H came up with this idea - and it's (of course) brilliant!
He made French Toast with egg nog! The flavor was subtle but identifiable to the kids. Just use the egg nog as you would the milk mixture ... we added an extra egg and a touch of cinnamon.
Dee-lish! (Sorry the photo kinda' sucks...need to upgrade there at some point...)
We all know I think breakfast is critical and we all know I loooooove eggs (client)! I felt like mixing it up a bit this morning. So I steamed eggs on the griddle inside cookie cutters ('tis the season), added some Canadian bacon and a slice of raisin bread toast with jelly. Served up with a small hot chocolate with 3 mini marshmallows. WHO what the star!? I was! YUM.
The kids LOVED it. And the options are endless.
Here's a before/during photo:
Coulpla' TIPS:
Oil up your cookie cutters.
Make sure there is a good rolling steam on the eggs under your dome and try to resist the urge to peek.
Add other sides as you wish and have handy -- I added some asparagus on the griddle to mine.
That's it!
Seriously.
H was making butternut squash soup the other night for a spontaneous Saturday supper. He decided to toast the seeds. At first, I said, "GROSS." But quickly changed my mind as he reminded me how much we like pumpkin seeds. How different can they be?
Seriously good. They were smaller and crunchier and more delicate than pumpkin seeds.
De-li-cious. Even more incentive to make butternut squash now! Which reminds me it's probably getting to be the right time of year for spaghetti squash, too. MMMMM.
OMG. H introduced this stuff to me. It's...magic.
I swear, pure magic. Chipotle (flavored?) Tabasco sauce. H-E-A-V-E-N.
It's great on any-thing. Even as salad dressing!
We tried these for dinner the other night. I think I prematurely posted ... without the recipes or all the photos. Sorry about that. Anyway - here it is now!
Remember our "crepe happens" adventure? This was just as fun.
The recipe is from Food Network Star and egg (client) spokesperson, Jeffrey Saad.
You use a basic crepe recipe (we used Fannie Farmer's). Fannie's crepe recipe includes 2 eggs, 1 cup of milk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons butter, melted. Beat. Cover. Let stand.
Here's MY interpretation of his recipe -- I did it from memory but think it's pretty close.
To make the fried egg crepes...get a hot non-stick skillet. Crack an egg in the middle of it. Gently pour crepe batter around the egg (like a ring). Tilt your skillet to even out the circle -- the egg might wiggle around a bit -- don't worry about that.
The egg and crepe will all cook together. While it's cooking, grab your ingredients. We used chopped spanish chorizo and goat cheese...honey ham and mozzarella and baby tomatoes...nutella...nutella AND goat cheese (!?). Put your filling in the middle. Fold the crepe in like a present. It will look like a square. Press it down a bit with your spatula then flip over. Cook til done to your liking.
I recommend putting some herbs/spices/salt/pepper in with the fillings. And then crack or dust a little on top (above photo has smoked paprika on it).
Here are some step-by-step photos...
They really were fun and delicious! The kids loved them, too. Bon Appetit!
Yumbo-frick-a-li-cious.
A few weeks ago, I took the family on a trip down memory lane.
I did my junior year of college in Paris. ONE WHOLE YEAR. I studied at the Sorbonne (American Literature classes in French? Go figure.). I lived in an apartment (generous term) with two other gals. We ate our meals across the hall "Chez Madame's" with a bunch of other international students. I remember Jorge from Columbia, Nicole from Sweden. I so remember them. Countless others whose names I don't remember.
It was a memorable year. Best of times/worst of times. Incredibly satisfying from a growth perspective. Incredibly lonely sometimes. I kept a scrapbook/photo-album of it all. And journals. I always had my journal.
One thing we ate a LOT of was French Onion Soup. It was cheap and tasty. We made it in our tiny tiny kitchen.
So -- I decided a few weeks ago that we were going to make French Onion Soup as a family and look through my scrapbook. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
My posse played along.
We used the Tyler Florence recipe from Food Network. It was rated as "EASY" ... less than an hour ... and I think Tyler Florence is cute. BINGO...formula for success, right?
The Soup was TRES BIEN. Seriously good. The kids loved it. We will definitely make it again. CHEAP, TOO.
The trip down memory lane was priceless. I was seriously shocked by how I don't look all that different? I was always an old soul, I guess. The kids loved seeing some of my friends who are STILL friends. They've changed (physically) more than I have (for the better!). They loved seeing my apartment. And the TUB-room and the TOILET-room. And the tiny kitchen. Little Guy loved seeing the Teddy Bear on my bed that he sleeps with sometimes now.
Ahhhhhhh. Memories. Priceless.
THIS is our "secret weapon" in the battle of the pizza. As you know, we make pizza about once a week. We usually use the pizza oven, but leftovers are often done on the grill or in the oven (especially if we need the heat in the hosue...hello, thermostat still set at 58 degrees in here!).
We discovered this bread maker over 12 years ago in a little shop near Boston called Building 19. It's like their local version of Marshall's maybe? Or Woolworths...anyone remember Woolworths? It was $19.99 or something crazy like that.
It makes OK bread but it makes AMAZING dough. A few ingredients (water, olive oil, salt, sugar, flour and yeast) and and hour and a half later you have BEAUTIFUL DOUGH. So easy and delicious.
What's your secret weapon/favorite toy in the kitchen?
I tried a new recipe on a recent weekday morning. It was on the generic Buttermilk pancake mix box. I thought why not!? I'd heard about people doing these from scratch but I didn't really have the time (or brain space) on that particular day.
Ingredients
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix first three ingredients in a bowl, while melting a pat of butter in a 9-inch baking dish. Pour batter into baking dish. Top lightly with sliced apples. Sprinkle with Cinnamon. Bake (approx 15-20 minutes ... batter will be set). Serve and top with syrup.
