Morning Foods – Page 8 – Rosemary and the Goat

Egg and Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes

Colorful egg dish for your next brunch.

I saw this recipe on paleodietlifestyle.com and decided I must try it for Sunday brunch and I took some liberties with the recipe. I decided to add some meat (fried chopped pancetta) and basil pesto to the bottom of the tomato before adding the egg and also some Parmesan cheese. If you aren’t following the paleo lifestyle (I’m not) feel free to add some grated cheddar or Swiss to the top before baking.

I cringe at the thought of scrambled eggs for breakfast. Sometimes my husband will ask for them (if he doesn’t do them himself). I refuse to put butter in a skillet, melt it, and throw in a couple of eggs and call it done; those taste like the eggs you might be served in a hospital. If I am forced to do scrambled eggs, I will start by sauteing a little green onion and maybe some bell pepper and mushrooms and then throw in those beaten eggs and do a soft scramble.

February 8, 2012 By Sherry

Egg Dishes/ Morning Foods

Fried Avocado with Egg

A new brunch idea.

Sometimes I wonder if there isn’t something better I can do with my time than sit around and try to think up a new recipe. For years, I have just opened a cookbook or magazine and just prepare the first thing that looked or sounded good.

After all the kids flew the nest, I got lazy and would just throw together something from ingredients I might have in the refrigerator, freezer or pantry. How hard could it be to throw together a stir-fry, not that difficult. Over the last several years, however, I have loved trying to replicate a recipe that I have had in a restaurant or something I have seen on TV.

Sometimes it only takes a glance of food being prepared that gets me to thinking about my take on something I saw. So, I was watching Top Chef one night and vaguely saw an avocado that was cut in half lengthwise with the peeling left on it and they cracked an egg into the center and then I don’t know what they did with the avocado because I missed that part of the show. I would assume they baked it. All night, I tossed and turned thinking about this egg dish I wanted to make. Isn’t that a ridiculous thing to do over an egg; there must be more important things to toss and turn about.

After an endless night’s sleep, what I came up with was I would half the avocado, cut in 3/4″ slices, dip in flour, egg and then Panko bread crumbs, pan fry it, put on a cookie sheet and crack a small egg into the center and then proceed to bake just to the right doneness so the egg will ooze it’s goodness all over the avocado when pierced with a fork. I’m thinking of a garnish creme fraiche and maybe a little Pico de Gallo would be nice.

Things didn’t turn out exactly as I thought. For one thing small/medium size eggs are no longer available; and I knew the large egg was going to be too big. So I cracked the egg in a dish first and tried to take out some of the egg white. I did one avocado this way, then I poached the other egg. I think the poaching probably worked better because then there is no need to try and bake the egg to the perfect doneness, but it wasn’t as pretty as the first one. The taste of the fried avocado with the soft cooked egg was great. I fried a flour tortilla to use as a base for the avocado/egg and it was good for sopping up the yolk. Don’t get me started on “sopping” because my husband hates sopping of any kind. I guess he just does like experiencing those last little bites/dippings/smears of something so delectable on a plate that you just have to grab something and “sop it up). Hey, it’s better than licking your fingers.

November 29, 2011 By Sherry

Bread/ Morning Foods

Chocolate Raspberry Soup Can Bread

Recycle those soup cans.

How many things can you remember doing with a soup can or for that fact any can.

Did you ever tie strings on them and use them for mini stilts to walk on? I did. Did you ever connect two cans with waxed twine and use them for walkie talkies? My twin sister and I did. Did you use them to hold your marbles or Jacks or even use them to plant flowers in? AND, who doesn’t remember playing kick the can out on a dark street on a hot summer’s night until our mother’s called us home.

Here’s a new use for the can if you haven’t already tried this. I’m making chocolate raspberry loaf in a soup can. I recently had a pumpkin soup can bread in a restaurant in Austin and thought that it was so cute and just couldn’t wait until fall to make it since I always think of pumpkin bread when the leaves start to fall and there’s a chill in the air. The chill in the air in Texas might not come until sometime in December. So I started getting anxious to try some kind of bread in these soup cans I have been saving. I’m sure you could make any quick bread recipe in the cans but I had everything needed for this bread, so chocolate raspberry bread it was going to be. I also noticed that Campbell’s soup cans have a little lip on the inside which might prevent the bread from sliding out whereas the store brand did not have that lip. I think a tuna can would make a cute can of bread or even a mandarin orange or mushroom can would make an individual loaf for each person.

BLAST FROM THE PAST — Garden Vegetable Terrine has been one of my favorite recipes that I make for parties I cater. I finally gave up the recipe a couple of years ago. If you haven’t tried it, you should. If you have tried it, please leave a comment.

September 1, 2011 By Sherry

Bread/ Morning Foods/ Sauces

Chocolate Toffee Scones

You will fall in love with this scone recipe!

Who doesn’t love scones of any type, slathered with Devonshire or clotted cream or lemon curd or strawberry jam.

For some reason I just love baking. I think maybe it is the aroma that fills the kitchen and I’m off in my imaginary world sitting in some English garden with teacup in hand sipping my tea munching on one of these scones and taking in the view of my beautiful garden (one that is not fried from the Texas heat).

We had company coming this past weekend for a bridal shower being held for my daughter and I just happened to have a half bag of toffee bits and some chocolate chips in my pantry and decided it would be a good time to try out this scone recipe. And, since I still had some Devonshire cream in my refrigerator, it was just begging for something to be eaten on.

I love having any kind of homemade baked goods in my freezer ready to bake when I have company or as a special treat for my husband.

Make yourself a pot of tea and either make some Devonshire cream or go out and buy some clotted cream to go with these scones and sit back and enjoy.

August 23, 2011 By Sherry

Bread/ Morning Foods

Lemon-Scented Pull-Apart Bread

Pucker up for this Lemon Bread!

With my daughter’s wedding coming up in October, I’ve been really watching what goes into my mouth. At this time of the game, any weight lost would be appreciated. Well, let me tell you this past two weeks has been a challenge and I think I made it through with flying colors.

It started a couple of weekends ago with my daughter’s dress fitting followed by two days of some great food. That was the end (at least for a while) of me over indulging myself. Then that weekend was followed by me preparing dinner twice for visiting friends and then four days with our niece and her family visiting. Those four days consisted of making ice cream 4 times, grilled pizza, potato breakfast casserole, cheese grits and I have to say not a crumb touched these lips.

My husband is my best critic because he tells it like it is when I ask for his opinion. And, his opinion on this lemon bread is that it is the BEST. My nieces’ family agreed that it was a wonderful bread.

I love Flo Braker’s Sweet Miniature cookbook and when I came across this recipe from her book “Baking for All Occasions” I knew I was going to have to try it. She calls it a cake but to me it is more like a sweet breakfast bread.

July 31, 2011 By Sherry

Bread/ Morning Foods

Raspberry Chocolate Muffins

Raspberries and Chocolate a match made in Heaven.

What is it we crave when we are happy, sad, tired, excited or just about any emotional state we may find ourselves in — CHOCOLATE.

Why do we have chocolate up on a pedestal and why is chocolate (besides roses) is probably the number one seller on Valentine’s Day. I think chocolate does something to our brain chemistry that gives us an euphoric high. So, I say, let’s keep eating it.

Chocolate can be molded into a lot of different shapes like rabbits, eggs, Santas, hearts, chocolate coins and just about anything you can think of can be made into a chocolate shape.

Chocolate does have some health benefits after all. They are full of flavonoids which act as antioxidants. Did you know that dark chocolate contains 8 times the number of antioxidants as strawberries have. Flavonoids also relaxes the blood pressure and helps to balance certain hormones in our bodies. Now if that isn’t enough reason to have a few pieces today, I don’t know what is.

I think we crave chocolate because our bodies are telling us to have fun, relax and enjoy life. Are are last words going to be “I’m glad I didn’t have that bite of double chocolate cheesecake today?” I don’t think so.

I love having treats in my freeze so when my kids are home or someone drops in I have something sweet and delicious to offer them. These muffins are great for breakfast/brunch, a snack, dessert, or for a husband with a sweet tooth looking through the freezer for something he can eat. This muffin is so good, I think you could frost it and call it a cupcake.

July 23, 2011 By Sherry

Bread/ Breads/Biscuits/ Morning Foods

Cheesy Bacon Biscuits

Who doesn’t like bacon? No one!

It is hard to imagine anyone not liking bacon or the smell of bacon. The smell of bacon cooking and sizzling in the morning is awesome and makes you want to jump out of bed and get on with your day.

I know bacon is full of fat but would you honestly turn down a BLT on toast with garden ripe tomatoes and freshly picked lettuce. NEVER. This recipe is a different take on bacon/cheese biscuits like you might get from one of those fast food places that we don’t like to talk about.

I read recently that men prefer the smell of bacon to babies. Ya know, my husband never seemed to be able to smell a dirty diaper on any of our kids and now the grandkids. But, for some reason, he seems to know when I’m cooking bacon. Maybe it is the sizzling sounds coming from the kitchen or me yelling when I get popped in the face with grease splatters.

Bacon can be eaten by itself, put on a cheeseburger, goes wonderfully with eggs (any way), great on salads, wrapped around a stuffed jalapeno and grilled or my FAMOUS Parmesan Bacon Wraps which I have catered for 20 years and they are still a favorite with guest.

July 5, 2011 By Sherry

Morning Foods/ Pastries

Blackberry French Toast

It’s blackberry pickin’ time again.

Last year was my first time to pick blackberries and I couldn’t wait to go again this year. So, armed with some bug spray, sun screen, and some bottles of water, we set out for the farm to pick-pick-pick until we had enough to last for months in my freezer.

Was it ever hot the day we picked the berries. I picked about 12 lbs. before I finally said “uncle” and gave up. It was hot as blue blazes, but did I get some beauties! A couple were the size of a golf ball and I had those laid out on a plate alongside a golf ball to take a picture for you and before I could, someone in my house and I won’t say who (but there are only two of us here) ate the golfball size blackberries.

I don’t know about you, but when I go picking, whether it is strawberries, blackberries, blueberries or any other kind of fruit I seem to get really picky. I look for the plumpest berries I can find, stopping occasionally to pop one or two into my mouth. I don’t think I have ever seen a sign that says “no tasting”. If there were such a sign I would just hold my breath on the way out and hope they don’t ask to see my tongue. If they did, they would find a tongue stained purple from the berries I have been sampling. You have heard of “taste test” haven’t you?

Why is it when we pick things ourselves the foods we prepare with our bounty seems so much better. I made my own peach preserves last year and can’t wait to do it again this year. Even though I don’t eat preserves that often, someone will benefit from my making it though I’m sure. I don’t ever use acronyms when texting or typing but for this recipe, all I can say is OMG this is a delicious recipe.

So on father’s day my husband had something more special than his bowl of Cheerios.

June 21, 2011 By Sherry

Morning Foods

Scotch Eggs

Move over dull dry scrambled eggs.

I have made it clear in the past how I feel about plain old, curdley, dry, hospital tasting scrambled eggs. I am not a fan. I do love egg dishes for breakfast or even dinner and I have posted several recipes here that are now favorites, like my Ham and Egg Brunch Cups, Shirred Eggs with Kale, Souffled Cheddar Egg Nest and the Eggs Benedict with a twist.

Amazing things can be done with a plain ordinary egg so why should anyone every be forced to eat a scrambled egg for breakfast. For instance, throw in a little tomato, cheese, green onions and a little crushed up tortilla chips and serve with some salsa or pico and you have Migas.

Boil an egg, peel it, wrap some uncooked breakfast sausage around it, dip in beaten egg, roll in some bread crumbs and then fry it and you have a Scotch egg. It is so pretty when you cut it open to serve. Add a little fruit on the plate and a good muffin or cinnamon roll and you have a great start to the day.

Scotch Eggs are claimed to be invented by Fortnum & Mason department store in London in 1738. They are usually considered a picnic food and eaten cold. (I like them hot out of the frying pan.) In the US these are served hot with dipping sauces like ranch dressing, hot sauce or hot mustard sauce.

June 7, 2011 By Sherry

Morning Foods/ Side dish/ Vegetables

Sweet Potato Hash

Hash of a different color.

Everyone knows how good sweet potatoes are for your health. They are full of potassium, Vitamin A, low in fat and high in omega 6 fatty acids. Did you know that one small sweet potatoes provides you with twice the daily recommended amount of Vitamin A. That’s amazing.

Several decades the sweet potato was introduced in the southern United States and since that introduction, oh what we have done with them. They are delicious mixed with herbs and spices and different flavorings. They are in every thing from baby food to main dishes, casseroles, salads, and pies like Sweet Potato or even Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. I have done an appetizer with sweet potatoes (coming soon). This past weekend, for my daughter’s birthday dinner, I did a Bobby Flay recipe that had sweet potatoes mixed in with grits and topped with shrimp. Just another delicious sweet potato recipe. This recipe for Sweet Potato Hash is good with just about anything.

June 1, 2011 By Sherry

Egg Dishes/ Morning Foods

Eggs Rothko

Easy, beautiful, and delicious!

Have you ever been to a Rothko exhibit or maybe the Rothko Chapel in Houston? Well the first time I saw a group of Rothko paintings was when my oldest son and I went to Houston for the day to visit a few museums. He wanted to show me the Rothko Chapel and I remember my first impression when I walked into the chapel and what I said, “they are all black”. I mean black on black, black floor, black painted walls. You really needed a flashlight to find your way around the room.

Now, what fun is that. Then when we were in Spain last fall, we went to so many museums and saw just about every famous painting in the world. I remember meandering in and out of rooms and suddenly I’m standing in front of a Rothko painting and thinking to myself – “I know this artist”. Sure enough it was a Rothko. But this painting was not black but all shades of orange to yellow. Even though I love wearing black because I think it’s going to take away a few pounds, I love color and this painting of Rothko was so much more exciting than a whole room of black art.

So what could a black or even an orange painting have to do with this Eggs Rothko recipe. I don’t know, but, a couple of years ago while in NYC we took the subway over to Brooklyn to have breakfast at this tiny little restaurant called The Pig and Egg and had this wonderful egg dish called Eggs Rothko. I wrote down all the ingredients and intended to make it some day and until last week, I totally forgot about wanting to make this.

April 30, 2011 By Sherry

Egg Dishes/ Morning Foods/ Sauces

Eggs Benedict with a Twist

Eggs Benedict revisted.

Don’t you just love finding an updated recipes; recipes that have been around for years and have been given a new twist to make it a little more exciting. I think it is time that a dish like Eggs Benedict get that make over. Is it possible to improve on an English muffin, topped with Canadian bacon, poached egg and hollandaise — of course it is and what an improvement.

Last year on a trip to New Orleans we had breakfast at Dantes Kitchen. The Shrimp and Grits were great, the steak and eggs made with tenderloin, Bearnaise sauce and poached eggs were fantastic and the twist on their Dante’s Eggs Benedict was tasty and interesting. I also had my first milk punch which I can’t wait to make for brunch sometime.

If I had to scrimp on anything on a trip, it would not be on the restaurant or the food. Give me a room with a bed and I’m happy. But, please, don’t make me eat at some fast food, chain restaurant. To me, the best part of traveling is trying new restaurants and food that I haven’t made or eaten before.

So, this Eggs Benedict started with a homemade buttermilk biscuit with a little honey, topped with a slice of rosemary rubbed pork loin, and a poached egg and hollandaise. Like always, I’m thinking, hey, I can make that and here’s my version.

I had some thick cut boneless pork loin roast in my freezer so I sliced it thin, rubbed it with rosemary and olive oil and grilled it quickly on both sides. A little honey, egg and hollandaise and you have the newly dressed Eggs Benedict.

April 21, 2011 By Sherry

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