Sausage and Potato Frittata

SUMMER.

It's happening.

Finally.

I'm not even sure how I made it out alive this last semester, but I'm not going to lose anymore sleep or hair over it. College problems, ya know?

Well, I am over a week into summer and think it's time to get productive in the making of copious amounts of food. As well as the eating of it.

In true scavenger fashion, the first thing I do once I return home is scour the kitchen for whatever lingering ingredients are either in their last leg of life or that I know my family will neglect until it is time to throw it in the compost. I would like to think that I am breathing new life into these leftover ingredients, but my tendencies back at my college apartment tend to lead to the use of some questionably old food. It's a whole other world when I'm there though. Don't judge me...

But really, frittata. Frittattatatatatatattaaaa. 

One of my favorite ways to utilize those old veggies and meats. Whatever you desire or have on hand will work: bell pepper, spinach, broccoli, ham, etc. The shrinking potato on the counter called my name, as were the frozen polish sausages in the freezer. Listen to your ingredients, answer the call. Finally finished it up with some butter, dried parsley, and cheese, then BAM. 

Party in a pan.

 Sausage and Potato Frittata
adapted from Joy the Baker

3 tbsp olive oil
2-4 sausages sliced
1 russet potato, rinsed, cut into cubes
3 tbsp butter
pinch of salt
7 eggs
2 tbsp milk
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 cup grated parmesan

Place rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

Heat cast iron skillet over medium, then add oil and sausages. Cook until browned and crisp. Transfer to plate. Add potatoes to pan and cook until tender. Season with salt. Add butter to pan. Take off of heat and return sausages to skillet.

In a separate bowl whisk eggs, milk, pepper, and parsley. Pour into skillet and cover with foil, then bake for 30 min. Remove foil, sprinkle cheese over frittata and bake for 10 min more. Serve in skillet Enjoy warm or at room temp.

Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread. All fuss, all reward

College life is a lot like eating monkey bread. As soon as you finish one assignment (or piece), you find another in your hands, then another, and then a few more. The obvious difference being that one is more delicious than the other. I mean like 1,000,000x more delicious.

I've been meaning to tackle monkey bread for a while, but I barely have anytime to just relax or even make myself a descent meal this semester. Terrible. But I promised myself two things come spring break: do nothing school related and EAT. Rest assured I have accomplished the latter with flying colors.

I made the batter the night before (11pm to be exact, because normal people decide to bake at the hour of night, right?)  and put it in the fridge to pop in the oven the next morning. Which probably wasn't the best decision because the sugar dissolved leaked out of the pan a bit, but it wasn't too bad, and I'd rather eat it raw than see that work go to waste.

Oh, and college living has made me the frugal queen. I am both proud and ashamed of this fact. (Note: Do not eat 2 week old chili... No matter how desperate you are)

It turned out better than I expected and is worth every minute spent making it.

I may, or may not have eaten a fourth of this. Yay for Spring Break!

Cinnamon Sugar Monkey Bread (Lighter version)
adapted from Cooking Light

4 cups all-purpose flour  


1 tsp salt 
1 package quick-rise yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) 


1 cup very warm fat-free milk (120° to 130°) 


1/4 cup very warm orange juice (120° to 130°) 


1/4 cup honey 


2 tbsp butter, melted 


Cooking spray 


1/2 cup granulated sugar 


1/2 cup packed brown sugar 


2 tsp ground cinnamon 


4 1/2 tbsp fat-free milk, divided


2 tbsp butter, melted 


1/2 cup powdered sugar 


1 tbsp 1/3-less-fat cream cheese 

2-3 tbsp fat-free milk


1 tsp vanilla extract 

Combine flours, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a large bowl or stand mixer with dough hook attached; mix until combined. Slowly add milk, juice, honey, and 2 tablespoons butter; mix dough and knead for about 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (in an OFF oven), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)

Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, combine 3 tablespoons milk and 2 tablespoons butter in a, stirring with a whisk.

Spray a 12-cup Bundt pan coated with cooking spray. Punch dough down; divide into 8 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), roll into an 8-inch rope. Cut each dough rope into 8 equal pieces, shaping each piece into a 1-inch ball. Dip each ball in milk mixture, turning to coat, and roll in sugar mixture. Layer balls in Bundt pan. Repeat procedure with remaining 7 dough ropes. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until almost doubled in size. (If rising in oven, be sure to remove before preheating!) 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until golden. Cool 5 minutes on a wire rack. Place a plate upside down on top of bread; invert onto plate. 

For the glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, cream cheese, and vanilla in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH 20 seconds or until warm. Drizzle over bread.

Roasted Almonds

The almond, how I love it so. Plain, sweet, or salty, there is no way to go wrong with this nut in my opinion. Unless you're allergic... then steer clear. 

 Raw almonds are good, but roasted are great. I eat roasted almonds like popcorn and before I know it half the baking dish is gone. No shame involved. I did not add any salt or other flavorings to this batch, just a little bit of olive oil. The roasting enhances their nutty flavor and creates the most satisfying crunch that I just cannot get enough of.

 Simple, healthy, addicting.

Roasted Almonds

1 lb whole raw almonds

1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. On a unlined and ungreased sheet tray, toss almonds and oil with hands or a spoon until they are well coated. Spread evenly across the tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until they turn darkish brown, tossing halfway through. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Mother's Meatballs

Meatballs at tea time? Why not.

Make them small enough and they make great figure food. Well, perhaps in this case you would want a toothpick or fork. They are a wee bit messy. But, messy in the best possible way: delicious messy.

There's is no super secret method or ingredient in my mom's meatballs. Oatmeal is the key here. Rolled oats give a bit of a nutty flavor, but not enough to interfere with the meat, but most importantly it retains the moisture in the balls, keeping them juicy. What I also love about them is how simple they are to make and how they can be adapted for any recipe or dish.

We opted for slathering them in BBQ sauce. Because tea and toast just is't complete without figure licking and a wet towel. Right?

Mom's Meatballs

1lb ground beef (or any other ground meat)

1/4 cup of old fashioned rolled oats

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp any dried herb of your liking (or tbsp of fresh herbs)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp worcestershire sauce (optional)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup BBQ sauce (store bought or homemade) 

In a medium bowl, combine beef, oats, garlic powder, herbs, salt, pepper, and worcestershire sauce. Mix with hands or a spoon until just combined. DO NOT over work the meat or else it will become tough when cooked. Slightly wetting hands with water, start forming small balls about 1-2 inches in diameter or however big or small you desire. Set aside.

Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Once the pan is heated, start placing meatballs into pan and cook until all sides of meatballs are browned and caramelized. Add BBQ sauce and let simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve. 

Back with Butter, Back to Life

Butter! Yes, I brought french butter back with me only because that it a perfectly normal thing to do.  Fact. 

I read multiple blogs and articles prior and during my trip to Paris to ensure that no food gem would go unexplored. But between the jet lag, waking up at 12 noon and actually wanting to take it easy, not every destination could be visited. And you know what? That's just fine. Paris will still be there and I will still want to come back. 

While we did see the sights, my mom and I found it so much more satisfying to just explore on our own. Here were a few of the highlights that made this trip so memorable.

- Street side crepes

- A tomato and mozzarella salad (in 100 degree weather)

- A dessert from the absolute cutest french restaurant in the Latin quarter, Les Fetes Galantes. Homemade puff pastry w/ vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce shaped like mushrooms. If you ever go to Paris, go here. This meal blew my mind.

- Our street.

- Wedding cake baking (early stages). Also, meeting the coolest french family ever.

- French cheese (from a beautiful meal, provided by the sweetest french mother from the coolest french family). I want to eat an entire wheels of this.

Simple pleasures would sum up the whole visit. Never a dull moment. 

Now back to normal life... and some really good butter.

I'm still here! Well, sort of...

I'm somewhere. Paris, to be exact and loving it! But it's not all fun and indulgence.

There's work to be done, you see.

I swear...

I SWEAR. 

eh, well yes, mostly fun and indulgence. But there is a wedding cake to be baked, frosted, transported, oogled, and eaten by yours truly. More of that soon!

Alright. Two things:

- Pay no attention to the uglyness happening on top of this bread. Yes, those holes are test pokes. And no, I have not gotten friendly enough with my oven to know its behavioral patterns. But, I'll get there.

- Despite the fact that a streusel topping should be the easiest thing to make, my streusel skills have yet to improve. Don't judge me.

Blueberries!!!

I've had blueberries on the mind for a while and had to act. I give you blueberryliscious coffee cake as the result. Sweet bursts of warm berries? Check. Spongy and soft sweet bread? Oh yah. Crumbly, sugary, cinnamony streusel goodness? Well... yeah that's go with that.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

adapted from justapinch.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1 cup white whole-wheat, 1/2 cup all-purpose)

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 egg

1/2 milk or buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

For the cake:

Grease and flour a loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, combine sugar, slightly cooled butter, egg, milk, vanilla and mix well. Sift flour mixture into wet ingredients and fold until well combined. Fold in blueberries and then transfer to pan.

For the streusel:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour

1tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp butter

Mix first four ingredients in a small bowl, then incorporate butter using your hands until you have pea-sized crumbles. Sprinkle it on top of the batter in the pan, then bake for 40-45 min. Allow to cool for 20 15 minutes.

I Dub Thee Oven

We got a new stove last week. After 9 months and 5 maintenance requests, our manager (aka manager of procrastination) finally fixed our oven handle. By replacing to whole oven... Don't get me wrong I'm as pleased as can be. It's clean, all four burners work, and its not 50 years old. Give or take. Oh yeah, and there's an oven handle! Woohoo! Well done Mrs. Manager, you've managed to fix one of the 8 things wrong with this apartment. Now we must wait another 2 months for you to address the other problems.

In the mean time, lets make some granola!

I'd like to think that my granola making skills have improved a lot since my first batch. Not that it's hard. Oh no, it's real simple. But I'm always testing out the ratio of wet ingredients and possible flavor possibilities. This has become my delicious default.

Maple syrup, nuts, brown sugar, and a little bit of cinnamon.

 Then adding whatever dried fruits I've got on hand. My roommates always ask me to make it, because it makes our apartment smell like pure happiness. That and to mask the smell coming from the trash.

I consider this the ultimate nibble food. But add and/or eat it just as you would any other granola.

Maple Pecan Granola
1/4 cup oil (use whatever you have, I used olive and still turned out great)

1/2 cup applesauce

2/3  cup maple syrup

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil.

In a large bowl, combine first five ingredients and mix well. Add oats and pecans, then mix well. Let sit for about 5 minutes, then transfer to the baking sheet. Bake granola for about 40-45 minutes, stirring avery 15 minutes, until granola is golden. Remove and allow to cool completely on baking sheet.

Enjoy! And store in a sealed jar or container.

French Toast (Pour Une)

True or False:

I can speak french. -False (although I wish were true). 

I love french toast. -True

You would think that after 3 years of french in high school, I would have some fluency in the language. Yeah, that's what I thought too. But for some reason, each year the school would change the teacher and each thought it better to start at the beginning. So by the time I was in french 3 we were still reading out of the french 1 book. Sad, I know.

 But I won't let my terrible luck or inability to learn a language interfere with my willingness to make something delicious on a Saturday morning. Egg, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla. We're prepping the pool for some very lucky last pieces of sourdough bread, folks.

 Let them soak. You have to wait a bit...

 And like magic their done! But not really, fry them a pan first. Just a suggestion.

 Saturday bliss, man.

No french speaking required.

French Toast (for one)

1/2 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 slices sourdough bread (or any stale bread of your choosing)

2 tbsp butter

In a shallow bowl, combine first four ingredients and mix well with a fork. Lay both slices (if possible) in the bowl and soak for 1-2 minutes each side. In the meantime, melt the butter in a non-stick skillet. Once it begins to bubble, add the moist bread slices and cook each side for about 1-2 1/2 minutes or until a brown crust forms (you want it to be long enough to cook the center, but short enough not to dry it out).

Serve with berries and syrup (of course). Feel free to top with powdered sugar and if you have the patience, take a pretty picture! Then, by all means eat it.

Edible Chocolate Pillows of Peanut Buttery Goodness

There's cocoa. There's peanut butter. And one's inside the other.

A little kinky, no?

Oh well... It's all love in the end.

These little suckers, were a wee-bit tedious to make I'll admit. But then again I wanted them to be peerrrfect. I had been eyeing over the recipe for a few months (I'm busy, okay), waiting and planning for the right time to make them, and finally I decided superbowl sunday would be a great time to test them out on my fellow hungry college peers.

Needless to say, they were a hit. What was priceless was their reaction to finding peanut butter fluff in the middle. Crunchy peanut butter no less. "Well done...well done," was one of my more entertaining reviews. And let's face it, between eating these and watching the superbowl, there was more enthusiasm for the cookies. Well, that and the puppybowl.

After a day's worth of snacking, these pillowy treats are the cherry on top right before your food coma. How appropriate. Just don't sleep on them.

Peanut Butter Pillow Cookies
Get the recipe here!

Note: My only adaptation was replacing half the oil with butter, which is why mine turned out flatter. Also I used 1/3 cup less sugar in the filling. Still turned out delicious!

Pizza #1

Homemade Pizza that is. I am happy to report that this attempt did not fall under the failed list and was achieved with a good amount of confidence. I like to think I've come quite a ways since my first baking days. A year or two ago my thoughts going over a pizza or bread recipe would have been like this:

- What the heck is yeast?

- Knead for how many minutes?! How do I even knead? 

- Eh, I don't really want to use that much flour. (Although, I'm still this frugal)

- No dough hook... no hope.

But I can tell you now that what might seem like a hard and troublesome process is actually no trouble at all. 

Bloom your yeast for 5-10 minutes. Your water should be warm(warm to the touch, you don't need a thermometer). Not Scary at all.

Once your dough pulls away from the sides, turn it out onto a floured surface.

With your hands(thats right, you don't need stand mixer), knead that sucker for about 5 to 8 minutes until it forms a smooth, uniform ball.

Let the double in size in a warm place. The oven is my place of choice, along side a bowl of steaming water to help the rising process. Just DO NOT TURN ON THE OVEN.

Once risen, punch it in the face. 

 

Flatten out the portion of dough and spread it out to the desired size and thickness. I was able to spread mine out to the size a standard baking sheet by pressing out the edges with my fingers.

Top it with whatever you want. This one has sausage, pepperoncini, artichoke hearts, onions, red bell pepper, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and parmesan.

Basil would have been my garnish of choice, but the cilantro on hand end up mixing up the flavors and tasting great. I sprinkled the bottom and edges of the dough with cornmeal. My crust turned out thin and crispy with just 12 minutes in a HOT oven and it's pizza time my friends.  

Pizza Dough

from Cooking Channel

1 3/4 cups warm water (105-110 degrees, or warm to the touch)

1 envelope(2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

2 tsp sugar

3 tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing

3 1/2 - 4 cups white whole wheat flour (use bread flour if you have it, otherwise all-purpose will work)

2 tsp salt

In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar and let bloom for at least 5 minutes. Mix in oil.

In a larger bowl, combine flour and salt. Gradually pour in water mixture, stirring with a spoon or wooden ladle. Once the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead up to 8 minutes or until it forms a smooth ball. 

Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place for 2 hours. Once doubled in size, give it a punch and divide the dough in half or quarters. You can wrap the remaining dough with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge or freezer. 

For Pizza:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Flatten out a portioned piece of dough(I used half) and place it on a greased baking sheet. Spread it out to your desired shape and size then top it with whatever you want!

Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size, until the edges are golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before eating.