Category Archives: Breads and Breakfasts

Toad-in-the-the-Hole over Sautéed Kale, Bacon, and Leeks

Posted in Breads and Breakfasts, Eating Healthy, Main Dishes, Stuff My Kid Eats by

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Okay, so let’s talk about the name of this dish for a second. Toad-in-the-Hole is not only a somewhat unappetizing title, but it’s also historically inaccurate. This British dish became popular in the early 18th century and was traditionally made with sausages baked into Yorkshire pudding, giving it the look of a toad poking it’s head out of a hole. But somewhere along the way us sneaky Americans took that dish, changed it up, and made it our own; very much like driving on the wrong side of the road, scrapping the metric system for the super confusing Imperial system, and removing the “e” from the ends of words like theater (this one actually makes sense, “theatre” should be pronounced thee-ah-trey, should it not? I think we’ve got you on this one, Brits.). Soooo…in our quest to gain independence from England and establish ourselves as a new nation, we swapped the sausages for eggs and the Yorkshire pudding for toast, and Bam! we instantly became leaders of the free world. Okay, maybe it didn’t happen exactly that way, but close enough.

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Roasted Red Pepper, Asparagus, & Goat Cheese Bread Pudding

Posted in Appetizers & Sides, Breads and Breakfasts, Holidays, Vegetarian by

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Thanksgiving is less than one week away and for all of you, like myself, who are just starting to put together your Turkey Day menus, let me offer a suggestion; why not try something new this year? It’s crazy, I know, to break away from tradition and consider something other than the obligatory stuffing (or dressing, if you’re not putting it into the bird), but I’ve got something else in mind for you. This incredible side dish will go with whatever meat or meat substitute (Tofurky anyone?) is the customary centerpiece at your table. (Side note: I just learned that many Texans serve ribs on Thanksgiving. How awesome is that?!) Anyway, regardless of what other lovely foods grace your plates next Thursday, this savory bread pudding will make you and your tastebuds very thankful. Continue reading →

Caramelized Onion and Gruyère Flatbread

Posted in Breads and Breakfasts, Main Dishes, Vegetarian by

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Some weeks I head to the grocery store with a solid plan of what I want to make. I have a detailed list and a mission. I walk in, get what I need, and leave. And then there are those weeks when I have no idea what I want, and I cross through the sliding glass doors feeling completely purposeless. I spend more time than I’d like aimlessly meander through the aisles looking for inspiration, hoping that something spectacular will jump out and grab me. Last week was just such a week. Continue reading →

Stuff My Kid Eats: Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Frittata

Posted in Breads and Breakfasts, Main Dishes, Seafood, Stuff My Kid Eats by

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As promised, here’s another creation from my Mother’s Day smoked salmon gift, this time coming to you in the form of a frittata. I just recently started making frittatas again after a couple year hiatus. I used to make them once a week when my husband and I were first married and had very little money. We called them “Frittata Fridays” because by the end of the week we’d be out of groceries, out of cash, and out of creative ides for dinner. The only thing we’d have left in the fridge were some eggs (which we somehow always had plenty of), a leftover piece of chicken or a few uneaten shrimp, and a couple of sad looking veggies in the crisper. Tired and discouraged, I’d whip everything up, throw it into the oven, and 20 minutes later we’d be sitting down to eat. Now no longer poor, (although still tired and sometimes discouraged), my love for frittatas was renewed when my daughter became a toddler. Her obsession with eggs (fried, scrambled, hard boiled, you name it!) made me want to cook up this old favorite and share it with her. I guess distance – and a picky toddler – makes the heart grow fonder. Continue reading →

Smoked Salmon Focaccia with Asparagus & Eggs

Posted in Breads and Breakfasts, Main Dishes, Sandwiches, Seafood by

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I realize this is an old topic, but for Mother’s Day this year I was the fortunate recipient of a pound of smoked salmon from Dean & DeLuca (one of my favorite New York food purveyors). After a couple mornings of piling it on the obligatory bagel and cream cheese, I found myself wanting to do something more interesting with my catch — I was picturing something healthy that I could serve my family for dinner. As luck would have it, my weekend trip to the Kansas City farmers’ market left me with a loaf focaccia bread, a bunch of asparagus, and a dozen farm-fresh eggs that were just begging to be used. After quickly cooking the eggs and asparagus, I heaped everything onto the focaccia, shoved it in the oven for a couple minutes, and what came out was a light and fresh meal that was still substantial enough to require a fork and steak knife to eat.

Smoked Salmon Focaccia with Asparagus & Eggs

Serves 4

  • 1 focaccia loaf
  • ½ bunch of asparagus, tender parts only
  • 4 large eggs
  • 5-6 oz. smoked salmon, thinly sliced
  • Kosher Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp. fresh tarragon, chopped (or another fresh herb like dill, chives, parsley, or marjoram)
  • 1 tsp. truffle oil (optional)

Turn oven on to 350°F. Place focaccia on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes or until focaccia is warm throughout. Remove from oven and set aside. Turn oven temperature up to broil.

Meanwhile, fill a medium saucepan halfway full of water and boil. Add asparagus and blanch for 1 minute. Immediately transfer asparagus to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Once cool, dry and set aside.

Lay smoked salmon on focaccia, spreading evenly, then top salmon with a single row of asparagus.

Lightly mist a medium skillet with cooking spray then set over medium-high heat. Once the skillet becomes hot, crack eggs into skillet and cook until the whites just set (the eggs will continue cooking under the broiler). Using a spatula, carefully place eggs over asparagus. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with parmesan and chopped herbs. Place under the broiler and cook until cheese is bubbly, about 2-3 minutes (yolks should still be runny). Remove from oven and transfer to a serving platter, then drizzle with truffle oil if using.IMG_7493

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Check back later this week for more smoked salmon recipes!

Baked Coconut French Toast for Mother’s Day

Posted in Breads and Breakfasts, Holidays, Vegetarian by

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My husband is great at a lot of things, but surprising me for Mother’s Day isn’t one of them. I get flowers, of course, and a card, but after a few years experience I’ve given up the hope that he’ll make me Poached Salmon Eggs Benedict, or have the foresight to call ahead for 11am brunch reservations at my favorite restaurant (sorry, honey). That’s why this year I decided to take matters into my own hands and come up with a French toast recipe that I can make the night before then pop in the oven the next morning. So this Mother’s Day when my husband wakes up at the annoying hour of 6am (which he does every morning), I will roll over and lovingly whisper in his ear, “350° for 20 minutes,” and know that when I get out of bed, my perfectly crafted French toast will be hot and ready.

Baked Coconut French Toast

Serves 6

  • 12 thick slices of French bread
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 3 eggs
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 cups shredded, sweetened coconut

Butter the bottom and sides of a 13×9-inch baking dish. Line bottom of dish with bread, overlapping pieces slightly so that bread fits to the edges of the dish.

In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, eggs, and sugar. Pour egg mixture over bread and use a spoon to help distribute the liquid pressing down on the bread so that it fully absorbs liquid. Allow to set for 15 minutes or up to 12 hours, covered in the refrigerator. (If refrigerating overnight, bring dish out and set on the counter for an hour before baking to allow to come to room  temperature.) Sprinkle the shredded coconut over the bread and press down slightly with your hand so that it sticks to the top.

Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes or until egg mixture has set and coconut is golden brown (the bottom of the dish will be custardy). Allow to rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

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More Ice Cream Muffins

Posted in Breads and Breakfasts, Eating Healthy, Vegetarian by

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This weekend I changed up the ice cream muffins that I posted last week by trying a new flavor – and they were even better than the first. Check it out!

Ice Cream Muffins

Makes 12-14

  • 2 pints ice cream, softened* (I used Häagen-Dazs Pineapple Coconut for these muffins, but any flavor will do)
  • 3 cups self rising flour (not to be confused with all-purpose flour which won’t work in this recipe at all!)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly mist muffin tins with cooking spray, then wipe away residue with a clean paper towel, or, alternatively, line tins with paper muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, beat ice cream and flour until combined. Using a spoon, drop muffin batter into cups, dividing evenly. Top each muffin with with a sprinkle of sweetened shredded coconut and a banana chip, or just Sugar In The Raw.

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Strawberry Ice Cream Muffins

Posted in Breads and Breakfasts, Eating Healthy by

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Yes, ice cream muffins – but hear me out. It all began like this:

My husband, being a frequent traveler on the path of least resistance, subscribes to a blog that teaches readers how to easily cut corners in life. I know, right?! Anyway, every so often he’ll come to me with a recipe from the site that he’s just dying to try out –  and they’re usually pretty terrible; I’m particularly thinking of a microwavable “coffee-cup-brownie” that was worthy of a Pinterest Fail. After a somewhat forced hiatus from the kitchen, he approached me last week with an ice cream muffin recipe that he was confident would change our weekend breakfasts forever. Nope, I said, and shut the idea down before it had time to grow legs. There was no way I was going to serve ice cream for breakfast! That’s just wrong. Or is it? he countered, and went on to plead his case. Now think about it for a second – what goes into ice cream? Eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla. And what goes into muffins? Eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla, and flour. So, potentially, ice cream + flour = muffins. Hmmm, interesting point. So we made the muffins exactly as the recipe called for, and they were, meh – ok. But they had potential. And potential is all I need to tweak a meh-recipe into a mwah!-recipe. So we altered the amount of flour, changed the flavor of ice cream, fiddled with the cooking time, and lowered the oven temperature until we had a pretty awesome ice cream muffin (that surprisingly wasn’t too sweet). And get this, not only are they super simple to make, they’re actually way (WAY!) lower in calories and fat than a Starbucks muffin. Check it out:

Strawberry Ice Cream Muffin (1 muffin):   120 Calories, 2.5g Fat

Starbucks Bountiful Blueberry Muffin (1 muffin):   350 Calories,  12g Fat

Sweet, right? And delicious, but you won’t know that for yourself until you try it out. So get going already!

Strawberry Ice Cream Muffins

Makes 12-14

  • 2 pints ice cream, softened* (I like strawberry, but you can use any flavor)
  • 3 cups self rising flour (not to be confused with all-purpose flour which won’t work in this recipe at all!)

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Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly mist muffin tins with cooking spray, then wipe away residue with a clean paper towel, or, alternatively, line tins with paper muffin cups.

In a medium bowl, beat ice cream and flour until combined. Using a spoon, drop muffin batter into cups, dividing evenly. Top each muffin with with a sprinkle of Sugar In The Raw or sliced strawberries, or both!

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Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

*A good way to soften ice cream is by thawing it in the refrigerator overnight.

{ I always make a couple mini-muffins for my little Mini-Muffin }

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Stuff My Kid Eats: Roasted Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Frittata

Posted in Breads and Breakfasts, Eating Healthy, Main Dishes, Stuff My Kid Eats, Vegetarian by

Stuff My Kid (Mostly) Eats

Now before you go saying: “Whaaaaatever! There’s no way her toddler eats that! My kid would never eat roasted cauliflower!” Well, she didn’t, not technically. She ate the entire slice of frittata that I gave her, yet somehow managed to ferret out every little piece of cauliflower in it. At the end of the meal, there was a very sad looking pile of mutilated white stuff at the edge of her plate which she pointed to and firmly said “NO!” So there it is. That is my disclaimer. My kid doesn’t eat everything! At any rate, the meal was great, my husband and I loved it, and you could easily substitute the cauliflower for another vegetable that won’t cause a juvenile uprising at the dinner table. (Recipe slightly adapted from Fine Cooking.)

Roasted Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Frittata

The beauty of this dish is that the ingredients can be adapted to fit your taste, AND it works well for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! 

Roasted Cauliflower and Goat Cheese Frittata

  • 1 small red or yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 cups cauliflower florets (about ½ small head), cut into 1-inch pieces, or 2 cups of another favorite vegetable
  • 2 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs (oregano, thyme, parsley, dill, etc.)
  • ½ tsp. whole-grain mustard
  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 6 oz. fresh goat cheese, crumbled, about 1 ½ cups, or 6 oz. of another cheese of your choosing (Oh, I just love alliteration!)

Position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high.

Combine the onion, vinegar, and ½ tsp. salt in a small bowl; let sit for 10 minutes and then drain and pat the onion dry. Set aside.

Meanwhile, on a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower (or another vegetable) with 2 tsp. of the oil, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper. Broil, tossing once or twice, until the edges are golden, 3 to 6 minutes.

Reposition rack in the center of the oven and set the oven to 400°F.

Whisk the eggs, herbs, mustard, ½ tsp. salt, and ½ tsp. pepper in a medium bowl.

Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil and the butter in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until some of the pieces are dark golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in the roasted cauliflower, and then slowly pour in the egg mixture, redistributing the vegetables evenly. Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake until the eggs are set in the center, about 10-15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes and then use a silicone spatula to slide the frittata onto a serving plate or cutting board. Slice into wedges and serve.

Sidekick: Serve with a crisp dry white wine like a Chablis, or an Italian dry white like a Soave or Gavi di Gavi.

Carrot-Ginger Bran Muffins

Posted in Breads and Breakfasts, Eating Healthy, Vegetarian by

Carrot-Ginger Bran Muffins

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These Spring-inspired muffins are perfect for a light breakfast or a healthy between-meal snack. They’re loaded with fiber, contain very little fat (they’re moistened with applesauce rather than butter or oil), and provide little pieces of crystalized ginger in every bite! (Crystalized ginger can be found in most grocery stores, usually with the dried fruit.) 

Carrot-Ginger Bran Muffins

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup wheat germ
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. Kosher sal
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup shredded carrots, from about 2 carrots
  • 3 Tbsp. crystalized ginger, minced, divided

Makes 12 Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly mist a 12-count muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, baking soda and powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine sugar, eggs, and applesauce and blend until creamy. Mix in carrots, 2 Tbsp. crystalized ginger, and flour mixture, stir until combined.

Divide batter evenly among muffin cups and sprinkle remaining ginger over top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until set.

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