Getting Back to Business

Thank you for all of your support in this difficult time. I'm getting to a place where my medications are levelling out in my system and I feel pretty good. I've been so sick of being out of commission! It was really nice to get back in the kitchen and create a meal today. I hope you enjoy it! ...and expect more, because I'm ready to get back to cooking!

Spanish tortilla is a potato and egg dish, not a tortilla like we use in Mexican cuisine. Don't worry about all the olive oil you use making it. Once you drain it off, it ends up only being 1/4 of a cup for six servings.

Spanish Tortilla
Serves 6 (5 Points Plus value per serving)

What You Need:

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 lb peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 8 large eggs, beaten
• salt and pepper to taste

How it's Done:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it glistens. After a few minutes, add the potatoes and onions, turning them over with a spatula to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook the potatoes and onions, turning every few minutes so as not to allow them to brown. You want the potatoes to soften so that they are easily pierced with a fork.
• Meanwhile, beat the eggs and season them with salt and pepper. Heat your oven to 350 degrees (this is the easiest way to finish cooking the tortilla).
• Once the potatoes are fork tender, drain them in a colander over a bowl, reserving the oil.
• Pour about two tablespoons of the reserved oil back into the skillet and return the potatoes and onions to the skillet. Place over medium heat.
• Pour the beaten eggs over the potatoes. Cook, undisturbed, about eight to ten minutes at medium-low, until the edges are set.
• Slide your spatula around the edges and under the tortilla to loosen it from the skillet.
• Move the skillet to the preheated oven and finish cooking (about ten minutes).
• Slice and serve.

Eggs Benedict (Arnold). Also, some questions posed to me.

Eggs Benedict is a classic breakfast dish, common on buffet lines, that combines an English muffin half, a poached egg, some Canadian bacon, and some hollandaise sauce.

Benedict Arnold was an officer in the American Revolutionary War. He defected to the British Army. He was a traitor.

So why do I call this dish Eggs Benedict Arnold? Because this dish is, in fact, a traitor. An impostor. A fake. The eggs aren't poached. The meat is ham, not Canadian bacon. And there's cheese. Plus, it's so perfectly fitting, seeing as how we're using an English muffin, and Arnold defected to the English. Ahh, duplicity. Good for traitors and recipe names alike.

Oh, and it's delicious.

Eggs Benedict Arnold

What You Need:

for each serving:

• 1 toasted English muffin (top and bottom)
• 2 scrambled eggs (cooked, scrambled in butter)
• 1 slice of uncured deli ham, heated
• 2 Tbsp prepared hollandaise sauce
• 1 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

How it's Done:

1. This is simple once you have all of your ingredients prepared.
2. On the bottom half of your English muffin, place the scrambled eggs. Top with ham, then hollandaise sauce, then cheese.
3. Cover with top half of the English muffin and serve. We had these lovelies with bacon and hash browns: breakfast for dinner.

Now, Mary, the Food Floozie, has tagged me to play this eight questions game called Eight to the Eight to the Eight. I won't usually do these sort of posts, since my focus here is on food, but I'm up for a little fun this morning. If you're tagged, I'd love it if you'd participate, but fully understand if you opt not to do so.

The idea is that I'm supposed to answer Mary's eight questions, then pose eight of my own, and tag eight people to answer those. And so on and so on.

Here goes:

1. What is your favorite work of art?

The Creation of Adam - Michelangelo

2. What do you collect, if anything?

Nothing on purpose. I love to get rid of things, so I'd be a terrible collector.





3. What faith were you raised in? And do you still belong to that one, or have you found another, or ...?


I was raised Catholic. I am no longer Catholic. I consider myself Christian, no denomination required.





4. What is your favorite flavor of jelly/jam to use for a PB&J?




Grape all the way, but it has to be real grape, not that weird purple jelled substance that doesn't spread.









5. What song did or would you play for your first dance together at your wedding reception?


Didn't have a wedding reception. Didn't have a formal wedding. Don't dance. However, Keeper of the Stars is "our song."






6. What is your favorite charity?


The ASPCA: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals




7. Nuts in brownies -- yea or nay?


I must be all grown up, because, yes, nuts belong in brownies. Especially walnuts. Yep, it's offical. I'm an adult now.



8. What is your favorite cookbook, the one you rely on time after time?

Cookbooks mostly bore me. They're so generic! I'm going to put one together one of these days, I hope, and I promise it won't be generic.

Now for my questions and my victims prey guests. I'm keeping a cooking bent.

Will you answer the call?

April at Angel Foods Kitchen

Keli at Feeding Four

SnoWhite at Finding Joy in my Kitchen

Michelle at Girl Gone Granola

Mandy at Mandy's Recipe Box

..and that's it. I'm a rule breaker.

Now for the questions:

1. Who inspires you in the kitchen? Why?

2. To sift or not to sift?

3. How do you feel about white chocolate?

4. How do you feel about Teflon?

5. What dish are you famous for?

6. What's the biggest cooking disaster you've ever experienced?

7. If you could cook with any one person, alive or deceased, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

8. What dish would you consider your pièce de résistance, and have you mastered it yet?

A Week of (Healthy) Bare-Bones Meals: Day Two

One of the key ingredients to make it through a food hardship is variety. I've seen many blogs and websites geared toward bare-bones recipes, but they all seem to focus on the same ingredients, with little variation from day to day. A big part of surviving hard times with your sanity intact is having variety and feeling like you have choices. You aren't going to be very happy eating Ramen-style noodles, oat porridge, and beans everyday, are you? You need variety. It will make you feel better, both physically and mentally.

Variety doesn't have to mean buying more ingredients. It can be as simple as changing the way you present them or the way you use them. Take flour, milk, and eggs, for example. You can turn them into egg noodles, muffins, breads, pancakes, or popovers. All different. All the same. See how that works? Take this new trick and make this delicious, pretty, fun to eat breakfast that costs very little to throw together.

Day Two

Breakfast: Popovers with Eggs & Cheese (recipe follows)
Lunch: Leftover Vegetable Fried Rice
Dinner: Roast chicken, rice, and carrots, yeast rolls with butter or margarine


Popovers Stuffed with Eggs & Cheese
serves 8

What You Need:

for the popovers:

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp melted butter or margarine (or cooking oil)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• cooking oil for greasing pan

for the egg filling:

• 8 eggs
• splash of milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• butter, margarine, or cooking oil for the pan
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded) & 1 green onion, chopped, for garnish

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Stick your muffin tin(s) or popover pan(s) in the oven to warm up.
2. Mix all the ingredients except greasing oil in a blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Remove pan(s) from the oven and oil them well. Pour batter into the pan(s) to 3/4 full.
4. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.Popovers will be high, hollow, and golden brown when done.
5. After reducing the heat, beat the eggs with milk and salt and pepper for the filling. Cook in a hot skillet until done. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions.
6. Cut them open as soon as you remove them. This is to allow steam to escape. Cut the tops off almost all the way. Fill with the eggs, cheese, and green onions. You can add some cooked leftover vegetables if you have them for even more nutrition and variety.

Frugal Tip #2: Buy some things in bulk. Namely, cheese, eggs, and baking supplies. Buying cheese in large bricks, then slicing or shredding at home saves money and takes very little time. Always check unit cost, but bulk buying gives your money more power.

Breakfast for Dinner

Day 167.

Whew! It's been a busy day for me! I meant to cook beans and make flour tortillas, but with everything I've had going on, my time ran out and I had to improvise. (This is where a well-stocked pantry comes in handy. When you have extras for busy days, it's easy to deviate from your original plan. I'll go into that more on another day...when I have more time!)

What's quick, easy, inexpensive, and relies on foods I usually have in my kitchen? Anything made with eggs. We have breakfast for dinner at least a few times a month around here: scrambled eggs & biscuits, fried eggs with buttered toast, pancakes, waffles, omelets, crepes, and more! For dinner tonight: potato frittata.

Cheesy Potato Frittata

What You Need:

• 3 large baking potatoes, scrubbed clean, peeled if desired, and sliced into 1/4" thick slices
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 eggs
• splash of milk
• salt & pepper to taste
• green onion, chopped (green only)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

How it's Done:

1. Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Add oil.
2. Cook potato slices in oil, turning to brown on both sides. Cook until tender, about five minutes. Arrange the potatoes so that they cover the bottom of the pan evenly. You will end up with several layers of potatoes.
3. Beat eggs with milk, salt, and pepper. Add eggs to the pan. Don't stir. Sprinkle on some green onion.
4. Cook the eggs until almost set. Lifting the very edges of the frittata with a spatula will help get some of the uncooked egg closer to the heat and speed up the process.
5. When the eggs are almost set, put the skillet under a broiler for a few minutes to set the top. Sprinkle cheese on top and broil until the cheese is melted.
6. Let the frittata sit undisturbed for about five minutes before serving.

Menu Plan Monday 6/14 - 6/20

Last week went well. I managed to pretty much stay on plan for my menu. Here are a couple of the things we enjoyed:

Cornell Bread

Soy Milk

S'Mores -- Homemade Marshmallows AND graham crackers!

This week's menu plan includes lots of fresh veggies. I haven't listed what my husband's eating (He's on Atkins) because we just play it by ear each day based on his appetite.

Monday:

Breakfast: Hand-held Omelets (recipe follows) & Orange Segments
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me: Jaime Oliver's Cheesy Corn
Dinner: Burrito Packets, Seasoned Potato Wedges, and Fresh Veggies

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Toast with Blackberry Jam, Boiled Eggs, Orange Segments
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me:  Vegetable Fried Rice
Dinner: Pinto Beans, Flour Tortillas, Rice, and Veggies

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Biscuits with Gravy, Orange Segments
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me: Vegetable Fried Rice
Dinner: Beef Stroganoff & salad

Thursday:

Breakfast: Peanut Butter & Jelly French Toast & a big glass of milk
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me: Veggie-Pasta Stir-Fry
Dinner: Veggie Scramble with Popovers

Friday:

Breakfast: Huevos Not Quite Rancheros
Lunch: (Kids eat lunch @ school summer program) Lunch for me: Vegetable Strudel
Dinner: Orange Chicken with Rice & Fortune Cookies

Saturday:

Breakfast: Bagels with Fresh Farmer's Cheese
Lunch: A Picnic at the Park!
Dinner: Some sort of baked chicken breast dish, Potato Salad, and Glazed Carrots (Possibly some dinner rolls)

Sunday:

Breakfast: Muffins & Juice
Lunch: Quinoa Garden Salad & Italian Bread sticks
Dinner: An Italian Feast!

Hand-held Omelets
Serves 6

Note: I am not known far and wide for my pie crusts, so feel free to use your own recipe. The one I've provided worked really well for this recipe, and tasted fabulous, but I'm well aware that my methods would elicit deep, dramatic gasps from true pastry chefs.

What You Need:

• 9 eggs
• a splash of milk
• salt and peppers to taste
• cheese, meats, and veggies as desired
• 1 2/3 cups flour
• 10 Tbsp butter, cut into cubes
• a dash of salt
• 3 to 4 Tbsp ice water

How it's Done:

• If you're using veggies or meats, cook them as desired. I only used egg and cheese in mine. I recommend cooking your veggies in a little butter in the skillet right before you add the eggs.
• Beat your eggs with milk, salt, and pepper. Add to hot, buttered skillet. Cook and stir until the eggs are firm and set. 
• Remove from heat. Let cool slightly while you prepare your pie crust dough.
• In a food processor (cue gasping here), pour flour and salt and butter cubes. Pulse 15 times or so, until butter is pea-sized. Turn the food processor on (more gasping...someone get that woman an oxygen mask!), and slowly add the water until the dough forms a ball. Turn off the food processor. 
• Move the dough onto a floured surface and roll out to 1/4" thickness. Using a 4" round cookie cutter, cut into 12 rounds. 
• Line a large cookie sheet with parchment, silpat, or nothing at all (I don't use Teflon and don't advise it) if you're brave. Move half of the rounds onto the cookie sheet.
• Mound the filling, about 3 Tbsp or so, onto each round. Cover the filling with the remaining rounds. 
• Press the edges together to seal completely. Using a fork, prick holes in the surface to vent.
• Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or so, until slightly browned. 

Oh, and my garden? Thriving. We're producing more than we can eat and I'm going to start freezing and drying some of what we're harvesting. Here are a few pictures of some of this week's progress:

Watermelon! I think that out of all of our garden, this is the thing I'm most excited about. We have somewhere between 15 and 20 melons growing on our plants.

Our big tomatoes -- the red ones

Our bell peppers are doing well!

One lone Mr. Stripey tomato growing on the vine

I post recipes daily, so please do come back throughout the week to see what's heatin' up my kitchen (or not, as the case may be!) Like what you see? Click Follow! :) For more menu plans, visit Org Junkie today.

Weekends Mean More Food

Day 8.

It's Friday. That means the weekend's almost here. The kids and husband will be home. That means they'll eat more food. Today I'm getting some wholesome snack supplies together. Deviled eggs, homemade bread, and mini strawberry cheesecakes are on the snack menu this weekend. Don't be afraid. These things really aren't hard to do at all. I'm not Supermom. These things take time, sure. But they don't take as much hands-on time as they appear. You can impress your family and friends with less effort than you think. :)

(But if you smack a little flour on your cheeks and a little water on your temples before serving, it may help garner you some extra applause.)

Deviled Eggs with Variations

makes 16 halves

Ingredients:

8 eggs

1/4 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise (judge the texture for yourself)

1 tsp yellow mustard

salt, pepper, and paprika

For Variations:

finely minced ham

hot sauce

jalapenos

bacon bits

How it's Done:

First, you need to boil your eggs. The trick to making pretty yellow yolks in boiled eggs is to not overcook them. Gently place your eggs in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a full boil. Cover and remove from heat. Leave covered for twenty minutes. Uncover and run cold water into the pot until the water is cool to the touch.

Now it's time to peel those eggs. There's a trick here, too. Older eggs peel more easily than fresh eggs. After peeling the eggs, rinse them off and cut them in half lengthwise and pop the yolks out into a bowl.

Set the empty whites aside.

To the yolks, add mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper. Start with /4 cup of mayo and add more if you think it needs more. Mash with a potato masher until completely smooth.

Using a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the edge snipped off, pipe yolk mixture back into whites. Sprinkle with paprika.

Chill before serving.

Variations:

Jalapeno: Stir in a couple drops of hot sauce when you add the mayo, mustard, salt, and pepper. Top Filled eggs with a jalapeno slice.

Bacon: Top with crumbled cooked bacon OR Bacon Bits.

Ham: Finely mince 3/4 of a slice of luncheon ham and stir it into the yolk mixture. Top filled eggs with a spiral strip of ham.

Homemade White Sandwich Bread

makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

6 cups of flour (though you may need significantly more or less)

2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)

2 1/2 cups milk

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp butter

How it's Done:

In your mixing bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of flour and the yeast. Set aside.

Microwave the milk in 1 minute intervals until it's warm (about 120 degrees) -- stir between minutes. It takes mine about 3 1/2 minutes to reach the right temperature. Add the butter and salt and sugar. Stir. Let the milk sit while the butter almost completely melts.

Add the milk all at once to the mixing bowl. Beat on low speed 30 seconds to combine, scraping the bowl as you go. Increase the beater speed to high and beat for 3 minutes.

Add in flour and continue beating until you can add no more.

Now, you can either turn your dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it by hand, or you can use the dough hook attachment on your mixer and let the mixer do the kneading. Either way, you want to knead the dough for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth and very elastic.

Grease a bowl. Put your ball of dough into the bowl and turn it over to grease both sides of the dough. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour. I leave mine near a sunny windowsill.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch it right in the middle and fold the sides in on itself. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it in half. Cover it again and let it rest for about ten minutes.

Meanwhile, grease two 8x4x2" loaf pans.

Now, it's time to shape your loaves. Gently make a rectangle and place smooth side up in the pan. Or you can roll the dough gently into a 12x8" rectangle and roll it up like a jelly roll. Pinch the seam to secure and place it seam side down in the pan.

Cover and let rise again, this time for 40 to 50 minutes. It needs to nearly double in size again.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Bake the loaves for about 40 minutes. You'll know they're done when they make a hollow thud when you thump the loaf.

Remove your bread from the pans right away and cool the loaves on wire racks. If you slice it too soon, it will crumble or smoosh. Wait a while. Then slice. And eat.

Mini Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

For the filling:

18 Vanilla Wafers

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp chocolate chips

12 oz cream cheese, softened

2 Tbsp sour cream

2 eggs

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp fresh lemon juice

For the topping:

1 box frozen strawberries in syrup

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 Tbsp shortening

How it's Done:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put cupcake liners in 18 muffin cups and spray them with non-stick spray. Don't skip that step.

Place one vanilla wafer at the bottom of each cup. Sprinkle a tablespoon of chocolate chips next.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Next, add the lemon juice and vanilla extract.

Fill each cup 3/4 way with cheesecake batter.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until cheesecake is just set. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled.

Top with sweetened strawberries.

In a microwaveable bowl, combine 1 cup chocolate chips and the shortening. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between, until almost melted. Stir some more to finish melting. Drizzle this chocolate over the tops of the cheesecakes. Return to fridge if you aren't going to serve them right away.