Saturday, April 6, 2013

Cheese and Farm Fresh Eggs

Saturday Morning Scrambled Eggs......A Tribute to "Daisy"

In the Spring of 2010, we took our daughter to the local feed store to purchase 5 baby chicks.  They each quickly earned their names and became known as Marilyn, Lola, Dot, Maude and last but not least, Daisy.  Daisy was as bright and yellow as the sun and they became our pets.  I never had chickens growing up, so I was really looking forward to retrieving that first egg.  When that day came, I was so excited and amazed at how fresh eggs look and taste.  The color of the yolks are such a deep yellow orange and the taste is buttery, putting the mass produced "grocery store" egg to shame.

Our chickens had to move to the inlaws house, coop and all, but we still get some of the eggs.  This morning, I had fresh eggs and a block of really good sharp cheddar cheese.  I think I could eat cheese on just about anything.  You too?  Yes, I know you do....good stuff!

Sadly enough, this is the first batch of eggs that I got since our beloved Daisy died a couple of weeks ago.  Long story short, but she ate a bad worm.  Poor thing.  She will be missed and below are a few pictures of her as a baby (chick), her coop and our daughter holding her. 

Eating these eggs this morning reminded me of her, so I thought I would share my memory of Daisy as one of my food memories today.  Daisy, as with all our pets, you are missed and you were loved.  Thank you for your sunny disposition and rich tasting eggs.  Rest easy and thank you for the memories, my little chicka!

Scrambled eggs must be cooked low, slow and even if you use a little non-stick spray, use some butter so your eggs will not taste dry.  Don't overcook your eggs and remember that they are still cooking when you take them off heat.  I add anything to my eggs from the pantry or the refrigerator.  Green chilies, tomatoes, onions, scallions, peppers, leftover steak, italian sausage or brats, ANY kind of cheese and if you have it, thinly sliced smoked salmon.  Don't forget the freshly cracked pepper, salt and any fresh herbs.



Sunday, March 17, 2013

St. Patrick's and Pinterest!

Like most of you, I get so busy with life that I rarely take the time to feel a little festive and put some of my special occasion skills to work.  However, today I decided I needed to create a new food memory for my family.  This time next year, we will pull out the green napkins and slice off a little green goodness because this cake is now a memory that we will repeat!

I found the recipe on Pinterest.  What is Pinterest?   You and I need to talk.  Maybe over a cup of coffee and a piece of cake?  You probably have some time to waste and could fill it up with so many projects that you will never do.  Or, you might experience a little Irish "blessing" and actually score big like I did today with this little pot of gold.

This is so festive, so delicious and is SO, SO, SO very moist.  Did I mention that it was moist?  A little green, a little pistachio, a little green icing..... the little leprechauns in your house will love it! 

A couple of Kristi tips would be to NOT overcook. If you let it go past the toothpick determination stage, your Bundt will dry out quickly.  Also, the inside of that cake is tinted green due to the pistachio pudding mix, but to add a little more festivity to the cake, I tinted the icing/glaze with a few drops of green food coloring.

Here is the link.  Make a new St. Paddy's Day food memory in your home!!!

http://www.myrecipemagic.com/recipe/recipedetail/pistachio-glazed-bundt-cake



P.S.  According to "my sources", the shortened version is St. Paddy, which is short for St. Patrick's.  St. Patty is short for St. Patricia.  Who knew?  Yes, I googled it. 

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

NOT Your Average Lemon

Lemon Almond Cake with Lemon Curd

I have taken a blogger hiatus and I have missed it so, so, so much!!  If you are blogger, then you know that whether you have an audience of one or one million, it's really about your passion and sharing what you love.  The audience will come later!  I started a new job and have put these things on the back burner, but this is who I am and I am ready to get back to the "cutting" board. 

My husband had a birthday recently and I started thinking of what I could cook for a family dinner and most importantly, dessert.  I love chocolate, cream, coffee flavored anything.....well, let's just say that "Tiramisu" is a personal friend.  However, it was HIS birthday and he loves anything that has lemons and berries.  I had stashed a few lemon recipes in anticipation of such event and when I flashed this recipe from a Cooking Light Magazine in front of him, this was the winner!

I love that it has a spongy cake like bottom and topped with such a tart and tangy lemon curd.  Just a few tips though.  I could not find matzo cake meal at my first 2 grocery stores, so when all else fails, GOOGLE!  I substituted ground unsalted soda cracker crumbs. It worked perfectly and this recipe was such a hit with the family.  I hope you try it and PLEASE let me know if you do.  I would love to hear from you!

Here's a picture of mine!  I almost got through it without saying it, but I can't help myself.  When life gives you lemons.....okay, I won't.

Enjoy!  Thank you for letting me share a food memory.  Go make your own food memories!

 
Here is a link to to the All Recipes website giving credit to Cooking Light. 
 
 

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Chicken, Noodles, Sauce, Oh MY!

Chicken Noodle Casserole! 

Cha-Ching!  Another Pinterest favorite in my home.  This is certainly not culinary art at it's best, however if you need a cozy, quick family friendly casserole, this is the ticket!  You could even buy a rotisserie chicken instead of cooking, cooling and chopping.  On the other hand, you could make your own "cream of" sauce instead of using THE almighty cream of whatever.  But, keep in mind, there are days that you might not feel like putting on your cape.  Keep it simple and enjoy.  I hope you feel that "chicken noodle ooey gooey feeling" when you look at this picture like I do.  Have a cozy day, my friend. 

Below is a picture and the link. 


http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-macaroni-casserole-351655

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Cauliflower Breadsticks! Was it GOOD???

Confession time.  I have to admit to you that I am a Pinterest pinning fool.  Oh, don't give me that stare, if you are on Pinterest, you need to confess too!  I pin so many delicious looking food projects and I try just a few.  It really is so much easier to pin that picture to a board than to actually make the dish!  BUT, tonight I hit jackpot on this recipe for my family.  The recipe is actually called "Basil Cauliflower Pizza".  I have seen many variations of this concept, but I just made the crust, cut it into to strips and viola'.....we have cheesy breadsticks.  I even fooled the kiddo!   I did tell her that it was cauliflower after she had 3 strips.  How can you pass up the look on their face when they hear the truth?  I like for her to know that she ate something healthy and liked it, but only after I fooled her.  It is not a sturdy, crispy "crust" but once it cools a few minutes, it could absolutely be a base for that creative pizza that you are dying to create.  It is more of a fork and knife dish than a traditional pick up pizza crust, so just be aware of the difference.  I gives this a family friendly"A".  Pick up a head of cauliflower on your next grocery trip.  You will be glad you tried this one!  Cauliflower Pizza Pinterest pin = Excellent. 

http://www.fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.com/2011/06/basil-cauliflower-pizza/


 
 
Below are the pictures of mine that I made tonight.  (I didn't have basil on hand and I also used a combo of cheeses I had on hand.)
 
 
 

Monday, September 24, 2012

The Barefoot Contessa knows CHOCOLATE with her Beatty's Chocolate Cake!

I just cannot even tell you how scrumptious this cake was the night I made it for my father's birthday.  Yes, this is the same night I made Tyler's Ultimate Spaghetti and Meatballs.  In the words of Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa), "It's CHOCOLATE...how bad can that be, right?"  However, even though most anything chocolate is just a little bit of heaven on earth, this cake was indeed above average!  This is "lick the bowl" kinda good.  If you are looking for a moist, rich and decadent chocolate cake, you have met your soul mate.  The layers are dark in color and very moist.  You can eliminate the raw egg yolk in the frosting, but just remember that your cake will not look as glossy and may be a little lighter in color.  This is one food memory I will not forget!  Below is the Food Network link with the recipe and then a picture of my cake the night we devoured it!

Happy CHOCOLATE memories, my friend.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/beattys-chocolate-cake-recipe/index.html 

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Go ahead. Burn 'Em! The Birth of a Sausage Ball Casserole.

It was Saturday afternoon and everything was perfect.  The game was on.  The skies were beautiful.  It was the first day of Fall and I am now charged with putting together my sausage balls for the Sunday School breakfast the next morning.  My 5 year old daughter helped me and we rolled out 4 large trays of sausage balls. What a moment to spend with her.  Yes, all great until I saw a little smoke come out of the oven.  Hmm, I wonder what in the world that could be.  Surely that's not my perfect little sausage balls. Great day, it was the bottom 2 pans on the bottom rack.  I took the pans out and they were burnt on the bottom.  Boo!  Never fear, the tops were delicious!  So, in an effort to not waste food, I cut all the tops off and made a Sausage Ball Casserole.  It turned out great.  Here are the details:

Sausage Ball Casserole
16-25 cooked Sausage Balls, cooled (depends on the size of you the balls you made.  Cover the bottom of the casserole dish plus a little.)
2 cups of shredded cheese (Cheddar or Mexican Blend)
6 eggs, beaten
1 cup of milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme (optional)

Whisk eggs and add milk.   Add salt and pepper and whisk until thoroughly blended.  Crumble sausage balls and place on the bottom of a casserole pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. (I used an oval dish that was smaller than a 9x11 but larger than a 8x8.  I really think this is flexible.) Place cheese over the sausage balls.  Pour egg mixture over all of this.  Bake at 425 degrees for approx 20 minutes or until center is set. Sprinkle with thyme, if available.

Note: 
  • Adding a can of chopped green chilies would be AWESOME!!  I was out!
  • Don't put it back into the oven for 5 more minutes like I did.  Your cheese will get too done!  Live and learn, right?!
  • This is even a reason to keep some cooked, frozen sausage balls in the freezer.  Nuke 'em briefly in the micro and make yourself a casserole!
So, go ahead.......burn 'em!  There's always a Plan B! 

Cook soon!  Make another memory!