Simple Herb and Gruyere Quiche

Earlier this week I had to make a dessert for my oldest to share with some classmates.  Seems it was “Pi and Phi Day,”  so the teacher asked for desserts that were round or rectangular.  I decided on a chocolate chess pie {I’ll share later, I promise} and went the super easy route {Ok, let’s just call it what it is.  I cheated.} and bought refrigerated pie crusts.

I hope we’ll still be friends after that little declaration.

The package came with two pie crusts, so I had the other one sitting in my freezer.  Hmmm. What to do.  What to do.  And then…it hit me.  Quiche.

Admittedly, I’m a little out of practice with making quiche, so a quick tap on the iPad {wholly moly is that thing addictive} and I found a super simple {think of it as quiche with training wheels} on the Real Simple site.  A couple of simple modifications and voila a lovely quiche.

So here is the evidence.  The refrigerated pie crust.  The good news is, you’ll only need to tackle the filling.  You can thank me {I mean the kind folks at Real Simple Magazine} for that little idea.  Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

You’ll need to grate 8 ounces of Gruyere cheese.  This takes just a minute or two to accomplish.  Oh, and see those Pearl tomatoes in the background {the ones I used here}, I sliced up 5 of them to put on top of the filling.

Chop 1 cup of flat leaf (Italian) parsley and set aside.  You’ll add it to the chopped onion in a little bit.

Add a 1/2 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil and a 1/2 tbsp of unsalted butter to a large (a 10-inch skillet will work) skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the chopped onion and saute until the onion becomes soft and translucent.  Also add a 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper from your pepper mill.

 Next, add in 1 cup of chopped parsley and stir to combine.  Remove the skillet from the heat.

Add 4 brown eggs to a mixing bowl.  Next, add 3/4 cup of half and half.

Use a wire whisk to combine the eggs with the half and half.

Grate about 1/8 of a tsp of nutmeg into the egg mixture and 1/2 tsp of Kosher salt.  Oh, the smell of freshly grated nutmeg is amazing.

Now your ready to add the onion-parsley mixture to the egg mixture.

Add the grated gruyere cheese to the filling and stir to combine.

Your filling is now ready to go into the pie crust.  Easy, right?

Set your pie crust/pan onto a baking sheet.  Pour the filling into the pie crust.

After I put the filling into the pie crust, I placed 10 slices of the Pearl tomatoes on top, pressing them just slightly into the filling.  Of course, you can omit the tomatoes, but they look so pretty.  Set a timer for 35 minutes. It’s ready to go into the oven at this point.

Here’s another look at the quiche before she goes into the pre-heated oven.

The quiche took 35 minutes in my oven.  The original recipe calls for a baking time of 35 to 40 minutes, so keep in mind that all ovens are different.  And oh, she was very tasty.

 

Herb and Gruyere Quiche

Ingredients

1 9-inch refrigerated pie crust

1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped

4 large eggs

3/4 cup half and half

1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

8 ounce Gruyere, grated

Method

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Place prepared crust (mine was already in a pie plate) onto a baking sheet.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of Kosher salt and a couple of grinds of the pepper mill and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the chopped parsley.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, half and half, nutmetg, and 1/4 tsp of Kosher salt.  Stir in the onion mixture and the Gruyere.  Pour the egg mixture into the pie crust.  Bake until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.  Let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves: 6

 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  And, thanks so much for stopping by.  See you Monday!

Lentil Soup with Rosemary

I am craving some really healthy meals lately and soup seems like the ideal{and perfectly easy} way to add in those lighter-calorie meals into our weekly repertoire.   Now, I’m not exactly sure how this is going to go over when it’s presented to the littles at dinner tonight, but I’m willing to face some rejection on behalf of this soup recipe (I’ll report back).

Do you have some of these things in your pantry and refrigerator right now?  It’s pretty basic stuff, right?  By the way, you can make this a completely vegetarian option by substituting the chicken broth (or stock) for vegetable stock and omiting the bacon…but who wants to do that?

So, let’s get started.  First, you’ll need to chop 2-3 celery stalks and 2 carrots.

Next, mince 1 onion.  And,  if you have a Vidalia {or other sweet onion} or even a few shallots, those would work perfectly well.

Set aside your prepared vegetables and set a Dutch oven over medium heat.  When your pan is hot, add 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and then when the oil is hot (but not smoking), add in the 3 slices of chopped bacon.  Cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the minced onion to the bacon and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent and soft.

While the onion is cooking, prepare the rosemary.  Mince 1 sprig of fresh rosemary (about 1 tbsp) and reserve 1 additional sprig to garnish the finished soup.  I have two sprigs in the photo, but that was just my way of making things look pretty.

This is what the onion-bacon mixture looks like after about 5 minutes.  Let’s press on.

Add the prepared vegetables, the 2 bay leaves and the minced fresh rosemary to the onion-bacon mixture in your Dutch oven.

Then, add the rinsed and drained green lentils to the Dutch oven and give it a stir to combine.  You’ll need 1 cup of green lentils to make this soup.

Finally, add 1 15-ounce can of chopped tomatoes and 1 1/2 quarts of chicken broth or stock.  Stir and then increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil for about 1 minute.  Reduce the heat to low and partially cover the Dutch oven with a lid.  Simmer for about 50-60 minutes or until the lentils are tender.  And, don’t forget to taste the soup and adjust the seasonings with salt and freshly ground black pepper. {I almost forgot to tell you that}.

I garnished a bowl of the soup with some additional rosemary.  Or, if you have kids that {in my son’s words} may freak out at seeing leaves on top of their soup just leave it out.

 

Lentil Soup with Rosemary

Ingredients

1 cup dried green lentils, rinsed and drained

1/2 tbsp olive oil

3 bacon slices, chopped

1 large onion, minced

2-3 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 sprig of fresh rosemary, minced

2 bay leaves

1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 quarts chicken stock

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 sprig of fresh rosemary (to use as garnish), optional

Method

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add bacon.  Cook for 3 minutes.  Add chopped onion and continue to cook for 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.  Add the celery, carrots, minced rosemary, bay leaves and lentils.  Stir to combine.  Add the chicken stock and tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and loosely place lid over Dutch oven and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Remove both bay leaves.  Add salt and black pepper.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Sere with additional rosemary, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings

 

Hope everyone is having a great week!  Until next time…

Chickpea Salad with Grilled Pita

Already you might be thinking to yourself, “what’s with the tomatoes…it’s January.”  I know I know.  However, I’ve been longing for some fresh tomatoes and with summer nowhere in site, I decided to break with seasonal wisdom and prepare this salad using pearl tomatoes.

And actually, between you and me, they weren’t half bad.  Not the same as picking them from your vegetable patch out back, but for my January tomato craving, they’ll work just fine.

Now, quickly run to your pantry to see if you have any canned chickpeas {aka garbanzo beans} in your pantry.  They’re probably all the way in the back behind the can of Rotel tomatoes and just beside the cream of mushroom soup.

The recipe calls for grilled pita bread (those grill marks look extra pretty when you plate up the finished salad), but I did not feel like standing outside at the gas grill, nor do I have an indoor grill so I pulled out my panini press and used that (without any butter) to get the desired grill marks on my pita bread.

You’ll need 2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas (garbanzo beans).  Rinse them under cool water and drain them well.

I sliced about 10 pearl tomatoes.  The original recipe calls for Campari which are slightly larger than pearl tomatoes.  Of course, use whatever tomato you prefer or the one that looks freshest {it is January after all}.

Here’s a little peek at the grilled pita bread.  I used whole wheat but use whichever pita you prefer.

Add the rinsed and drained chickpeas along with the sliced tomatoes into a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Next, add about 1/4 cup of fresh mint to the bowl.  I chopped 5 or 6 additional mint leaves  to disperse more of the mint throughout the tossed salad.  Their fresh minty aroma reminded me of iced tea, which of course reminded me of summer.  Can you tell I’m in the mood for summer?

Add 4 ounces of crumbled feta cheese to the mixing bowl.  I think a reduced-fat {if you’re watching your calories this month} would work really well in this recipe.

In a screw-top jar, add 1/3 cup of red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil and 1/2 tbsp sugar.  Replace lid and shake vigorously to combine.

Add the vinaigrette to the salad mixture, add a couple of turns of black pepper using your pepper mill.  Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Serve the chickpea salad along with the grilled pita bread, which I cut in half.

You can take a look here for the original post and as always, scroll down to look at and print the recipe.

Chickpea Salad with Grilled Pita

Ingredients

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas (garbonzo beans), rinsed and drained

10 pear tomatoes, sliced

4 ounce crumbled feta cheese

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

5-6 mint leaves, chopped

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 tbsp sugar

freshly ground black pepper

Method

Grill pita bread on an outdoor or indoor grill over medium heat until warm and slightly toasted (or use a panini press for the same effect).  Transfer to a cutting board and cut in half.

In a medium bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, feta and mint.  In a screw-top jar combine the vinegar, oil, sugar and some freshly ground black pepper; shake to combine, pour over salad and toss.  Serve salad with grilled pita bread.

Yield:  4 servings

Adapted from a recipe by Better Homes and Gardens

Mouthwatering Mondays at A SouthernFairytale

Delicious Dishes at It’s A Blog Party

Party Time Tuesday at Northern Cottage

Creative Spark at Clean & Scentsible

Good Life Wednesdays at a beach cottage

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Delightfully Inspiring Thursdays at Delightful Order

Friday Potluck at Ekat’s Kitchen

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Inspiration Friday at At the Picket Fence

Belgian Waffles with Tart Cherry-Maple Butter

Sunday breakfasts deserve a bit of extra attention, don’t you think?   The rest of the week we spend running around, getting the kids off to school, shuttling those same kids to multiple sports practices, friends coming over to play and the normal weekly errands.  Of course, it’s not all bad but it’s busy.

But Sundays, I truly love.  They’re slower and our time spent together is precious to me.  It’s the only day my husband is typically off from work and our boys look forward to having him home.

My family knows that I usually make something special to enjoy on Sundays (usually after church since I can’t quite get it together and get us out the door that early) and today it was Belgian waffles.

These are the ingredients you’ll need to make the waffles.  This list is so basic, I bet you have everything you need right now {I’m so happy for you, since now you can go make waffles!}.

After you gather up your ingredients.  Get out a large mixing bowl and beat the 2 large eggs with your wire whisk until they’re fluffy.

To the beaten eggs, add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 3/4 cups of milk, 1 tbsp of light brown sugar, 3/4 tsp vanilla extract, 4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt.  I used a good wooden spoon to combine all of those ingredients.

Next, I added the 1/2 cup of unsalted butter which I had melted over low heat and then cooled for about 10 minutes before adding to the batter.

Lastly, I added 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract to the batter and gave a quick stir to incorporate it into the batter.

Here’s a little peek at what my Belgian waffle looked like after the steam stopped and about 5 minutes had passed.  Isn’t she lovely?

 

Belgian Waffles

Ingredients

2 large eggs

2 cups flour

1 3/4 cups milk

1 tbsp light brown sugar

4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Cherry-Maple Butter (recipe follows)

Method

Heat waffle iron.  Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl with wire whisk.  Add the next 5 ingredients and stir just until combined.  Finally, add the melted butter and vanilla and stir until incorporated and batter is smooth.

Pour batter using a ladle, into in the center of your pre-heated waffle iron.  Bake approximately 5-6 minutes until steaming subsides and waffle is light golden brown.  Serve with cherry-maple butter and toasted pecans or as desired.

Yield: 6 Belgian waffles

1/4 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature, and 1 tbsp of minced, dried tart cherries and about 1 tbsp of maple syrup is all you need to make this butter.  Of course, you’ll need even more maple syrup to serve your waffles {at least we did anyway}.

Tart Cherry-Maple Butter

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp dried tart cherries, minced

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

Combine all ingredients with a spoon in a small mixing bowl.  Store any unused butter in the refrigerator.

Also, if you’ve never toasted nuts before, here is how I usually do it.  I place the nuts in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat and and swirl them around for a few minutes.  When the nuts become fragrant and you hear just the tiniest sizzle, they are generally done.  As a cautionary note, they can go from toasted to burnt pretty quickly so remove the skillet from the heat and the nuts from the skillet after they are toasted.

And just to make you smile {because I’m smiling already}, here is my basketball player dribbling the ball during his game yesterday.  The kids from the other team towered over him and he was trying to find a player that was open to pass it to.

I love how he totally gets that he’s the shortest one on the court (by far), but he says that being short helps him steal the ball when his team is on defense.  I think finding the good in a situation {or in yourself} is pretty cool at such a young age.

 

I hope you’re having a splendid Sunday too!

 

Smoked Sausage and Lentil Soup

As the weather has continued to get colder here (as chilly as NC can get… please don’t yell at me if you live Michigan or upstate NY.  I know it’s way colder there!), I’ve been on the hunt for some great soup recipes.   I really lean toward vegetable soups but also don’t want to be hungry 2 hours later.  Does that happen to you?

I think this smoked sausage and lentil soup has a little bit of everything.  Wonderful vegetables (like fennel), the smoky flavors of the turkey sausage and it was easy to put together.  Most importantly, it is a heartier soup.

I adore fennel {as you already know from this post} and reserving a few of those frilly, whispy fennel fronds  makes a very pretty garnish when you serve it.

So, let’s get started shall we?  You probably have most of the ingredients already.

You’ll need a 1/2 cup (about 2-3) of chopped carrots and a 1/2 cup chopped onion (about half of a small onion).

Mince 4 garlic cloves.  The garlic will get sauteed in 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium low heat.

Chop 1 medium fennel bulb so that you’ll have 1 cup of chopped fennel.  Remember to reserve the fennel fronds.

Here are the fennel fronds that I’ve set aside to garnish the finished soup.

Once you’ve sauteed the minced garlic for about 1 minute, add the chopped onions and cook until translucent.  Next, add the carrots and fennel and continue to cook over medium heat until they are softened and the fennel is just turning golden.

Add 6 cups of water and the 1 1/4 cup of washed and drained lentils to the stockpot.  Add the 2 tsp of sea salt (or Kosher salt) and 1/4 tsp of freshly ground black pepper.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, brown the smoked turkey sausage in a 10-inch skillet.  You’ll need 6 ounces of sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick.  I’m already wondering what to do with the remaining 6 ounces.  Ideas?

When the sausage has browned add it to your stockpot.  And now you’re ready to add the 3 tbsp of red wine vinegar to the soup.

Once you’ve added the browned sausage and the red wine vinegar, give everything  a stir and taste to be sure the lentils are done and the seasonings are correct.  Adjust if needed.

Smoked Sausage and Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 fennel bulb, chopped and fennel fronds reserved

4 cloves garlic, minced

1tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1 1/4 cups lentils, rinsed and drained

6 cups water

2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

6 ounces smoked turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

Method

Saute the minced garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat in a stockpot for 1 minute.  Add the onion and continue to cook until translucent.  Next, add the carrots and fennel and cook until vegetables are soft.  Pour the water into the stockpot.  Add the lentils and the salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.  While soup is simmering, brown the sausage in a 10-inch skillet.  Add the sausage and the red wine vinegar to the stockpot and stir to combine.  Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

Ladle soup into individual bowls and garnish with reserved fennel fronds.

Yield: 4-6 as a main dish

 

We’re hoping for a quiet weekend, {read: no more illnesses} and just fun together as a family.  Basketball games, baseball practice and maybe a few board games if the rain keeps up.  I hope each of you has a wonderful {and healthy} weekend too.

Grapefruit and Avocado with Frisée Melange

 I hope you’re not scratching your head and wondering why I’m sharing a recipe with frisée, but I’m taking a break {it will be a short} from sweets and other homemade confections for at least a couple of weeks.  Somehow a salad with frilly, peppery frisée seemed just right this afternoon and I love this “melange,” which includes radicchio and baby arugula.

I adore grapefruit.  I mean really love it.  So anything with grapefruit in it sounds especially wonderful.  Actually, anything with citrus is a favorite.  For example, if we lived near each other and you called me and said you had just pulled lemon bars from your oven and would I like some?  I would say quite clearly, “Absolutely, come on over!”  Of course, that would be totally opposite of my “take in less sweets plan,” so call me in February.

The original recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens and I made a few changes, starting with the fact that I made it just for myself (1 serving).  So, the recipe below reflects the changes I made and serves only 1 person.  You can take a look at the original recipe here, which serves 4.

I did all of my grocery shopping at The Fresh Market.  And, I was so happy when I saw this beautiful, ripe avocado.  You’ll need just half of 1 avocado for this recipe, however, I’ll be putting a few slices onto my turkey sandwich tomorrow afternoon. {just in case your were curious}

Cut half of the avocado into bite-sized (about 1 1/2-inch) pieces.

Cut a pink grapefruit in half.  Reserve the remaining grapefruit half other half for the juice you’ll need to make the simple vinaigrette.

I used my handy grapefruit sectioner (is that the right term for this tool?) to section the grapefruit.  It’s a wonderful little tool, but if you don’t have one, do not fret a paring knife will work as well.  From the reserved grapefruit half, remove about 3 sections for the finished salad.

In a small mixing bowl, add 2 tbsp of fresh grapefruit juice (from reserved grapefruit half), 1 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil and the 3/4 cup of frisée melange adding salt and black pepper to taste.

Here’s another look at the finished salad.  To assemble, place the grapefruit half in a bowl, add the dressed greens, chopped avocado and a few grapefruit sections.  Add the mint just before serving.

And, just in case serving a grapefruit half with the salad isn’t your thing, you could section the grapefruit and toss with the avocado, greens and mint.

Grapefruit and Avocado with Frisée Melange

Ingredients

half of 1 ripe avocado

1 pink grapefruit

3/4 cup of frisée melange (Earthbound Farms makes this; find in produce aisle)

4 or 5 leaves of fresh mint

2 tbsp of grapefruit juice (from the other half of the grapefruit)

3/4 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

 Cut a ripe avocado in half, remove peel and cut into 1 1/2-inch sections.  Cut the grapefruit in half and section just 1 half.    Remove about 3 or 4 sections from the other half.  Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl add the frisée melange, the grapefruit juice, olive oil, toss and then season to taste with salt and black pepper.

To assemble, place the grapefruit half in a bowl, add the dressed greens, chopped avocado and the grapefruit sections.  Garnish with mint.  Leave 1 or 2 leaves whole and chop the remaining 2 or 3.  Serve immediately.

Serves: 1

Spaghetti and Meatballs

When I was growing up spaghetti and meatballs with was my favorite dinner.  Actually, pretty much anything having to do with pasta was a favorite.  My job at dinnertime was to make the green salad and place the finished salad into individual bowls for each family member.  Everything about spaghetti night was just perfect in my youthful opinion, especially if there was garlic bread slathered in butter.  Yum!

So here is my version of an Italian meatball which features lean ground beef and pork, as well as freshly grated Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese.  My recipe calls for torn up French bread instead of breadcrumbs, but you can use whatever you prefer or have on hand.  I’m fairly certain my Italian Grandmother {I called her Nanni} did the same.  You can also replace the pork with Italian sausage, just removing the casings and then follow the recipe.

I prefer torn up bread versus using canned bread crumbs {but if you use bread crumbs from your pantry I won’t tell}.  You’ll need about 2 cups of French bread torn into bite-sized pieces.  Place them into a large mixing bowl.

Add 1 tablespoon of chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley to the bread in your mixing bowl.

To the mixing bowl add 1 cup of milk and pour over the bread and chopped parsley.  Let the milk soak into the bread for about 10 minutes.

Create a small well in the center of your bread and add the 3 large eggs.  Using a microplane, add in 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese, break the egg yolks with a fork and then combine the eggs with the cheese and bread mixture.

Add 1 lb of lean ground beef and 3/4 lb of ground pork to the mixing bowl.  Using a combination of your hands and large wooden spoon, blend all ingredients together trying hard not to over-mix the meatball mixture.

Using a scoop or a spoon, scoop out meatball mixture onto a baking sheet (use either a Silpat or piece of parchment, which will ease your clean up), spacing them about 2 1/2 inches apart.  Your meatballs will not be perfectly round after baking and that’s ok {they’ll sit nicely on top of your spaghetti}.

I was able to fit about 16 meatballs onto my baking sheet.  Place them into a pre-heated oven (350 degrees) onto the middle rack and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Baking time will depend upon how large your meatballs are.  Make sure they are cooked completely through.

Here are those delicious meatballs with spaghetti and a quick tomato sauce.  If you’d like the recipe for the sauce, click here.  It’s simple and you can easily adjust it to your taste.

This week I’m taking a little break from baking {especially things like these} and concentrating on family dinners and soups and salads.  I’ll be posting some of those recipes later in the week.

Italian Meatballs

Ingredients

2 cups French bread, torn into bite-sized pieces

2 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped

1 cup milk

3 large eggs

1/2-3/4 cup Parmagiano Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

1 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 lb lean ground beef

1/2 lb ground pork

Method

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl place the torn bread pieces and the chopped parsley.  Pour the milk over the bread and let sit for 10 minutes so that the bread will absorb the milk.  Create a well in the center of the milk mixture and add the three eggs.   Add the grated cheese.  Use a fork to break the yolks and then combine.

To the bread-egg mixture, add the last four ingredients.  Use your hands or a large wooden spoon to combine the meat with the bread-egg mixture thoroughly, trying not to over-work the meatball mixture.

Use a scoop to place the meatballs onto a parchment- (or Silpat) lined baking sheet about 2 1/2 inches apart.  Bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes or until cooked through.

Yield: 32 meatballs

Banana Pancakes

I woke up Sunday morning fully intending to make pancakes.  My oldest came downstairs right after me and watched as I made my morning coffee with barely one eye open.  After the first couple of sips, I grandly announced to him that I was making pancakes and not just any pancakes, but banana pancakes.  We high-fived and I set to work.

I quickly got out my measuring cups, two mixing bowls and then steadied the baking powder under my right arm, while balancing the the milk, the banana and my coffee in the other hand.  Set it all down and went back for the eggs.

We were out of eggs.

That was a sad moment for the two of us and even sadder when it was announced to the rest of the household  that not only would there be no banana pancakes, but there would also be no scrambled eggs.  I did manage to toast some frozen waffles, which of course was not the same as the original plan but leave it to the 6 year-old to remind us all: “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.”

Well alrighty then.

 Just a day later and we enjoyed banana pancakes.  You can take a peek at the original recipe here.

 And voila!  These were light, fluffy pancakes with the lovely taste of banana.  Be sure to have an extra banana {or two} on hand to slice when you serve your pancakes.  I think I may also toast some walnuts or pecans and sprinkle them on top next time.

Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 small, very ripe banana, peeled

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

sliced bananas and maple syrup for serving

Method

Place 2 tbsp butter into a small saucepan.  Melt over medium heat and stir with a wooden spoon until melted.  Set aside to cool.

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Mix with a fork or whisk until well combined.

Put the banana in a small bowl.  Mash with a fork until well blended.  Pour the banan mixture and the melted butter into the flour mixture.  Mix gently with a rubber spatula until the batter is just blended.  The batter should still be a little but lumpy.

Put a griddle over medium heat until hot.  Put half of the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter onto the griddle and spread it with a metal spatula.  Drop the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto the griddle, spacing them about 3 inches apart.

Cook until a few holes form on top of each pancake and the underside is golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Carefully slide the metal spatula under each pancake and turn it over.  Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is puffed, 1 to 2 minutes more.  Using the spatula, transfer the pancakes to a serving plate.

Repeat with the remaining batter.  Serve the pancakes while still hot with maple syrup and sliced bananas.

Yield: twelve 4-inch pancakes.

Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma The Kid’s Cookbook, by Abigail Johson Dodge

 Mouthwatering Mondays at A Southern Fairytale

Delicious Dishes at It’s A Blog Party

Creative Spark at Clean & Scentsible

Good Life Wednesdays at a beach cottage

Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style

Delightfully Inspiring Thursdays at Delightful Order

Friday Potluck at Ekat’s Kitchen

Potpourri Friday at 2805

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Inspiration Friday at At the Picket Fence

Pork Loin Chops with Tomato Relish

{200 post}

So here I am trying to get a post out late on a Saturday afternoon and in looking at my stats, I realized it’s a bit of anniversary…200 posts!

So, pop the champagne, toss the confetti and a rousing chorus of “for she’s a jolly good fellow…”  Well you get the idea.  It’s a milestone of sorts and I’m just glad to be carving out a little place for myself in the big BIG world of blogging.

So back to business.  Here’s a perfect way to enjoy fresh tomatoes {in January no less} and prepare a nice accompaniement to go along with grilled or pan-fried pork, lamb or beef.   It’s tangy and tart and a little something different than a heavy sauce.

If you scroll down you’ll see the recipe for the relish and not the pork, however, I’m going to give you a couple of things to keep in mind when pan-frying pork loin chops.  Think of them as helpful hints.

You’ll need to slice 1 lime thinly and then chop into bite-sized pieces.  Chop 1 lb tomatoes {I found on-the-vine tomatoes at Whole Foods}.  Don’t worry about seeding the tomatoes.  Add the lime, tomatoes, 1 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, a 1/2 cup cider vinegar and 1 tsp Kosher salt into a sauce pan.   Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer (not boiling) for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The tomatoes will reduce down and the relish will thicken and become syrupy.  The flavor is a sour, tart and sweet combination.  I’m using my remaining relish to top some grilled potatoes.

Tomato Relish

Ingredients

1 lime, washed and then thinly sliced and chopped

1 lb tomatoes, chopped

1 2-inch piece fresh ginger

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1 tsp Kosher salt

Method

In a medium sauce pan, add all ingredients.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally for 45 minutes.  Do not let it boil so adjust your heat accordingly so that the mixture will simmer.

Yield: 1 1/4 cup to serve 4

Kitchen Notes: When pan-frying the pork loin chops you’ll want to cook them until they are pink , generally a couple of minutes per side, otherwise they will become dry and tough.  I generally use 1 tbsp oil oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter and season them with Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper.  Remember that this particular cut is already very lean and cooking them through will yield a very tough end product.

Enjoy your weekend…I’m racing to prepare dinner right now.

Garden Scramble with Feta Cheese

We enjoy breakfast for dinner at least once a month.  It’s my oldest’s {second} favorite dinner.  I wouldn’t normally toss in all of the veggies for the boys, but it’s so much better with them than without and I love the color they add to the finished dish.  If you don’t have feta on hand, why not add in goat cheese.

It’s such a dreary and rainy day here and this egg scramble reminds me of spring.

Use a wire whisk to combine 4 large eggs, 2 tbsp of milk with 1-2 tbsp fresh, chopped parsley.

Roughly chop 1 cup of spinach and chop 1/2 of a yellow bell pepper.  I used a microplane grater to grate 1/4 cup of carrot.

In a medium-sized skillet, saute the bell pepper and carrot in 1 tbsp of unsalted butter just until vegetables are softened and tender.

I toasted a couple of slices of whole wheat bread to go along with the garden scramble.

If you know my boys {and their tastes} this will receive some looks at the table, however, the adults in household will really enjoy it especially if some bacon is served alongside.  And by the adults, I mean my husband.

Garden Scramble with Feta Cheese

Ingredients

4 large eggs

2 tbsp milk

1-2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (Italian), chopped

1/4 cup grated carrot

1/2 cup (half of a medium pepper) yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped

3 tbsp unsalted butter, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled

Method

In a medium-sized mixing bowl using a wire whisk, combine the eggs with the milk.  Next, add in the chopped parsley and combine with the egg-milk mixture.  Set aside.

Over medium heat saute the carrot and bell pepper in 1 tbsp butter in a skillet until bell pepper has softened (but not browned).  Remove from heat and keep warm.

Pour egg mixture into 10-inch skillet  and cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute until eggs begin to set slightly.  Using a a spatula, begin to pull it through the egg mixture to form large curds.   Gently fold in spinach and cooked vegetables.  Eggs should be soft and moist, but not runny.  Season to taste with salt and black pepper.  Serve on individual plates and sprinkle each serving with crumbled feta cheese.

Serves: 4