Home alone tonight since Mom's colleagues are taking her out to dinner so an opportunity to try something new. The other day I bought a can of anchovies on a lark since I had not had them in decades; last night we had stir fry and there is rice left over; the chickens have been laying eggs faster than we can eat them - sounds like the foundation for a plan.
Melt some butter in the skillet, add the rice, season with black pepper, add the anchovies and bring up to heat. Scramble two eggs, add S&P, and add to the skillet. Cook gently while toasting rye bread.
If you don't object to salty, fishy, anchovy flavor this is really good.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Monday, November 11, 2013
Because veggies are better with cheese
Hey folks,
Admittedly I haven't been cooking very much this fall. Cooking for one isn't a ton of fun. But I have started cooking a full size version of something on Sunday and then just eating that all week.
This week I sauteed a bunch of veggies together and threw it in a pan with some polenta and cheese. Pretty tasty and a quick meal. I like anything that gives me lots of veggies in one punch, so this was a great thing to make in the beginning of the week to have on hand.
Here's what a did...
Chop up and throw in a pan with some olive oil the following
Admittedly I haven't been cooking very much this fall. Cooking for one isn't a ton of fun. But I have started cooking a full size version of something on Sunday and then just eating that all week.
This week I sauteed a bunch of veggies together and threw it in a pan with some polenta and cheese. Pretty tasty and a quick meal. I like anything that gives me lots of veggies in one punch, so this was a great thing to make in the beginning of the week to have on hand.
Here's what a did...
Chop up and throw in a pan with some olive oil the following
- eggplant
- zucchini
- mushrooms
- broccoli (steamed it first)
- garlic
- onion
- spinach (wait til the other veggies have cooked for a bit and then throw it in at the end to wilt)
Once the veggies are done, add some tomato sauce and heat through. Throughout this period throw in whatever spices catch your eye. I did salt, pepper, oregano, and basil mostly.
Then slice some polenta lengthwise and layer it in the bottom of a 9x13 pan (greased). On top of the polenta, put some mozzarella cheese, then the veggie/tomato sauce mixture, then more cheese.
Bake it til the cheese is melted. Eat.
Cheap, easy, relatively healthy if you aren't offended by cheese.
Molly
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Savory french toast plus
In the middle of making french toast for breakfast the other day, I decided I didn't want anything sweet to start my day. So, I decided to try to make a savory version of french toast. My idea was inspired in part by a favorite recipe of ours for a savory bread pudding, since bread pudding and french toast are basically the same thing. I ended up making the french toast into an open-faced sandwich, and it was a real winner.
Mix together eggs and milk just like you would for regular french toast. Then, instead of adding cinnamon, vanilla, and maple syrup (which, by the way, makes a bangin' regular french toast), add some dried tarragon, salt, and pepper. Soak your bread in the mix and cook on your griddle as for regular french toast. In the mean time, caramelize some onions or cook them up a bit on one side of your griddle. Wilt some arugula, if that's your thing (it's mine). When the french toast is done, put some arugula on top, top with sliced swiss or cheddar cheese and place under the broiler briefly to melt the cheese. Top with a heap of onions and enjoy!Here's a picture of mine from this morning and one of Aleks enjoying his.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Basmati Eggs
I often like to put a little bit of left over rice in scrambled eggs. The other day we happened to have a little left over basmati rice from ghobi and channa masala the night before so I tried using it in a scrambled egg the next morning. What a great idea! Don't try to use any other strong seasoning in the eggs; it will overpower the subtle flavor of the basmati rice. This morning, I did not have any rice left over, so I made a 1/4 cup of basmati rice to add to our scrambled eggs, served with a spinach, lettuce, and beet green salad with tarragon vinaigrette dressing. The fall greens are in and we are swimming in fresh spinach; life is good.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
School lunches
Have you seen an elementary school lunch menu lately? Disgusting! Probably about what it was when we were kids, but ugh. So, I usually pack Will a lunch, usually leftovers. We're running low on those tonight, so I just packed him a lunch of pepper and carrot sticks, a sliced apple, and thick slices of homemade bread with natural peanut butter. Made me think of Mom. Man, I remember just wishing Mom would "get it" and pack us wonder bread with Skippy peanut butter and a tasty cake so we could be "normal."
(So far my lunches, which usually consist of leftovers, haven't driven Will to buying the school lunch. What does he care? He doesn't eat it anyway. As soon as the kids raise their hand to say they are done eating they're allowed to go outside for recess. Given that the only other recess of the day is 15 minutes in the morning, you can imagine that Will doesn't sit still long enough to eat much.)
Just made me think of family and I wanted to say hi.
What's your favorite packed lunch these days? I always get happy for black beans and rice - they taste great and feel good in my belly all afternoon.
-Maggie
(So far my lunches, which usually consist of leftovers, haven't driven Will to buying the school lunch. What does he care? He doesn't eat it anyway. As soon as the kids raise their hand to say they are done eating they're allowed to go outside for recess. Given that the only other recess of the day is 15 minutes in the morning, you can imagine that Will doesn't sit still long enough to eat much.)
Just made me think of family and I wanted to say hi.
What's your favorite packed lunch these days? I always get happy for black beans and rice - they taste great and feel good in my belly all afternoon.
-Maggie
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Zucchini Carrot Muffins
HELLO hello hello hello
Is anyone out there? Phew we've been slacking lately. But I'm bringing it back! Fall is coming (so I'm told, we're still hitting 100 here) and it's time for a new bunch of recipes.
I'm now cooking for one and trying to lose a little weight, which makes grocery shopping no fun. However, I saw this recipe on one of the blogs I check and had to give it a shot. I made them today, and they're delicious!
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups zucchini, finely grated (probably about 2 zucchini)
1 cup carrot, peeled & finely grated (probably about 4 carrots)
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter, cooled
1 cup flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries (I subbed dried cranberries)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line or grease your muffin tin.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix until well combined. (I also added some other fall spices, nutmeg, cardamom, etc.).
In a large bowl, combine the grated zucchini, grated carrot, egg, and melted butter. At first it may seem like you don't have any "liquid" but just mix it a bit and it'll suddenly look like a batter due to the water in the veggies.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. Add the chopped pecans and dried cherries (or crans). Stir.
Divide into the muffin tins and bake for 20-23 minutes.
I made a half recipe and it worked out well. They are heavy when you pick them up. Really good.
Happy fall!
Molly
Is anyone out there? Phew we've been slacking lately. But I'm bringing it back! Fall is coming (so I'm told, we're still hitting 100 here) and it's time for a new bunch of recipes.
I'm now cooking for one and trying to lose a little weight, which makes grocery shopping no fun. However, I saw this recipe on one of the blogs I check and had to give it a shot. I made them today, and they're delicious!
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 cups zucchini, finely grated (probably about 2 zucchini)
1 cup carrot, peeled & finely grated (probably about 4 carrots)
1 egg
2 tbsp melted butter, cooled
1 cup flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup dried cherries (I subbed dried cranberries)
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line or grease your muffin tin.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix until well combined. (I also added some other fall spices, nutmeg, cardamom, etc.).
In a large bowl, combine the grated zucchini, grated carrot, egg, and melted butter. At first it may seem like you don't have any "liquid" but just mix it a bit and it'll suddenly look like a batter due to the water in the veggies.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine. Add the chopped pecans and dried cherries (or crans). Stir.
Divide into the muffin tins and bake for 20-23 minutes.
I made a half recipe and it worked out well. They are heavy when you pick them up. Really good.
Happy fall!
Molly
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
How to eat 2.5 pounds of spinach in a week...
I have become a big fan of greens over the past several years. Swiss chard was my favorite for a while, then I learned some of the joys of kale, and I have now moved on to arugula as my favorite. Somewhere along the way spinach became a bit "meh" to me. It cooks down soooo much, and it doesn't have the flavor of chard or arugula. But, when I saw a 2.5 pound bag of baby spinach for $2.99 at Costco the other day, I couldn't resist. I figured if nothing else, I could steam it and freeze it, to pull out at some point when all the other veggies had been used up. In the end, we, including the kids, ate the entire bag before the week was out. AND (and this is a huge and) Will asked if we could go get another bag and now goes around singing "Spinach, spinach, oh how I love spinach, spinach." Disclaimer, pretty much all of his love of spinach is confined to one thing I made, but still, I considered that a pretty huge success to come from someone who previously wouldn't touch anything green. So, how do you eat 2.5 pounds of spinach in a week...?
1) Spinach w/tahini sauce. - w/ grilled steaks and roasted mixed russet and sweet potatoes w/oregano.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spinach-with-Tahini-1222193
Basically, steam a colander-full of spinach or cook it however you like. Puree or mix together a clove of garlic, 3 T tahini, 1 1/2-2 T lemon juice, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/4 c water. Pour the sauce on the spinach and enjoy. The tahini and lemon juice complement the flavor of the greens a lot. I think this would also be good with arugula.
2) Spinach rice casserole:
Cook 2 c of rice. Cook a colander-full or two of spinach, the chop. Add a cup or two of grated cheddar cheese and 2-3 cloves of minced garlic to the rice. Mix together three eggs, ~1/3-1/2 c milk, salt, pepper, mustard powder, and some nutmeg, then stir into the rice. (Best to let the rice cool a bit before adding the eggs, if possible, but if everyone is getting hungry, just add the eggs and stir quickly, and you'll be okay.) Spread into a buttered casserole. (I used a 9 X 13 pan to make it shallower and thus help it cook more quickly.) Bake at 375 for 20-25 min. It's a one-pot-wonder - Yum!
3) Spinach banana smoothies
This is the one Will liked so much. You can play around with the proportions to find what you like.
Puree together 1-2 bananas, another colander-full of spinach, two peaches, and ~1/2-3/4 c yogurt. I think it helps if either the bananas or peaches have been pre-sliced and frozen. You don't need to add any liquid. It seems odd at first, but the spinach releases plenty of water to make a nice smoothie. Tonight we had this again as our vegetable/fruit with our "breakfast for dinner" of sweet potato hash browns and eggs.
4) Spanish spinach and white beans
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spanish-White-Beans-with-Spinach-356051
This recipe was okay, as written. I would definitely start things off by frying up some bacon next time.
Fry up some bacon. Remove the bacon, then cook an onion and some garlic in the grease. Add 1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 t smoked paprika (I just used regular - maybe part of my problem with my version of this dish). Stir in 2 19 oz cans of white beans (I have no idea how many I used. I just threw in all the ones I had cooked and frozen in my freezer, about 1/2 a gallon bag full) and two colanders-full of spinach, along with some water. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Crumble the bacon and add back. There should be a decent amount of sauce, and I recommend eating it spooned onto bread. Healthy and pretty tasty.
5) With sausage and sauerkraut sandwiches. Did I mention I'm trying to clean out my freezer and fridge in preparation for moving? Well, I had a lot of sauerkraut in there, so I bought some brats and grilled them up to make sandwiches. Then I started thinking I needed more vegetable, but the only thing we had was the 2.5 pound bag of spinach. So I cooked up a bunch. Aleks and I put it underneath the sauerkraut in our sandwiches, and couldn't tell the difference. The kids were not so easily fooled, perhaps because they were already so suspicious of the sauerkraut. I really need to move them some place more German, so they can grow up right!
One final note: I don't like slimy steamed greens, and almost every time I try to cook them in a pot that's what I end up with (or else they burn due to lack of water). I've found that microwaving them in an uncovered bowl is my favorite method of cooking them. Just put in a bowl and microwave for a minute or two. They cook down, but not completely, and they don't get all wet and slimy.
And that is how we used up a huge bag of spinach in one week. The only problem was that I didn't have any left over to try Andy's power-of-tower breakfast on the weekend. I'll get there...
1) Spinach w/tahini sauce. - w/ grilled steaks and roasted mixed russet and sweet potatoes w/oregano.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spinach-with-Tahini-1222193
Basically, steam a colander-full of spinach or cook it however you like. Puree or mix together a clove of garlic, 3 T tahini, 1 1/2-2 T lemon juice, 1/4 t. salt, and 1/4 c water. Pour the sauce on the spinach and enjoy. The tahini and lemon juice complement the flavor of the greens a lot. I think this would also be good with arugula.
2) Spinach rice casserole:
Cook 2 c of rice. Cook a colander-full or two of spinach, the chop. Add a cup or two of grated cheddar cheese and 2-3 cloves of minced garlic to the rice. Mix together three eggs, ~1/3-1/2 c milk, salt, pepper, mustard powder, and some nutmeg, then stir into the rice. (Best to let the rice cool a bit before adding the eggs, if possible, but if everyone is getting hungry, just add the eggs and stir quickly, and you'll be okay.) Spread into a buttered casserole. (I used a 9 X 13 pan to make it shallower and thus help it cook more quickly.) Bake at 375 for 20-25 min. It's a one-pot-wonder - Yum!
3) Spinach banana smoothies
This is the one Will liked so much. You can play around with the proportions to find what you like.
Puree together 1-2 bananas, another colander-full of spinach, two peaches, and ~1/2-3/4 c yogurt. I think it helps if either the bananas or peaches have been pre-sliced and frozen. You don't need to add any liquid. It seems odd at first, but the spinach releases plenty of water to make a nice smoothie. Tonight we had this again as our vegetable/fruit with our "breakfast for dinner" of sweet potato hash browns and eggs.
4) Spanish spinach and white beans
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spanish-White-Beans-with-Spinach-356051
This recipe was okay, as written. I would definitely start things off by frying up some bacon next time.
Fry up some bacon. Remove the bacon, then cook an onion and some garlic in the grease. Add 1/2 c sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 t smoked paprika (I just used regular - maybe part of my problem with my version of this dish). Stir in 2 19 oz cans of white beans (I have no idea how many I used. I just threw in all the ones I had cooked and frozen in my freezer, about 1/2 a gallon bag full) and two colanders-full of spinach, along with some water. Cook until the spinach is wilted. Crumble the bacon and add back. There should be a decent amount of sauce, and I recommend eating it spooned onto bread. Healthy and pretty tasty.
5) With sausage and sauerkraut sandwiches. Did I mention I'm trying to clean out my freezer and fridge in preparation for moving? Well, I had a lot of sauerkraut in there, so I bought some brats and grilled them up to make sandwiches. Then I started thinking I needed more vegetable, but the only thing we had was the 2.5 pound bag of spinach. So I cooked up a bunch. Aleks and I put it underneath the sauerkraut in our sandwiches, and couldn't tell the difference. The kids were not so easily fooled, perhaps because they were already so suspicious of the sauerkraut. I really need to move them some place more German, so they can grow up right!
One final note: I don't like slimy steamed greens, and almost every time I try to cook them in a pot that's what I end up with (or else they burn due to lack of water). I've found that microwaving them in an uncovered bowl is my favorite method of cooking them. Just put in a bowl and microwave for a minute or two. They cook down, but not completely, and they don't get all wet and slimy.
And that is how we used up a huge bag of spinach in one week. The only problem was that I didn't have any left over to try Andy's power-of-tower breakfast on the weekend. I'll get there...
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