Christmas Breakfast

Welcome to the Christmas morning breakfast we hosted for my mom, brother, sister-in-law, and niece. This is only the second year we've had them over for breakfast and gifts, but I've already grown to love it. I set and arranged the table the night before, making sure everything was just so. I had a lovely centerpiece, a bubble bowl filled to the brim with shiny round ornaments, but it had to be set aside to make room for the meal. My brother, who works at Starbucks, brought a fresh pound of coffee to serve. I had peppermint tea for my mom, who is battling a cold and wicked cough. We had a pretty pitcher full of orange juice too. I heart my Pottery Barn pitcher.













I made my version of Deb at Smitten Kitchen's Boozy Baked French Toast. This time around it took about 1 1/2 loaves of Challah, so it was certainly lucky for me that Josh suggested we get two loaves while standing in the bakery at Central Market. It was a big hit with everyone, and definitely less time consuming than the pancakes I did last year. I think I'll definitely use this recipe next year, maybe with a filling, or different flavorings to keep things fresh. Do you need to freshen up something that happens once a year? I don't know, I guess we'll see. I also made Sweet & Spicy Bacon. I found this recipe on Orangette many moons ago. It is one of the best recipes I could have ever come across. When my brother came by a few weeks before Christmas he asked if we'd have the bacon again this year. He said that his wife considered just asking me to make the bacon again as part of their Christmas gift. We love this bacon too and we rarely eat bacon any other way now. Consider this bacon a gift to everyone this year, ha.

Sweet & Spicy Bacon
Recipe from Gourmet via Orangette

1 ½ Tbs packed light brown sugar
Rounded ¼ tsp cayenne
Rounded ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb thick-cut bacon (about 12 slices)

-Position an oven rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
-In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper.
-Arrange the bacon slices in 1 layer—not overlapping—on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Bake the bacon for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over, and sprinkle them evenly with the spiced sugar. Continue baking until the bacon is crisp and deep golden, about 15 minutes more. Transfer to paper towels to drain before serving.
*I had a 1.5 lbs of bacon, so I used two batches of the seasoning.













And last, but not least, I served up a little fruit to try and lighten things up a bit. Oh who are we kidding, fruit is the least when compared to the bacon, but we ate it anyway, ha. My niece especially enjoyed the banana and clementine wedges. My brother thought the banana combined with the french toast was stellar. And that pretty much wraps up the tour of our Christmas breakfast. I already can't wait till next year!

Twice As Nice

Since I am now officially on Christmas Vacation (YES!!!) I thought I would go ahead and post about tonight's dinner. Tomorrow will be filled with laundry, gift wrapping, and more cooking, so best to get it done before I forget. Tonight's meal is another one made in duplicate for the new mommy & daddy. For some reason last night I kept dreaming about this dish. That has never happened to me before, but I actually had several dreams through the course of the night that involved Spinach Lasagna. Every time I awoke from a dream I'd think to myself, "Oh yeah, I'm making Spinach Lasagna tomorrow night." When I got up this morning it was to the point that I was almost feeling hesitant about the evening's meal. It seemed like dreaming about lasagna couldn't be a good thing. Opposite to all foreboding the meal came together very easily. I was a little low on cheese, so I put together the dish for the freezer first. Wouldn't want to stiff the new parents on mozzarella. I had enough cheese in the end, as you know lasagna is so overly cheesy it wasn't a real problem being just a smidge low on it. This was really so easy I'm wondering why I hadn't been making two at a time all along, and saving myself twice the effort for two meals. Obviously this is isn't the first time that I've posted about the Spinach Lasagna, but this being such a fast, easy and healthy recipe I figured it definitely worth re-posting at this most hectic and indulgent time of year.

Spinach Lasagna
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8












4 cups (32 oz.) whole-milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 10 oz. packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove excess moisture
6 cups store-bought or homemade tomato sauce
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1 lb. (4 cups) fontina cheese, shredded

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together ricotta cheese, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add spinach, and stir well to combine.
• Spread a small bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish or dishes. Arrange a layer of lasagna noodles on top. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture over the noodles, followed by 1/3 of the remaining sauce; sprinkle with 1/3 of the grated cheese. Repeat to make two more layers, ending with cheese. If freezing, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Before baking, defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
• Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; continue baking until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool slightly before serving.

My notes: I always use part-skim ricotta, mozzarella in place of the fontina, and top it off with a little parmesan for good measure. I've been using aluminum 8" square pans for all the freezer goodies I've been packing, and with this recipe it was a little shallow, and a little weak. If using one of these yourself to freeze your second batch then I would suggest that you go a little thinner with your sauce. In my written directions to the couple I also suggested putting it on a baking sheet to cook, in case of any spill over. It was also a little harder to wrap the plastic wrap all the way around the pan, since it was very full and a little weighty, but I managed. Just an fyi to be careful. Or use something better than a slightly shallow aluminum pan, ha. Also, each 8" pan should serve four, but I can easily get 6 servings out of it.

Re-run One

It's like there's a writer's strike in my kitchen or something. As I mentioned in the last post I'm cooking for two this week. And when cooking for someone else you want to make something you know is good, right? So last night's menu included Southwestern Turkey Burgers. I made these because they freeze so well. Two for us, and two for the new mom & pop. To freeze for later I place two of the patties on wax paper and then into the freezer for 3o minutes or so, until firm. Then wrap in wax paper and seal in a freezer bag for later use. Don't forget to date your bag, so that you don't let good food waste away. (I should listen to my own advice here, what is that foil wrapped blob and how long has it been in there?) When you're ready for a re-run of your own just pop them in the fridge overnight and you'll be ready to go for the next day's dinner. Didn't have the foresight to thaw the burgers ahead of time? Toss your freezer bag into a bowl of cool water and change the water every 30 minutes till they're ready to go. I also made the Chili Oven Fries last night, so I figured I'd re-post both recipes for you here.














Southwestern Turkey Burgers
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey, 93% lean
1 jalapeno, minced, seeded and ribbed
2 ounces Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Vegetable oil for grates (if grilling)

• Heat grill/pan to medium-high. In a medium bowl place turkey, jalapeno, cheese, breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix very gently with fork to combine, being careful not to over mix.
• Gently form meat into 4 equal-size patties, 4" in diameter and 1" thick. Press thumb in the center of each patty to make an indentation approximately 1/2" deep.
• Moisten a folded paper towel with oil; rub on cooking surface. Season burgers with salt and pepper; grill until cooked throughout, 5 to 8 minutes per side. Serve on buns with desired toppings.

My notes: The only thing I change about this recipe is I usually use Pepper Jack cheese in addition to the jalapeño. Mmmmm, me likey spicy. It's not really that spicy though, ha.

Chili Oven Fries
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

3 large Russet potatoes (2 lbs.)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chili powder
Coarse salt and ground pepper

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Halve potatoes lengthwise; cut each half lengthwise into thirds.
• In a large bowl, whisk olive oil with chili powder; season generously with salt & pepper. Add potatoes and toss to coat.
• Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet, cut sides down. Bake, turning potatoes halfway through, until they are tender and golden brown, about 45 minutes.

My notes: This serves 4. I should remember that, so that I don't make too many and then eat too many. But what would be the fun in that? Oh well, I needed to use up those potatoes anyway.

Roll With It

Well, this week is just chock full of cooking for me. I'm sure you're saying to yourself that it's about time. Hush. :) This week I'm making meals that are either recipes that make double batches or have good freezable leftovers. My bro-in-law and his wife had their first baby yesterday, a little boy, and I told her last week that I would get together some meals for their freezer. Kim is a planner, like me, but she didn't have as much energy to stock her deep freeze up for the lean newborn months as she hoped she would. Luckily I fluttered in, like a dinner guardian angel, and told her I was gonna be bringing some grub their way. We still have to go see the new addition to the family, but that will be later this week once Josh doesn't have evening lessons. Anyhow, I am making a lot of repeat recipes this week, since I wouldn't want to stick them with an icebox full of untested and untried foods. Last night however I did try one new recipe that I was eager to make as soon as I saw it in the December issue of Everyday Food. These Vegetable Enchiladas looked delicious, but the recipe also looked hard to halve. Since it makes two 8" pans worth this was the perfect opportunity to give it a shot. One for us, and one for the new threesome!

Vegetable Enchiladas
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8












2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese (12 ounces)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
16 corn tortillas (6-inch)

• Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch square baking dishes; set aside. Stack tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute. Or stack and wrap in aluminum foil, and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.
• Dividing evenly, sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve garnished with scallion greens.
• To freeze: Prepare enchiladas through step 3; top with cheese, and cover baking dishes with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place sauce in an airtight container. Freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.
• To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight (or microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dishes, and pour sauce over enchiladas; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving.

My notes: These enchiladas were actually really awesome. Not that I didn't have faith in the recipe, but I didn't have a lot of faith in my execution of it. I have had trouble with making sauces with flour in the past. This time everything went exactly as it should, and I just almost couldn't believe it. I'm sure it sounds silly, but I really never thought I would make enchilada sauce. But I did, and it tasted fabulous, just like what comes to mind when I think of it. In typical fashion with anything Martha rolls I had extra filling leftover. No complaints though because I'll be eating two veggie quesadillas for lunch. I was going to make some Spanish rice as a side dish, but I was so engrossed in the process of making the enchiladas and preparing their batch for the freezer that I completely forgot about it until I sat down to eat. So I ate 3 enchiladas instead of two, ha. That left three for the hubster at dinner and two for his lunch today. I don't often freeze meals for ourselves, but this recipe was so delicious I think that next time it'll be great to know that I've got one of these tucked away for later.

No Pictures :(

I very regrettably forgot to take my camera with me for our Christmas dinner at the Pop-in-law's last night. I wish I had pictures of the totally awesome and delicious pheasant and duck kabobs we had. So good, tender bites of meat skewered with bell pepper and onion chunks, fresh from their garden, and wrapped up in always-awesome bacon. Oh, for the love of flavor, why did I forget my camera and why am I not eating more of those kabobs right now. Hunting season is far from over, so hopefully I can look forward to some more before too long. I just had to mention them because it was such an enjoyable departure from the typical turkey or ham. We more or less noshed through the evening, also enjoying some barbecue meatballs, spanikopita, veggie and cheese assortment, delicious mississippi mud cake, pound cake, and brownies. I love grazing. :)

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili

I made this chili, found in the October 2007 issue of Everyday Food, about a month ago. I thought I would give it a whirl as it seemed much quicker than my regular veggie chili recipe. And while it was quicker, it wasn't quite as delicious. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but it just didn't hit the mark for me. It's sort of in between my usual veg chili and the black bean & corn stew I make. I might make it again sometime when looking for a fast veggie meal. No pic, cause really these things rarely photograph well for me. And the recipe wasn't put up on Martha's site, so I couldn't steal their picture either, ha.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 zucchini (about 1 pound total) halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 carrots thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans (19 oz.) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1 package frozen corn, thawed

• In a 5 quart Dutch Oven or heavy pot heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, about 4 minutes.
• Add zucchini, carrots, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots are crisp-tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, and 1 cup water. Simmer until slightly thickened and carrots are soft, 8 to 10 minutes more.

My notes: I used 2 15 oz. cans of black beans because I don't know that I've ever seen 19 oz. cans. In fact, as I was typing that I was not sure that I even noticed it said 19 oz. when I made the recipe. I wonder if it's a typo. Or perhaps I'm not looking closely enough at the grocery store and these 19 oz. cans have been right under my nose. Anyway, like I said, this recipe was good, not great, and I might make it again but it's not destined to be in heavy rotation. Wanted to share it anyhow though, since it's not available on their website. Hopefully I'll get a chance to make my favorite veggie chili soon so I can share it with you.

Side Kick

Last week I was looking for a side dish to serve with the Rosemary Meatballs that I had pulled from the freezer. The first time I served the meatballs I made some broccoli & bow-tie pasta. This time around I wanted something different, but I did want green. And it doesn't get much more green than green beans, right? This recipe is from the April 2007 Everyday Food. It was quick, easy, and delicious- everything I find important in a side dish.

Parmesan Green Beans
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4












Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 10 oz. packages frozen French-cut green beans
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add green beans, and cook until tender, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
• Add butter, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with remaining Parmesan.

My notes: I found this to be an especially nice recipe to compliment the Rosemary Meatballs because they contain lemon zest, but the lemon in each dish didn't dominate the meal. Everyday food also suggested trying Parmigiano-Reggiano, Romano, or Asiago in place of the Parmesan. I think any of them would be delicious.

Saturday Night

Saturday night our good friends Spencer and Deb were coming over for dinner. I didn't take any picture, I was too busy enjoying myself. But I thought I would put links to the recipes I used, since they are especially good this time of year. For dinner we had a salad, some beer bread, and slow cooker beef stew. Everyone really enjoyed it, and we have plenty of leftovers for dinner tonight. For dessert I made Eve's Pudding, which I'd been eager to make again for quite some time. I think it turned out even better this time, despite the fact that I messed up the batter and had to start over. Luckily I'd given myself plenty of time and had it in the oven before they arrived. Easy dinner parties are such fun!

Red and Black Bean Pie

I was chided by my sister-in-law for not updating, so here we go! With the weather getting colder I was looking for some hearty recipes. Finding vegetarian options that meet my idea of hearty can be a little difficult, but this one met expectations. This recipe is from the October 2006 issue of Everyday Food, and is their 'Freeze It' feature. I halved this recipe, since it was meant to make enough for two in the first place. This is the first time I've worked with polenta in any form. It was easy and yummy, so I'll definitely use it again. Maybe next time I'll try it soft.

Red and Black Bean Pie
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 8


2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 bunches scallions, white and green parts separated and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14.5 ox can diced tomatoes in juice
1 16 oz. tube plain prepared polenta, patted dry
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1 1/2 cup coarsely shredded Pepper Jack cheese
Salsa (optional)

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium; add white part of scallions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and 1/2 cup water. As you bring to a boil, mash 1/4 of the beans with the back of a spoon against side of pan to release starch. Reduce to a simmer; cook until mixture has thickened 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush eight 10- to 12-ounce ramekins or custard cups or 2 deep dish pie plates with remaining oil. Slice polenta crosswise into rounds- 8 for ramekins or 16 for pie plates. Place one round in each ramekin or 8 rounds in the bottom of each pie plate.
• Remove bean mixture from heat. Stir in green part of scallions, cilantro, and hot sauce; season with salt and pepper. Spoon bean mixture over polenta; top with cheese. Bake at 400 degrees, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. If desired garnish with cilantro, and serve with salsa.
• To freeze- Let unbaked pies cool completely; cover with aluminum foil. Freeze up to 3 months. Bake frozen with foil on at 400 degrees until warm in center, 60-70 minutes for ramekins, 70-80 minutes for pie plates. Remove foil; bake until cheese is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

My notes: Aside from halving this recipe I also forgot to buy the cilantro. So in lieu of it I added a little cumin. I can't say any specific amount, I just sprinkled it in to taste. I think the next time I make it I'll do both cilantro and a bit of cumin. Also, instead of making double the pies I think you could definitely make one pie and use the leftover bean mixture for veggie burritos or even scoop and eat with tortilla chips. Yum!