Egg in the...

Here are a couple of the new ways I have been trying to make egg in the middle (toad in the hole, egg in the bread, birds nest, etc...). I love love love the egg in the waffle with a bit of syrup and hot sauce. I dash the hot sauce on with a little salt and pepper before I flip it over. The bagel is delicious with the hot sauce as well, and I also generally add some additional spices before turning that one (garlic powder, onion powder...).

I'm usually rushing around when making these guys, but given the time, I think I would get pretty elaborate with them. Maybe sauteing a bit of garlic and green onion and throwing that on before flipping. Some diced bacon or shredded cheese. The possibilities are obviously endless.

I do still use the hole from the waffle to toast and dip in the yolk, and usually cut out a bit more of the bagel to make the hole big enough for the egg. It's not as pretty to toast and present the cut out bits of bagel, but it's just as delicious!

I have plenty more photos of this, my favorite breakfast treat, but will have to get on that later when time permits!

Holiday Spritz Cookies (are not just for holidays)

Here's a lovely little recipe I've used time and time again out of my grandmother Helen Blood's Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. She's the one that taught me how to make them, back in the late 1980's, around the same time that she taught me to cut meat against the grain and how to get just enough dry breadcrumbs in a good meatball. The recipe is just as easy today as it was back then:

1 1/2 cups margarine or butter
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional but highly recommended)

-Beat margarine with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds.
-Add 1 cup of the flour, the sugar, egg, baking powder, vanilla and almond extract.
-Beat till thoroughly combined.
-Beat in remaining flour.
-Force dough through cookie press onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
-Bake in a 375 degree oven for 7-9 minutes...edges should be slightly firm, if they're golden, get 'em out!

Years ago I misplaced the cookie press from my grandmother (hopefully to be found again someday in a box in Wisconsin...), and I was so so happy to find a new tiny one at an antique mall in Carlsbad, CA. Here's a plate of some yums that I made for Christmas. I separated the batter into three bowls and mixed in red, yellow and green food coloring....then sprinkled some cute stuff on top and popped them in the oven. Delicious.

Update: More Roasted Veg Soup!

I thought it would be nice to show some pictures from my most recent venture into the roasted red pepper soup. This time I added a few more beets, which made the soup even more rich in color, and used leeks instead of green onions. The other proportions remained mainly the same to the recipe I described here. I was making a meal for about 25 people, and the soup would be one of a few side dishes.

Below you can view the pics in chronological order and see the process.

First, the fresh veggies go in the roasting pan.

Done roasting!Ready for blending...All blended up...A delicious looking pile of veggie liquid...Adding the maple syrup, buttermilk, veggie broth and skim milk.All done!This meal was a collaboration with my sister, Laurel (who assisted me in the kitchen and made some delicious breads) and was created for a party in my stepfather's honor. He just received his masters, in addition to starting an amazing new job. We did out best to make the meal reflect what a great person he is!

Congratulations, Jim!

Tofu Veggie Yellow Curry with Basmati Rice

This was a delicious meal of convenience. We had most of the items at home already, just had to pick up the tofu and salt (I have been out of salt since Christmas! Can you believe it?)

ingredients:
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Onion
a few cloves Garlic (I like a lot, personally)
1 block Extra Firm Tofu
1 can Coconut Milk
1-2 tsp honey
1-2 tsp Yellow Curry (I had a little ziploc of some sweet yellow curry from a friend )
dash Turmeric
Salt (to taste)
Basmati Rice (or any other rice that you enjoy, this is what was in the cupboard)

I started off by slicing up the onion, green pepper, cutting the tofu into long thin strips, mincing the garlic, and tossed the onion and pepper in the pan with some olive oil on medium-high heat. After a few minutes I added the garlic and the tofu, a dash of salt and some cumin, and poured in a couple of tablespoons water to help the veg cook evenly. Stir occasionally, and work on the curry sauce and rice while the veggies get nice and tender.

In a small saucepan, combine the coconut milk, honey, curry, turmeric, a bit of salt (or a dash of soy), and whisk together over low-medium heat until well combined. Taste a few times as it heats up and add more spice or sweet as needed. Cover and let sit warm until the veggies and rice are ready.

With the veggies going and the sauce nearly ready, I put the rice on, covered it and let it go til it seemed like it wanted to be ready (I rarely set a timer, but it usually seems to work out alright anyway somewhere around 15 minutes...). I also added a little bit of the curry sauce to the veggies at this point as well, to make sure the flavors were getting in all the crevices.

Right about when the rice was done, the veggies were as soft as I like them, and the sauce was still hot, and I put all of the ingredients together for a couple of bowls of PURE JOY.

Sadly, I have no pictures to share from this meal, we were too hungry, it was too late, and I was too tired. But here is a picture of some beautiful heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market to give your eyes some excitement.

holiday

Dear Readers! //////////////////////////// Happy Holidays!

If you need anything on Christmas Day, please do call. I will be cooking--but right near my phone. Good luck with all of your culinary adventures.

Simple Roasted Pepper Soup

Alright. I recently made what is possibly the best soup I have ever made. Or eaten. Seriously. Here is the deal. I went to the farmer's market in Echo Park as I usually do on Friday nights, with pals Nick & Ellie and also new pals Lindsey & Judd, and we began to formulate our meal as we walked along the first few stalls. Nick & Ellie were already planning ot cook a beautiful piece of salmon that a friend caught himself in lovely Alaska (hello Matt!)...and Lindsey thought she would make a salad, so I decided a soup might be nice. Especially since there was a bountiful amount of buttermilk and cream in Nick's refrigerator.

We discussed squash, but decided we had all had a lot of that recently. Then my eye grazed a shiny red pepper in the distance, and it was decided. I would make a roasted pepper/veg soup. And I'm glad I did! Here is the short version of my process for the soup.

Grocery List:
3-4 Red/Yellow Bell Peppers
1 Red or Yellow Onion
1/2 head Garlic
2 small Beets (golden preferably)
3-4 med. sized Carrots
a few small Serrano Peppers
Cumin
Salt/Pepper

Slice up bell peppers, onion, garlic, beets, serrano peppers (not crazy spicy, but a good little kick), and a few carrots. Toss these in a bowl with some olive oil, sea salt, pepper, a 1/2 tsp cumin.

Roast in the oven at 425 for about 25 min - checking to be sure they aren't cooking too fast on top. Cover for the first ten minutes with some foil to speed things up.

Take veg out, place in a blender, blend until the nearly liquified, but not totally free of little lumps. I think a few lumps give nice texture. Then pour into a saucepan on the stove, add a cup or so of veg broth, some buttermilk and some cream (you can use fat free milk & just a dash of buttermilk if health conscious though!), whisk together as it heats up. Add more salt to taste, and 1 T or so of sesame oil, and 3-4 T maple syrup. Taste again, see if it needs more salt or spice or sweet.

When serving, add a dollop of buttermilk or sour cream, or a drizzle of sesame oil. The finished soup is extremely rich and nutty! So so good for the wintertime.

This amount worked well for 5 people, and the recipe could be doubled for a larger group. I got so excited about it that I poured it over Ellie and Nick's salmon and THEN put the pomegranate salad that Lindsey made on top of it all!

What a great combination. Go team! Thanks to Nick for the pictures.

P.S. This would be DELICIOUS served in a partially hollowed out acorn squash, pumpkin, or other such gourd.
P.P.S. My good friend Maggie may be making this for a baby shower tomorrow, and I hope she will give us a full report on how it turns out!

Recipes from "Knox Gelatine Desserts, Salads, Candies and Frozen Dishes"

I received a little booklet from a friend in Maine, who has a knack for picking out tiny publications that are exactly to my fascination and excitement. There are so many incredible sentences and recipes in this particular booklet, I can barely decide where to begin. So I will provide a few of the more interesting recipe names, and maybe a few pictures too.

SARDINE APPETIZERS
Rinse shallow pan in water. Pour in a thin layer of jelly, following Foundation Recipe, page 20. When it begins to thicken, arrange on jelly a layer of thinly sliced tomatoes. Pour over another layer of liquid jelly. Chill, and when partially congealed, arrange a sardine on each tomato slice. On each side of sardine, place a design of hard-cooked egg yolk and parsley, finely chopped. Pour over a little liquid jelly to set the decorations. Chill thoroughly. Cut out in squares or rounds and serve each appetizer on a tiny lettuce leaf.

PERFECTION SALAD
Soften gelatine in cold water. Add sugar, salt and hot water, and stir until dissolved. Add vinegar and lemon juice. Cool, and when mixture begins to stiffen, add remaining ingredients. Turn into mold that has been rinsed in cold water and chill. To serve, remove from mold to bed of lettuce leaves or endive, and garnish with mayonnaise dressing. Or cut salad in cubes, and serve in cases made of red or green peppers, or turn into individual molds lined with canned pimientos.

TOMATO JELLY RIBBON LOAF
Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise and seasonings. Soften gelatine in cold water. Place bowl in boiling water and stir until gelatine is dissolved. Add to cheese mixture. Pour half of Tomato Jelly into loaf pan that has been rinsed in cold water and chill. When mixture is practically congealed, add cheese mixture. Serve sliced on crisp lettuce.

Here are a couple more I would like to make, but I won't type out all of the recipes at once:

Plain and Fancy Desserts:
GRAPEFRUIT SNOW PUDDING

Sunday Night Suppers / Bridge Parties
PRUNE-ORANGE-CHEESE SALAD

Now a couple of visual excerpts:
Now this is what I call a centerfold:
With the help of my friend Becky, who has an extensive collection of molds, I will be making a few of these recipes very soon! I will report back on outrageous looks and tastes.