Saturday, September 27, 2008

The perfect Saturday brunch

Last night we were watching TV when a commercial for IHOP came on for their new fruit Crêpes and P turned to me and said 'mom, can we go to IHOP for Crêpes?' I looked at him with horror in my eyes.. as if I would go to IHOP for Crêpes when they're so simple to make at home. I remember making crepes with my grandma when I was little and we would put all kinds of things inside them... my favorite is Orange Marmalade and a little dab of butter. Well, since the kid didn't roll out of bed until almost noon (Remember people, he's 12 and the boy likes to sleep, lol) he came into my room, gave me the usual morning kiss and hug and uttered two words to me with love in his eyes.. "Crêpes... Please" I, of course obliged to my only son who hasn't eaten since around 8:00 last night with a Crêpe recipe I had in my cookbook binder from who knows where.

Alright, Now, back to the Crêpes.. this recipe here states that it makes 7 Crêpes.. I got about 15 out of this recipe though using my 6" circulon pan.

Crêpes

15 min | 5 min prep
7 crepes
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  1. Combine flour, milk, eggs, and oil.
  2. Add salt.
  3. Heat a lightly greased 6 inch skillet; remove from heat.
  4. Spoon in 2 Tbsp batter; lift and tilt skillet to spread evenly.
  5. Return to heat; brown on one side only.
  6. To remove, invert pan over paper toweling.
  7. Repeat with remaining batter.
  8. Fill with your favorite filling.

I made strawberry compote with 1 cup frozen strawberries, 2 Tbs. vanilla sugar and a teeny bit of water. P. decorated his with whipped cream, I went with just the strawberries and a little honey and they were absolutely wonderful.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Crock pot roast beef and... cupcakes? well, kind of...

The soup I made last night was amazing! As a matter of fact it was so good that I took the last of it and poured it over the roast that I had seasoned and was waiting to get tossed into the crock pot (which is by far my favorite kitchen gadget) Lemme just tell y'all that I left that thing to cook overnight (I don't like to leave the crock pot on when I'm not home, a fear instilled in me by my grandmother "You'll burn the whole house down!!!") Well.. it smelled so amazing that it woke me up in the middle of the night!

I took 1- 3 pound roast and seasoned it with salt and pepper and seared it in a hot pan just until it was browned on all sides (about 2-3 minutes per side), chopped up 3 cloves of garlic and roughly cut 4 carrots, those went into the bottom of my crock pot (that as always, was lined with a Reynolds Crock pot liner because I HATE doing dishes and the less cleaning up I have to do, the better) I put the seared roast on top of the carrots and garlic and poured the remainder of my French onion soup on top of the roast. Put the cover on, turned it on low and left it all night to cook (from about 9pm-6:30am) when I got up this morning i turned it off and took the crock out of the electric cooker to cool and into the fridge it went until P. got home and then he put it back in the cooker and turned it onto warm so by the time I got home from work I just had to make some rice and dinner was ready.. YUMMMMY!!

Now.. for the cupcake:


Oh come on.. I had to buy it! I was So hoping they had it in black.. but for $2.99 I wasn't going to be picky

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

French food doesn't have to be stuffy

Alright, so Most of it really is.. Foie gras (eew, in my book) Creme Brulee.. takes a lot of work (but so totally worth it, lol) French toast, one of my absolute favorite foods! But this, well. this is as far from stuffy as it gets, and the best, quickest, easiest French onion soup that I have ever made, and I've made quite a few (all that required hours of simmering on the stove or in the crock pot) I made this tonight when I got home after drooling over the recipe for a week I finally had all my ingredients together and was ready to just do it, the results (a damn shame I don't have a camera to show y'all how damn good this looked!) perfectly soft onions in a rich, dark broth perfect harmony in a bowl of soup topped with a cheesy crouton.. The best of the best in my book and done in under 30 minutes!

FRENCH ONION SOUP

"Thick slices of French bread are toasted in the oven and placed on top of each bowl of rich onion soup. Slices of Swiss cheese are melted over the toast."

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup red wine
2 (10.5 ounce) cans condensed
beef broth
1 French baguette or thick bread
8 ounces sliced Swiss cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1.Melt butter or margarine in a 4 quart saucepan. Stir in sugar. Cook onions over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

2.Stir in flour until well blended with the onions and pan juices. Add water, wine, and beef broth; heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low. Cover soup, and simmer for 10 minutes.

3.Cut four 1 inch thick slices of bread from the loaf. Toast the bread slices at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) just until browned, about 10 minutes. Reserve the remaining bread to serve with the soup.

4.Ladle soup into four 12 ounce, oven-safe bowls. Place 1 slice toasted bread on top of the soup in each bowl. Fold Swiss cheese slices, and fit onto toasted bread slices. Place soup bowls on a cookie sheet for easier handling.5.Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 10 minutes, or just until cheese is melted

Monday, September 22, 2008

Mac & cheese, MY ultimate comfort food

Today was one of those days that you kind of dread.. it s tarted off at 4am with "Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooom... I'm gonna be SICK!!" so when my alarm went off at 6:20 this morning I knew I was destined to stay at home with P who proceeded to 'be sick' until around 4:30 when he finally fell back to sleep. I watched some news, then called work to let them know I wasn't coming in and then climbed back into my own bed so I could get some sleep (since I didn't really go back to sleep after P. got sick) then my phone rang at 9:30, my office was calling because one of the computers wasn't working, when I asked what the problem was exactly the response from the other end was "it's got an error message" Oy Vey.. well.. since I can't see what's going on you're going to have to call the computer guy, here's the number (that I had to look up online because the person on the other end either didn't have it or was too lazy to look for it) and then I proceeded to go back to bed... when another knock came at my door at 11am.. it was my landlord.. with a guy from the local utility company, meters had to be moved, pipes were rotting outside.. blah blah blah.. so I had 2 guys going in and out of my apartment for a good part of the afternoon taking the utility meters out of the closet in my bedroom and moving them outside (which is awesome because now I can actually use that closet for something other than hiding Christmas and birthday presents and hopefully not have to worry about creepy spiders in there anymore.. I have horrible arachnophobia)
Since the Kid didn't really want to eat anything more than pastina with butter and I was planning on stopping at the supermarket after work today because there wasn't really much to work with in the fridge I had to make due with what I had.. even if it was a slightly bare form of my usually cheese packed mac & cheese.. some basic Bechamel with 2 cups of marbled cheddar cheese mixed with some cannelli spirals, topped with some bread crumbs and a few dabs of butter and tossed in the oven at 350°f for 10 minutes and I've got my comfort food, for a day that was less than comforting..
Here's to hoping tomorrow is better.. at least the kid hasn't gotten sick anymore today.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Whatever floats your boat.. Cheesecake Brownie Edition

If you haven't tried them yet.. What are you waiting for? Ok, ok.. I know almost everyone has their own Go-To recipe for brownies.. But if yours comes a box this recipe will make you a believer that from scratch is not only better, but it can be easy too.. I mean, this recipe is so simple, it's one bowl, pop it in the oven and you're good to go.. and this recipe can be doubled with no trouble at all! I've made this for bake sales ever since I came across it.. and so far the only thing that I mixed in that I didn't like was toffee bits, they gave a chewiness that I didn't really care for.

Today I was craving chocolate.. I was hoping to make a panna cotta, but the ramekins I have are quite small for the recipe I want to use.. I think I might just go and get some plastic cups and use those as 'molds'.. that's for another day though.. Tonight it was my much loved Whatever floats your boat brownies with some extra chocolate chips mixed in.. and a cheesecake twist.

The basic whatever floats your boat recipe is as follows:

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT

  • 1-2 cup chocolate chips (semisweet, white, butterscotch, peanut butter) or raisins or chopped maraschino cherry or chopped nuts or M&M' or Reese's pieces or miniature marshmallow
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Grease an 8 inch square pan or line with foil.
  3. In a medium bowl combine melted butter and cocoa and stir until cocoa is dissolved.
  4. Add sugar and mix well.
  5. Add eggs one at a time and stir until well combined.
  6. Stir in vanilla, flour and salt until you no longer see any flour (do not overmix).
  7. Fold in "WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT"!
  8. Spread in pan and bake for approximately 25 minutes.
DO NOT OVER-BAKE -- your brownies will come out dry. Adjust time/temp accordingly for your oven. If you do the knife/toothpick test, it should come out with moist crumbs, not clean.

The cheesecake twist is this:

Cheesecake topping for Brownies

Ingredients:

  • 1 egg
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, soft
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

Directions

  1. Combine three ingredients using a hand-mixer until soft and creamy.
  2. Gently spoon over brownie or cake batter.
  3. Swirl topping with a knife, cutting through the batter underneath.

They're in the oven as I write this and the smell is just almost too much to bear.. I can't wait to bite into one! (and nah nah to my fussy low fat, no fat sugar free eating co workers who don't get any)

Friday, September 19, 2008

Ore-Ida Steam & Mash potatoes

Being a member of SheSpeaks
I was given the opportunity to try out this product for free, so when my coupon for a free bag came in the mail I jumped at the first opportunity to get myself a bag and try them out. They're essentially cubed, skinned potatoes that come in four varieties; plain russet potatoes, garlic seasoned potatoes, three cheese and cut sweet potatoes. You cut off the top of the bag and zap it in the microwave for 10 minutes, add milk, butter and whatever else you fancy and viola, you've got mashed potatoes.. Now.. they were alright, nothing to write home about in my book though. I have no problem making home made mashed potatoes, I prefer making mashed potatoes from scratch, it's no problem for me to cut up the taters and toss 'em into a pot of boiling water, I like mine with the skin on anyway, so I don't have to deal with all that peeling nonsense.. and even if I don't want them with the peel on I'll boil some small whole ones and then you just rub the skins off. I didn't like the 'freezer' taste these had, I got the garlic ones and they didn't really leave me with a lasting impression. Will I get them again? No, probably not. I wouldn't really recommend them either unless it's a last minute decision. They are real potatoes, after all and not that boxed nonsense.
I had to add a LOT of butter to get them to taste good.. they had a grainy texture and I wasn't really pleased with them... they looked nice, but I'm sorry to say they didn't taste too great though.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Not just any Chili...

Yesterday it was cloudy, dark and chilly.. it was like the epitome of what a fall day is (and it's not even fall yet, how depressing) but it was the perfect day to go home and make up a pot of Chili.. it was on my mind from the minute I walked out the door (at 7:15) so at lunchtime I ran over to the supermarket by work and picked up some ground beef since I had all the other ingredients at home.. Now, this is a recipe from my buddy Mary, and I've seen the recipe a hundred times, but all the amazing reviews was what made me really want to try it to warm my belly and make the day a little less blah.. well.. lemme tell y'all that even though I got home at 6 and the Chili wasn't ready until 8 (and even though it still needed a little cooking it was unbelievable, and even better as leftovers tonight) It was AMAZING! I'll admit ti, I used to get those little chili seasoning packets in the supermarket.. Not anymore! Once you try this, you will be a convert for life and I'm smacking myself that I don't have a camera yet.. but I will soon and I'll post a picture next time (Oh, there will be many next times for this one) I can see me starting this early on a cold Saturday morning and letting it cook in the crock pot all day long.. YUMMY!!

So.. here it is..

Mary's Magic Chili Or, what she calls it;
Not Just Any Chili Chili

Cook and drain:

2 lbs ground meat
1 large onion

Add to dutch oven or slow cooker with the following:

1 28oz can stewed tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato puree
2 15 1/2 oz drained kidney beans
3 tbsp each Worcestershire sauce and aromatic bitters(optional)
1 12 oc can beer or 1 1/2 c water
3 cloves garlic
1 beef bullion cube
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 bay leaves (remove before serving)
1 T chili powder
1 tsp EACH coriander, cumin, thyme, oregano, and basil

Simmer uncovered for a couple hours on stove top or in the slow cooker for a few hours... Top with sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, or sliced green onions if you like.

Yea, it's really that easy.. you can adjust it to your tastes.. really easy, really good and it makes enough for a crowd!

Thanks Mary Free Smiley Face

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal...

Yea, for the record it's not perfect.. it's essentially plain oatmeal in a cardboard container that can be jazzed up with some dried fruit, brown sugar or nuts.. I got the dried fruit thinking it was a good choice (healthy, right?) well.. I took one bite and Seriously People.. what makes them think that this is perfect ? It's perfectly good to maybe sling at someone you don't like, or perfect to use as glue of some sort.. not so perfect to eat, let alone spend $2.95 on. I thought it was going to be some special kind of oatmeal and when I saw the girl open up the little paper packet (like Quaker instant oatmeal) I was a little pissed.. I can buy a whole friggin' box of oatmeal for $2.95! Oooh, wow.. it's Starbucks perfect oatmeal.. no.. it's crap. Don't waste your money on this crap, just do what I usually do if you like oatmeal, buy a box at the supermarket, get your favorite kind and then use a coffee cup and hot water from the office and viola, you've got your perfect oatmeal.
As for the Pumpkin spice latte that I got.. it's good.. but that goes without saying.. those are always good. I think Starbucks needs to jump off this healthy breakfast bandwagon or try to make it more appetizing, because it's not making the mark right now. Starbucks makes great coffee (yea, it's overpriced, but Dunkin Donuts coffee is very to me) and their lunch options are not too bad either, I haven't had a sandwich there that I didn't like and their passion iced tea, yea, I'm totally addicted to that stuff! If you're going to try and go the healthy route, at least make it something that people are going to want to eat and enjoy.. the oatmeal's just not cutting it.

.. And that's my foodie rant for now.

Ciao

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Today is National Chocolate Day..

Now, had it not been the email from Splendidlife.com I would have never known this, but I'm sure glad I do Since there is a fair over here this weekend as well as a street fair down by the kid's school I now have one more reason to find myself some nice chocolate goodies to indulge in (I'll burn the calories off with all that darn walking anyway) Maybe I'll even get those cream puff's finished tonight with a chocolate pastry cream since sleep really trumped my chocolate cravings last night. Well, since it's only 9am the day is still young.. I promise to be back later with the results of my international chocolate day goodies :) ( I was gonna say booty, but that didn't seem quite right to me, lol)

Friday, September 12, 2008

I NEED cream puffs!

There hasn’t been much baking going on in my kitchen since the accidental vegan cupcake disaster.. (they were dry and tasted like corn muffins..) They eventually wound up in the trash.. I wasn’t eating them and P didn’t really like them too much either.. But I’ve got a major sweet tooth today, all day I’ve had to control myself from going down to the little stationary store in the lobby of my office building to get a piece of candy.. Cream puff’s that’s what I really want! I feel a lot like Truffles from the cartoon Chowder.. When Mung Daal exclaims “Truffles is going to DIE if she doesn’t get cream puffs!” Cream puffs.. See:


Good thing I’ve got the daring bakers challenge behind me (since the last time I made cream puffs and eclairs was a while ago before that) I will post more later.. but since I am at work now.. I gotta say Ciao.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Bread, bread...

It’s no big secret that I love bread.. I tend to tear into a loaf of fresh Italian bread as soon as I walk out of the bakery.. Or even worse, when I pop it right out of the oven I’m cutting slices off and either slathering it in butter or dipping it into the tomato sauce that finds itself simmering on my stove nearly every Sunday. I love baking my own bread and absolutely can not stand ‘white bread’ or pretty much any bread that comes pre-sliced in the supermarket. There is a grocery store by work that bakes bread all day, all kinds of bread, so whenever I get a chance I grab some rolls or a few loaves of bread.. But they never last long in my house.. And if they do start to get a little stale.. French toast, bread pudding, panzanela.. You name it..

One bread that has always caught my attention is Amish Friendship Bread.... my mom bought me a cookbook when I was about 14 and it had the recipe in it, I remember earmarking the page and then I never got around to it and God only knows where that book is now. I guess it’s somewhere along the lines of sourdough bread, but a sweet version.. I would love to try a recipe (although I’m not so sure if I have the attention span to nourish this starter every day.. Sometimes I’m lucky I remember to feed my turtles) I would still like to give it a go.. Maybe a ‘quick starter’ if there even is a thing.. Like for beginners, lol...

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Local restaurant with New, Gluten Free dishes!

I am a big fan of Flour Arrangements, I love her stories and her recipes are always exciting and reading about her new gluten free diet has me thinking that my cousin is also suffering from this same allergy.. so I will be using some of her recipes for my cousin to try. Today I got an email from a restaurant that isn't so much local to me, but sort of in the area by work, and it really intrigued me.
(ROFL, I love their name..)

Dear Café Formaggio patrons,

Thank you for your emails regarding Gluten Free items at Café Formaggio. As many of you may have noticed, Café Formmaggio’s gluten free items have recently been featured in the September 9th issue of Newsday. Just to clarify any confusion, here is some information on our featured GF items.Although Café Formaggio does not have a separate GF menu, we have a large number of GF items featured in our regular our menu.

*We offer GF penne, which can be cooked in almost any of the sauces offered on our regular menu including marinara, ala vodka, garlic and oil, pesto, ECT. All gluten free pasta is boiled in separate, sterile pots, in a section of out kitchen where only GF entrees are prepared.

*GF personal, 14 inch margarita pizzas served plain or with your choice of GF toppings. GF pizzas are cooked in a separate pizza oven exclusively for GF pizza.

*We offer a large variety of GF salads, as well as GF grilled entrees.

* For dessert we offer delicious GF brownies and Gluten Free Nutella Pizza.

* Wash your GF meal down with Red Bridge GF beer

*Our wait staff is well informed about all of our Gluten Free menu items, so be sure to ask for their guidance when ordering your next GF meal.

For those of you that did not see our article in Newsday, please click on this link to view it: http://www.exploreli.com/entertainment/localguide/dining/ny-xli-dining-vegetarian0908,0,1512198.story



For more information, please feel free to contact Café Formaggio at 516-333-1718

We look forward to seeing you soon!
While many restaurants realize that many people suffer from many allergies, not many do much to serve those customers or make it a 'pleasant dining experience' I suffer from a seafood allergy (brought on by the birth of my darling son.) I once loved shrimp and lobster but now I can't even touch the stuff.. so I have to be very careful (especially at Chinese restaurants) I once had an incident where the stuffed mushrooms were not just stuffed with breadcrumbs as they were labeled, but also shrimp and had a not too fun 'benadryl moment' and I try to void that as much as possible, your throat swelling up is never a fun thing to experience. But this made me happy, at least some places are trying and letting us all know in one big mass email.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Crash Hot Potatoes...

Tonight I really didn't know what I was going to make for dinner.. It's been a hell of a week, I can tell y'all.. judging from Tuesday's post and the fact that there hasn't been one since.. it just goes to show.. between leaving work at 2, leaving at 3:30 in a panic because the kid had a ride home and then his 'friend' left without him.. and then a minor meltdown yesterday when he was sure he had a ride and then didn't.. then finally got one.. it was just really something that I didn't think I was going to have to deal with.. and my car search isn't going so well.. because all I seem to find in my price range are junkers and this damn rainstorm isn't helping me today either (yea, thanks Hanna)

Anyway.. This is supposed to be about dinner..
Well.. the Kid and I made it to the supermarket (By Bus mind you, since the BF is working today and peapod totally pissed me off now that they raised their 'minimum delivery' to $60 from $50.. along with the $9.95 delivery charge, tax and the almost $2 fuel surcharge and coupon codes for peapod are almost nonexistent..) I figured we'd just go to Pathmark (since a friend sent me 3 coupons for Free blue bunny ice cream and I had one myself and Pathmark, waldbaums and A&P are the only stores that honor that coupon and I don't have the other two near me.. and the coupons expire on the 15th.. I just went ahead and did it.. so I picked up 4 -1.75Qt (seriously, I don't understand why it just can't be a half gallon anymore, it's so annoying.. but I digress) Hey, any ice cream for free is good in my book, lol.. so we got those (and hey, at $5.99 each I got $24 worth of ice cream for free.. Nice!)

So I still wasn't really certain what I was going to make tonight.. at first I thought pizza.. but then I remembered something I saw the other day while I was looking around and I found this: Crash Hot Potatoes by the Pioneer woman posted on tastefix by Grumpy's Honeybunch and for days I've been wanting to try them.. so I made Roasted Lemon Rosemary chicken and what I call Smashed Potatoes.. they're insanely good, perfectly seasoned, crispy skin on the bottom, just all around yummy!

Ok, ok, the pictures aren't great.. I was going to go camera shopping today.. but apparently Hanna had other plans (Damn hurricane!) The camera on my cell phone is fine for now though


These Smashed potatoes.. yea, they're definitely a keeper.. wow.. next time they're going with Roast beef or something Beefy, lol... Mmmmm.. Meat & Potatoes.. you just can't go wrong.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Mozzarella en Carrozza

Today was one of those days when I needed a little extra love.. and some really good comfort food.. Maybe it's the 2 miles I walked before 8am.. maybe it was because my baby boy started 7th grade in the most enormous school that I've ever been to in my life (Grades 7-12 under one roof) Seriously this school is 3 floors and spans across 4 blocks.. it's HUGE! He had to be at school by 7:45.. (daily.. this is going to be a trip People..a mile and a half each way? Every morning? Mind you, around here you have to live 1.5 miles or more to get a school bus around here, and I am 1.4, I need to get a car really soon!) alright.. so I'm up at 6:20 and majorly tweaking my morning routine now, because I'm so used to not having to leave until 8, we were out of the house by 7:15... Ugh, seriously? This is not fun... it's going to take a while to get used to.. So I get him to school and I have to walk back to the bus stop to get to work.. no big shocker here, I made it to work on time...anyway.. it was all fine and dandy until P. called me at 1:30 to let me know that he can't get a ride home with his friend and he's got no last period so he's going to be done at 2.. WTF?? you couldn't tell me this earlier?!?!? Craaaaaaaaaaaaaaap!! Okay, fine, I let my boss know that I've gotta go because the kid has no way home, I jump on the bus to the terminal.. then wait.. anxiously for my connecting bus and finally arrive at the end of the block where the school is located.. (Oy Vey.. More walking) 15 more blocks and I'm there and he's out front waiting for me.. Okay.. Now I need a break.. but first.. Oh God.. we have to go in and get the supplies from the student store.. Where is the student store? Oh.. it's on the 3rd floor.. Wonderful.. More walking and stairs.. woo hoo.. Ok, ok.. $35.50 later for books (they have to buy their own workbooks now.. this is all news to me) color coded binders and dividers for each one.. a school planner.. Jeez.. New York schools have sure changed since I graduated. So we get the books (and all this stuff is so much, 6 binders, 2 fat workbooks and a yearly planner) it doesn't all fit in his backpack.. so I'm stuck carrying about 1/3 of this pile.. and then we have to walk back home.. I feel like I'm going to pass out! *Not to self, don't wear flip flops during the week anymore, not as long as we're walking to school* I finally walked in the door at 4:30 after stopping to pick up some more school supplies and I practically crash on my bed.. ok, just 5 minutes my feet were killing me.. then it came.. the words I knew I was going to hear just about as soon as we walked through the door... "Mom, what's for dinner?" Ha! Leftovers Kiddo.. I made more than enough last night because I had no idea what was in store for me today.. so he had sauteed chicken with tomatoes and herbs over rice.. as for me.. I needed something more, um.. comforting.. like Mozzarella en Carrozza.. yummy battered and fried sort of grilled cheese (but with Mozzarella instead of American cheese), a little bowl of Tomato sauce and a big glass of milk.. Mmmmmm..

Mozzarella en Carrozza


SERVES 4

Ingredients

  • 1 fresh mozzarella cheese, ball
  • 4 slices white bread, crusts trimmed
  • 2 large eggs, beaten,more as needed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • salt and pepper
  • plain breadcrumbs, as needed
  • olive oil, for frying
Directions
  1. Cut the mozzarella into enough 1/4-inch thick slices to cover 2 slices of the bread.
  2. Reserve the remaining mozzarella for another use.
  3. Top the cheese with the remaining 2 slices of bread, to make 2 sandwiches, and press down to compact.
  4. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, garlic, and parsley and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Put the bread crumbs on a plate.
  6. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, pour the in oil to a depth of 1/4-inch.
  7. When the oil is hot, dip each sandwich into the egg mixture, dredge in the bread crumbs, and fry, turning once, until crisp and the cheese has melted.
  8. Cut each sandwich in 1/2 and serve, while still hot, with the marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
Hopefully tomorrow is going to be better.. at least I know he'll be in school until 3..

Monday, September 1, 2008

Accidental Vegan cupcakes..

I was going through my inbox this afternoon when I saw a foodie email featuring Boston cream cupcakes.. Seriously?!? I HAD to have them.. so I started setting up my mis em place.. aww Crap, There wasn't an egg in the fridge, and I needed 2.. what to do.. what do to??? Alright my brain switched into search mode.. Recipezaar was the place to find just about anything and I found This:

Vegan Egg Replacer / Substitute

5 min | 5 min prep

SERVES 1 , 1 "egg"

    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    2 tablespoons flour
    3 tablespoons water
  1. Whisk ingredients together until foamy.
  2. One batch = Equivalent of one egg.
Okay, well.. that was easy.. Now, I had to find the recipe for yellow cake.. alright.. Back to 'Zaar and I found this Gem:

Quick Yellow Cake

42 min | 7 min prep

SERVES 12

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/3 cups sugar
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 eggs

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350*.
  2. Mix dry ingredients in lg bowl.
  3. Add shortening, milk and vanilla.
  4. Beat on med for 2 minutes.
  5. Add eggs and beat for 30 seconds more.
  6. Bake in greased 13x9 pan for 35 minutes, or until pick comes out clean.
I had those nifty little paper nut cups, so I used them, filled them about 1/3 full and popped them in the oven.. I started them at 15 minutes, but they ended up using about 22.. and they all flopped.. at least the first batch did.. second batch has 5 more minutes in the oven as I'm writing this.. P. say the flopped ones are great.. I can't figure out why the hell they taste like Cornbread.. Ok, ok.. I think I have it.. I used I can't believe it's not butter for the butter (I didn't have quite enough butter either.. I really have to get myself to the supermarket this week!), I didn't have Vanilla extract either.. I guess the half a vanilla bean I scraped into there wasn't enough, and well.. then there's the egg substitute I used..

It didn't go Horribly wrong.. just not like I expected them to go.. I'm still gonna fill those little suckers with vanilla pudding and coat them in Ganache.. I mean come on people.. they're still good :)

In hindsight, maybe I should have just stuck with making chocolate pudding..

Okay, batch 2 just came out of the oven.. they flopped too.. Hmm... next time I'll use everything I'm supposed to... but seriously, they taste just like corn muffins... and there's not one ouce of corn in them! Figure that one out?!?