Persimmon and Grapefruit Yogurt Parfaits with Gingersnap and Pecan Crumbles

We look forward to, anticipate, build up some upcoming experiences.  Daydreaming about what it will be like. Crystal clear pictures of the amazingness form in our heads.

Which, are then, of course, subsequently crushed.  Shattered.  Destroyed when reality sets in.

I was terribly excited to go to the East Coast.  To visit friends and family.  But mostly to experience the fall weather that they supposedly have out there.  Visions of sweater wearing while galloping through piles of fallen leaves danced in my head.  Hay rides with toasty plaid blanket after blanket piled on top of me.  Warm cinnamon-spiced apple cider consumed while plucking bushels of apples right from trees.  Tromps through pumpkin patches with my tall boots.  It would be a perfect autumn week.  A super cliched autumn week.

Until I arrived in Pennsylvania and became aware that the weather was hot.  Like hot.  Like maybe I hadn't actually left the state of California hot.  Like wow, I'm glad I packed sandals hot.  Like take the small child to the park in the morning and want to go back home within 5 minutes because the sun is so hot.  Clearly, this wasn't what I had been hoping for.

Sometimes, though, life hands us exactly what we had been envisioning.  I wanted to stick a spoon into something creamy, something sweet, something fruity, something with a little bit of zing to it.  This parfait has all of that.  Persimmons and grapefruits mixed together.  Creamy Greek yogurt flavored with vanilla and orange.  Topped with crushed gingersnaps and chopped toasted pecans.  Each spoonful so satisfying, so unique with its own proportion of fruit to yogurt to gingersnap topping, that I would immediately look forward to the next.  And this time, I wasn't disappointed.

Need more information about persimmons, a most wonderful fruit?  Here is a useful article from Cooking Light!

Ingredients
1 cup chopped persimmon
1/2 cup segmented grapefruit
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup crushed gingersnaps
2 tablespoons finely chopped toasted pecans

Instructions
In a small bowl, gently toss the persimmon and grapefruit.  In another bowl, stir Greek yogurt, vanilla, honey, orange juice, and orange zest.  In another bowl, mix the finely chopped pecans and crushed gingersnaps.

To serve, layer the fruit mixture and then the yogurt mixture, then top with the gingersnap mixture.

A Dessert Tartine with Sauteed Cardamom and Rose Pear Slices and Toasted Hazelnuts

What follows is a rundown of things I am embarrassed about. I have a nagging suspicion that I've done this before, so this is most definitely not a final list, as I am prone to both feeling embarrassment easily and also have a knack for getting myself into situations in which embarrassment is the only available possibility.

Item # 1 - buying seasonal decor items from drug stores and grocery stores. I feel as though I should be ashamed of my penchant for wandering into the seasonal decor aisle, finding everything 50% off, then stocking up on festive candles and glassware. I have even cultivated an appreciation for this pastime in Max, as he has just recently picked out his very own ugly owl-shaped pumpkin decoration during our last excursion.

Item #2 - eating dinner at an establishment named Buster's because we were too lazy too walk just a little bit further to a more respectable dining location. A place that would, in all likelihood, have offered up better choices than "extremely sweet chicken dish" and "extremely gross cioppino"

Item #3 - not being able to tell left from right without doing that trick of looking to see which hand makes the "L" shape when extending the pointer finger and thumb.

Item #4 - the amount of times I just pile and slather ingredients on bread, eat it, and declare it a recipe

I suppose I find bread to be such a fun canvas to work with - so delicious yet subtle, perfect for exploring flavor combinations. Here I sauteed sliced red pears in butter, brown sugar, rose and cardamom. Cream cheese and pomegranate juice were mixed together, and then spread on crusty bread. The bread was then topped with the pears and finished with some toasted hazelnuts. A most delicious way to rid oneself of embarrassment.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 sliced pears (I used Starkrimson, as they were just so beautiful)
1 1/2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground dried rose
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
pinch kosher salt
4 ounces cold cream cheese
2 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1/4 cup chopped hazlenuts, toasted
slices of warm, crusty bread

Instructions
For the pears:
Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat.  Add the pears, then sprinkle the sugar, rose, cardamom, and salt over the slices.  Let the pears become warm and soft, about 6 minutes.  Take off heat.

For the cream cheese mixture:
Beat the cream cheese and pomegranate juice with mixer until combined.

For assembling:
Spread cream cheese on a slice of bread.  Layer on pears, then sprinkle hazelnuts on top.

Breakfast Crostini with French Toast Style Broccoli Stalks, Gorgonzola, Maple Syrup, Tarragon and Quail Eggs

We appear to have a new addition(s) to the family.

Some kids tote around dolls or stuffed animals or blankets as companions through this big old world of ours. Max, having no concerns about portability, has this.  An owl-shaped suitcase (usually empty, but occasionally an elephant-shaped lunch box makes its way in there).  And we want to bring it EVERYWHERE.  Going to bed?  The owl suitcase needs to get tucked in as well!  Heading to mom and dad's room at 2 am for some early morning cuddles?  Be sure to bring along the suitcase! Going stargazing? God forbid the owl doesn't get to see the moon as well! Distress, inevitably, ensues when the little guy is told that he cannot bring along the suitcase.

And in addition to the owl, our family has also welcomed a new breakfast item into the fold - french-toast style broccoli stalks.  We, as a unit, were previously not super interested in french toast.  Good in theory, but soggy in practice.  Broccoli stalks, after a nice soak in some eggs and maple syrup, browned in some butter, then coated in a sprinkling of powdered sugar, mimic french toast, without the problems of the bread.

And after chowing down on a handful of these stalks, we decided their sweetness would combine perfectly with the strong Gorgonzola cheese and quail eggs we were looking to use in a breakfast crostini.  Add a little bit of maple syrup and a liberal amount of tarragon, and this is literally one of the best things we've ever tasted.  

New additions can be glorious things.  Though it remains to be seen what this owl suitcase is bringing to the table.


Ingredients
1 baguette, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

2 large broccoli stalks (outside of the stalks removed), sliced, then halved to fit on a crostini
2 eggs
1 tablespoon maple syrup
pat of butter, for skillet
powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Gorgonzola cheese
french-toast style broccoli stalks
good quality maple syrup
quail eggs, fried in a skillet with butter
torn tarragon leaves

Instructions
Heat oven to 375. Place the baguette slices on a baking sheet (I used a Silpat to line mine). Pour olive oil in a bowl, and brush the oil on each slice. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on each. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden-brown.

Beat the eggs with the syrup.  Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat; add butter.  Soak the slices of stalks in the egg and syrup mixture.  Place in skillet on high heat.  Brown one side, drizzling some egg mixture on top of the stalks with a chopstick before flipping over to brown the other side.  Flip to brown the other side. Sprinkle the french-toast style stalks with powdered sugar.

Assemble the breakfast crostini by adding a generous layer of Gorgonzola to each baked baguette slice.  Then add a french-toast style stalk to each one.  Using a chopstick, drizzle a bit of maple syrup on top of each stalk.

To fry the quail egg, heat a skillet to medium low.  Add some unsalted butter to the pan and let it melt.  Separate most of the white from the yolk of the quail egg by carefully cutting off the top half of the egg using a sharp knife.  Be careful not to puncture the yolk.  Pour out as much of the white into the pan as you can until you're left with a yolk and a bit of white.  Drop this onto the pan and cook just until the white stops being translucent.  Should only be 10-20 seconds.  Use a spatula to remove from the pan and place onto the crostini.

Finish with a sprinkling of torn tarragon leaves.

Fried Egg with Kale Pesto

Now that I spend more time reading books with pictures than without, it can perhaps be said that I relate waaaay too many things to toddler stories.  For example, in A Sick Day for Amos McGee, we meet a kindly old man named Amos.

The book states that "Amos McGee was an early riser. Every morning when the alarm clock clanged, he swung his legs out of bed and swapped his pajamas for a fresh-pressed uniform. He would wind his watch and set a pot of water to boil - saying to the sugar bowl, "a spoonful for my oatmeal, please, and two for my teacup."

While Amos McGee (or just McGee, as Max likes to say, as though he is on familiar terms with him) sounds like a very lovely gentleman, he does seem like a man stuck in his ways. I'm not sure how one eats oatmeal every day. Or at all, quite frankly. And how does he swing his legs out of bed as soon as that alarm goes off?  How does that happen?

Anyway, I am not Amos McGee. I do not eat oatmeal every day. I do not eat oatmeal.  I am a woman who needs variety. So when the food gods beatifically smile on us and give us both pesto and eggs in the fridge, I take it as a sign that pesto eggs need to be made. It is such a ridiculously simple dish, but the richness of the eggs are just such a perfect fit for pesto.  I won't eat this every day.  But knowing I can make it for breakfast makes swinging my legs out of bed just a little easier.

Ingredients
1 egg
crushed red pepper
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons kale pesto (or whatever you have on hand!)
Parmesan cheese, for serving

For the pesto:
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
4 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup olive oil
zest and juice from 1 lemon
smoked sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
To make the pesto: Place garlic, walnuts, lemon zest, and kale in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse. Slowly pour in the olive oil and lemon juice while the food processor is still running. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

To make the egg: Melt butter in skillet on medium heat. Crack egg into pan, and use fork or spatula to break apart the whites immediately around the yolk as it cooks. Continue to fry just until egg white is cooked, or sunny-side up style, roughly 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle the egg with Parmesan cheese and a scoop of the pesto.  Serve with toast.

Cantaloupe Drizzled with Lemon Cardamom Yogurt Sauce

As I get older, one thing that seems to get increasingly higher is my threshold of what constitutes "embarassing" behavior in public places.

In my middle school years, I would never leave home without my self-defined "mall outfit" - a fun shirt and jeans, makeup, and copious amounts of baubles emblazoned with smiley faces, yin-yangs, and peace signs (oh my god what were we thinking). Having parents in tow was an automatic source of embarrassment (for no logical reason).  All behavior was directed at the goal of "fitting in."

Eventually, things start to ease up.  You realize that no one actually dies if you decide to wear sweatpants out of the house.  And the mere fact that you have parents no longer seems to be a source of shame.

And now I am the girl who leaves home with giant knots in my hair.  As well as the person who traipses around markets, sniffing each melon to find the most wonderfully fragrant one.  Picking them up to make sure they are dense. Examining the color of the rind.  This is all very important work.  A bad melon is a bad melon.  But a good melon is transcendent.

But one could make the case that this behavior is quite odd.  Embarrassing, even.  Which I'm sure I will be told by Max sometime in the near future.  But that will be his problem, not mine.

Ingredients
Cantaloupe chunks (or slices, which would be prettier, but not as easy to eat )
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
zest from small lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon honey
pinch cardamom

Instructions
Mix the yogurt, lemon zest and juice, coconut milk, honey, and cardamom together in a small bowl.  Spoon over cantaloupe chunks.

Roasted Spiced Strawberries with Honey Vanilla Yogurt

I'm great at holding grudges.  Forgiveness does not come easily after being betrayed.  I've held one (or continue to hold one) against each of the following:
1. granola
2. hot dogs
3. orange juice
4. Fig Newtons
5. yogurt

Most of these grudges have lasted for years.  One has lasted over two decades.  I won't get into the details of how each of these relationships went sour.  But now that we are firmly into 2013, it is perhaps time to get rid of all that bad energy and drop the hard feelings.

Yogurt is an easy food with which to get back into a relationship.  So useful as an ingredient - especially with quick breads and smoothies.  But I'd like to take things to the next level - and enjoy the stuff on its own terms.  As creamy, luxurious yogurt.

Here, Greek yogurt is mixed with honey, vanilla, and some spices.  And topped with strawberries spiced and roasted.  It is hard to stay mad at the stuff, when turned into this concoction.  I can drop the hard feelings for yogurt, and granola looks like the next food to work on - but one thing is for sure, the hot dog war will never cease.  Time doesn't heal ALL wounds.

Cooking Light has a great slideshow about yogurt - Click here to get some nutrition information, recipes, and tips about the stuff!

Ingredients
1 pound strawberries, sliced
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon spice mix

Spice mix:
1/2 tsp roasted Saigon cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground coriander
Pinch cumin
Pinch ground ginger
Pinch ground star anise

Yogurt:
16 ounces Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons wild dandelion honey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch spice mix

Instructions
Place sliced strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle with the brown sugar.  Let them sit for an hour.  Meanwhile, mix together the spice mix in a small bowl.

Heat oven to 350.  Stir in olive oil, white wine vinegar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the spice mix with the strawberries.  Spread on baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, honey, vanilla, and spices.  To serve, top with the roasted strawberries.

Veggie and Herb Cream Cheese on Everything Bagel, Topped with Smoked Salmon, Radish, and Chives

It is said that Albert Einstein defined insanity as, "doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results."

I am, perhaps, insane.  Every spring, once I spot a container of potted herbs being sold at the farmers' market, I snatch one up.  How can I resist? So vibrant and lush, brimming with parsley and basil and thyme and rosemary and sage and cilantro and chives, one cannot help but be reeled in by their scent, their color, and the promise of delicious food to come.

Then I prance back home with my container.  Visions of herbs flavoring breakfasts, lunches, and dinners dance in my head.

And then each herb withers away.  I think I somehow manage to over-water and under-water all at once.  Usually cilantro goes first.  Or parsley.  Then the chives.  And then the rest follow suit, each meeting their own demise.  All except the thyme.  That, apparently, likes me.  Its affections are not unappreciated.

So there they are - my dreams of plucking fresh herbs right from the container on the deck lying shattered on the ground, replaced by the reality of having to purchase them from a store instead.

This plays out every year. It won't be too long until that container is spotted once again at the farmers' market.  And I of course will try, try again.  The chives and basil came from a store this time.  However, I remain optimistic that the future will be sprinkled with my own fresh herbs.  Perhaps this optimism is indeed insanity.  It is all so subjective.

Ingredients
1 block cold cream cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped chives
1/2 cup chopped basil leaves
2 scallions, chopped
1-2 tablespoons minced jalapeno
3 stalks celery, minced
1 cup baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice

everything bagel, toasted
smoked salmon
radishes, sliced
handful chopped chives

Instructions
Beat the cream cheese and butter in a stand mixer.  Then toss in the herbs, scallions, jalapeno, celery, spinach, lemon juice and zest.  Beat again until everything is incorporated.  Spread on toasted everything bagel.  Top with pieces of smoked salmon, radish slices, and more chives.

Nutella and Cara Cara Orange on Whole Wheat Toast, Sprinkled with Sea Salt

At times, I am completely floored by the differences between me and the offspring.  Like at the park, watching him try to scale baby-sized boulders, so carefree and surefooted.  Each rock is just a mountain waiting for a Max to come and climb.

Me?  I'm a klutz.  I'm awkward and run into things and do not watch where I'm going or what is in front of me.  So there is no carefree surefootedness here.  Just thoughts of please don't fall, please don't fall please don't fall.  And then I fall. Or run into the corner of something, resulting in yet another giant bruise. Or bang an elbow in a doorway.  My body finds a myriad of ways to hurt itself.

Then there is our differing outlook on bugs.  One day, Max and I were in his room, and he pointed at the wall, filled with glee and joy.  And there it was.  A giant spider.  I panicked on the inside.  But I put on a steely face and went after the spider with a shoe from Seth's closet.  My attempt to vanquish the 8-legged arachnid was futile and it gracefully sidestepped my attacks.  And each attempt to get "Gigantic Spider" resulted in fearful crying by Max.  He apparently wanted the spider to stay alive.  Like a pet.  A pet spider.

In fact, he was so smitten by the spider, he asked for more bugs.  When it was explained to him that no, I would not actually be bringing him more bugs to play with, he marched right to the computer to do his version of "research" - looking at bugs and spiders online.  I took his distraction as an opportunity to sneakily creep up to his room and spray "Gigantic Spider" with bug spray.

But other times, our familial connection is much more visible.  Much more visceral.

Sometimes that connection comes in a small tube. Chapstick, actually.  My obsession has been passed on to him.  We will never know if this is nature or nurture at play.  He carries around a container in his coat pocket.  And he has his own container of my cast-offs, smelling and playing with each tube lovingly.  They have found themselves a good home with him.

And we also share a love of citrus and chocolate.  When I saw this in Cooking Light, I was so instantly smitten - so easy, so creative, and so delicious.  I found myself getting Max and myself ready to head out the door, literally running  (okay, more like galloping with a stroller) to get the stuff (chapsticks, naturally in both of our coat pockets).  And once these were made, both of us happily munched, together united in a love of chapstick and a love for citrus and chocolate.  Our differences in bug control and risk taking being pushed aside for the moment.

Ingredients
slice of a crusty whole wheat french bread, toasted
1 tablespoon Nutella
Cara Cara orange, segmented
pinch of fleur de sel

Instructions
This is so ridiculously easy.  Just take your toasted bread and spread Nutella on it.  Sprinkle with citrus segments and a pinch of fleur de sel.  Then chow down.

Swiss Chard, Potato, and Caramelized Onion Hash with a Heart-Shaped Egg

Nothing says love like a heart-shape egg... Placed ever so gently onto a heap of potatoes, caramelized onion, and swiss chard.  Sprinkled with a bit of cheddar and microbroccoli.  Okay, maybe love isn't quite the sentiment being conveyed.

But definitely whimsy.  Like full on, shouting from a megaphone style whimsy.

Which is why I totally adore Valentine's Day.  I abhor the complaints about how Valentines Day is a made up holiday by Hallmark and such.

Okay 1) It has been around way longer than Hallmark has existed.  2) There are few other days on the calendar where you can break out the heart shape cookie cutters, egg shapers, and dye food vibrant hues of red and pink with such wild reckless abandon. 3) I hate to get all ad hominem, but I'm going to anyway.  You have no soul.  Like saying, "I don't get it," while watching the Puppy Bowl with its super adorable kitten half time show (you know who you are) soulless.

Love is good.  Pink is good.  Red velvet is good.  Hearts are good.  Fun and festivity and whimsy, especially in the midst of post-holiday malaise, are all good things.

Hurtling through this existence and not eating a heart-shaped egg is bad.

I had some things in the fridge that needed to be used up, so I adapted this recipe from Cooking Light with what we had on hand. And of course, I lack the capability of turning a poached egg into a heart shape.  So I fried them instead.

Ingredients
1 sweet potato, diced
1 russet potato, diced
extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
fresh thyme sprigs
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 strips crisped turkey bacon
3 cups thinly sliced swiss chard
1 cup spinach leaves
1/2 cup caramelized onions
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon truffle oil
salt
pepper
cayenne
4 eggs
handful of grated extra sharp cheddar
microbroccoli, for serving

Instuctions
Heat oven to 425.  In a dutch oven, toss the potatoes with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika.  Mix in the garlic.  Throw in the sprigs of fresh thyme.  Roast for about 20 minutes, or until crispy.  Feel free to do everything on the stove, though, like in the original recipe.  I did it like this to free up my time for the rest of the prep.  In the meantime, crisp up the bacon.

Once the potatoes are done, take out of the oven and place the dutch oven on the stove.  If you need to deglaze the pan, throw in a splash of white wine or even some rice wine.  Over medium heat, add a bit of olive oil, then the swiss chard and spinach.  Cook for about 4 minutes, until tender.  Be sure to stir frequently.  Add in the caramelized onions, vinegar, oil, and seasonings.

For the fried egg:  Melt butter in skillet on medium heat. To get the heart-shaped egg, we cracked the eggs into Norpro Nonstick Heart and Pancake Egg Rings, then continued to fry just until egg white is cooked, or sunny-side up, roughly 1 minute. You could also fry the egg normally and cut the egg into a heart shape.

Serve hash with a heart-shaped egg, a sprinkling of cheddar, and a sprinkling of microbroccoli.

Whole Wheat Ricotta Waffles with Blueberry Sauce

Most little ones seem to have favorite toys or favorite stuffed animals.  And favorite colors.  But not our little guy Max.  He is rather fickle, dispensing his affection on whatever catches his fancy at the moment.  Or maybe he just kinda likes his toys, stuffed animals and colors equally.  But he does have a favorite letter.  Okay, 2 letters.  He loves both B and O.  And b is just so super awesome because it's also his word for berries.  And it doesn't hurt that b is the first letter of his very favorite thing in the entire world - buses.  Now, he loves all berries, but you never know what berry he will actually want to eat that day.  You see some raspberries on sale and pick up a few cartons, thinking, ohh Max will like this.  No, no, he will not.  He will want blackberries, not the raspberries sitting in the fridge.  But sometimes, sometimes, the stars align all beautifully straight in a row and the kiddie gods smile beatifically upon you and somehow you get the right berry (or B, as it is known) to make him happy.  And since it was his birthday the other day, I made him some waffles with B's.  And it must have been the right B, because he was shoveling the sauce into his mouth.  So thank you gods of toddler eating, we totally appreciate it.  And, I'd have to say these waffles are pretty great for full grown people as well.

Ingredients
Waffles:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup ricotta
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, separated

Blueberry Sauce:
1 pound blueberries
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cinnamon stick
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground clove (depending on how much you adore clove)

Instructions
Blueberry Sauce:  Place all ingredients in a medium pot over medium-low heat and gently boil, stirring often.  Let it cook together for about 5 minutes, and remove the cinnamon stick.  Let cool.

Waffles:  Beat the egg whites with a mixer until they hold soft peaks.  Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  In a large bowl, whisk ricota, buttermilk, butter, vanilla extract, and egg yolks.  Stir in the flour mixture. Gently fold in the egg whites.   Pour batter into preheated waffle iron and cook until waffles are crisp and golden.  I like keeping the oven hot at 350 and giving the waffles an extra round of crisping for a few minutes.  Pour sauce on top of waffles and serve.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Crabapple and Maple Syrup

I am convinced Brussels sprouts have magical powers.  You try them.  And maybe you hate them.  But you can't stop thinking about them.  And you cant resist buying them the next time you see them because they are so cute.  And then you make them again.  And your feelings have warmed up to them.  And this continues until you have fallen madly in love, and you don't really know why.  Most definitely a magic vegetable!

I might have picked up crabapples at the market purely because of how adorable they looked.  Ok, I definitely picked them up for that reason.  And then I thought, well if these are so cute and tiny, and Brussels sprouts are so cute and tiny - then maybe they would work well together! My reasoning skills leave much to be desired, obviously.  But regardless of how I managed to get these two together, I liked the how the sweet tang of crabapple paired with our miniature cabbage friends, the Brussels sprouts.  The maple syrup, bacon, and rosemary ended up making it a dish we can't get out of our minds.

Ingredients
4 cups halved Brussels sprouts
1 small red onion, chopped
8 thickly sliced crabapples
4 slices bacon, chopped

2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig rosemary, leaves chopped
kosher salt
white pepper

Instructions
Heat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, toss Brussels sprouts, red onion, crabapples, and bacon all together.  In a small bowl, whisk maple syrup, vinegar, olive oil, and rosemary.  Pour the maple syrup mixture over the Brussels sprouts and coat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place on a baking sheet or 9 x 13 baking pan and roast for about 35 minutes, until the sprouts have cooked through and have developed some nice caramelization.

Cilantro and Lime Fried Egg on Toast

Fate intervened.   Had I not been compelled to move the tupperware container sitting on a shelf in the fridge, I would not have spied the sad looking plastic bag behind it.  But I did move it!  I did!  And since then, our breakfasts have taken a delicious turn.  The lucky find was cilantro, an herb that was used days before and then quickly forgotten.  So that morning, I made eggs over easy with toast, some spices/herbs, and then a generous dusting of cilantro.  It was good, but we decided that the sourdough bread needed to be bronzed on a skillet in order to be easier to eat (plus, you know, more fat and deliciousness).  So the next day we did the bronzing with the same herbs and spices and the cilantro.  Then I wondered what would happen with a drizzle of lime juice, so the next day, we did the bronzing, the herbs and spices, cilantro... and the lime juice.  Harmony.  Seriously, what an unexpectedly awesome combination.

I can't bear to think what would have happened had I not moved that container when I did.  Instead of a wonderful new breakfast, a slimy green mess would have been found...  then tossed.

Ingredients 
chopped cilantro
eggs
oregano
kosher salt
crushed red pepper
cumin
garlic powder
slices of sourdough bread
extra virgin olive oil
lime wedges

Instructions
Heat olive oil in cast iron skillet.  Place the slices of sourdough bread on the griddle and bronze each side.  Take off heat once both sides have browned.  Set aside.  Pour in more olive oil if needed.  Crack the eggs into the hot skillet.  Sprinkle with oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic powder.  Once the white looks pretty cooked (about a minute), get the spatula (be sure to get it underneath the yolk) and flip the whole thing to finish cooking (over easy).  It should only take a few seconds.  Then place on bronzed toast.  Cover with a healthy sprinkling of cilantro.  Serve with lime wedges.  

Kale Pesto Breakfast Pasta

The wise Dr. Seuss asks "Did you ever fly a kite in bed? Did you ever walk with ten cats on your head? Did you ever milk this kind of cow?"  He then goes on to say, "If you never did, you should.  These things are fun and fun is good."

I totally agree - fun is good.  I have yet to fly a kite in bed, walk with ten cats on my head, or milk any cow (though, i remain skeptical that walking with ten cats on your head could be considered fun, as I'm pretty sure the result would be a flurry of biting and scratching).  But we did have pasta for breakfast. And that was fun.  Therefore it was good!

I worry that it appears that we have a kale obsession.  This is not the case.  I promise!  I just happened to have a ridiculous amount of the stuff around and wanted to use it up.  So I made this.

Ingredients 
For the pesto:
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
4 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup olive oil
zest and juice from 1 lemon
smoked sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper

For the breakfast bowls:
kale pesto (about 2 tablespoons per bowl) (I made this night before I wanted to use it)
cooked spaghetti (I cooked it the night before to help speed things along for the morning, you probably want about 1/2 cup -1 cup per bowl)
egg yolks (1 per bowl)
slices of bacon (1 per bowl)
chopped parsley (about a tablespoon per bowl)
grated Parmesan (about a tablespoon per bowl)

Instructions
To make the pesto, place garlic, walnuts, lemon zest, and kale in the bowl of a food processor.  Pulse.  Slowly pour in the olive oil and lemon juice while the food processor is still running.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste, then refrigerate.

Place cooked and heated pasta in each serving bowl.   

Fry up bacon slices on a griddle over medium heat.  Once both sides have crisped, remove from griddle and place on a paper towel.  Chop.  In a skillet (I used my trusty cast iron skillet) over medium heat, fry the egg yolk.  It will only take about 30 seconds to a minute.  You want it to be warm, but still runny.   

For each bowl, toss the pasta with the pesto.  Then top with fried egg yolk, chopped bacon, chopped parsley, and grated Parmesan.

Scallion and Cheddar Drop Biscuits

I think it is good and important to critique structures and institutions that make up our everyday lives.  Whether it is interrogating patriarchy, kyriarchy, capitalism, U.S. imperialism, colonialism - I am all for reimagining a more just and equal world.  But I have my limits.  And I draw the line at bread.  I fully support the hegemony of bread.  I feel like bread has been receiving a bad rap.  I'm supposed to be all like, "Oh I feel so much better after not eating bread."  Bread is a "sometimes" food.  No.  I am a fervent believer in the amazingness of bread and other, great bread-like products.  So there!  Here are some scallion and cheddar biscuits to celebrate.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
3 scallions, chopped
2 cups coarsely grated cheddar cheese
1 cup half and half

Instructions
Heat oven to 450.  In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, paprika, and garlic powder.  Add the pieces of butter and using your fingers work the butter with the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumble.  Stir in the chopped scallions and cheddar cheese.  Then stir in half and half.  Drop the batter onto a Silpat-lined baking sheet in large spoon-fuls.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until they have a golden brown color.

Soft Scrambled Eggs with Smoky Seasonings and Chives

I think I am going to go ahead and classify my relationship to eggs as "complicated."  On the one hand, I adore almost everything about them - how they get all wonderfully creamy when hard boiled...so runny when fried, so very big when the whites are whipped...you get the picture.  

But on the other hand, egg is such a weird word to say.  And to look at.  It is only three letters and two of them are the letter g?  How did that end up qualifying as a word?  

Then there is the slightly bigger issue.  I am perhaps a bit touchy about the word because it was my sister's and then consequently my best friend's (waves at Jess!) nickname for me.  According to my sister, my shoulder looks like an egg... and therefore I am to be called egg.  Strange child she was.  Regardless, we love her.  You should see the the egg stuff I have been given through the years by these two - a pot scraper shaped like an egg, a whisk with an egg for a handle, a sparkly purple egg, a really weird puzzle egg.  Photos of eggs posted to my Facebook wall.  Fried-egg gummies.  To this day, I continue to feel anxious around the e-word.  

Yet life must go on, and I  just can't let my issues interfere with using this most delicious foodstuff.  Now that is a fun word - just cramming an unnecessary word right next to another one!  Another fun word is hullabaloo - I've yet to be in a situation that required use of that word, but one day, just you wait, I will gleefully whip that baby out. And it will be a joyous occassion.     

After reading about this soft scrambled technique in Bon Appetit, I was smitten. 

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 eggs
scant 1/4 teaspoon smoked sea salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions 
This makes enough for 2 servings.  In a medium saucepan over low heat, whisk the olive oil, salt, paprika, garlic powder, ancho chile powder, and eggs together continuously for about 4 minutes, until small curds have formed and it is no longer soupy.  You don't want it runny, but you also don't want it dry.  Top each serving with a tablespoon of chopped chives.

Sausage, Spinach, and Quail Egg Breakfast Salad

I know this sounds really weird, and also involves frozen pre-cooked sausage patties, but it has been working for me recently.  This combination came to me in an extreme moment of hunger that suddenly attacked me.  I started scavenging the fridge and pantry trying to come up with something that felt substantial and that was super quick.  The results of my kitchen raid included spinach, turkey sausage patties, some leftover baguette, and two quail eggs.  So I thought about it a bit, realized I could throw some spinach in a bowl, dress it a bit, place the sausage on top, and then the fried eggs.  I mean, what isn’t better with a fried egg on top?  I was quite wary about the taste of all this together, but when hunger calls, usually anything will do.  I actually liked it!   Then I found myself making it again and again, morning after morning, and I realized I was actually eating a salad for breakfast – which is odd for me.  I’m not generally thrilled to eat them at dinner. But apparently if you give it to me in the morning I’m excited, feeling oh so rebellious, subverting some unspoken food norms about appropriate breakfast foods… 

Ingredients 
1 cup spinach
1 tablespoon chopped scallion
handful of sliced grape tomatoes
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 patties (or links) cooked breakfast turkey sausage (so we get these frozen precooked ones that you just pop in the microwave for like a minute; they are so useful to us! But obviously you can use any form of breakfast sausage that you want)
2 fried quail eggs (or one regular egg)*
pinch sea salt
pinch red pepper flakes
2 toasted baguette slices for serving

Instructions
Place the spinach, scallions, and tomatoes in a bowl.  Drizzle the red wine vinegar and olive oil and toss a bit.  Sprinkle black pepper.  Place the cooked sausage links over that.  Place your fried egg over that, then sprinkle it with a pinch of salt and red pepper flakes. Slice and toast baguette, and spread a bit of butter on one side.  

*To fry the egg, melt butter in skillet on medium heat.  Crack egg into skillet and fry just until egg white is cooked, or sunny-side up, roughly 1 minute.

Strawberry Lemon Buttermilk Muffins

I went to the store last week intending to get a quart of buttermilk.  On a side note, I should point out that when I say “I’m going to the store,” it means I am going to our usual grocery store.  No other place is referred to as “the store.”  Any other grocery store is called by its proper name.  It took awhile for Seth to catch on to this, but now I think he gets it.  According to him, any store can be called, “the store,” but that’s just ridiculous, right? Back to the buttermilk.  They only had half gallons of it, so I threw caution to the wind and said, fine, I will use this entire thing before it expires.  And I did!  We had buttermilk biscuits three times during the week ( I may have an addiction), we had buttermilk marinated chicken drumsticks, a buttermilk ice cream, and of course, these muffins.  I just love the way buttermilk adds that tangy moistness to baked goods. 

Ingredients
1 ½ cups chopped strawberries + 2 tablespoons flour
2 ½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
zest of Meyer lemon
juice of Meyer lemon
½ cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
lemon curd, for serving, optional

Instructions
Heat oven to 350.  In a small bowl, gently coat the strawberries with the 2 tablespoons flour together and set aside.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk 2 ½ cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt.  In a large bowl, mix together lemon zest, lemon juice, egg, buttermilk, sugar, oil, and vanilla.  Mix the dry ingredients into wet, stirring until just combined. Gently mix in the strawberries that have been tossed with flour.  Line a muffin pan with liners then divide batter among the prepared cups.  Bake until golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Serve with lemon curd, if desired.

Bacon Wrapped Egg Cups with Horseradish and Cheddar

I’m a big fan of the muffin pan.  It makes individual-sized cakes.  And individual-sized quick breads.  Individual-sized fun for everyone! And don’t even get me started on the virtues of the mini muffin pan.  There is something less intimidating about the muffin pan when compared to a regular cake pan or a loaf pan, etc., like you aren’t putting all your eggs in one basket, so to speak.  You have multiple opportunities, twelve to be exact, for obtaining success, which is actually not true at all.  I mean, the same batter goes in each little cup. But I like to pretend it’s true, and that’s what matters.  Because we are such fans, we wanted to use the muffin pan for something a little out of the ordinary, something savory, and something breakfasty (I’m standing by this as a word). So, here are our spicy bacon wrapped egg cups with horseradish and cheddar.

Ingredients
9 eggs
¼ cup milk
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon prepared horseradish
3 scallions, chopped
1/3 cup grated extra sharp Cheddar cheese + 1 tablespoon, divided
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, divided
1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
12 pieces bacon

Instructions
Heat oven to 375.  Grease a muffin tin.  In a bowl, whisk eggs and milk. Then stir in pepper, paprika, horseradish, scallions, 1/3 cup Cheddar cheese, and 1 tablespoon Parmesan.  Add in jalapeno if using as well.  Line the outer wall of the muffin cups in the tin with bacon.  You may have to trim the bacon slices to fit.  Then pour in about ¼ cup of the egg mixture in each cup.  Sprinkle each with the remaining cheddar and parmesan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are browned, the bacon is crispy, and eggs are cooked through. 

Cheesy Frittata with Spinach, Asparagus and Mushrooms

Jerry Seinfeld once said that a washing machine was like the night club for clothes. 
I always think of that quote when we have frittatas.  Why?  Well, frittatas are kind of like the nightclub for vegetables, right?  It can get a bit stuffy in the crisper drawer, so its inhabitants need to get out and live a little.  Vegetables, fresh herbs, and in this case fungi, each get all primped and pampered, rinsed, peeled, chopped, cleaned up and ready for a night on the town to mingle with the other cleaned up vegetables.  They get to dance and sauté and bake together in a cheesy egg mixture.  And a good time is had by all.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, chopped
5 ounces fresh spinach
12 ounces asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
5 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1 1/4 cup shredded Fontina cheese, divided
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

Ingredients
Preheat oven to 325.  In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat, sauté the leek in butter and olive oil until soft.  Increase the heat to medium-high and add the asparagus and mushrooms.  Sauté for 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, boil some water (I tend to do this in the microwave) and wilt the spinach leaves.  Wring dry, being sure to get rid of the excess moisture.  Chop the leaves, and add the spinach to the rest of the vegetables and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.  In a large bowl, whisk eggs, egg whites, 1 cup Fontina cheese, 1/8 cup Parmesan, seasonings, and the fresh herbs.  Add to sauté pan, sprinkle with remaining cheeses, and bake for about 35 minutes until edges are golden brown and eggs are set.

I sometimes serve this with a quickly assembled sauce of jarred pizza sauce mixed with some red pepper sauce like Frank’s Red Hot Sauce.  Just mix together, heat, and serve.

Pop Tarts, 3 ways – Rose Hip and Apple, S’mores, and Brown Sugar Spice

So this post is all thanks to my mom, who gave me some random things that, when put together, created a super fun treat!  My mom lives on the opposite side of the country, so she likes sending us packages to stay in touch.  Just recently, she sent me two jars of rose hip fruit spread.  I’ve never even heard of rose hips before this.  And I’m not really the kind of person who puts jelly on toast.  I’m not really sure why.  So I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with this.

Also about 8 years ago, my mom gave me this kitchen gadget, telling me she thought I would use it more than she would.  It was a Cut-N-Seal gadget from Pampered Chef that can make tarts.  At the time, I was an odd choice of recipient for this gadget, since I didn’t cook, and what I did cook consisted of packaged Lipton sides, Easy Mac, and ramen noodles (I was not a sophisticated eater in college).  I always assumed I would never get around to using it.  Over the years, I have moved far away from our once college-style cooking, and it has been bugging me that I have this gadget that has never been used. 

Then there was an epiphany- I could put both of these things together! So I finally unearthed the kitchen gadget from its place in the baking kitchen utensil drawer and put it to use, cutting out pocket sized tarts filled with rose hip jelly.  I also decided to try out some other fillings, like s’mores and brown sugar and spice.  So 8 years later, I can finally say, “Thank you mom!”

Adapted from the King Arthur Flour website.

Ingredients 
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg
4 tablespoons whole milk
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces
1 egg for egg wash

Rose Hip and Apple filling:
8.8 ounce container rose hip fruit spread
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 apple
1 lemon wedge

Brown Sugar and Spice filling:
½ cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
pinch allspice
pinch ground ginger

S’mores filling:
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 graham crackers, chopped
½ cup marshmallow creme

Instructions
Place flours, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk together.  In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk and set aside.  Add the pieces of butter into the flour mixture with the paddle attachment of the mixer to make a mixture of coarse crumble.  Add the egg mixture and beat with the paddle attachment until the dough comes together.

This is what I did for the 3 ½ -inch circle-shaped tart maker, and if you don’t have a special gadget, just use a traditional biscuit cutter or really anything circle-shape (like a mason jar lid) and use it to trace circle shapes from the dough.  If you want the traditional rectangle shape for the pop tarts, the King Arthur site has directions for that.  Divide the dough in half and roll each half into an 8-inch circle.   You can either place them in the fridge or continue rolling them out.  If you do choose to chill the dough, let the dough come to room temperature before working with it (takes about 25 minutes).  Lightly flour a work surface, and roll each half of dough to a 1/8 inch thickness.  Use the cut and seal gadget to cut out 18 circles from the dough (to make 9 tarts).  Fill each tart with filling then seal shut, either using the gadget or pressing together the edges of dough by hand.  Beat the egg, then brush on the egg wash and cut a few vents into each tart.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes, until the pastry has turned golden brown.

To make the rose hip and apple filling:
In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water.  Place fruit spread and cornstarch mixture in small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for two minutes. Let cool.  Peel and dice the apple, then squeeze the lemon juice from the lemon wedge over the apple pieces.  Place 1-2 tablespoons of the thickened fruit spread in each tart, then a tablespoon of the apple pieces. 

To make the brown sugar and spice filling:
Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with a fork.  Put 1-2 tablespoons in each tart.

To make the s’mores filling:
Mix the chocolate chips and graham cracker pieces in a bowl.  Place 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture in each tart and top with a tablespoon of the marshmallow crème.