlfriend night. Delicious mini Greek Meatloaves, sauteed root vegetables, and of course two of Sue's delicious pies: Turtle Pie and Key Lime.
At least once a month we gather and eat well. Even giant bullet holes that seem like they'll never heal suddenly close up. How? With love, and a spoonful of whatever you're making tonight.
At least once a month we gather and eat well. Even giant bullet holes that seem like they'll never heal suddenly close up. How? With love, and a spoonful of whatever you're making tonight.
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RECIPES BELOW!
RECIPE: Baked French Toast with Fresh Blackberry Syrup
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8 slices of your favorite bread. I like the Pepperidge Farms French Bread.
5 eggs
½ C milk
½ C cream
1 t vanilla
1 C chopped and toasted pecans
Pinch of salt
1/4 C plus 2 T sugar
1 t cinnamon
Pint of fresh blackberries
4 T butter, divided
Powdered sugar for serving
5 eggs
½ C milk
½ C cream
1 t vanilla
1 C chopped and toasted pecans
Pinch of salt
1/4 C plus 2 T sugar
1 t cinnamon
Pint of fresh blackberries
4 T butter, divided
Powdered sugar for serving
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. With 1 T of the butter, grease the inside of a small 7 inch by 10 inch glass baking dish. Layer each slice of bread, overlapping, inside the dish.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, cream, milk, 2 T sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Blend extremely well beating either by hand or with a hand mixer until smooth. Pour the mixture over the bread. Push down gently so the bread soaks up the eggy mixture. At this point either refrigerate overnight or for at least 30 minutes. I did it for only 30 minutes and it turned out amazing! Then sprinkle the toasted pecans on top.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden and puffed.
While the French toast is baking, melt 3 T butter in a small saucepan. Add the rinsed and dried blackberries and the ¼ C sugar. Bring to a low boil, stirring. Then reduce and let it barely bubble for about 5 minutes, until the back of a spoon is coated. Remove and let cool.
To plate, cut a slice of the French toast and place on a plate, ladle with the syrup, sprinkle with powdered sugar!
In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, cream, milk, 2 T sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla. Blend extremely well beating either by hand or with a hand mixer until smooth. Pour the mixture over the bread. Push down gently so the bread soaks up the eggy mixture. At this point either refrigerate overnight or for at least 30 minutes. I did it for only 30 minutes and it turned out amazing! Then sprinkle the toasted pecans on top.
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden and puffed.
While the French toast is baking, melt 3 T butter in a small saucepan. Add the rinsed and dried blackberries and the ¼ C sugar. Bring to a low boil, stirring. Then reduce and let it barely bubble for about 5 minutes, until the back of a spoon is coated. Remove and let cool.
To plate, cut a slice of the French toast and place on a plate, ladle with the syrup, sprinkle with powdered sugar!
RECIPE: Baked Cod with Creamy Mustard Sauce over Black Lentils
with Golden Roasted Beets and Quick Pickled Leeks
Serves 4 - Click Here for Printable Version
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4 6 ounce fresh cod filets, patted dry
2 large golden beets, scrubbed and wrapped loosely in foil
2 stalks leeks, the white part thinly sliced into rings
1/3 C mild olive oil, divided to use in all preparations
½ cup black lentils, rinsed and drained
½ C mild vinegar like champagne or peach
1 T sugar
2 heaping t yellow mustard
½ C heavy cream
½ C chicken stock
¼ C white onion thinly sliced
1 ½ C water boiling
Handful fresh basil leaves
1 t fresh thyme leaves
Clove of garlic chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
2 large golden beets, scrubbed and wrapped loosely in foil
2 stalks leeks, the white part thinly sliced into rings
1/3 C mild olive oil, divided to use in all preparations
½ cup black lentils, rinsed and drained
½ C mild vinegar like champagne or peach
1 T sugar
2 heaping t yellow mustard
½ C heavy cream
½ C chicken stock
¼ C white onion thinly sliced
1 ½ C water boiling
Handful fresh basil leaves
1 t fresh thyme leaves
Clove of garlic chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T butter
Place the thinly sliced leeks in a small bowl. Cover with the vinegar and sugar and a little salt and pepper. Let cure for at least an hour.
Then take the wrapped golden beets and cook in a 400 degree F oven for 55 minutes. Remove and take foil off and cool. When you can touch them, take a paper towel and rub the outside of the beet. The skin will come off fairly easily. Then slice thinly and set aside.
Bring the water to boil and then add the lentils. Cook to the package directions. (Partially covered, low and rolling boil.) I cooked them for about 25 minutes adding the chopped garlic in with the lentils. When they were done, I added the fresh basil and stirred it in, keeping it warm until it was time to plate the meal. Season well with salt and pepper. Black lentils are earthy and rich but bland! They’ll need some salty love.
Now, drizzle a little olive oil in a small baking dish, just large enough to place all four cod filets so that there is about an inch between them. Drizzle with more olive oil, salt and pepper and a pad (or about 1/4 T) of butter on each filet and sprinkle on the fresh thyme. Cook for about 12-15 minutes on 375 degrees F or until you see the tops become opaque. Remove and cover with foil. They will continue to cook. DO NOT OVERCOOK!
In a small saucepan, melt the rest of the butter until bubbling. Add salt and pepper and the onions and cook until transparent. Add the stock and reduce by half. Then add the mustard, and the cream, and mix well, cooking down a bit more and checking to see how much salt to add. Even a splash of vinegar is a good idea.
To plate, arrange the beets first. Add a serving of the lentils. Then nestle a filet of the cod. Add the mustard cream sauce, some fresh basil julienned, and top with the drained pickled leeks!
Then take the wrapped golden beets and cook in a 400 degree F oven for 55 minutes. Remove and take foil off and cool. When you can touch them, take a paper towel and rub the outside of the beet. The skin will come off fairly easily. Then slice thinly and set aside.
Bring the water to boil and then add the lentils. Cook to the package directions. (Partially covered, low and rolling boil.) I cooked them for about 25 minutes adding the chopped garlic in with the lentils. When they were done, I added the fresh basil and stirred it in, keeping it warm until it was time to plate the meal. Season well with salt and pepper. Black lentils are earthy and rich but bland! They’ll need some salty love.
Now, drizzle a little olive oil in a small baking dish, just large enough to place all four cod filets so that there is about an inch between them. Drizzle with more olive oil, salt and pepper and a pad (or about 1/4 T) of butter on each filet and sprinkle on the fresh thyme. Cook for about 12-15 minutes on 375 degrees F or until you see the tops become opaque. Remove and cover with foil. They will continue to cook. DO NOT OVERCOOK!
In a small saucepan, melt the rest of the butter until bubbling. Add salt and pepper and the onions and cook until transparent. Add the stock and reduce by half. Then add the mustard, and the cream, and mix well, cooking down a bit more and checking to see how much salt to add. Even a splash of vinegar is a good idea.
To plate, arrange the beets first. Add a serving of the lentils. Then nestle a filet of the cod. Add the mustard cream sauce, some fresh basil julienned, and top with the drained pickled leeks!
Lots of earthy flavors are set against the acidity of the pickled leeks and the flavor of the mustard cream sauce. A good, acidic Riesling would offer the perfect notes to bring it all together. I love Washington Rieslings. Hard to go wrong with most of them and they're affordable, too!
RECIPE: Blackberry Muffins
Click here for printable version.
Ingredients:
3 C Bisquick
2/3 C cream
2/3 C less 2 T 2% milk
4 T packed light brown sugar
¼ C white sugar
1 t vanilla
Dash of kosher salt
1 t cinnamon
1 heaping C fresh blackberries, rough chopped
1 T butter to grease muffin tin
METHOD:
Chop the blackberries and set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the Bisquick, salt, cinnamon, and sugars. Make a well in the center where you will add the cream, milk, and vanilla. Mix all those ingredients with a spoon until combined. Stir to make sure it is all dissolved like you’re making pancakes, but don’t overmix. Then fold in the blackberries
Drop into small muffin pan, should fill all 12. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until brown on the edges. Plus, you can lightly press on the top with your finger. If you feel any mushiness, leave in for another minute or so. Let cool, remove and serve with honey butter!
Ingredients:
3 C Bisquick
2/3 C cream
2/3 C less 2 T 2% milk
4 T packed light brown sugar
¼ C white sugar
1 t vanilla
Dash of kosher salt
1 t cinnamon
1 heaping C fresh blackberries, rough chopped
1 T butter to grease muffin tin
METHOD:
Chop the blackberries and set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the Bisquick, salt, cinnamon, and sugars. Make a well in the center where you will add the cream, milk, and vanilla. Mix all those ingredients with a spoon until combined. Stir to make sure it is all dissolved like you’re making pancakes, but don’t overmix. Then fold in the blackberries
Drop into small muffin pan, should fill all 12. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until brown on the edges. Plus, you can lightly press on the top with your finger. If you feel any mushiness, leave in for another minute or so. Let cool, remove and serve with honey butter!
RECIPE: Peach Salsa Baked Chicken
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3 very large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 3 inch knobs
1 can Peach Salsa, at least 12 ounces (I used Paul Newman brand)
1/3 white onion chopped into thin slices
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/3 C Italian bread crumbs
1 can Peach Salsa, at least 12 ounces (I used Paul Newman brand)
1/3 white onion chopped into thin slices
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/3 C Italian bread crumbs
In a large baking dish arrange the chicken so that there’s about 1 inch between them. Rub each with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover the entire meal with the bottle of salsa, and then sprinkle with the onions and top with the bread crumbs. Cook in a 375 degree F oven for about 35 minutes. Serve!
For a quick meal, serve with leftover white rice sauteed with a little butter, stock and salt and pepper. Toss spring greens with 2 T lemon juice and 1 T olive oil, 1 t yellow mustard, 1 T sugar and salt and pepper.
RECIPE: Personal Greek Meatloaves with Pearl Onions and Root Vegetables
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2 lbs 85% lean ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
½ large white onion chopped finely
2 eggs beaten
1/3 C chopped fresh mint
24 white pearl onions
½ C golden raisins
½ T coriander powder
1 t Moroccan seasoning (found in stores)
¼ C plain bread crumbs
2-3 T 2% milk
Salt and pepper
2 T of a fruity balsamic vinegar like fig
1 lb ground lamb
½ large white onion chopped finely
2 eggs beaten
1/3 C chopped fresh mint
24 white pearl onions
½ C golden raisins
½ T coriander powder
1 t Moroccan seasoning (found in stores)
¼ C plain bread crumbs
2-3 T 2% milk
Salt and pepper
2 T of a fruity balsamic vinegar like fig
In a large bowl, blend by hand all ingredients except pearl onions. Set aside.
Boil a large pot of water. Add pearl onions without peeling. Let boil for 3 minutes. Remove and shock in ice water. Then by hand, squeeze each onion to pull off the skin. This method feels a lot like when you’re squeezing out a cooked garlic clove from the head after roasting. Some pop out clean, others require a little coaxing, but the skins will come off. Set aside.
Using two regular sized muffin tins, carefully divide the mixture evenly among the 24 openings, filling to the top of the opening. You can lightly grease if needed but there’s plenty of fat already. Top each with a pearl onion, and drizzle the onion with the balsamic. Cook in a 375 degree F oven for about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and serve with a sprinkling of fresh mint.
Boil a large pot of water. Add pearl onions without peeling. Let boil for 3 minutes. Remove and shock in ice water. Then by hand, squeeze each onion to pull off the skin. This method feels a lot like when you’re squeezing out a cooked garlic clove from the head after roasting. Some pop out clean, others require a little coaxing, but the skins will come off. Set aside.
Using two regular sized muffin tins, carefully divide the mixture evenly among the 24 openings, filling to the top of the opening. You can lightly grease if needed but there’s plenty of fat already. Top each with a pearl onion, and drizzle the onion with the balsamic. Cook in a 375 degree F oven for about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and serve with a sprinkling of fresh mint.
Sautéed Root Vegetables: Slice 5 carrots and 4 C fingerling potatoes into large pieces, sauté in a large saucepan with olive oil and salt and pepper. Before almost done, add about 1 C of orange juice and simmer for another 10 minutes until tender and juice is gone. Serve.
For several weeks now, I have been creating a themed dessert, appetizer or entree for our weekly Carolina Panther game days. For today's battle against the Seahawks, I decided to take a classic and add a little whimsy. Baking my cookies in a mini-muffin tin made each little hand-held morsel so much fun. But crowning each with a dab of Panther Blue buttercream frosting changed everything.
You may say, "Ew! Blue food!! I am definitely not into eating frosting unless it is pink, yellow, or an ever-so-tame shade of green. And I will respond by asking you, "Could you, would you, with a goat? Would you, could you in a boat?" And you would know I'd lost my mind.
Or would you.
I remember the first time I read Dr. Suess' "Green Eggs and Ham." It was a paradigm shift in the world of children's literature. His fanciful prose about a narcissistic, fur covered pest who won't rest until his green eggs are eaten, is a well known classic. I mean, Sam-I-Am was relentless? Right? "In a train? With a mouse? In the dark, In a house?" It's like having The Cookie Monster in your face ALL. DAY. LONG. But anyone who can write an entire book about insisting you eat something green, that shouldn't be green, is surely a hero in my book. And really, why can't an egg be green? Or a cauliflower purple? Or beets yellow? Or frosting blue?
I'm not sure I went through this internal dialog when I reached for the mixer and turned on the oven, but somewhere -- oh yes, somewhere in the back of my head I smiled knowing that my dessert would have an eerie resemblance to Theodore Geisel's charming campaign to turn green eggs into someone's new favorite food, and my beloved Panthers into winners one more week.
*Words by Dr. Suess.
You may say, "Ew! Blue food!! I am definitely not into eating frosting unless it is pink, yellow, or an ever-so-tame shade of green. And I will respond by asking you, "Could you, would you, with a goat? Would you, could you in a boat?" And you would know I'd lost my mind.
Or would you.
I remember the first time I read Dr. Suess' "Green Eggs and Ham." It was a paradigm shift in the world of children's literature. His fanciful prose about a narcissistic, fur covered pest who won't rest until his green eggs are eaten, is a well known classic. I mean, Sam-I-Am was relentless? Right? "In a train? With a mouse? In the dark, In a house?" It's like having The Cookie Monster in your face ALL. DAY. LONG. But anyone who can write an entire book about insisting you eat something green, that shouldn't be green, is surely a hero in my book. And really, why can't an egg be green? Or a cauliflower purple? Or beets yellow? Or frosting blue?
I'm not sure I went through this internal dialog when I reached for the mixer and turned on the oven, but somewhere -- oh yes, somewhere in the back of my head I smiled knowing that my dessert would have an eerie resemblance to Theodore Geisel's charming campaign to turn green eggs into someone's new favorite food, and my beloved Panthers into winners one more week.
*Words by Dr. Suess.
RECIPE: Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookie Cups with Buttercream Frosting
1 C shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
½ C light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
3 t vanilla
2 C all-purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1 ½ t salt
¾ C chopped pecans
¾ C semi-sweet morsels
6 T softened butter
About 1 C of powdered sugar
½ t vanilla
1-2 T heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
½ C light brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
3 t vanilla
2 C all-purpose flour
2 t baking soda
1 ½ t salt
¾ C chopped pecans
¾ C semi-sweet morsels
6 T softened butter
About 1 C of powdered sugar
½ t vanilla
1-2 T heavy cream
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly, VERY lightly butter the inside of a mini muffin pan. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the shortening, sugars, eggs, vanilla until whipped and incorporated. For about 1-2 minutes on high. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add the salt, soda and flour, a little at a time until all incorporated. Add the pecans and chocolate chips and blend. Spoon a heaping serving spoon full of dough into each cup as if you were dropping each cookie onto a cookie sheet. Do not pack down. This recipe makes about 44-46 small mini cups. Cook each for 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and then using fingers, simply lift each one out to cool on a rack.
In another small bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar until mixed. Then begin adding heavy cream, about a teaspoon at a time, until it is the consistency of stiff frosting. Add a drop or two of blue food coloring (or color of your choice, for that matter!) Pipe out into dollops onto each cookie, using the amount of your choosing.
Serve with cold milk and hide your scale. Enjoy!
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the shortening, sugars, eggs, vanilla until whipped and incorporated. For about 1-2 minutes on high. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add the salt, soda and flour, a little at a time until all incorporated. Add the pecans and chocolate chips and blend. Spoon a heaping serving spoon full of dough into each cup as if you were dropping each cookie onto a cookie sheet. Do not pack down. This recipe makes about 44-46 small mini cups. Cook each for 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and then using fingers, simply lift each one out to cool on a rack.
In another small bowl, combine the butter and powdered sugar until mixed. Then begin adding heavy cream, about a teaspoon at a time, until it is the consistency of stiff frosting. Add a drop or two of blue food coloring (or color of your choice, for that matter!) Pipe out into dollops onto each cookie, using the amount of your choosing.
Serve with cold milk and hide your scale. Enjoy!
#Fabin40 - Miscellaneous Recipes - Serves 4
I wake up hungry. It's a curse, actually because I don't really sleep which means to use the term 'waking' is rather an overstatement when you consider the previous 8 hours were more rest-less than rest-full. Sleep is reserved for young girls who still have to worry about whether or not they look good, or are successful, or are brilliant and might turn out to be famous. Us old gals know that no one really cares, or has ever paid a lot of attention to our narcissism. Proud of our wrinkles and good stories of survival, we recharge on laughter, good books, and kick-ass meals.
But breakfast? Well, it is always there, (unlike REM sleep) ready to reward you for making it through the day before, and carrying within each calorie the promise of joy. The comforting bite of a little salt, the velvety elegance of an over-easy egg, or the sharp acidity of good lemon curd on a perfectly toasted bagel will surely take mornings way up the happy scale.
Today, is Saturday. The week END. (Finally!) So I decided I needed more than just the usual cereal and blueberries. I needed the ultimate breakfast.
But breakfast? Well, it is always there, (unlike REM sleep) ready to reward you for making it through the day before, and carrying within each calorie the promise of joy. The comforting bite of a little salt, the velvety elegance of an over-easy egg, or the sharp acidity of good lemon curd on a perfectly toasted bagel will surely take mornings way up the happy scale.
Today, is Saturday. The week END. (Finally!) So I decided I needed more than just the usual cereal and blueberries. I needed the ultimate breakfast.
See it???? You can't miss it. There's bacon on that plate. Which, by itself solves most if not all the world's problems even before scientists informed us we could be healthier by lighting up a stogie than munching down on pig belly. But why stop at just a dangerously wonderful meal when you can have amazing?
Utilizing some leftover Cucumber Yogurt sauce from a couple days ago, I set about painting a canvas of color and flavor, building up the plate with a small spring salad mix tossed in oil and red wine vinegar. Small slices of pickled beets, (I totally love these on everything...) brings some needed color and offers earthy sweetness against the tang of the yogurt sauce. And when you open up the egg? Well, there it is. A golden river of tongue-tingling yolk just waiting to burst forth.
It was quick, too. In about 20 minutes I had it all assembled. If you have to make the yogurt sauce from scratch, might wanna add a bit more than 40 minutes to the prep time, but not much. All in all, I just dignified the egg-in-a-nest to stardom and made insomnia bearable.
Utilizing some leftover Cucumber Yogurt sauce from a couple days ago, I set about painting a canvas of color and flavor, building up the plate with a small spring salad mix tossed in oil and red wine vinegar. Small slices of pickled beets, (I totally love these on everything...) brings some needed color and offers earthy sweetness against the tang of the yogurt sauce. And when you open up the egg? Well, there it is. A golden river of tongue-tingling yolk just waiting to burst forth.
It was quick, too. In about 20 minutes I had it all assembled. If you have to make the yogurt sauce from scratch, might wanna add a bit more than 40 minutes to the prep time, but not much. All in all, I just dignified the egg-in-a-nest to stardom and made insomnia bearable.
RECIPE: Multi-Grain Egg in a Nest
4 pieces multi-grain bread
4 eggs
4 strips bacon
1 C spring greens
1 t sunflower oil
1 t red wine vinegar
1/3 C Cucumber Yogurt Sauce* (see third tab for recipe)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Slices of pickled beets
4 sprigs of fresh dill
Butter to butter one side of the bread, about 1 T
4 eggs
4 strips bacon
1 C spring greens
1 t sunflower oil
1 t red wine vinegar
1/3 C Cucumber Yogurt Sauce* (see third tab for recipe)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Slices of pickled beets
4 sprigs of fresh dill
Butter to butter one side of the bread, about 1 T
Cook bacon strips in large saucepan. Remove and let drain on a paper towel. Now, reserve about 4 T of the bacon grease and discard the rest.
In a small bowl, toss the spring greens with the oil and vinegar, set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. By using a small round cookie cutter or other small diameter tool, punch out a circle in the middle of each of the bread pieces. Butter one side of the discs and the punched out bread pieces. Place each disc and bread piece in the hot bacon grease butter side down. Cooks quickly so turn over as soon as brown, about 20 seconds. Break each egg carefully into the round opening of each piece of bread. Turn down heat. Tip pan and ladle a bit of the hot bacon grease onto the top of each egg to cook the tops. After cooking for about a minute or so, place the pan with bread eggs and all in the oven and let cook for about 2 minutes, until the egg is opaque. To plate, smear about 2 T of the cucumber sauce on the plate. Place a bit of spring greens on that. Place the cooked egg-in-a-nest on that then nestle the bacon on top, place the cut pieces of the beet on top, and garnish with dill.
In a small bowl, toss the spring greens with the oil and vinegar, set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. By using a small round cookie cutter or other small diameter tool, punch out a circle in the middle of each of the bread pieces. Butter one side of the discs and the punched out bread pieces. Place each disc and bread piece in the hot bacon grease butter side down. Cooks quickly so turn over as soon as brown, about 20 seconds. Break each egg carefully into the round opening of each piece of bread. Turn down heat. Tip pan and ladle a bit of the hot bacon grease onto the top of each egg to cook the tops. After cooking for about a minute or so, place the pan with bread eggs and all in the oven and let cook for about 2 minutes, until the egg is opaque. To plate, smear about 2 T of the cucumber sauce on the plate. Place a bit of spring greens on that. Place the cooked egg-in-a-nest on that then nestle the bacon on top, place the cut pieces of the beet on top, and garnish with dill.
Cucumber Yogurt Sauce: Combine 10 ounces of plain Greek yogurt with one small cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped finely. Add one large clove of garlic chopped finely, 2 large basil leaves julienned, about 1/8 t fresh chopped dill, salt and pepper, and 1 t lemon juice. Can set aside and keep for up to 4 days. Add a little coarse sea salt to taste.
For a year or so, many decades in the past, I was lucky enough to have lived by the ocean. I knew by heart the primal perfume of the salt water and was lulled to sleep by the sound of the pounding surf. Only those of have rested and resided near the shore understand. For this reason, and because this holiday allowed us to be much freer with our time, December was full of coastal weekends and renewal. Yes, I cooked on Christmas Eve, and filled our New Years table with a brunch fit for a king, but all along the way I had a little sand in my toes to accompany the tinsel on my tree.
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This is just as much a travel log as a food journey, but really. Can anything happen without good food along the way? And so one supports the other, and we all sit at the same table of memory and wishes.
Below is the main course for Christmas Eve. A sweet and elegant Kumquat Chutney tops Shaved Honey Ham, Pureed Ginger Yams, and Mushroom Parmesan Risotto.
Below is the main course for Christmas Eve. A sweet and elegant Kumquat Chutney tops Shaved Honey Ham, Pureed Ginger Yams, and Mushroom Parmesan Risotto.
 | Left: Sushi in the light of sunset in Stuart, Florida. Right: The icon of Southern Hospitality, the pineapple, lighting up the city streets. And below, the funky and colorful deck street of the city at dusk. Love the lights on this tree! |  |
Bites of love include Jubilee Jumbles cookies, a family recipe that comes to life each Christmas. Individual Omelets filled with your choice of ingredients. Pears ready to poach in Port Wine with a dot of butter.
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Who am I kidding! If I try and caption every amazing memory, it will be next Christmas! Enjoy the slide show below!
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Meet the Cook...
My name is Camine Pappas and I love to create beautiful and delicious food that anyone can make. My signature style centers around a love for combining things in a way you might not expect as I work to find a hidden combination of colors, textures and flavors from the things that are in my pantry and/or easy to obtain.
Want to get spontaneous with me? It's pretty exciting. Let's all find out what happens when, "I Feel Like Cooking."
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