Omelet for Two

Let me start by saying I love weekend breakfasts with the family.  We sit and take our time and talk about what we are going to do that day.  However, sometimes the kids are in a hurry to get outside and play, and my husband and I can enjoy a nice quiet breakfast together.  I love those days too!

This recipe came from Ina Garten.  I do love every cookbook that I have of hers.  And I do have EVERY COOKBOOK.  Even one with her signature!  I know whatever I make will be good!  This recipe can also be found online at:  www.foodnetwork.com

I chopped four slices of Canadian bacon.  The recipe called for regular bacon, but I don't buy it and just substituted with this.  Use what you like.

Brown the bacon in a skillet for about 5 minutes and set aside.

Saute onion and potato in an oven safe skillet for 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime scramble the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Add scallions and cubed cheese.

Put bacon back into the skillet with the potatoes.

Add egg mixture to potato and bacon.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

Cut into four pieces and enjoy!

I didn't have the cheddar cheese, so I used colby jack and it was delicious!

Serve with whole wheat toast.

I couldn't resist adding that my husband made us all lunch that day, since I was getting some business work done around that time.  He made us mini roast beef sandwiches:

What a sweetie!  : ) 

Cornmeal-Crusted Roasted Ratatouille Tart

This recipe comes from Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave cookbook.  I have always wanted to make ratatouille and when I saw this tart recipe and a garden full of veggies, I couldn't resist.  The crust is made of cornmeal, which is something I've never tried before.  I loved this!  My family did too.  I hope your family enjoys it as well.  Here is what I did:

Prepare the cornmeal crust and press it into a tart pan with removable sides.

Place foil on top of the crust and pie weights (or weigh it down with uncooked rice).  Place on a sheet pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. 

Saute two shallots in olive oil.

Slice eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes 1/4 inch thick.  Brush with olive oil and add salt and pepper to veggies.   Roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.  (To cut these I used a mandolin to ensure they would be the same size and cook evenly.)

Remove sheet pans and allow to cool for at least five minutes.

Lay the eggplant layer in the bottom of the tart pan.

Add mozzarella and basil on top of the eggplant.

Next layer the zucchini slices.

Sprinkle shallots on top of the zucchini.

Another layer of cheese and basil.

Add the roasted tomatoes next.

Add remaining mozzarella cheese, basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Let the tart rest on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.

YUM.

I served it with grilled flank steak.  To prep the flank steak, I scored it on a diagonal (both ways), which is what gives the look of the X marks on the steak.  I added seasonings, fresh lime juice and olive oil.  Placed it in a Ziplock bag and let it set for an hour.  Turned the gas grill (MY FREE GRILL THAT I WON) on to medium.  Grill it on both sides for about 4 minutes per side.

All I can say is give it a try!  You will not be disappointed!

You can find the recipe here:  www.foodnetwork.com

Shrimp in Saffron Broth and Couscous with Golden Raisins

Are you ready to try something new?  This is a great dish to try.  I am working my way through my Martha Stewart Dinner at Home cookbook.  My whole family enjoyed this dish (kids included).  Lets just get right to it!

Chop two cups fennel bulb and one cup carrots.  Heat a saute pan and add 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, add the chopped veggies and 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads.  I got mine at Trader Joe's.  Cook for about 4 minutes. 

Season 1 1/2 pounds of peeled and deveined shrimp (about 21-25 count).  Add them to the pan and cook for one minute, then turn them over.  Add 1/2 cup dry white wine and 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock.

On another burner cook Israeli couscous.  Add golden raisins, salt, pepper and a tablespoon of unsalted butter.

Serve shrimp, veggies and broth over the couscous.

Enjoy!!

You can find the recipe's here:  www.marthastewart.com

Drunko Bunko Cakes....Margarita, Strawberry Daiquiri, and Guiness Chocolate Cake with Baileys

BUNCO!  What is it?  Well it's not for old ladies anymore!  I started a Bunco group in July of 2009 and it has become something we all look forward to every month.  It is a dice game...when we actually get to playing it.  It is a night for the girls to get together and eat, drink and gamble.  Our group puts in $10 each...that is where the gambling comes in.  We rotate houses every month and this month was my turn.  I couldn't resist making Bunco dice cakes loaded with alcohol.

The white die is a Margarita Cake.  The recipe came from RecipeGirl.com.  I made my own buttercream tequila frosting in addition to her tequila glaze.  And yes, it is awesome! 

The pink die is a Strawberry Daiquiri Cake.  I used Martha Stewart's white cake recipe from her Home Baking Handbook because originally I was going to make a White Russian Cake.  That will be posted in November for my Dad's birthday!  The Daiquiri Cake's frosting is a buttercream Bacardi frosting.  

The purple die is a Guinness Chocolate Cake with Baileys Frosting.  I made the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes from Annie's Eats for a previous party I had, but this time I found the cake recipe on the karott.com website under Guinness desserts.  Don't worry if you are not a Guinness fan, it doesn't taste like beer, it just adds a great, rich flavor to the cake.  I did use the frosting recipe from Annie's Eats for the Bailey's frosting, but doubled it since I made a cake.

Let's get started!

I know what you are thinking.  "You are making alcoholic cakes and your son is helping?"  Well the answer is yes.  He was in the baking mood so he helped me prepare the margarita cake.  Up until the alcohol got involved.  This is Marcus.  He is my youngest son and the one who bakes with me the most.

He creamed the butter and sugar for me in the mixer.  He is a pro at this step.

He also added the eggs, one at a time.  We cracked them into a separate bowl to be sure no egg shells got into the batter.

I zested the lemon.  He told me it was too stinky of a job.  I love the smell of lemon, so I was happy to help him out.

Juicing a lemons and limes takes muscle.  If you look at his face, you can see him straining to get all the juice out of that lemon.

He loves to use the measure all cup to push out the yogurt, so I filled it with lemon yogurt and he pushed it into the mixer and turned it on to mix all the ingredients.

I poured the batter into a 9 x 11 inch cake pan lined with buttered parchment paper.  Then put it into a preheated 350 degree oven to bake for 30 minutes.

While the cake was baking, I prepared the glaze and frosting.  The glaze is made of sugar, lime juice, water, and tequila.

Invert the cake onto a cooling rack.  Peel off the parchment paper.  Then brush the glaze onto the cake.

For the buttercream frosting I mixed 1 cup of butter, 3 cups of confectioners sugar, lemon juice and 6-8 tablespoons of tequila. 

I cut the cake into pieces to stack into the die shape.  (I am not a math whiz at all and this took me forever to figure out.  I would have measured them bigger if I knew how things would go.)

Now for the Guinness Chocolate Cake

In a heavy saucepan, heat butter, Guinness, and cocoa powder until butter melts. Let cool.

Sift dry ingredients together.

Add the eggs and sour cream and beat 2 minutes on medium speed.  Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

To prepare Baileys frosting mix 1 cup of butter, 3 cups of confectioners sugar, and 8-10 tablespoons of Baileys Irish Cream.

The white cake recipe can be found at www.marthastewart.com, I substituted 1/2 tsp Bacardi for the vanilla, and added 2 tablespoons daiquiri mix to the batter.

To prepare the Strawberry Daiquiri buttercream I mixed 1 cup of butter, 3 cups confectioners sugar, 7 tablespoons Bacardi, and 5 tablespoons of daiquiri mix.

For the dots I melted about one cup of Ghirardelli chocolate chips and spread it onto parchment paper.  Allow this to harden and then use an apple corer to punch out chocolate circles and just push them onto the cake. 

This shows the dice I modeled the cakes after.  Our Bunco group has a different color set of dice at each table.  I thought it would be cool to incorporate them all to one cake.

These are amazingly delicious!!!  I love them all, but especially liked making the the margarita cake...TEQUILA!  Enjoy making your own!