Olive Oil Eggs

I'm in a delicious rut. Eggs.

I love them and they make their way into my breakfast shenanigans about four times a week. Sundays right now are for the Crustless Quiche challenge (between me and me).

But it's Monday. So, my Dear and I are enjoying Olive Oil eggs. Long ago and again a few months ago, I fell deeply, madly in love with Tuscan Herb Blend Olive Oil.

My friend Mary, owns Antica Olive Oil here in Southern California where I first tasted this magical oil. When my friend, (student and mom-of-two) CJ had a birthday, I gave her a bottle with an 18 Year Old Balsamic Vinegar. It's a simple recipe for salad and pasta. That was it by the way. Tuscan Herb Blend Olive Oil and 18 Year Old Balsamic Vinegar. Done. Easy.

And, while I love this oil on salad and as a finish for chicken, my favorite thing to do is warm it in a pan and let eggs slowly bathe their way to cooked. (Thomas Keller: slow and gentle) All they need is a bit of salt and pepper and they are a beautifully flavored feast.

The Antica Store ships olive oil if you don't find yourself in Southern California at the shop.
I think you'll want the bigger bottle.

Weekending: Easy Lemon Scones

This Sunday morning we decided to have "home church" as Truman calls it. I made scones and the kids set the table. Eric read us a devotion and we sang our prayers. It was actually quite lovely. We ended our home church with playdoh and sketchbooks. Which sometimes feels more church-like to me.

I found this recipe on epicurious, but I adapted it for what I had in the fridge, and what we had in the pantry. I cut down the lemon in the recipe to just a hint so I could mix in chocolate chips. Isabel, my daughter does not really enjoy scones, but she does enjoy them with chocolate. Personally, I enjoy my scones with a big dose of coffee. Don't you?

Easy Lemon Scones

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of lemon zest

For top of scones:

• 1 tsp melted butter
• 1 enough sugar to lightly dust each scone

Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder and 1/2 cup sugar in large bowl. Using fingertips, rub in chilled butter until pieces are size of small peas.  Form a well into the dry ingredients.

Mix 1 cup milk, lemon juice and zested lemon peel in glass measuring cup. Pour buttermilk mixture into the well you created dry ingredients and stir until dough begins to form (some of flour will not be incorporated). Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and gather together. Knead dough briefly, about 5 turns. Divide dough in half. Incorporate the mini chocolate chips into one half of the dough, do not need just incorporate. Form each dough half into ball and flatten into 1-inch-thick disk. Cut each disk into 6 wedges. 

Transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, spacing 1 inch apart.* Brush tops with 1 tablespoon butter and dust with sugar. Bake until scones are golden brown on top and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

*Note: I did not space mine apart enough and they all baked together. So if you want these to LOOK like scones, you probably should not be in a hurry and do that (:


--Mary

This week we're joining Amanda for Weekending, and Tasty Tuesday with 33 Shades of Green.  

Lunch for Two

My husband and I work at the same place and so we get to take lunch together. And what do I love most about our lunches together? Making eggs.

We use whatever we have in the fridge but it mostly consists of a base of eggs with runny yolks, spinach and garlic. The rest is all up for interpretation. This particular lunch we added ham, cherry tomatoes and a bit of stone ground mustard.

Yum, yum?

Do you ever do breakfast for lunch?

--Mary

Making Almond Milk

Last weekend, my husband was away on a business trip and my kids were both occupied: little man was washing all of his micro machines in warm water at the kitchen table. And little lady was drawing kitties and cutting them out of cardboard.

I could have cleaned or folded something, but instead. I decided to make almond milk. The night before I had left the slivered almonds in a dish of water to soak. And now, the easy part of blending and straining.

This was so easy. Though I'm sure a vita-mix and cheese cloth would have done better than my regular blender and fine mesh sieve.


I felt so self sufficent making my own. Though... in honesty, I do like the store bought kind better!

Almond Milk
1/2 cup almonds soaked in water over night
2 cups cold water
2 dates chopped
1 tsp honey (or more if you like sweeter)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (real not imitation)
pinch of kosher salt


Strain the almonds from the soaking liquid and discard liquid. In a blender place the almonds, water, chopped dates, honey, vanilla and salt. Blend about 2 minutes on high speed. Strain through fine mesh sieve or 3-5 sheets of cheese cloth. Save the almond meal for another recipe. Shake well before serving. Keep refrigerated for 3-4 days.

I really like this almond milk in coffee (but leave the last sip of it or you'll get a mouth full of tiny almond pieces). It's also delicious on granola or in oatmeal. I don't like to drink any form of Almond milk straight up.

Enjoy this simple recipe. I hope you have fun making it!

--Mary

Rhubarb Sangria

A summer night-- with the breeze gently blowing and the sun softly setting requires only one thing to make it perfection. Sangria.

Eric and I have been making Sangria for years. And though it's never the same. It's got a few basic ingredients.

Fruit + Red Wine.

Seriously.

We usually get a bottle of red wine-- wine that's on sale. Shhh. Don't tell.

And in a large pitcher we combine equal parts of red wine and fruit juice. And then add cut up fruit. Fresh peaches, strawberries, black berries, oranges, limes, lemons....

Recently,  I made rhubarb juice. Naturally, I thought it would be beautiful in Sangria.

Note the very large and very cheap bottle of store bought sangria. This rhubarb juice added a bit of tang and a bit of extra sweet. It kept the sangria light and airy.

Be care, these are easy to drink on a hot summer day.

Making Pizza Pie

I've been making Trailer Gypsy's quick pizza crust for a while now... I needed a replacement for the little bags of chemicals and magic (ok it's just dry bagged pizza crust) that costs too much money but is SOOOO easy. And the other quick pizza crust recipes I've tried taste like moonsand. Moist and gritty. And that is not how I like my pizza.

And I can honestly say.... I love this recipe. No moonsand. Just smooth and crispy pizza. Quickly. Who says things can't be quick, cheap and good?

Plus, we make two thin crust pizzas. One with just cheese, chicken and broccoli for the kids. And one with everything for the grown-ups-- this one was three cheese, Manzanilla olives and fresh spinach. Pizza is so versatile for this time of year when gardens are producing, farmers markets are bursting and the CSA box is a treasure trove-- any veggie you can possibly imagine could probably be a topping!

I did monkey with it a little bit. Here's the original recipe.

And here is mine with some tiny tweaks.... honey instead of sugar. High fiber flour (or all purpose flour), I just use high fiber flour. A bit extra salt for  a more rounded flavor-- in absence of extra spices (boo kids and their aversion to 'green flakes' on their pizza. For the record basil is not algae).

Trailer Gypsy's Pizza Crust

Ingredients:
1c. warm water - you want the water really warm, not lukewarm
1 Tbsp. honey
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast - that is how much is in 1 packet
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 cups flour - unbleached high fiber flour.
Spices-- I had to use 'hidden' spices. Nothing green you know.... onion powder, garlic powder....

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix water, sugar and yeast in a bowl until dissolved.
Add the olive oil, salt, and spices.
Add flour, stir until mixed well.

This will be a stickier dough than if you were making bread but it shouldn't be too moist either. Add more flour if you need to.

Let dough sit for at least 10 min. while you prepare your toppings.


On a floured surface roll dough out into two thin sheets. Will make about 2 medium pizzas.

Upcycled Left Overs

One night, I made a big pot of Brown Jasmin rice with chicken. And had plenty of left overs for the next day's lunch. But come lunchtime, I wasn't thinking about sticky second-day rice. I wanted something new and fresh.

We had bought a pack of egg roll wrappers from the Asian market in Sioux City, the last time we were there. So, after a quick soak. I rolled in fresh spinach, leftover rice and chicken and julienne carrots. We made a quick dipping sauce which made the meal.

In a fry pan, I quickly browned each side. And in less than 15 minutes we had a beautiful, healthy lunch.

Egg Roll Sauce
2 Tablespoons Dark (or regular) Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Rice Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Hot Chili Sauce
Juice from half a small orange.

Mix all together and serve with spring rolls, pot stickers or vegetables.

7 Winter Recipes under $15:: Hungarian Goulash

I was a bit tenitive about making hungarian goulash. Just because I had never made anything like it. But I used leftovers from a huge arm roast as the base and worked up from there.

The original recipe is here.

This recipe was all that it promised. Eric and I througholy enjoyed it. Like sop-up-the-last-of-the -tomato-meat-wine-juice-with-a-piece-of-bread good.

Here is my version...

Hungarian Goulash

1 pounds slow roasted arm roast-- so tender and juicy
Kosher salt
Black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 large onions, sliced thinly
10 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp tomato paste

1 can of stewed tomatoes
½ cup dry red wine
2 cups chicken stock
½ cup diced green peppers
2 Tbsp paprika
½ tsp caraway seeds

Heat one Tbsp olive oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Heat up meat, until bubbly.

Reduce the heat to medium low. Add remaining oil, onions and garlic. Cover and sweat the vegetables, stirring occasionally. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom. Stir in tomato paste. Add wine, stock, peppers and paprika. Combine well, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. 

We served ours over whole grain noodles. 

Crazy Week Night Sweets

Eric, my husband and I have worked together at most jobs we've had for the last 10 years. Mostly in resturaunts, but even now we get up together, get ready together, get the kids off to daycare together and we then, walk through the front doors of our work together.

A few years ago we worked at this place that had the best "Sweets" or sweet potato fries-- I actually almost forgot about them until on a date night we ordered sweet potato fries at another resturaunt. And we were sorely disappointed, not enough sweet or salt. And with the long-lost taste of Sweets in my mind, I could not get over it.

So last night, when I was home with two sickies. I found that I needed dinner, quick! And the two sweet potatoes staring at me on the counter got me thinking again. 

So I made my own version, a baked version with more sweet, and more salt. Not nutritious... but delicious. These are quick and the kids will eat them!

Baked Sweets
1 Tbs brown sugar 
1 tsp white sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 pounds sweet potatoes, unpeeled and cut into long strips
1 tablespoon olive oil Spray or grease a baking sheet pan. Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix brown sugar, sugar,  cinnamon, salt with  sweet potatoes and oil in a mixing bowl. Spread sweet potatoes in single layer on prepared baking pan. Bake 25-30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender and a little crispy.

 Photo

A green smoothie...

Good morning dears,
This weekend we were inspired to make green smoothies, though ours had more than just green ingredients. My kids watched me put all of the fruit, juice, juice-ice (we freeze orange juice in ice trays to make 'Popsicles') and spinach into the blender and then quickly drank it down. KNOWINGLY drinking spinach. This was a parenting accomplishment.

So, if you let your preschoolers help you, they may be more willing to eat what you're giving them. Just sayin'

Good for you Green Smoothie
3 pieces or more of Juice Ice (just frozen juice cubes)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 a lime juiced
1 banana
1 tangerine juiced
handful of frozen raspberries
handful of spinach

Blend the heck out of it until it smells amazing and all the chunkies are gone.
Pour into glasses and watch as your little people get a days worth of fruits and veggies! Woo-hoo!

It's not food, but i's still good for your soul!

Hello What am I Cooking? Friends!

I am hosting a workshop called, Revisiting Sanctuaries: a workshop for daily seeing.

This workshop is set up on a five week schedule. Each Monday you'll get a new workbook on a new facet of seeing-- with journal prompts, videos, thoughts, interviews, tutorials-- each week experiencing seeing in a different way. An 8x10 printable poster by artwork made by me. A private blog for deeper discussion, a private forum for conversations. 

Registration continues through February 14 for $40. The workshop begins February 14th. But each week is set up to work along as you can.

Gluten Free Beef and Vegetable Soup

A few months ago, Truman (my son) was having stomach problems-- waking up in the middle of the night crying for hours about how his stomach hurt. As a mother, I felt so helpless. We tried a lot of things. Taking dairy out of his diet, going gluten free and so on. In a couple months, the episode was over and we still don't know what the problem was.

But I do still have a few gluten free foods leftover in the cupboard-- for instance, Qunioa Elbow Pasta. This pasta is amazing, because it tastes just like pasta should. It's perfect for soups, tomato based dishes and mac-n-cheese.

Gluten Free Beef and Vegetable Soup
1/2 lb. Lean Ground Beef
1/2 Medium Onion chopped fine
1 Can of Diced tomatoes-blended until smooth
6-8 Cups of gluten-free Chicken Stock (or make your own)
1 Cup frozen peas and carrots
1 clove chopped garlic
1 cup chopped broccoli
2 small potatoes chopped
1 box Quinoa elbow pasta


In your stock pot use 2 tablespoons of olive oil and saute ground beef and onion until no pink is visible. Add garlic and blended tomato then chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Salt to taste. Add vegetables. Bring back up to boil. Add Quinoa pasta cook about 6 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste.

 This soup is quick to make. Warm and filling... serve it with some GF crackers. No one will ever know it was all made without flour!