Basically Bread Pudding

So, what does a family of two do with a package of 8  hamburger buns?  First night, barbecued hamburgers, of course.  Then, to freeze or not to freeze...  NOT.  There's alot you can do with day old bread, you know, the kind you don't want for a sandwich.  You can make croutons, make my panzanella pasta or a strata.  But, my go to dessert happens to be a simple bread pudding.  I usually can't mess that one up.

I used sesame seed buns because that's what I had, but, I still like the rustic French or country bread.  The texture has just the right amount of crunch followed by the custard like goodness!  I used this recipe from Williams Sonoma and cut it in half.  I didn't want just the two of us gorging on bread pudding for days.  This adjustment makes at least 4-6 servings in a 8x8 pan.

Bread Pudding 

About 4 hamburger buns or the equivalent of 6 slices of bread, cubed

2 eggs

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 - 1/2 tsp cnnamon

pinch of fresh ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

2 cups of milk

1/8 cup cranberries or raisins (I used dried blueberry craisins)

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 inch square baking pan.  Put the bread cubes in it.

In a bowl mix the eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a whisk.  Add the milk and whisk again.  Pour this over the breadcrumbs and let it sit.  Press the bread crumbs into the egg mixture a few times to absorb the moisture a bit.  About 15 minutes.

Toss on the fruit of choice pressing gently to submerge slightly.  Put the baking dish into a larger shallow roasting pan.  Add very hot water to halfway up the sides of the dish.  Bake until done.  A knife inserted into the middle will come out clean.  Baking time should be about 45-55 minutes..

You can serve with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, ice cream, a warm amaretto sauce or all of the above!  It's great chilled also. 

Springtime Frittata

I love the bounty that arrives with Spring.  Fresh artichokes, asparagus, strawberries, etc.  For those of you who don't know what a frittata is, it just means omelet in Italian.  What's great about a frittata is that you can throw almost anything in there and it will come out nicely.  I used pre-roasted garlic, pre-cooked asparagus, frozen artichoke hearts and then all the basics. 

Frittatas are wonderful breakfast or brunch items, served room temperature, warm or cold.  If you can scramble eggs, you can make an elegant frittata!

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1-2 Tbsp half and half

salt & pepper to taste

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 leek, a 3 inch piece, sliced

1/3 red onion, sliced, then chopped

1 cup artichoke hearts, partially frozen or thawed

1 cup asparagus pieces (1 inch long), parboiled or microwaved briefly

2-3 cloves of roasted garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp olive oil

In an oven proof nonstick 10-12 inch skillet, put the olive oil, leeks, red onion and artichoke hearts in and saute for about 10 minutes.  Add the asparagus,  and garlic, stir and remove from the heat.  Meanwhile in a small bowl mix the eggs, half & half, salt and pepper and 1/8 cup of the Parmesan.

 Add the butter to the skillet with veggies.  When it melts,  add the egg mixture to it.  The heat should be on low-medium.  Gently move the eggs away from the edges with a spatula (almost like you're scrambling eggs, but not so vigorously) until it's almost cooked.  The middle will still be runny.  Sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan on top and place the skillet into the broiler (on low)  Cover the handle with foil if it's not oven proof.  Broil until firm and slightly browned.  Cool and slide the frittata onto a serving dish.  It can be served immediately or refrigerate for later use.  It's even better the next day!

Tiramisu

When the Italians came up with this dessert, they had heaven in mind.  And how can something be so delicate in texture yet be so heavy on the hips!  I've tasted a few variations of tiramisu in my lifetime.  It was probably only when cannolis weren't on the menu.  Tiramisu was my "settle for" selection.  Not anymore!

I made both creations for Christmas dinner and the tiramisu met with more fanfare than did the cannolis.  I would love to give credit where credit is due, however I downloaded this into my file quite some time ago, so I'm not sure of its creator.  It is, by far, the BEST Tiramisu I've ever tasted!

It's not hard to make, so put this on your baking bucket list to try.  You won't be sorry.  It calls for 6 egg yolks.  Save the egg whites for breakfast since you will need to diet after this tiramisu experience! 

Ingredients:

6 egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

1 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 12 oz packages of Italian lady fingers

1/2 cup cold espresso or strong coffee

1/4 cup coffee flavored liqueur (I used hazelnut Kahlua, this time)

1 tbsp cocoa for dusting

Combine the egg yolks and sugar in the top of a double boiler, over boiling water.  Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.    They should be lemon colored and thick.

Add the mascarpone to the yolks and combine well.  In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff.  Gently fold into the mascarpone mixture and set aside.

Mix the coffee with the liqueur and place in a glass pie plate.  It's easier to dip that way.  Dip the ladyfingers briefly on both sides.  Do not allow them to soak!  Arrange the ladyfingers in the bottom of a 8 or 9 inch square glass baking dish.  I used 14 on each layer. (2 rows of 7 )  Spoon half of the cream mixture on top and arrange one more layer of ladyfingers.  Repeat with another layer of the mascarpone mix.  Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.  I chilled mine overnight (recommended). 

The last bite!!

Real Men Eat Quiche

I can't really remember the first time I had quiche.  So many years ago, it's beginning to be a blur.  I do remember it was in the late 70s, early 80's when it became a "trendy" menu item for most restaurants.   A group of the girls I worked with at the time went on one of our "famous Friday lunches".  Usually we chose Mexican because 1) It was cheap,  2) it was nearby and last but not least we began our weekend early with a margarita. 

But on a few occasions, we would venture downtown to the Hardy House, a beautiful old mansion with open air courtyard that had wonderful food.  One of their specials was a slice of quiche and salad and because it was Friday, a strawberry daiquiri.  To me, quiche was so very French and I thought it must be so hard to make.  Little did I know it's not difficult at all.  It's another one of those "forgiving recipes", hard to mess up.

This recipe starts with a deep dish 9 inch ready made pie shell.  Years ago I made 2 shallow 9 inch pies, giving us a whole quiche for leftovers and packed  them in our lunches.  Needless to say, my co-workers were jealous when my quiche arrived out of the microwave while they were eating frozen burritos from the vending machine!

Ingredients:

1 9 inch pie shell

3 Tbsp butter

1 cup sliced onions

1 cup sliced red pepper

2 cloves garlic minced

3/4 cup mushrooms, sliced

about 1 - 1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli

1 -2 slices of chopped panchetta or bacon

5 eggs

3/4 -1 cup half and half

1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese

dash of paprika

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Prick the pie shell with a fork and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.  Remove and set aside.  In a large skillet,  add the butter, heat on medium,  then add the onions, red pepper, panchetta, and garlic and saute for 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and then the steamed (but firm) broccoli to the mix and cook for about 10 minutes.



Onions, panchetta and peppers



Add mushrooms and broccoli

Meanwhile beat the eggs together with the half and half.  Put the broccoli mixture into the waiting pie shell.  Cover with the Swiss cheese.  Pour the egg mixture over this being careful to drizzle it evenly and around the edges.  Tamp down slightly with a wooden spoon.  Sprinkle with a dash of paprika, for color.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350  and bake for about 35 minutes.  If the edges start to burn , cover them with foil.  Remove from the oven when done and let it sit before cutting.

For a change, use different veggies or cheese.   It sounds like alot of steps to make this but after a while you can make it "in your sleep"! 

Finished!

"Personal Pan" Mini Garden Frittata

For lunch the other day I was craving veggies from the garden.  My beets are growing nicely and now that a proper wire fence to keep the critters out has been installed, I've been able to salvage a few zucchini blossoms before the rabbits and squirrels get them!  These are great in scrambled eggs, (blossoms and beet tops, not rabbits and squirrels!) and also excellent in frittatas.

While trying to be a little health conscious, I used egg whites, only.  I realize making a frittata is not rocket science, however, have you ever tried to make one on a hotplate in your garage.  I thought not! 

Place a tablespoon of butter into a nonstick frying pan and melt on medium heat.  Add what ever you want in your frittata.  My choice was a few cut up zucchini flowers (or thinly sliced zucchini) and cut up beet tops.  (Spinach would be a good substitute if you don't have beet tops or leaves hanging around.)  Cook these until barely limp.  Add egg whites  (about 1/4-1/2 cup) or the whole egg (2), slightly beaten.  Continue to cook until egg sets and is dry around the edges.  At this point, I added some buffalo mozzarella medallions (2 cut up).  Now you'll need to flip this over to cook on the other side.  This should be easy if you used a non stick pan!  If you didn't, so sorry...  It will still taste great!

Other remodel meals we've had during the first week were chili dogs last night. 

Gourmet Delight!

 Then my dad and mom brought over the best homemade clam chowder, the night before.  What a blessing that was!

The Best Clam Chowder!

So as the week comes to an end, here's a look at some progress:



Passed the electric and gas inspection!  (Thanks to the furry "inspector in training)



Not much difference, but I'll keep you posted.

Green Eggs and No Ham

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!  I couldn't let the day pass without honoring part of my heritage, the Irish.  I've never been one to participate in the drinking of green beer or wanting to wear that color.  The truth is, I don't look good in green at all!  So, growing up I'd dig deep into my drawers to find anything with the slightest shade of green.  Most of the time I'd have to settle for green underwear!

After I had my son I found ways to honor the small part of Irish in him.   I'd attempt to make it fun for him and he'd eat almost anything except mushrooms!   He was not a picky eater!   Usually for breakfast, I'd get the green food coloring out and mix it in just about anything edible.  We'd have green pancakes,  green oatmeal and, of course, green eggs, no ham!  As for corned beef, I'm not a fan.  But, I can stand it once a year!  Actually, a nice Reuben sandwich sounds good....on a warm crusty roll with a brown mustard!  Yum.

One day when my son was in high school, I arrived home to find he and his friend had made a green baklava!  Although the sight of it (color) was unsettling, it tasted incredible!   J. D. can cook!   And the kitchen was a little messy, too, but all I could do was smile as I realized he would be the one to carry on the tradition of the St. Patrick's day green food for his family some day.

Yes, I ate those green eggs, no ham
I mixed them with spinach,
happy I am...
You can try them with cheese
if you please...
Gobble them quickly as they aren't good leftover
Then go out and make a wish with your four leaf clover!!
Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

(Sorry, I got carried away!)

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Happy St. Patrick's day!  I chose to go into the "archives" and re-post a piece from a few years back.  Enjoy..be back soon with NEW recipes.

Frittata - A Healthy Twist

The first time I ever tried a frittata I thought, "well this is just some veggies and eggs!" My mother-in-law made it for us many years ago. I liked it then and I like it now. The nice thing about frittatas is that you can serve it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack. You can also choose your veggies like an omelet! It's good warm or cold. As a matter of fact many Italians will pack a wedge of frittata in their lunches. I can buy into that! Also, if you ever have any leftovers, you can make a sandwich out of it. Maybe you can trick your kids into eating their veggies!

I normally prepare my frittatas with a little more cheese and some half and half for a richer taste and a fluffier consistency. But in keeping with healthier eating I made some substitutions. It still turned out nicely.

It's very important to start with a large non-stick skillet. Add 1-2 T of olive oil. Then add what ever type of veggies you like. You can't really mess this up. I chose:

2 c red bell peppers and green (Anaheim type) peppers combined

1/2 c chopped yellow onion

1 c pre-roasted Yukon potatoes, sliced

Saute these for about five minutes. Add spices:

1/2 tsp lemon thyme

1/4 tsp red chili flakes

1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 handful chopped Italian parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Meanwhile I combined 2 large eggs and enough "egg beater" type product to total 1 cup. To this add 2 T milk or half and half, beat well. Add egg mixture to pan with veggies. If you've ever made an omelet the technique is the same. Work the egg underneath from the middle to the sides while lifting the edges until it is still a little runny in the middle. At this point you can add some cheese on top. I chose only 2 T grated parmesan. Put into the broiler on low and keep an eye on it. Cook until just browned on top making sure the egg is done. Remove and cool for about 10 minutes. After cooling time it should slide out of the pan onto a serving plate. (Miracles do happen) Cut into wedges and enjoy! A fancy presentation for basic eggs! Serves 2 but you can easily increase the amounts for a larger version.