It’s egg salad, it’s so good, and my version is not the worst thing for ya. So make it, eat it, enjoy it.
Monthly Archives: April 2011
Processed at home…pop tarts.
New category! New category! Are you excited as me? Al right, probably not. But I’m excited about making some processed foods you find in the store, in my kitchen with good ingredients. First up….pop tarts. I’ve had this recipe in the binder for a while. Riley loves the grocery store pop tarts and those toaster strudels that Pillsbury makes. So I thought to myself, these would be so much better if they were homemade with real butter and delicious jam. And they are. They have a flaky, sweet pastry, are dusted with powdered sugar and mine are filled with a delicious organic strawberry jam. I think any jam would be spectacular too. Try ‘em out for breakfast, lunch or any old time of the day. They are good.
Mary Vitti’s Belated Easter Egg Bread
This is a recipe I made for Easter at the Bakery. I made it for this Easter too but never got a chance to post it. Sorry. It’s a recipe from my friend Sal’s mother and it’s really good. I can only imagine growing up in Sal’s house when he was a kid. The house probably smelled so great at every holiday. And the sweet smell of this bread probably wafted through the house announcing that the Easter bunny was on his way. I heard through the grapevine that she sent five loaves out to each family member this year. Five loaves, four brothers and who knows how many grandkids. That’s a lot of bread making. It’s across between a Brioche and Challah bread and it is really delish. It’s dense, sweet and lemony. It’s perfectly tasty alone or with butter or jam spread all over it. It makes one large loaf or four smaller loaves. I opt to make the smaller loaves and give them out to friends. They also freeze very well. Just remove the egg cause you probably won’t want to eat a defrosted egg. One warning: this bread takes all day to make so think ahead, like a day ahead.
White Bean Dip with Parsley Oil
This was a tasty dip to make. Very simple, just cook the dried beans till soft, puree and serve. I think it would be nice to serve at an outdoor party with some homemade pita chips and baby carrots.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried white beans, such as cannellini or navy beans
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 thyme sprig
- 1 bay leaf
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 cup celery leaves
- Flatbread or pita chips, for serving
Directions
- In a medium saucepan, cover the beans with 2 inches of water. Add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Simmer the beans over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2 hours. Add more water as necessary to keep the beans covered by 2 inches.
- Drain the beans and reserve the garlic and 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid. Transfer the beans, garlic, cooking liquid and 1/4 cup of the olive oil to a food processor and puree. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a mini food processor, combine the parsley and celery leaves with the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil and puree. Season with salt and pepper.
- Transfer the white bean dip to a shallow bowl and make a well in the center of the dip with the back of a spoon. Pour the parsley oil into the well and serve with flatbread or pita chips.
Make Ahead
The bean dip and parsley oil can be refrigerated separately for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
I’m loving this right now…….photo booth on Mac.
This application on the MacBook (and probably all Macs) is hilarious. Riley loves playing with it. You can manipulate and take pics with different effects (as seen below). And the movie camera feature is quite entertaining too when you use the effects. Check it out…..
We give photo booth, 5 out of 5 stars.
Tastes like roast chicken.
It really is some seriously yummy roast chicken. I roast one almost every week in the hopes of having some leftovers for salads or wraps. That rarely happens. Most of the meat that’s left is minimal and mostly dark meat. But roast chicken night is so good. I’d like to say I skip the skin but it really is the best part so I almost always have a little piece. I can’t resist. Sometimes I change-up the ingredients to stuff the chicken, an orange instead of a lemon, maybe a different herb. I have this Bavarian seasoning mix that I sprinkle on the skin sometimes that adds a great flavor and no additional salt. I’ve also eliminated the butter and just lightly coated the bird with olive oil to reduce the fat. As far as the veggies roasting under your chicken, I’ve done it but not always. I find the veggies get very greasy from the oil and the bird so I opt to roast the veggies separate so that I can control the oil. It’s a great recipe and turns out delicious and moist every time. No gravy required.
Recipe courtesy of Food Network and Barefoot Contessa
- 1 (5 to 6 pound) roasting chicken
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 large bunch fresh thyme, plus 20 sprigs
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
- 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
- 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1 bulb of fennel, tops removed, and cut into wedges
- Olive oil
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, both halves of lemon, and all the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions, carrots, and fennel in a roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, 20 sprigs of thyme, and olive oil. Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 20 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.
An Ode to Irish Oatmeal
Dear McCann’s Irish Oatmeal,
I’m writing this letter to let you know how I truly feel about you. Each morning I wake up, I feed and change the baby. I help myself to a cup of coffee that my husband so generously prepared. Riley wakes up and I fill her sippy cup with apple juice. She usually asks for a pop tart or some cereal in a cup, dry. I feed the baby again, baby food this time. Riley watches t.v., usually Sesame Street or something on Nickelodeon Jr. I make her something for breakfast, a small bagel or more cereal. The kids are finally settled as I prepare my 1/2 cup of you, Irish oatmeal. I pull all the necessary ingredients out of my pantry and line them up on the counter. Oatmeal, check, Craisins, check, protein powder, check, skim milk, check, cinnamon, check, bowl, check, spoon, check. I add skim milk, eye balling the measurement to a 1/2 cup of you, oatmeal and heat you in the microwave for 1 minute. I add some milk to my shaker, add protein powder and proceed to shake. I add this to you, oatmeal, stir, and cook for another 30 seconds. I grab my bird oven mitt, put it under the bowl and rest it on the counter. I give you a good stir, add a handful of craisins and a sprinkle of cinnamon. I sit on my couch and I dig in. You are super creamy, thick, with a light sweetness and with each bite, I get a tart dried cranberry. I relax, watch kids t.v., eat you until I’m scraping the bowl clean. I love you oatmeal. Every bite of you. I will admit, I have strayed from you in the past. I’ve purchased your nemesis, rolled oats in the bulk section of the natural food market. I thought he was a good substitute and at only $.50 a pound, it was an economical choice. But after preparing it, I found there was no substitute for you. You are the best Monday through Friday breakfast food out there. There’s nothing else I’d rather have during the week. Cereal? Nah. Toast? Are you kidding? Irish Oatmeal. You are my one true love.
Look how you glisten in the morning sun......ahhhh oatmeal.
Strawberry-Shortcake Cookies
No doubt, these are the real deal. They have that soft texture of a shortcake biscuit but with generous punches of strawberry sweetness. You can’t get a bite without strawberries, there’s two cups in there for crying out loud! And yes, they are super easy to make. I made these for someone who loves strawberry desserts, at least I think she still does, and would prefer these over anything chocolate. Crazy huh? But these people exist. I should note, I was out of sanding sugar so I used some red crystal sprinkles I had leftover from Valentine’s Day. I also used Kosher salt and got a salty taste with every bite. Not too overpowering though. Just enough. Eat these within a day or two. They soften up very quickly with the moisture of the fruit and will get moldy after just 3 or 4 days. I don’t think that will be a problem.
Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart Living
Ingredients
- 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
- Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Craisin Cookies
If this isn’t comfort food, I don’t know what is. I made these after I bought a butt-load of rolled oats at the natural food market. I intended to use the oats for oatmeal but they never really cooked down enough for me. I don’t really like chewy oatmeal. I do however love chewy oatmeal cookies and that’s what you’ll get with this recipe. You could easily substitute just raisins or craisins, or even semi-sweet chocolate chips. But I really like this combination. The cranberries give a little tartness while the raisins add the sweet. Yum. Serve them just out of the oven with a glass of milk or a nice cup of tea. If you can make a chocolate chip cookie, you can make these.
Transformation update: 3 days to go….
Yup, only three days left and hitting my goal is getting tougher and tougher. Especially after my trainer weighed me today to find I maintained my weight and gained 1% body fat. You friggen carbs! You’re killin’ me here. So for the final three days I’m off carbs and focusing on proteins and greens. No sugar, ouch, and lots of leg lifts each night. Grrrrr. I’m hoping to lose at least another 1% body fat and 3 pounds by Thursday morning. That’s gonna be rough. I’m getting in some cardio each day and going for a spray tan the day before pics are taken. I just hope I don’t look like someone from Jersey Shore after Wednesday. Go easy, spray tan lady.
In the meantime, here’s a very light salad, and I mean light. You may need a serious snack after it or add some protein on the side.
