Bacon, Egg and Goat Cheese Breakfast Sandwiches

While I was gone with Andrew at swim class this morning, Dad was busy back at home, devising an innovative breakfast sandwich.
It was divine!!
I will describe how to make 1 sandwich:

Need:
1 Dash of freshly ground pepper
1 Dash of freshly ground sea salt
1 tb soft goat cheese
1 minced green onion (green part only)
1 English muffin
1 egg
1 tb of milk
1/2 tsp Trader Joe's Green Olive Tapenade
1 Thick-cut slice bacon

Fry up the bacon.
In a small bowl, mix softened goat cheese with 1/2 tb of milk. A small whisk or spoon will do.
Toast an English muffin then spread both sides with goat cheese mixture.
Whisk together egg, remaining milk and, tapenade. Heat a skillet over medium and pour the egg in. Allow to cook without handling, then carefully fold cooked sides over and put on muffin.
Top with bacon, green onions, assemble sandwich, and devour!
The fearless taster had a big bite and liked it even though he was previously satiated on chocolate.
Such a tasty treat and quite easy to make, a great new recipe!!
Thanks to Alex ♥

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Fruit Cookies

Hail to cooking inspiration! The other day while at Trader Joe's, I was browsing their marvelous assortment of dried fruits and nuts and trail mixes. It dawned on me that I should try using some dried fruit in my next cookie batch!
Before Andrew, it was a common wintertime activity for me to make chocolate chip cookies with pecans. In fact, it was so common, I am surprised this tried and true recipe is not on the blog yet! Well, regardless, this new recipe is healthier and tastes great! It was even 'healthy enough' that I allowed my child to eat cookies for dinner!

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened but still cool
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups rolled oats (preferable but instant are fine)
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup dried fruit, of personal preference (tried blend of strawberries, blueberries and cranberries)

Adjust oven racks to low and middle positions (for 2 cookie sheets). Preheat to 350º (325º for nonstick cookie sheets). Spray with nonstick spray or cover in parchment.

In a medium bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt.

Either by hand or with a mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. A Kitchenaid stand mixer is perfect for this. Add the sugars; beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time.

While mixing as minimally as necessary, add the flour mixture. Once combined, add all the oats and blend. Then add the chocolate and fruit.

You can use the dough right off or, as I did, save it for tomorrow. Make sure to tightly wrap any dough you put in the fridge (or freezer, too). Any fats (butter) quickly absorb other odors in the fridge (onion scented cookies, anyone?).

Scoop 2 tablespoons of dough with a spoon and place on sheets, 2" apart. Try to keep the tops looking rough and don't over-handle the dough, rather pat together any crumbly dough parts.

Bakes until the edges are golden and some of the tops turn light golden, around 20 minutes, switching cookie sheet locations halfway through (top to bottom, front to back).

The cookies should be removed to a rack to stop browning (don't burn them!) and are cool enough to eat in about 10 minutes.

Share the love with your friends and they will disappear fast!
So fast that you won't even remember to take a photo of them! ;D

Shime Saba Oshi Zushi (Marinated Mackerel Pressed Sushi)

Ahhh~~~ Finally for me, a 'zen' moment making sushi.

In case you didn't read my food blog misadventure making marinated mackerel with a fish, that wasn't in fact mackerel, you may understand why it took me a couple years to give it a try again.

Finally there is a reliable local fish market that sells fish specifically for making sushi! I even gave Sakanaya kudos by writing a Yelp review.

First, I coated a frozen fillet of the Norwegian mackerel in kosher salt and refrigerated it a few hours to thaw. I understand it should be salted for at least 30 minutes. It was still slightly frozen but with handling, thawed right out. Rinse the salt off well and pat it well to dry with paper towels.

Create your marinade according to personal taste. I used unseasoned rice vinegar 10 parts to maybe 1 part mirin. I found a mixture similar to this, maybe slightly heavier in mirin, to be ideal for seasoning the sushi rice.

Submerge the fish and let it soak for 1-2 hours. The acids will cause the flesh to turn white, basically cooking it (as in, ceviche). I was impatient and it was getting late so I marinated for only 30 minutes which was fine.

Make your sushi rice. Use Japanese short grain rice. Before I bought a bag of sushi rice at the big Asian market, I used California-grown sushi rice. I was fine but I am happy with my current batch.

Measure according to need. I found 3/4 cup of rice to be plenty for myself.
Put the rice into a mesh sieve and over a bowl of water. Put your hands in and move the rice around. When the water is milky white, change for a fresh bowl. This will typically take 3 bowl-fulls until it is mostly clear. Drain the water and let the rice sit in the strainer for 30 minutes or so.

I made the rice using kombu (a type of dried kelp) for the first time.
Kombu lends flavor that is deep, complex, almost vaguely smoky. It is an essential ingredient in making miso soup. I purchased some at Whole Foods but certainly any health food store should have it. Can you believe there is a blog dedicated to kombu? http://www.umamiinfo.com/ is also a fascinating site.

Use a piece around 2 x 4" and slice it with scissors to help release flavor.
Put the sushi rice in a small pot with cover, pour in 3/4 cup of water a place the kombu on top.
Bring to boil over medium heat. Once boiling, cook for 3-5 minutes and adjust heat in case the saucepan boils over.
Reduce heat to very low and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Lift the lid and remove the kombu.

Transfer rice to a bowl and initially sprinkle with seasoned vinegar. Gently mix and add more seasoning, until it tastes how you'd like.

Remove mackerel from marinade and carefully peel off outer skin. It helps to start from the underbelly corner (white). Some of the iridescent skin may peel off with it but try peeling from a new spot if flesh comes off.

Put your fillet on a plate and have a good pair of tweezers handy to pull out any small bones. You will definitely know they are there because the fish should not feel grisly.

Next:
Making Pressed Sushi

First off, find a suitable container to press your sushi in. I found metal mini-loaf pans to be ideal. They cool down fast and the width was the same of the filet I worked with.

Line your container with plastic wrap (once squished down, lifts out easily).
Slice your mackerel into perfect little filets and arrange in the container. Keep in mind how it will look, unmolded. The shiny skin has a lot of appeal. It is also fine to show off the evenly cut sides.

Optionally, thin slice up some green onions and mix with some sushi rice. I made some with the green onions and some without and I have to say the green onions are a must! If you leave them out they can also be used as a garnish.

Always use damp hands to work with super-sticky sushi rice. Portion some on top of the fish, wash or wipe your rice-hands then top the rice with plastic wrap and press down. It helps to have containers that nest but your own hands feel more and that is fine.

I refrigerated overnight and ate the delectable little pieces for lunch... And dinner the next day! The taster also had a piece and- get this- ate just the fish, not the rice!
What he really wanted (and had) for dinner: some fresh-baked Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Fruit Cookies.
More sushi for me ;D.











Take a 2 x 4" piece of kombu and cut slits in it.

Cavatappi Pasta Bake

I was under the gun: dinner idea and shopping spree in under 10 minutes at Shaw's. (This was my last chance at shopping freedom before school pick-up). A personal challenge.
Call to the co-executor while enroute: pasta entree, o.k.'d (this is always an important step in consideration of cooking).
Ruminated over Cabot recipe seen on internet earlier (Make-Ahead Stuffed Shells with Cabot White Cheddar Cheese). While on shopping spree I kept that inspiration alive and went with my own ingredients.

Makes 2 smaller casseroles or one 9 x 13" (cut up and freezer friendly).
12 lunch servings (serve with a side salad) or 8 if you're hungry.

cook 1/2 of 16 oz package of pasta of choice
3/4 jar Shaw's 'Culinary Circle' Three Forest Mushroom Pasta Sauce (you'll swear there's meat in it)
Bag of spinach (prewashed, baby-ish sized leaves), chopped
small .75 oz fresh basil, more finely chopped than spinach
Microwave spinach & basil in covered casserole, enough to cook, 3 minutes or so. Allow to cool and squeeze out excess moisture (there will be a lot) using a cheesecloth or trusty thin dish towel.

1/2 bar of cream cheese, 1/3 less fat
15 oz container part skim ricotta cheese, any excess liquid drained off
1 egg
Combine in a mixing bowl with a mixer, well. Add pepper, a dose of italian dried herbs and garlic powder. Add spinach-basil mix.

Grate 8 oz low fat mozzarella (Shaw's) and 4 oz Romano cheese (Stella)
Add half of each gratings to mixer and combine. Reserve appropriate remainder for topping.

Layer pasta sauce, pasta, cream mix, pasta sauce, pasta, cream mix, then top with cheese.

Bake in preheated 375º oven for 30 minutes. Turn up to 425º and cook 5 minutes longer. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving (yet allow additional 5 minutes to cool).

Make up salads (store salad bar comes in handy) to serve with Good Seasons Italian dressing.

Optionally, include pitted kalamata olives and parsley.

Very delicious- and an easy dinner for a couple other nights!

Microwave from frozen carefully, at half power then full, maybe even finishing in toaster oven.

Kid-Friendly Pineapple

I *love* pineapple! This time of year, it seems to be plentiful.
Know what a nice and ripe fruit smells like (very aromatic) and snag it!

You will know they're special when you walk by a display and the aroma brings you in closer. As pineapples fully ripen, almost to the point of spoilage, their antioxidant levels actually increase.

Check out this link about the benefits of pineapple.

Use a sharp knife to remove the outer skin and occasional small seeds.

The best way to remove the, grisly core from 1/4-1/2" thick slices was to use some small cookie cutters. Keep the cores, the edges are still good to gnaw on. Yum!

Mom's Meatloaf

Mom's Meatloaf

Recipe courtesy Charity Boyd of the South Side Soda Shop and Diner, Goshen, IN

Food Network Show: Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
This show is a favorite of Alex and mine lately. Really lots of great ideas. This meatloaf is good, the only change I would make next time is to saute the onion. This seems to help reduce the 'onion burps' afterward.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
  
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound ground beef (80% lean)
  
• 1/2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 cup bread crumbs (I used more like 1/2 cup Panko)
  
• 1 cup ketchup (also used less, just enough to top it)
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix together the horseradish, mustard, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

In large bowl, mix ground beef, onion, egg, and Worcestershire sauce. Add contents of small bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the bread crumbs and combine well.

Place mixture into a 1-pound loaf pan. Pour ketchup over top and place in oven.

Bake uncovered for 45 to 60 minutes.

Almost-Famous Soft Pretzels

I've always loved Auntie Annie's pretzels. It's been a desire of mine to somehow recreate them at home. This recipe is pretty dead-on. The only thing I didn't work out yet is a good honey-mustard dip. I had mine with mustard, Andrew ate his with honey and Alex had his, straight up. I froze the remaining 3, hoping they should reheat well for a snack sometime.
My biggest challenge was actually forming the pretzels. Check out some youtube videos to get the knack of it.

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk (low fat is fine)
  
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/3 cup baking soda
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt

Directions

Make the pretzels: Warm the milk until it's about 110-120 degrees; sprinkle in the yeast. Let the yeast soften, about 2 minutes; stir in the brown sugar and 1 cup flour. I used a stand mixer with a dough hook but you could also mix by hand with a wooden spoon. Dice 2 tablespoons butter and soften; stir into the mix. Add the remaining 1 1/4 cups flour and the fine salt to make a sticky dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if needed, until smooth but still slightly tacky, about 5 minutes. I found it necessary to add a lot more flour to this sticky dough. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and grease a large baking sheet. Punch the dough to deflate it, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface. (If the dough seems tight, cover and let rest until it relaxes.) Divide the dough into 6 pieces. Roll and stretch each piece with the palms of your hands into a 30-inch rope, holding the ends and slapping the middle of the rope on the counter as you stretch. Form each rope into a pretzel shape.

Dissolve the baking soda in 3 cups warm water in a shallow dish. Gently dip each pretzel in the soda solution, then arrange on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with the coarse salt. I used two sheets, three pretzels on each. Be careful not to over salt. Bake until golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Brush on some melted butter so it's glistening.