Brunch Recipes

Here are the recipes and a few pics of what I made for brunch on Sunday at Panache:

Sweet Potato Waffles

2 cups biscuit/baking mix(I used Jiffy,it's the cheapest and I am all about cheap)
2 T. brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger(didn't have this at work so I left it out)
1 egg
1 1/3 cup milk(I used skim)
1 cup canned sweet potatoes, mashed
2 T. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Topping

1 T. butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. water
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
dash salt
dash ground nutmeg
maple syrup

In a large bowl, combine the biscuit mix, brown sugar and spices. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, sweet potatoes, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until combined. Bake in a preheated waffle iron(I got mine for 2 dollars at a garage sale!).
Meanwhile, in a small skillet melt butter over medium heat and add pecans and walnuts. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add brown sugar, water, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve waffles with topping and syrup.

Migas( from The Pioneer Woman Cooks)

1 medium onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green pepper
4 tomatoes
1 or 2 jalapenos
10 to 12 large eggs
1/4 cup half and half
salt and pepper to taste
4 corn tortillas
canola oil for frying
1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
2 cups grated monterey jack or pepper jack cheese
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro( I left this out)
1/4 cup light sour cream

Roughly chop onions, bell peppers and tomatoes. Finely dice a fresh jalapeno(remember, wear gloves) removing the white membranes and seeds. In a bowl lightly beat the eggs and half and half. Season with salt and pepper. In a small skillet fry the corn tortillas in canola oil until barely crisp. Drain the fried tortillas on a paper towel. Place them on a cutting board and cut the tortillas into strips and then into large squares. In a skillet cook the onions and bell peppers in the olive oil and butter until they get a little color,but don't let them get soggy. Next, add the tomatoes and cook for one minute. Add the tortilla chips and jalapenos. Stir the mixture and reduce the heat to low. Pour in the egg mixture. Fold the mixture together gently, don't stir. When the eggs are cooked add the cheese and chopped cilantro if using. Top with a dollop of sour cream.

New favorite cookbook

My new favorite cookbook which may conveniently disappear from the library because I love it so much is called The Pioneer Woman Cooks by Ree Drummond. Oh my goodness, what an awesome cookbook. I have made several of her recipes over the past few weeks and I have loved all of them. So simple and so tasty. I've made bbq jalapeno poppers, chicken spaghetti, cowboy calzones, pico de gallo, guacamole, cheesy olive bread( hands down, my favorite), sour cream pancakes, and pizza crust. Wow, I didn't realize I had made so many! Usually I will just make a few recipes, if any, from a cookbook. Seriously, everything in this cookbook looks amazing. She has tons of step by step pictures of all the recipes. No, I am not getting paid to extol this cookbook, but if you like good, all American food with a twist this is the book for you. Very family friendly too. Okay, I will stop going on and on and give you some recipes.

Olive Cheese Bread

one 14.5 ounce can black olives drained(I used 2 small cans chopped olives)
one 6 ounce jar pimiento stuffed green olives drained
2 green onions
1 stick butter softened
1/2 cup mayo( I use light, it makes me feel better about all the cheese and butter)
1 lb Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1 loaf crusty french bread

Preheat the oven to 325
Give the olives and green onions a rough chop. In a large bowl combine the butter, mayo, cheese chopped olives and green onions. Stir until thoroughly combined. Slice the french bread in half lengthwise. Spread the olive-cheese mixture in an even layer on each half. Bake for 20-25 minutes and enjoy!

BBQ Jalapeno Poppers

18 fresh jalapenos
one 8 ounce pkg light cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheese( whatever kind you have)
1 green onion sliced
18 slices thin bacon, cut into halves
bbq sauce
toothpicks
rubber gloves for working with the jalapenos(trust me you want to use these)

Cut jalapenos in half lengthwise and scrape out as much or little of the seed and membranes as you would like. I leave some of them in for heat but if you are wimp about spice then scrape those suckers clean. Combine cream cheese, shredded cheese, and chopped green onion. Stuff each jalapeno half with the cheese mixture. Wrap bacon slices around each half, covering as much of the surface as you can. Brush the surface of the bacon with your favorite bbq sauce. Secure the jalapenos with toothpicks and cook them in a 275 oven( this is what the cookbook said,but I ended up turning the oven to 350 about halfway through) for an hour or until the bacon is nice and sizzling.

Delaney

Delaney was complaining that I only put one picture of her on here a few weeks ago. So I promised I would devote a whole blog post to her with pictures of my lovely girl.

Brunch Menu

So I'm preparing brunch this Sunday at Panache from 9:30-1. Here is my menu:


Sweet potato waffle with nut topping

Chocolate chip pancakes with whipped cream

Migas- scrambled eggs with jalapenos, peppers, onions, tomatoes, cheese and fried, chopped corn tortillas. Topped with sour cream and served with roasted potatoes.

Bacon-cheddar grits. Served with fresh fruit and roasted potatoes.

Everything but the kitchen sink quesadillas

So Chris told me I need to write like I talk in this blog. So I guess he is telling me to ramble on and on! I am going to try to follow his advice(which I am known to do sometimes!) So the other night I was trying to decide what to make for Chris and I for dinner. The kids were at their dad's that night. I went to allrecipes.com, my go to recipe site for dinner ideas. I found a quesadilla recipe that sounded like a good starting point for some experimentation. It was interesting because it had hot sausage in it and bbq sauce. I wasn't too sure about that combo, but decided with a few changes I could make something yummy. So here is my take on the quesadilla.

1/2 lb hot sausage
1/2 lb ground beef or turkey( I used ground beef)
2 or 3 mushrooms chopped
1/2 cup bbq sauce
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 green onions chopped
1 chipotle pepper chopped and a little of the sauce too, you could add more of this to make it even spicier
1 poblano pepper roasted, peeled and diced
1 small can pineapple pieces( to balance the heat)
flour tortillas
shredded cheese of your choice


Brown the sausage and ground beef. Drain off the fat. Add remaining ingredients except for pineapple. Take one tortilla and place some meat on half of it, cheese and some pineapple pieces. Fold the tortilla over the filling. Put a little olive oil in the skillet and cook on both sides until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is lightly crisp and browned. I served this with sour cream. So good! You could definitely play with this recipe and add or subtract ingredients.

Recipes

Beef Bourguignon

3 T. olive oil
8 ounces button mushrooms(trimmed) quartered if large
3 lbs boneless beef rump roast, cut into 1 inch pieces( plan ahead and have the butcher do this for you, much quicker, trust me)
coarse salt and ground pepper
5 strips bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 T. tomato paste
2 T flour
3 cups dry red wine
2 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 12 oz pkg frozen pearl onions
1 T butter
2 T fresh parsley(optional) chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Season beef generously with salt and pepper and add 1 tablespoon oil to pot. In batches, brown beef, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot. Add bacon and cook over medium until brown. Add tomato paste and flour and cook for about a minute. Return beef to pot; add wine, broth, bay leaf and garlic. Bring to a boil, cover and transfer pot to oven;cook 1 1/2 hours. Add carrots and onions and cook until meat is very tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more, adding mushrooms 15 minutes before end of cooking. Stir butter into stew and serve topped with parsley if desired.

Radicchio, goat cheese and walnut salad

1/4 cup olive oil
3 T red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp sugar
coarse salt and ground pepper
1 head radicchio, torn
1/2 head red leaf lettuce, torn
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup crumbled fresh goat cheese

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar and sugar; season with salt and pepper. Add radicchio, lettuce and walnuts and toss to combine. Serve salad topped with cheese.

Chocolate steamed pudding

1 egg
3 T butter, softened
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 T cocoa

Mix all ingredients together and spoon into 4 small dishes( I used 6 oz pyrex bowls). Place in pan on the stove and add a little water to the bottom of the pan(about 1/2 way up the dishes), cover and steam for about 20 minutes over low heat.

Sauce:

1 12 oz pkg choc chips
1 1/2 cups half and half, milk or evaporated milk

Melt together and pour over cakes when removed from bowls. I also made some whipped cream to add on top, if you want to make this dessert even richer!

Dinner with Sally

Last night we had our friend Sally over for dinner. Sally was our doula for Charlie's birth. We had a wonderful time catching up over dinner and wine. I prepared beef bourguignon(I am glad I only have to spell that and not say it!), radicchio,goat cheese and walnut salad, mashed potatoes and steamed chocolate pudding(thanks Reese for our all time favorite dessert recipe!) for dessert. Here are some pictures and I will post the recipes soon.