Scrambled Egg Turnovers
Dearest Organic Free Range Eggs,
I'm sorry I failed you. You totally needed a win; especially with all this bad press about eggs giving people salmonella. This turnover recipe made me think that you needed to be *set* before I tucked you into a pocket of puff pastry and let you slumber in my hot oven. Little did I know that you would turn out overdone! I'm now know that I should have followed the 1 minute the recipe suggested rather than the 3 minutes I insisted on. Would that have meant you would have been super runny on the puff pastry? Hmmm...
Thank god the zucchini, puff pastry & melted cheddar made up for your shortcomings. I heard that my Mom's green salad was delighted to join you on the plate for lunch! You two make such an excellent couple! I took a picture of you two! I think it turned out pretty nice!
I hope that you accept my sincere apology. Maybe next time I'll include some bacon with the zucchini & cheese mixture? Sound good?
I look forward to seeing you soon! Maybe in tomorrow's breakfast? You free?
Forever yours,
Tracy
Mushroom Spinach & Asparagus Pasta
Are you a creamed spinach fan? Do you also love mushrooms & pasta? Ever wish you could combine all three? Then you'll probably love this! The end result is a very creamy pasta that won't have you slaving for hours in the kitchen. It comes together super quick, and now that I've been through it once, I probably don't need to follow the recipe again! I found some asparagus chilling in my fridge, so I tossed it into the sauce. It added a really yummy crunchy bite to the pasta- and a little more depth.
My only advice is- eat the pasta fast (the sauce starts to thicken up when the heat escapes) and make sure you have someone else to eat it with! No one can be trusted with a pot of this at hand. Maybe you can answer this question for me...All those veggies negate the calories & fat in the creamy sauce, RIGHT?! I thought so!
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Egg & Asparagus Gratins
I have a confession to make. This dish STRESSED me out. It's really not a complicated recipe, but the thought of overcooked eggs paved the way for me to be on edge with this recipe. Mix that with a incessantly meowing cat, a crazy bed headed mom with no coffee (ahem, me) and a toddler running around the house---OMG WHOA! I'm surprised I managed to pull this off. Dipping that piece of toast into that brilliant yellow runny egg was the money shot I was looking for. Thank god it happened. It was worth the stress. We dodged a bullet, people!
Let's have a look at that yolk!
Now that that's out of the way...this is a really good dish! I'd totally make it for company! It reminds me of the Herbed Baked Eggs I made awhile ago, but without all the herbies. The bright green asparagus were happy to take their place. If you are pressed for time, cook the asparagus in advance to make things easier. The Parmesan really makes this dish, so you should add more than it calls for. I won't tell anyone. I bet fresh breadcrumbs mixed on top would be FANTASTIC too. Look at the runny egg yolk being soaked up by my buttery toast. Do I really need to say more?
Spaghetti with Zucchini Walnuts & Raisins
I'm normally not a fan of pastas like this. There isn't a sauce that saturates all the noodles so you really have to work at creating the perfect bite with all the ingredients. It's also a bear to mix together because all of the fun stuff just wants to hang out at the bottom of the pot. It was hard for me to judge how much I liked the pasta until half of the spaghetti on my plate was eaten. Verdict? YUM!
All of the leftover zucchini, raisins & nuts on my plate tasted wonderful! We got a little fancy and topped our pasta mounds with some white truffle oil. It brought out the earthy flavors of the nuts & Parmesan cheese. Good call, Casey. If you're a walnut & raisin fan like Cooper, you're in for a real treat! He was begging for more plump golden raisins & toasted walnuts. Two out out two boys in this household approve. Which makes the only mom/wife/cook in this household thrilled.
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Shrimp Cucumber Mango Salad
I predict that 5 months from now, in the dead of winter, I'll totally be jonesing for this salad. It's zesty, crunchy, sweet & spicy!!! All of my favorite things! It's summer in a cup; which is how I served it tonight! No need to turn on the oven/stove/grill. This recipe requires nothing but a fridge, a cutting board, a knife & a few bowls to execute. The best part is that it's super duper low in calories & has like no fat whatsoever. You know what this means? I get to go hog wild for dessert tonight!
I'm gonna go do that now...Peace out.
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Summer Squash with Goat Cheese
Another bucket of summer squash was set outside our front door a few days ago!! My neighbor is going crazy with this summer squash business! After making the risotto the other night, I needed to make something simple and uncomplicated (aka-I just got home from work and don't feel like cooking!) So here's what happened: I sauteed zucchini & summer squash in a pan with onions & thyme. I browned them a bit and added garlic at the very end (so it wouldn't burn). It all went on a lovely plate and was topped with crumbles of goat cheese. We made a main course out of it with some yummy toasted french bread. The goat cheese crumbles melted on top of the squash; adding a scrumptious creamy/tangy element to the dish!
Feel free to substitute the goat cheese for feta or Parmesan. I've been on a great goat cheese binge lately, haven't I? Sorry! If you aren't into cheese, the squash is fine without it!! It would make any vegan happy. Thank you Ann for the best summer squash I've tasted! I'll will let you know when we've had enough! At this rate, it could be soon!
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Zucchini & Summer Squash Risotto
Executing this recipe the other night reiterated two things:
1. Making risotto is not hard. It just requires a bit of attention. A drawing pad, crayons & a high chair made this possible!
2. I should never take for granted having neighbors who drop off buckets of homegrown vegetables at my door. NEVER.
My friend Lana seduced me with her batch of pattypan risotto last week. Her son Alden is a week older than Cooper, so we commiserate in the battle of getting veggies into our carb loving sons! If you need to hide some veggies in a dish for your children, this is a good one to try! If you have a significant other who LOVES risotto, this will not disappoint! Casey ate A LOT!
This risotto is very light & creamy. The zucchini & summer squash melt right into the risotto; adding a bit of sweetness. The Parmesan & lemon juice additions at the end are key! They jazz up the risotto perfectly! It's OK to go heavy handed on them! Thank you Lana & Helen for the inspiration. This will definitively be in our rotation!
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Spinach Salad with Fruits & Goat Cheese
I don't know about you, but I've been overdosing on fruit right now. I take all the fruit I have in the house, chop it up, toss it in a bowl and pop it in the fridge to cool! I'll walk pass the fridge during the day and poke my fork in to get a few bites before I start an activity. Yes. I am totally THAT person. Last night I had a bright idea to eat fruit for dinner! I wanted something savory, substantial & simple with what I had left, so here's the salad I came up with.
In this bowl of fruit you'll find kiwis, strawberries, blueberries, mangoes & plums!
I added crumbled goat cheese, a bag of spinach & the remains of the salad dressing used in my Mom's salad to the fruit.
I realized that it was missing a crunch factor. Enter SUNFLOWER SEEDS!
Everything worked really well together! Casey loved it too. WIN!
So here it is. Our dinner. Served with some crusty toasted bread. DEEELISH!
Have you been into fruit too?
