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Breakfast Strata
I bought some brown mushrooms the other day and they weren’t getting any fresher so they needed to be cooked into something. What the heck is a breakfast strata? I didn’t have any idea there was such a thing until a Google search for “mushrooms + breakfast” landed me at this site. The recipe was a guide for me this morning.
No bread in the house! Ack! Wait… I do have some nan in the freezer.
With just a little trim it fit right into my little round casserole dish. I had a half stick of Andouille sausage left from my last gumbo so I diced that and cooked it with the mushrooms and a diced onion.
So, after drying nan loaves in a low oven for about a half hour one went into the bottom of the buttered casserole and was topped with half the mushroom sausage mixture and a half cup of shredded cheeses, then another layer the same way.
And then the half and half/egg mixture was poured in. I didn’t bother to open a bottle of white wine but I did beat in some dried parsley flakes.
I covered the dish with plastic wrap and set a small dish atop that weighted with a jar of mayo and set it into the fridge to let the nan soak up all the eggy goodness. Was telling myself how crafty I was when I went to get some cream for my coffee and saw that the custard was all over the shelf in the box. Ack! Ok, Ok, I should’ve held the mayo! [groan] Try the veal..
Anyway. I let it soak for an hour (more would be better) then added more cheese to the top and slid it into a 325 oven for just about an hour. Ta Da!
All in all, this I will rate as a success. Next time I will have some better bread and I’ll take the time to let the dish soak, maybe overnight in the fridge.
Thursday Night Recipe Exchange: Spinach Recipes
Recipe Exchange cross-posted at Balloon-Juice.
I thought last week went really well. Thanks for playing along. This week we delve into spinach recipes. I used to hate spinach. This is probably because I am a child of the 70′s and the only spinach I ever saw was canned or frozen, with the consistency of slime. As an adult I discovered fresh, baby spinach and I never looked back. One of my favorite spinach recipes is Spinach Lasagna.
JeffreyW's stuffed manicotti with spinach
To get us started:
Spinach Lasagna
This is one of my most requested recipes. Every time I make it, someone wants the recipe. Since the prep time is long, I usually only break it out for special occasions. It freezes well, so you can make a double batch and freeze two 8×8 pans of uncooked lasagna for two more meals. Thaw the night before (in the refrigerator) and cook until heated through, about 45 minutes to an hour. This recipe is great vegetarian, or you can add ground beef and sausage if desired.
This recipe takes about an hour to prepare and another hour to cook. It easily serves 6 – 8
Sauce:
- 3-15 oz cans tomato sauce
- 2-6 oz cans tomato paste
- 14 oz can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp oregano, crushed
- 3 tsp basil, crushed
- 3 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 medium carrot, peeled & finely grated
- pinch of sugar (reduces acidity of the tomatoes)
- Optional: ½ lb ground beef and ½ spicy Italian sausage, browned
Saucepan
Add all ingredients to saucepan on medium-high, stirring constantly until it begins to boil lightly. Turn to low and let simmer while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Lasagna:
- 1 pkg lasagna noodles (16 oz), cooked and placed in cool water until layering*
- 16 oz ricotta cheese
- 8 oz fresh baby spinach, washed and dried and chopped
- 1 egg
- 12 oz sliced mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
13×9 baking dish (I prefer glass), lightly oiled
To prepare: Mix ricotta, spinach and egg until well blended. Ladle a layer of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Cover in a single layer of noodles. Ladle sauce over noodles. Spoon ½ of the ricotta mixture evenly (if you place large dollops evenly like putting cookie dough on a baking sheet, fairly close together, it will spread as it cooks, no need to smooth it). Layer 1/3 of the mozzarella over the ricotta. Repeat: noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, noodles. On top of the last layer of noodles, add remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, uncovered – I like to place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any spills as it bubbles. Place knife through the center, if it comes out heated through, remove and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. If it needs more cooking time, you can cover with foil to keep the cheese from burning and cook 10 more minutes. Let stand uncovered before serving.
*if you’d like to make your own noodles, here is the recipe I use:
Lasagna Noodles
When I do make the pasta, I make three, pan-sized noodles, rolled very, very thin. I place them uncooked in the dish, so they absorbed much of the sauce. I usually make a bit extra sauce to serve on the side with the lasagna.
- 3 cups unbleached flour
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
In a large bowl, add flour. Make a well in the center and add egg yolks, eggs and salt. Mix well with a fork. Mix in water, 1 tbsp at a time until dough forms a ball. Turn out onto a well floured board or pastry sheet. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Roll one ball out as thin as possible (I use a marble rolling pin, you can also use a pasta machine). Make sure to cover remaining balls with a damp towel until ready to use. Cut to fit pan. Repeat with remaining dough until you have 3 pan sized noodles. DO NOT COOK homemade noodles before putting lasagna together. Follow directions above for putting lasagna together.
Next Week: Favorite Super Bowl Food
Southwestern Quiche
Since I was talking about whisks, thought it would be nice to come up with a recipe that gives the whisk a workout. I thought a southwestern style quiche made with a tortilla crust sounded really tasty and fit the bill. It’s based on a Cook’s Country recipe and called for pre-cooked chicken – I thought that sounded a little blah, so I substituted Queso Blanco. I’ve also seen similar recipes with canned corn and diced tomatoes, too. I think you can safely add what you like and make it your own. This is on my weekend list to prepare so there may be photos later.
Photo by Pleclare
Southwestern Quiche
- 10-inch flour tortilla (burrito size)*
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, drained and chopped
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 oz queso blanco (fresco), cut into small cubes
- salt and pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- sour cream (opt garnish)
- salsa (opt garnish)
- black olives (opt garnish)
quiche or pie pan, large bowl
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Press tortilla into a lightly oiled pie plate or quiche dish. Toss 1 cup of cheddar cheese, queso, cilantro, jalapenos, salt and pepper in large bowl until well combined. Spread over tortilla. Whisk together eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper until smooth. Pour over filling mixture and then sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese over the top. Bake until it is golden brown – about 20 minutes – remove and let cool for about 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve with garnishes.
Mmm… breakfast pr0n
Not too sure what to call this because it seems to be straddling the line I have in my head between frittata and omelet. I consider it too thin to be a proper frittata although to class it an omelet seems to diminish it in some way that I can’t quite put my finger on.
At any rate, there isn’t anything hidden, what you see is what it is: Grape tomatoes and broccoli florets sauteed in olive oil for a bit, then three beaten eggs poured in and finished in my little counter top oven. I changed my mind two or three times over what cheese I wanted. Nearly went with blue cheese, then considered mozzarella, and decided to grate some aged Parmesan. It was good.
Breakfast Pr0n
This Tex-Mex favorite is a classic in its own right. Huevos rancheros are a breakfast staple of the Southwestern states out of Mexico. This plate features chorizo sausage, spicy refried beans, and deep fried tortilla wedges along and atop the fried eggs. Garnishes today are shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, pickled jalapenos, and a tomato salsa. Sprinkled with a nice ground dried chili pepper/salt seasoning mix. Mmm..mm…
I had a few wedges left over so I made a snack plate up with them and some of the beans. The tortillas only take a minute to fry up in a deep fryer and they are well worth the warm-up time for the oil.
Mmm… Soups and Stews
It’s getting that time of year for nice soups and stews and such like. We had some seafood gumbo the other day:
I made some pork stock recently, first time I’ve tried it and wasn’t sure it would work but I took a shot at it. We made a big pot of navy beans cooked with smocked hocks a few days back. As usual, I removed the hocks to cool and stripped out what meat I could and returned that to the pot. We have been throwing the bones and skin and gristle away ever since the vet told us not to give any to the dogs, but with the memory of making a wonderful stock from the Thanksgiving turkey carcass still fresh in my mind I did the same with these bones. Roasted them in a hot oven until they were nearly burned (I meant to do that!) and then simmered them in a big pot with celery, onions, carrots, garlic and etc. Worked great! I used it making some ham and beans:
That’s a wedge of my World Famous Cheddar Cornbread in there. Alas, there aren’t any fresh jalapenos in this batch. Here’s a little breakfast pr0n:
We love us some breakfast links! There’s hash browned potatoes under the eggs. Mmm…
Just had a little lunch. Mrs J finished off the beans with another piece of the cornbread and I cooked some fresh rice up because there were some gumbo leftovers I thought would be yummy. I was correct:
Holiday Gift Ideas: Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies
These are pretty and very tasty. They’re easy and just a touch above regular chocolate chip cookies.
Chocolate-Chocolate Chip Cookies
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- dash of salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or peanuts), chopped
mixing bowl and cookie sheet
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Sift together salt, soda, flour and cocoa, then add to butter mixture, blending well. Add nuts and chocolate chips. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cool on cooling rack.
Thanksgiving Files: Cranberry Upside-Down Cake
This is by far the most requested dessert I make. This time of year every dinner I attend, this is what I am asked to bring. I’ll be making two tonight to take to various get-togethers this week. Easy, easy, easy and foolproof, but always a beautiful presentation. If you’re looking to wow, try this one. From 2009:
Cranberries are on sale! Buy them now, because I’ve got some great cranberry recipes coming up. I’m starting with this one, because if you’re going to be a guest at someone else’s Thanksgiving dinner, this is the dish to take. It’s pretty to look at and it’s both sweet and tangy, perfect after a big dinner. You’ll wow everyone with it and it’s foolproof to make.
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
- ½ cup butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups cranberries, chopped*
- ½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp orange zest (rind)
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup milk
Topping
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-1/2 tbsp orange juice (more as needed)
- 2 tsp butter, softened
8×8 glass baking dish & mixing bowl
Preheat oven to 350°
Melt 3 tbsp of butter and pour into baking dish, spread to cover bottom and up the sides. Add ½ cup sugar, mix with butter on bottom of pan. Add cranberries & walnuts, spread over bottom of pan. Cream remaining butter & sugar, add vanilla, egg, orange zest, mix well. Add flour, baking powder & milk, mix until well blended, don’t over mix. Pour batter over cranberry mixture. Bake for 1 hour, or until golden brown and center bounces back at the touch. Invert on plate. Let cool.
Topping: Mix together butter, orange juice & powdered sugar, pour over cake and serve.
* if you don’t have a food processor, you can leave cranberries whole.
Mmm… Corned Beef Hash
With eggs sunny side up. Needing to use up some corned beef. I have another good meal left before it’s gone. Maybe tomorrow I will do some more hash with a different recipe. Some red and green peppers would add some color. Maybe some cheese?
TaMara
jeffreyww
LFern7
indylib
