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.

Shameless, I know, but my kids are so cute!

I sure hope dinner tastes as good as it smells! It's always disappointing when the taste doesn't measure up to the lovely smells of dinner. I am trying a new recipe tonight, garam masala chicken and caramelized cumin carrots. I will post the recipes and hopefully pictures later. Right now I need to tend to a fussy baby! I hope you all have fabulous meals tonight!

Sorry it has taken me a while to get a photo and the recipes up. This was very good. I especially liked the carrots. Delaney liked the chicken,but not the carrots(she doesn't like cooked carrots) and Max liked the carrots, but not the chicken( he hates chicken!). I thought the chicken turned out very juicy and flavorful. I marinated it overnight. Here are the recipes:

• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt(I used reduced fat sour cream)
  
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garam masala (an indian spice found in most stores)
  
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 large garlic clove, pressed
• 1 4- to 4 1/2-pound roasting chicken, cut into 8 pieces, backbone removed(I just used legs and thighs, no need to cut up a chicken!)
  
• 2 small onions, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Preparation

Mix yogurt, chopped cilantro, olive oil, garam masala, salt, and garlic in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Add chicken to marinade, 1 piece at a time, coating all sides. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Position racks in top third and bottom third of oven; preheat to 400°F. Arrange onions in thin layer on large rimmed baking sheet to form bed for chicken. Top with chicken pieces in single layer, spacing apart for even roasting (chicken will still be coated with marinade). Discard remaining marinade.

Roast chicken on top rack until cooked through and juices run clear when thickest portion of thigh is pierced with knife, about 1 hour. Serve chicken atop onion slices. Spoon pan juices around.

Caramelized Cumin Roasted Carrots

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 12 medium to large carrots, peeled, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds( I used about 1 tsp ground cumin)
  
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Combine carrots and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; toss to coat. Spread in single layer on prepared baking sheet. Roast carrots until tender and lightly caramelized, turning carrots over once, 35 to 40 minutes.

Getting started!

Well, here I am, writing my first note on my first blog! Just so you all know, I am not a writer. I will mainly just be sharing recipes and pictures on this blog. I hope to update a few times a week, but with a 5 month old and 2 other active kids, we will see how that goes! I have had many of you ask for recipe ideas and I hope I can share my love of food with you. Most of us love to cook, but just don't have much time or have run out of ideas. Some of you don't like to cook,but maybe I can inspire you to try some new recipes. Most of the recipes I try are easy and don't require many ingredients. I am a busy and frugal mom, so with very few exceptions I try to cook quick and economical meals. So on that note, I will share a recipe I made a few nights ago for Chris and I. I got it from epicurious.com and while it did take more time than usual it was delicious. Not sure if kiddos would like this, but who knows. I did make some changes to the original recipe. Here it is:

Cheese Enchiladas with Green Sauce

Sauce

• 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1 cup whipping cream or 1/2 and 1/2
  
• 1 cup milk, you could use skim
  
• 6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 green onions, minced
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chilies, drained
• 1 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Enchiladas

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• 3 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

• 1/2 cup sour cream

Preparation

For sauce:
Cook spinach according to package instructions. Drain well. Set aside. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add flour and stir mixture 2 minutes; do not brown. Gradually whisk in whipping cream and milk. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spinach, cilantro, green onion, chilies, cumin, and red pepper. Puree in batches in processor until almost smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.)

For enchiladas:
Heat oil in heavy small skillet over medium-high heat. Using tongs, briefly dip each tortilla in oil to soften, about 15 seconds per side. I didn't do this step. I just warmed the tortillas in the microwave. Combine cheeses in large bowl; set aside 1 1/2 cups for topping. Combine onion and cilantro in small bowl. Place 1/4 cup cheese mixture in center of 1 tortilla. Spoon 2 teaspoons onion mixture over. Roll up tortilla. Place seam side down in large glass baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cheese and onion, using 1/4 cup cheese for each. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Stir sour cream into sauce; pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with reserved 1 1/2 cups cheese. Bake until cheese melts and enchiladas are heated through, about 25 minutes.