Recipes

Ham and Cheese Egg Boats // Recipe

1 · Mar 14, 2013 · 12 Comments

Spring Egg Boats // Have you ever had an ah ha moment that makes you feel pretty silly? When I discovered this recipe a few weeks ago, my first thought was… Holy cow, why didn't I think of that!! I've been making all kinds of egg / bread dishes for years. Why hadn't I ever thought of just putting the egg right into the bread itself and baking it just like that. Total paradigm shift for me. What I love most about this recipe is how easy it is to make and yet it presents really well. This would be a fabulous Easter brunch dish idea, your guests will think you are a culinary genius! Yet it's simple enough for an easy weeknight meal as well. It's the best of both worlds.

Ham and Cheese Egg Boats

This recipe is an adaption of a recipe originally found on Spoon Fork Bacon.

Large loaf of french or sour dough bread

6 eggs

1/4 cup whole milk or cream

Tabasco sauce to taste

1 cup of diced ham

3/4 cup of shredded cheese (I used an Italian blend of shredded cheese but cheddar would work fine too.)

Goat cheese (optional)

Directions

Cut a long narrow trough in the bread and scoop out a bit of the bread to make room for the egg mixture and set a side. In a bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, Tabasco (I usually put in about 6-10 dashes, but that's up to your taste), and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Once the mixture has been whisked well, add the ham and carefully pour into the bread. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the egg boat. If you are a goat cheese lover, you can add some little dollops of goat cheese on top as well. I love goat cheese but other members of my family do not. So, I made one with and one without.

Now to bake this, if you are using a full size french loaf can be a little tricky. The loaf does not fit on a traditional baking sheet, so I had to improvise. I turned the baking sheet over and then used aluminum foil to create a baking dish for the loaf. That way if there were any spills, the foil would catch the mess and the inverted baking sheet provided stability. It worked like a charm.

Place in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes or until the egg has fully set. Let the egg boat cool for 10-15 and then slice into sections for your family or guests. I served mine with a lovely salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, goat cheese and pine nuts with a bright lemon vinaigrette.

Now that I've found this gem of a recipe, I can't wait to try all kinds of different variations. I can see all kinds of fun combinations with mushrooms, spinach, sausage you name it… Anything that would normally work in an omelet would be lovely. What combination would you try? Leave a comment and share and let's see what other amazing ideas we can all come up with!

36 Fresh Spring Recipes

1 · Feb 19, 2013 · 21 Comments

36 Spring Recipes // For the last several days, I've woken up to the sound of song birds… For this former Vegas girl, it's the first exciting sign of spring. Inevitably, with the awakening of the earth from it's winter slumber, I start to crave fresh spring meals. Food that's light, clean, crisp and colorful. It won't be long before the spring produce starts to arrive to our local markets, and farmer's markets open up for the new growing season. I thought I would share a few of the spring recipes that I plan to try this year…

I've broken things down into four different groups… Dinner, Salads, Breakfast & Sides and of course Dessert!

Spring Dinner Ideas

1. creamy tomato orzo soup // two peas & their pod 2. goat cheese tomato quiche // life's a feast 3. chicken pot pie // baked bree 4. ground turkey with potatoes and spring peas // skinny taste 5. penne with asparagus, sage & peas // food & wine via the huffington post 6. tofu tostadas // two peas & their pod 7. spicy roasted shrimp sandwich with chipolte avocado mayo // damn delicious 8. prosciutto, asparagus & parmesan spaghetti // val so cal 9. asian veggie noodle bowl with grilled steak // half baked harvest 10. kung fu panda soup // sophistimom

Spring Salad Ideas

11. white house biggest loser salad // ivillage 12. kiwi, pear & gorgonzola salad // przwpis 13. curried chicken apple salad // with style & grace 14. vietnamese banh mi salad // a spicy perspective 15. super salad // the alkaline sisters 16. spring salad with orange vinaigrette // dine & dish 17. baby greens with goat cheese, beets & candied pecans // skinny taste 18. tuscan bread salad // jones design company 19. raw stacked salad // the sweet life

Spring Breakfast & Side Recipes

20. baked eggs in avocado // white on rice couple 21. tabbouleh salad // two peas & their pod 22. homesick toast // simple provisions 23. chickpea, feta and parsley salad // simple provisions 24. steamed asparagus with poached eggs // skinny taste 25. corn cakes with tomato avocado relish // annie's eats 26. fresh pea salad // closet cooking 27. healthy greek quinoa salad // with style & grace 28. orzo chicken asiago // citron limette 29. spring sweet pea & asparagus pickles // white on rice couple 30. avo & egg breakfast pizza // justin blakeney

Spring Dessert Recipes

31. blood orange bars // white on rice couple 32. pavlovas with strawberries, vanilla cream and basil coulis // tartine & apron strings 33. blueberry cupcakes with buttercream // the sweetest occasion 34. key lime cheesecake // 35. mango coconut rice pudding // cook republic 36. acai berry granita // tidymom

What inspires your kitchen as the seasons change? Do you relish the idea of welcoming in new dishes to your tables after the long, cold winter. I know I do!! What is your favorite spring recipe? Share a link in my comments… I would LOVE to see what you crave!

Goat Cheese Puff Pastry with Raspberry Chili Chutney

3 · Jan 24, 2013 · 2 Comments

Goat Cheese Puffs with Raspberry Chili Chutney // Morning everyone!! I don't know if you happened to see yesterday's post about my Raspberry Chili Chutney? Today, I have the perfect appetizer made with puff pastry, goat cheese and topped with my chutney, and it's SUPER easy!!

This recipe couldn't be easier… It was inspired by Marcela Valladolid from Food Networks Mexican Made Easy show. I had been watching her show and this recipe caught my attention. Earlier in the month I had been invited to a cooking club here in Lincoln. The challenge for January was appetizers and decided I wanted to give this recipe a go. I loved that it was a little different, not your normal boring cheese and cracker type appetizer. It's light and classy with a lovely burst of flavor from the chutney. Frankly, it's divine!

Goat Cheese Puff Pastry with Raspberry Chili Chutney

1 package frozen Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry

11 oz. goat cheese

1 1/2 cups of Raspberry Chili Chutney

Agave

Directions

Thaw the puff pastry according to package directions. Flour your rolling and cutting surface. Gently unfold the pastry and roll it out a bit just to smooth out the dough. Using a round 2 1/2 inch cookie cutter cut the pastry dough into rounds.

I used a jumbo decorator tip from Sweet Baking Supply, generally used for decorating cakes as a round tool to score the tops of the rounds. You don't want to cut all the way through the dough when scoring. You just want to create a neat round that will make it easier to fill your pastry once baked. Place the pastry in the oven and bake according to package directions. Remove from oven and place on cooling rack to cool for a few minutes.

Once cool, gentle with your thumb push down on the scored round section of your little puff pastry bite. It will neatly push through and create a perfect little cup for you to add a bit of goat cheese. Take your goat cheese which has been sitting out at room temperature for about an hour and place little bite sized spoonfuls into the round center of the puff pastry. Top with a little dollop of the raspberry chili chutney and drizzle with a little bit of agave.

This recipe yields approx. 40 bite sized appetizers.

If you are a puff pastry lover like I am, here is another recipe that I know you are going to love… Nutella Marshmallow Puffs!

What are some of your favorite appetizers? Do you like to be adventurous or do you like to stick with the classics?

Raspberry Chili Chutney Recipe

24 · Jan 23, 2013 · 11 Comments

Raspberry Chili Chutney Recipe // I was recently invited to a cooking club here in Lincoln and it gave me the perfect opportunity to try out a recipe that I saw not too long ago on the Food Network… Raspberry Chili Chutney.

I have to admit, I am a totally Food Network foodie. I love to have the various shows on in the background when I'm working or getting ready for they day. I don't often have a chance to cook some of the recipes, but I feel like I learn so much just from listening to all the different chefs talk about their special recipes and techniques. The other day I had the show Mexican Made Easy on in the background and a recipe caught my attention. It's a recipe that's perfect for a cocktail party or a tasty hors d'oeuvre for a dinner party. The Goat Cheese Squares with Raspberry Chili Chutney recipe looked just divine, so I thought I would give it a go. Before you can make the tasty little bite you have to make the chutney first and that's what this post is about.

Ahhhhh the chutney, it's so amazing… I actually made another batch after my first go to keep in the fridge to use as a condiment for other meals. Yea, it's that good. Here is my version of the recipe. It has been inspired by Marcela's recipe, but with a few little tweaks for my taste.

Raspberry Chili Chutney Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low-salt beef broth
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon ginger paste or fresh peeled and minced ginger
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, left whole
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the chipoltle pepper can
1 cup frozen rasberries
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Add oil to large sauce pot and heat on med-high heat. Add chopped onions and cook for 5 minutes or until the onions become translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add broth, bell pepper, honey, ginger, vinegar and chipotle pepper with adobe sauce. You can leave the chipolte chili whole, It will break down durning the cooking process. Add salt & pepper to taste. Simmer on medium low until the sauce thickens, this can take up to 2 – 2 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on the sauce and stir occasionaly. Once the sauce has thickened and the chili pepper has broken down, add the raspberries and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Let the chutney cool and then store in an air tight container in the fridge. It should keep for up to a month in the fridge.
I'm actually thinking about making this my holiday gift this next Christmas. It tastes lovely with chicken, on crackers and I'm sure given a little more time, I will come up with a few more uses for it. It also looks amazing in a jar… I should work on some packaging for it and have it ready for the next holiday season… yep, it's that good! Tomorrow I'm going to post the recipe for my version of the Goat Cheese Puff with the Raspberry Chili Chutney, so stay tuned!

Recipes

Ham and Cheese Egg Boats

Directions

Spring Dinner Ideas

Spring Salad Ideas

Spring Breakfast & Side Recipes

Spring Dessert Recipes

Goat Cheese Puff Pastry with Raspberry Chili Chutney

Directions

Raspberry Chili Chutney Recipe

Instructions

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