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Brunch to BBQ – Meal #2

Posted on June 27, 2010 by amydeline

The brunch was a fantastic success, but I must admit that there was a point just post-brunch, when I seriously questioned my grand plan of throwing a party consisting of two separate meals. I mean, after the brunch, I didn’t think any of us would ever be hungry again. Half of us lay paralyzed in a food coma, while the kids climbed all over us and added props to our slumber. The other half was entranced by the steady hum of vuvuzelas while watching the world cup game.

My sister, in a post-brunch food coma

But we managed to peel ourselves off the floor and head outside to play a few games and enjoy the post-rain cool temperature. Eventually, there came a time where we could see another meal in our future.

The weather forecast had been predicting scattered storms throughout the day, so I planned to make sausages with roasted peppers and onions, figuring that if the weather were nice, we’d fire up the grill for the sausages and if it rained, I’d roast them in the oven. Around the time we were ready to eat, the weather was holding steady and dry. But out of sheer laziness, we decided to roast them in the oven anyway. Our menu consisted of the Roasted Sausage, Peppers, and Onions on rolls with provolone cheese, corn on the cob, and a pasta salad courtesy of my sis.

Here are the details and a few recipes from our Brunch to BBQ Meal #2…

Roasted Sausage, Peppers, and Onions


Ingredients

  • 6 Italian Sausages, hot or mild
  • 3 Bell Peppers, sliced
  • 2  Onions, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced
  • 1-2 Hot Cherry Peppers, chopped
  • 2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut each sausage in half. (This will allow the sausages to release some of their yummy juices into the pepper and onion mix.) Combine sausages, sliced bell peppers and onions, chopped cherry peppers, and garlic in a baking dish.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Toss to combine. Bake in the oven for about 45-60 minutes, until the sausages are fully cooked and lightly browned. The peppers and onions should be soft, but not mushy. Toss the mixture every 10-15 minutes to ensure that the sausages brown on all sides.

Enjoy on a roll with a slice of provolone cheese.

Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad

My sister brought along a Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad. The recipe comes from the Food and Wine section of the NBC Today show’s website. You can find the recipe for Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad by clicking here. My sister added slices of turkey pepperoni, which were a nice touch. This pasta salad can be served chilled or at room temperature, which makes it a perfect party dish!

Steamy corn on the cob...for 25 cents a cob, you can't beat it!

Round 2 Results: The Food - 0 The Gourmand Mom - 2

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Brunch – It’s the meal that comes with a Mimosa

Posted on June 27, 2010 by amydeline

There’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And then there’s BRUNCH, the meal that comes with a Mimosa. Sign me up for that one! I do love a good, hearty brunch! Aside from enjoying my darling breakfast at lunch time, brunch usually means good times with good friends and family.

Yesterday, we hosted our first Brunch to BBQ party. And it was a fantastic success, though we never actually fired up the grill. We started with a wonderful brunch and several Mimosas. Then, we lied around on the living room floor until we felt like we could move again, watched a bit of the World Cup and then headed outside for a few games of Polish Horseshoes. My sister whipped up a batch of margaritas and the festivities continued. Later in the day, we enjoyed dinner and then relaxed in the backyard until it was time to sleep. A great day!

Here are a few details on the brunch…

Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Toast English muffins in a toaster. Place on a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm while you assemble the other components. In a skillet over medium high heat, cook each slice of Canadian Bacon for a minute or two on each side, until it is hot and slightly browned. Place one slice on each English muffin in the oven to keep warm. Poach the eggs, according to the procedure shown here. Hold the eggs in the cold water bath while you prepare the hollandaise sauce (Recipe here). Prepare the hollandaise sauce and keep it warm above a bowl of warm water. Reheat the eggs by gently placing them in a pot of barely simmering water for about a minute. Remove the eggs and dry on a paper towel. Place one egg on each English Muffin. Top with a spoonful of hollandaise sauce. Serve immediately.  Serves 4


*As a little variation, use smoked salmon in place of the Canadian Bacon. Just don’t cook the salmon or put it in the oven!

Salmon Eggs Benedict

Brunchy Beverages

Brunch and Mimosas go hand in hand. Bellinis are another brunchilicious option. Both Mimosas and Bellinis are champagne cocktails. Mimosas mix orange juice with champagne while Bellinis traditionally combine champagne with peach nectar. About 2 ounces of fruit to 4 ounces of champagne should do the trick. Substitute other fruit nectars to make your own variation. For a non-alcoholic option, use ginger ale or sparking cider instead of champagne.

Mango Bellini

Homemade Cream Cheese with Bagels

Make your own flavored cream cheese by softening cream cheese and adding your own flavors. For today’s brunch, I made scallion cream cheese by mixing in a bunch of chopped green onions and an olive cream cheese using a mix of chopped olives. Sliced Spanish olives with pimento would work great too! After you stir in your flavoring, put the cream cheese back in the refrigerator to cool before serving. A few other ideas for homemade cream cheese flavors: Smoked Salmon, Strawberry, Veggie, Blueberry, Honey-Nut, Roasted Garlic, Sun-dried Tomato, Maple, Cinnamon Apple, Cherry Almond, Spicy Pepper.

Homemade Cream Cheese

Breakfast Pizza

Breakfast Pizza

My sister treated us to her breakfast pizza, which as she explains, is based off of a breakfast pizza she saw offered at a Hess gas station. Imagine my surprise! Basing a dish off of something you saw at a gas station?? I suppose food inspiration can come from anywhere! I may base my next Beef Wellington off of Hess’ food offerings. All kidding aside, this pizza is delicious. It’s easy to put together and makes a great dish for guests.

Ingredients

  • 1 Prepared Pizza Crust (my sister uses a whole wheat crust)
  • 1/2 pound Bacon
  • 1 1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 6 Eggs
  • 1/4 cup Milk
  • 1/4 cup Cheddar, shredded
  • Salt and Pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Allow bacon to drain. Then, crumble it into small pieces. Reserve bacon grease. Whisk the eggs together with the milk. Season with a bit of salt and pepper and then cook in a pan until scrambled. Set aside. Brush the pizza crust with a bit of the bacon grease. Sprinkle about a cup of the mozzarella cheese over the crust. Top with the scrambled eggs and bacon. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the cheddar cheese on top. Season with a bit of pepper. Bake for about 8-10 minutes.

Breakfast Casserole

Sarah's Breakfast Casserole

A good friend brought along a breakfast casserole, a delicious mix of eggs, cheese, bread, and sausage. She explained that ever since she enjoyed this dish at a friend’s house, it’s been her go-to breakfast recipe. It’s a great all-in-one breakfast dish that’s perfect for a crowd. My mother in law makes a similar casserole, but she uses peppers and onions too. They’re both delicious. I’ll have to get the recipes to share with you soon!

Part 1 of our day was perfect!  The food, the drinks, and the company were all amazing.

Round 1 Results: Food - 0 The Gourmand Mom - 1

To be continued…

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How to Poach an Egg

Posted on June 25, 2010 by amydeline

Poached eggs can be prepared without any special equipment; no special egg rings or microwaveable poaching dishes required. The following photo guide will show you how to cook the perfect poached egg. Enjoy on a piece of toast or on an English muffin with hollandaise sauce!

Prepare your mise en place. You'll need a bowl of cool water, a small dish or ramekin, slotted spoon, white vinegar, egg, and a spoon or spatula.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to bring it down to barely a simmer.

Measure about 1/4 cup white vinegar per quart of simmering water. Add the vinegar to the simmering water. The vinegar will help the egg whites to come together.

Carefully crack an egg into a ramekin or small dish. Check that the yolk is intact and there are no pieces of shell. Use the freshest eggs possible.

One egg at a time, carefully lower the ramekin close to the water's surface and slowly pour the egg in. Make sure that the water is just barely simmering.

Use a spoon or spatula to gently push the whites over the egg.

Allow the egg to cook for 3-5 minutes, depending on how well you prefer the yolks to be cooked. (Three minutes should produce a fairly runny yolk with a cooked white.) Then, use a slotted spoon to remove the egg.

Place the egg in a bowl of cool water to rinse the vinegar and stop the cooking. If serving immediately, remove from the water and enjoy. If serving later, the egg can stay in the bowl of cool water. When you're ready to serve, gently lower the egg into a pot of barely simmering water for a minute or so to reheat.

Enjoy your perfectly poached egg!

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Eat Your Greens! Spicy Utica Style.

Posted on June 24, 2010 by amydeline

I’d never heard of Utica Greens until a few months ago. We’d gone out to dinner at a local Italian steakhouse, Delmonico’s. Along with the standard mashed potatoes and Italian Bread, many of the meals were served with a side of something called Utica Greens. It was love at first bite. Spicy, salty, and delicious. A perfect match for my steak. A few weeks later Utica Greens popped up as a question in the weekly trivia night I attend. My interest was piqued. So, I started looking into this tasty dish.

Utica Greens are a spicy escarole dish, named for their birthplace of Utica, New York. I guess they’re kind of a big deal up here. Apparently, there’s even a Utica Greens Fest to celebrate these delicious greens. Clearly, I am no expert on this dish. I know very little of its history or traditional recipe, if there is one, and my only experience with tasting them was during that dinner at Delmonico’s. I tried cooking them once before, following a recipe I found online, but was less than satisfied with the results. So, I’ve decided to create my own version of this Central New York favorite. And, they’re good!

Spicy Utica Greens

Ingredients

  • 12 cups Escarole, rinsed and chopped (It sounds like a lot, but it will reduce significantly.)
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3 Garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 Red Cherry Peppers, seeds removed, chopped
  • 1/2 cup Prosciutto, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1/2 cup Grated Asiago Cheese (or Parmesan blend)
  • 1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

Directions

Preheat broiler. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Place the chopped escarole in the boiling water and simmer for 3 minutes.  The escarole will be bright green and wilted. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set the escarole aside and dry out the pot. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in the pot, over medium heat. Add the prosciutto to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper to the pot and cook for a few more minutes. Try not to eat it at this stage, because it’s going to smell really, really good.

Add the escarole and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Add a little more than half of the bread crumbs and cheese. Stir. Taste and add salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the remaining bread crumbs and cheese.  Place in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes, until the cheese and breads crumbs are lightly browned. Serve as a side with steak or chicken.

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Blue Cows in a Blanket

Posted on June 23, 2010 by amydeline

When my husband and I got married, we decided to have an all hors d’oeuvres cocktail reception. When we shared this idea with my parents, my dad made a joke about the quantity of pigs in a blanket that the caterers would be dealing with. Though we were thinking more along the lines of Smoked Duck on Pecan Crackers with Red Currant Chutney, Saga Bleu Polenta Rounds with Beef Tenderloin, and Seared Sea Scallops on a Salpicon of Lump Crabmeat and Sweet Yellow Corn with Poblano Pepper Aioli, the idea of a Pigs in a Blanket themed reception made us giggle. We even arranged for the caterer to present my father with his very own tray of pigs in a blanket just prior to the ceremony. I think the bill from the caterer listed them as ‘Cocktail Franks en Croute’. Fancy! Whatever you call them, the tray was empty in a blink.

Blue Cows in a Blanket is my beefy little twist on Pigs in a Blanket. It’s basically a bacon blue cheese burger, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden brown. I came up with the idea awhile back, while trying to devise a way to fit bacon blue cheese burgers into a cocktail party menu. You can make the burgers larger or smaller, depending on your needs. And, the best part is that they can be almost fully prepared ahead of time.  Just wrap the cooked burgers in the pastry and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake and serve!

Blue Cows in a Blanket work well as an hors d’ oeuvre or as a main course alternative to a traditional burger. Tonight, we enjoyed them as a main course with a Wedge Salad on the side, playing off the blue cheese and bacon in the burger.

Blue Cows in a Blanket

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Ground Beef
  • 1/2 cup Bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1/2 cup Bleu Cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 package (2 sheets) Puff Pastry, thawed
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Gently combine ground beef, bacon, cheese, and salt with hands, just enough to evenly distribute the bacon, cheese, and salt. Form the mixture into about 18 small meatball-sized balls.  Gently flatten into small patties. Place on a baking sheet.  Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Keep the oven at 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the thawed puff pastry sheets into squares that measure approximately 12 x 12 inches. Use a pizza cutter to cut each sheet into 9 equal-sized squares. You should have 18 squares that measure approximately 4 x 4 inch each. (Don’t worry if they aren’t exactly square or equal-sized. The dough will stretch when you wrap the burgers.)

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Place one cooled patty in the center of each square. Wrap the pastry around the patty and press the dough together on the bottom. Place each wrapped patty on the baking sheet, seam side down. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush each pastry with the beaten egg. Return to oven and cook for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.

For the Wedge Salad: Cut a head of iceberg lettuce into 4-6 wedges. Top with chopped tomatoes and crumbled bacon.  Drizzle with blue cheese dressing.

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Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

Posted on June 22, 2010 by amydeline

Isn’t it funny how certain foods can remind you so vividly of particular people and draw you back in time to memories so vibrant you can practically taste the food? It’s the way that rice pilaf or ambrosia salad makes me think of my Aunt Theresa and playing outside with my cousins. Or, how Corned Beef Hash reminds me of Sunday mornings with my Dad. Well, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, or spaghetti with garlic and oil, makes me think of my Grammy. I’m pretty sure that I never pronounced it correctly, but she always knew what I was asking for and was more than happy to make it for me. Little did I know what a cinch it is to put this delicious dish together. I would have asked for it more often!

I was reminded of Spaghetti Aglio e Olio last weekend. My husband and I went out for a rare dinner date, while my mother-in-law babysat the kiddies. On the menu, there was a linguine dish with olive oil, garlic, anchovies, and broccoli. I instantly thought of my Grammy and was very tempted to order it. I ended up choosing something different, but made a mental note to make Spaghetti Aglio e Olio soon. Since I have an open tin of anchovies sitting in the fridge, begging to be used, tonight seemed like the perfect time to whip up my own version of Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Anchovies and Broccoli.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Anchovies and Broccoli

Ingredients

  • 1 package of Spaghetti
  • 3/4 cup Olive Oil
  • 6 large cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
  • 5-6 Anchovy Fillets, rinsed and chopped
  • 2 cups Broccoli, chopped and steamed
  • 1/4  tsp Salt, plus more if desired*
  • 1/4 tsp Crushed Red Pepper, plus more if desired
  • Parmesan Cheese

*If you choose to omit the anchovies, you will probably want to add additional salt, since the sauce will lack the saltiness the anchovies lend to it.

Directions

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. When the spaghetti is almost finished cooking, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a pan. Add the anchovies, sliced garlic and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook for a few minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic is lightly browned and softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the remaining oil and salt. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down to low, just enough to keep it warm, and add the steamed broccoli. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired. When the spaghetti is finished cooking, drain the pasta. Toss it with the sauce and broccoli. Sprinkle with a little parmesan cheese before serving.

The garlicky oil in this dish is just screaming to be soaked up by a piece of warm, crusty bread. So, don’t forget to buy a loaf of fresh bakery bread or make your own. I made a loaf of French Bread, similar to the one I made several weeks ago to accompany the Ragout of Sausage, Cannellini Beans, and Rapini. At the time of that post, I created a link to the French Bread recipe I followed, since I’d made it without any adaptations. Well, I realized the error of my ways when I went back to click on the link, only to receive a message alerting me that the page could not be found. I was able to quickly locate the recipe on the website, but the experience taught me a lesson about not relying on links to document recipes. Today, I’m going to share my own French Bread recipe, which is a modified version of the other recipe. I added more flour, which made the dough significantly easier to work with.  I also adjusted the procedure for rolling and baking the dough and added an egg wash to give the bread a little sheen.

Crusty French Bread

Ingredients

  • 5 cups Flour
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 Tbsp Dry Active Yeast
  • 2 Cups Warm Water
  • Oil, for bowl
  • 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Directions

Combine flour and salt. In a large bowl, combine yeast and warm water.  Stir in half of the flour/salt mixture, until well blended. Cover with a towel and allow it to rest at room temperature for 3 hours. It will triple in size. After 3 hours, add the remaining flour/salt mixture and combine with your hands.  Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes. Clean, dry, and lightly oil the bowl. Return the kneaded dough to the oiled bowl. Cover with a towel and let it rest at room temperature for another hour. The dough will rise again. Knead the dough for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface. Split the dough in two.  Roll each piece of dough into a rectangle.  Then, starting with the long side, roll the dough into a loaf. Brush the seam with a little water to seal it closed. Place the loaves on a baking sheet, seam side down. Allow the loaves to rest on the baking sheet, at room temperature, for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the baking sheet with the loaves in the oven. Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove the loaves and brush with a lightly beaten egg white. Return the loaves to the oven and bake for another 10 -15 minutes.

Adapted from a French Bread recipe found at www.famousfrenchdesserts.com

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Chilled Avocado Soup and Crab Cake with Chipotle Remoulade

Posted on June 21, 2010 by amydeline

Tonight’s meal was initially intended to be two separate meals.

Meal #1: Chilled Avocado Soup
Meal #2: Crab Cake Sandwiches with Chipotle Remoulade

Then, it occurred to me how marvelously the two would go together, like peas and carrots. You see, avocados and crab love, love, love each other! If it were socially acceptable for a fruit to marry a crustacean, the two would run away together and make millions of adorable baby crabocados. Until that day, we’ll just have to settle for joining them in perfect culinary union. With that in mind, tonight we’re making Chilled Avocado Soup decked with a Crabcake and dressed with Chipotle Remoulade.

We’ve really got three separate recipes going on here. And, they’re kind of like those items in your wardrobe that you can mix and match with other outfits in all sorts of ways. Make these recipes together, as I’m doing tonight, or use them in other ways. The crab cakes are fantastic as a sandwich or on their own, served on a bed of slaw. They’re wonderful full-sized or make perfect bite-sized hors d’ oeuvres. Serve them alongside a filet mignon with bernaise sauce for a really special dinner. The remoulade, a seasoned mayonnaise-based sauce, is great on seafood, but would also be delicious with chicken or roast beef. It also makes a great sandwich spread. Even I, the despiser of mayonnaise, enjoy this remoulade. The chilled avocado soup can stand alone (with a little dollop of creme fraiche) or top it with grilled shrimp, lobster, or broiled sea bass. Your options are truly unlimited.

Chilled Avocado Soup

  • 2 Ripe Avocados, skin and seed removed
  • 3/4 cup Chicken Stock (plus more, if desired)*
  • 1/2 cup Creme Fraiche (or sour cream)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Lime Juice
  • 1/4 cup Parsley Leaves or Cilantro
  • 1/2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
  • 1/4 tsp Salt (plus more, if desired)
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 Jalapeno Pepper, chopped fine (optional)*

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste. Add additional salt and pepper, if desired. Add additional broth to make the soup thinner, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

*Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup.

* To add some spice without compromising the bright green color, add jalapeno pepper.  I did not have a jalapeno on hand when I make this soup today, but my guess is that 1/2 jalapeno should be about right.

Broiled Jumbo Lump Crab Cake

  • 1 pound Jumbo Lump Crab Meat, cooked*
  • 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs or cracker crumbs)
  • 1 Egg, beaten
  • 2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp Old Bay or Creole Seasoning
  • 1 tsp Mustard
  • 1 tsp Garlic, minced

*You can steam and pick your own crabs, if you want. But, I always buy steamed jumbo lump crab meat, that’s been hand-picked and packaged. It’s a time-saving and mess-saving option, which in my opinion, makes very little difference in the quality of the final product.

Preheat broiler. Combine all ingredients, except the crab meat, in a bowl. Mix until well blended. Gently fold the crab meat into the other ingredients, taking care not to break up the chunks too much. Use your hands to form four equal sized balls of the crab mixture. Place the balls on a baking sheet and gently flatten into thick patties. Place under the broiler and cook for about 10 minutes until completely heated through.

Chipotle Remoulade

  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1 Chipotle Pepper (from can of chipotles in adobo)
  • 1 Tbsp Capers
  • 1 Tbsp Chopped Pickle
  • 1 Anchovy fillet*
  • 1 tsp Mustard

*Run your fingers along the anchovy, as you rinse it under running water to check for and remove any larger bones. If you choose to omit the anchovie, you may want to add a dash of salt to the sauce.

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To compose the dish:

Ladle some soup into a shallow bowl. (You don’t want the crabcake to drown in the soup, so don’t fill the bowl too deep.) Place the cooked crabcake in the center of the soup. Drizzle chipotle remoulade over the crab cake.

A little trick for drizzling the remoulade over your crab cake – Spoon some of the sauce into a small sandwich bag or ziploc. Use a pair of scissors to cut off a tiny bit of one corner.  Squeeze the sauce through the hole onto your crabcake.

Crab Cakes and Avocado. What The Gourmand Mom has joined together, let no one put asunder.

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Father’s Day Ice Cream Pizza

Posted on June 20, 2010 by amydeline

Earlier in the week, I asked my three year old if he’d like to make something special for his daddy on Father’s Day. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when his response was Ice Cream Pizza!

Here’s the version of Ice Cream Pizza we came up with…

First, we crushed vanilla wafer cookies.

To make our pizza crust, we combined 2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs with 1 stick of melted butter. Then, we pressed the mixture into a tart pan and placed it in the refrigerator.

We softened ice cream and spread it onto the cookie crust, then placed it in the freezer.  Once frozen, we spread a layer of strawberry sundae topping on the ice cream as our pizza sauce.

We sprinkled shredded coconut cheese onto the sauce.

We topped our pizza with fudge and candy pepperoni.

Slice and enjoy!

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Father’s Day Breakfast in Bed: Strawberry Stuffed French Toast and Bacon

Posted on June 20, 2010 by amydeline

Are there ways of knowing whether a man will make a good father? Some sort of definitive predictors? Perhaps a checklist or a DNA test? If there were such a thing, what characteristics would they test for? What factors determine whether a man will become a great father?

My husband and I met in college. We certainly weren’t thinking of kids at the time. We were just kids ourselves. Some of our earliest memories involve pitching hot dogs out of his dorm room window to watch them explode. Our attraction had more to do with each other’s beer pong skills than it did with future parenting abilities. Could I have known at the time that he would someday make at great dad? At what point in our relationship did it start mattering? Could I have been certain, even as we said our wedding vows, that he’d be as excellent a father as he was a husband?

I’m not sure it’s possible to be absolutely positive that someone will make a good dad before they actually are one. Parenthood is such a life-changing experience.  It requires more of you than you’ve ever given; parts of you that you may not have known were there. Fourteen years ago, I couldn’t have known whether my husband would make a good father. But over the years, we got to know and love each other. We grew and matured together. And, in the way that he treated me, I came to know a good man; a selfless, considerate, gentle, and kind man.

So, I suspected. In fact, I would have bet money on it. But, it wasn’t until I saw the look on his face, in the moment our first son was born, that I knew for sure. He was a father and a dad all at once, in that instant. And, as I recovered from the birth and a debilitating spinal headache, he cared for our newborn baby with apparent ease. When I was nervous and uncertain, he was a natural; calm and confident. And, since those very first moments in the hospital, he has been a loving, selfless, and devoted father to our boys. The good man, who has loved me for all of these years, turned out to be the most wonderful father.

Did I luck out or were there clues in those early days? Probably a little bit of both. Come to think of it, it probably won’t be too long before he’s hanging out the window with our kids, throwing hot dogs onto the pavement, as they all laugh along. I’ll probably join in.

So, this morning we celebrated my husband, the wonderful father, with breakfast in bed. If I were cooking for my own amazing father this morning, there’d be corned beef hash, an egg over-easy, and well-done rye toast on the menu; a man after my own heart or more likely, I after his! (Love you, Daddy!!) But, my husband’s more of a strawberry-stuffed french toast kind of guy with applewood-smoked bacon on the side.

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients

  • 8 slices Challah Bread
  • 1 package Cream Cheese, softened
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 8-10 Strawberries, sliced
  • 4 Eggs
  • 1/4 cup Cream
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Butter, for pan
  • Powdered Sugar, for garnish
  • Maple Syrup

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place a baking sheet in the oven. In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto each slice of bread. Place sliced strawberries on four of the slices.  Use the other four slices of bread to create cream cheese-strawberry sandwiches. In a small baking dish, beat together eggs, cream, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon.  In a pan, heat a little butter. One at a time, dip each sandwich into the egg mixture, so that it lightly coats both pieces of bread. Cook in the pan, flipping once until both sides are lightly browned.  Then, place it on the baking sheet in the oven.  Repeat until each sandwich has been cooked.  Allow the sandwiches to cook for 5-10 minutes in the oven to ensure that they are fully cooked.  The cream cheese will be melty and the strawberries slightly softened. Cut each sandwich into two pieces and sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with maple syrup.

Serves 4

Happy Father’s Day to my husband, my Daddy, and all of the wonderful fathers out there!

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Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Squares

Posted on June 17, 2010 by amydeline

I was planning to wait until next week to make these.  But, I’m way too excited!

Remember earlier in the week, when I drenched 4 cups of fresh-picked strawberries in jello?  Remember how sorry I was? Poor little strawberries, still helplessly preserved in a gelatin coating in my fridge. Anyway, that Strawberry Pretzel Square recipe, may well reap an even tastier reward. As I was eating one of those bars, and ruminating about the genius pretzel crust, it occurred to me that the one thing which would make the pretzel crust even tastier was, of course, chocolate! And then the idea started to take shape. Yes! I’d make a pretzel crust. Then, I’d skip the Cool Whip and top it with a layer of chocolate ganache instead. You picking up what I’m putting down? In place of jello, I’d make a homemade dark chocolate pudding. Oh, yes!! That’s the ticket! Cut it into little squares and you’ve got Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Squares! I’m sure you can understand why I couldn’t wait until next week.

I did a little searching around online to see if I could find any other recipe similar to this. I didn’t find a single one! So, I’m declaring this a Gourmand Mom original creation!!

Chocolate-Covered Pretzels Squares

Ingredients

For the Pretzel Crust:

  • 2 cups Pretzel Crumbs
  • 1/4 cup Sugar
  • 3/4 cup Butter, melted

For the Ganache:

  • 4 ounces Semisweet Baking Chocolate (4 squares), chopped
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream

For the Pudding:

  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1/3 cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 3 Tbsp Cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp Salt
  • 1 1/2 cup Whole Milk
  • 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
  • 3 oz Semisweet or Bittersweet Baking Chocolate, chopped
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions

For the Pretzel Crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 baking dish with butter. In a bowl, combine the pretzel crumbs and sugar.  Pour melted butter over the crumbs and mix to combine.  Press the mixture into the bottom of the baking dish.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the Ganache:

While the pretzel crust is cooling, heat cream in the microwave until it just begins to boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate completely melts and the mixture is smooth.  Pour over the pretzel crust. Use a spatula to spread it into an even layer. Refrigerate.

For the Pudding:

In a saucepan, mix together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa, and salt. Whisk in 1 cup of milk, stirring until combined. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of cream. Continue whisking over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, continue cooking for another minute or two. Be careful to whisk into the corners and along the sides of the pan. Remove from heat. Whisk in the chopped chocolate and vanilla, stirring until fully melted. Allow the pudding to cool at room temperature, stirring frequently to prevent a skin from forming. Once pudding is no longer hot, pour it on top of the cooled ganache (which should be firm by this time) and spread into an even layer. Refrigerate for a few hours until pudding is completely cool and set.

Let your kids clean the saucepan.  Then, clean your kids.

Cut into small squares and enjoy!

You’re welcome, world.  You’re welcome.

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