real life foodie adventures

Oh, wait… you’ve been wondering that, too, haven’t you?

Sorry for the abundance of radio silence lately, folks. Just when I thought life couldn’t get much more hectic… it did. The next 30-60 days are going to be positively insane. But, all for a good reason! We’ll be packing up and relocating to the Midwest!

We’re excited for the change of scenery, the change of pace, the change of jobs… leaving us generally excited even if we’re also positively overwhelmed with all that needs to be done between now and then (and we’re still not even sure when “then” is!).

Of course, along with an interstate move comes the need to begin clearing out all of the perishable items from the kitchen. There’s a fridge and freezer full of goods that just can’t make the trip with us. And so begins some really creative cooking! Stay tuned for other crazy and creative concoctions focused primarily on clearing out what’s already lingering in our kitchen without having to buy too many additional items to clutter up a kitchen that we’re supposed to be cleaning out.

So… here’s how it starts. There’s one lonely ball of pizza dough in the freezer. There’s a stray jar of giardiniera in the pantry. And there’s a half-used jar of pepperoncini in the fridge. I don’t know about you, but this screams muffaletta pizza to me! Throw in some green olives from my husband’s eternal refrigerator stash and cheese and deli meats that can be used later in the week for sandwiches and we’ve got what I call a winning combination! (By the way, I encourage you to take all sort of liberties with this one… use as much or as little of each of the elements as makes you happy and… if you’re unable to find some of the meats in your local grocery store, switch it up with regular salami, ham, or canadian bacon.)

Muffaletta Pizza
pizza dough (either homemade or storebought - pre-cooked should work fine, too)
2 cloves garlic
1 16 ounce jar giardiniera, drained
1/2 cup green olives, drained
1/2 cup pepperoncini, drained
6-8 slices capocollo ham
6-8 slices sopressata
6-8  slices provolone cheese
1/3 small red onion
olive oil

Place a pizza stone in your cold oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F or according to your favorite recipe/package directions.

While the oven preheats, finely mince the garlic. Coarsely chop the giardiniera, olives, and pepperoncini. Thinly slice the onion and separate into rings. Set it all aside.

If using fresh pizza dough…when oven and pizza stone have pre-heated, press out dough, sprinkle stone lightly with cornmeal and slide on pizza dough. Cook for 5-6 minutes until crust is mostly cooked. Remove from oven.

If using pre-cooked dough… proceed directly to next step.

Drizzle crust with olive oil. Layer on garlic, meats, giardiniera, olives, pepperoncini, and red onion. Cover with provolone slices.

Return pizza to oven to cook until cheese is melted, bubbly and brown - another 7 or so minutes.

The end of another month has arrived and, if you’re a regular reader of food blogs, you’ve probably already noticed the flood of cheesecake pops at every turn. You know what that means… it’s Daring Baker time again!

This month’s Daring Baker Challenge - Cheesecake Pops - was chosen by our lovely co-hosts, Elle at Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah at Taste and Tell. These are girls after my own heart… I was drooling with anticipation!

For as excited as I was about this challenge (and I was VERY excited, since I’ve been meaning to make cheesecake pops for a while now)… I certainly did my fair share of procrastinating. The five (yes, five!) blocks of cream cheese sat in our fridge for weeks. And then, last weekend, I finally took the plunge. I made the cheesecake… and then… I ran out of time again and it sat in the fridge for another week.

Now, this presented a bit of a problem. Cheesecake in our fridge just cannot go untouched for a full week. Not possible. Nope… so spoonfulls kept disappearing (did you know that cheesecake is perfect for self-medicating after a bad day at work?)… and, by the time the weekend rolled around again, there was only half a cheesecake left. (What can I say? It was a particularly rough week for both of us.)

The procrastination trend continued and yesterday got away from me, too. So, here it is the afternoon evening of reveal day, and I’ve just finished dipping my little orbs of cheesecake into chocolate. Nothing like waiting until the very last minute! Whew! Someone remind me never to push it this far again.

Luckily, this recipe made a big cheesecake. So, even with half of it gone, we still came away with more pops than any two people need access to. I’m going to have some happy co-workers tomorrow!

I initially had big plans of dipping my finished pops into all manner of things… graham crackers, jimmies, caramel, nuts, etc… but - in the eleventh hour - and after trying to roll cheesecake into balls and ending up with cheesecake all over me… and a good part of my kitchen (there are worse things in life) - I opted to go with something simple… Taza shaved chocolate. There’s just no such thing as too much chocolate!

This recipe makes a wonderful, thick cheesecake. And, as was the experience of many of the other DB’ers, mine took longer than the recommended 35-45 minutes… about 20 minutes longer, as a matter of fact. No matter, though, this one’s worth every extra minute.

My husband agrees! I’ll definitely be making this again - both in pop form and in a more classic form (I’m already thinking about how great it would be with a chocolate crust). To see how the other DB’ers felt about cheesecake in the form of lollipops, check out the Daring Baker Blogroll.

Cheesecake Pops
(from Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey by Jill O’Connor)
5 8-oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
Boiling water as needed
Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks

1 pound chocolate, finely chopped - you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate - candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 - 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.
(Makes 30 - 40 Pops)

Leftover mashed potatoes are a rarity in our world. They’re just one of those things that don’t make it long in our house. But… on the rare occasion that we actually manage to exercise some self-restraint and not plow through way more than our fair share of servings in one evening, I always have as much fun deciding what to do with the leftovers as I do in just deciding to make them in the first place

Decisions, decisions…

Over the weekend we were in need of something quick and easy (anyone see a theme here? life has been entirely too hectic). I found a small serving of mashed potatoes hiding in the back of the fridge (a-ha!) and there was a can of salmon in the pantry. In minutes, dinner was in the works.

Viola! Salmon croquettes! Paired with a salad and a glass of wine… a tasty meal indeed.

Salmon Croquettes
7 oz. canned salmon, flaked
1 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup bread crumbs
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
salt & pepper
1 egg, beaten
Vegetable oil, for frying

Combine the salmon, potatoes and seasonings to taste. Mix in beaten egg. Roll into golf ball size balls and roll in breadcrumbs. (If time allows, refrigerate corquettes for 30-60 minutes to allow mixture to firm up.)

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry croquettes until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.

Serve with sour cream for dipping. (Makes 6 croquettes.)

The world may hate her, but I’m a Rachael Ray fan. Say what you will about her, but she really has come up with some pretty tasty quick-fix dinners. Do I ever complete the recipe in under thirty minutes? Rarely… at least until I’ve made it a few times through. But, no matter. They’re still quick, tasty, flexible, and easy. Life is hectic right now, and anything that makes weeknight life in the kitchen easier is a-okay in my book.

Case in point. I’ve had this recipe bookmarked for a while now… trying to remember to buy some frozen spinach. When I finally did, I immediately put it on the menu plan for the week, because I’d been so anxious to give it a try. As luck would have it, the night we were to have this for dinner, I was running late from work. Since the hubby was home already, he offered to get started on dinner prep so that I wouldn’t have to do it all when I got home. So, we struck a deal. He’d make the meatballs, I’d make the pasta. We did… and dinner was still on the table in under forty-five minutes. Even with me running late and the two of us fighting over kitchen space.

Is it gourmet? No. But it’s a fun, easy meal that makes good use of lean meat and leafy greens. Had we had a whole-grain pasta in a fun shape to incorporate, it would have been all the better. But, I wanted a fun shape, and the whole-grain selection in my area is still a little lacking in that category. And the meatballs? Awesome. And enormous. So fun!

Either way… file this one under “easy.” You won’t regret it. And, come on, who doesn’t love monster meatballs?

Florentine Mac and Cheese with Chicken Meatballs
(adapted from Rachael Ray)
Salt
1 pound cavatappi or other corkscrew shaped hallow pasta
1 pound ground chicken breast
Black pepper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano, divided
1 egg 3/4 cup bread crumbs, plus more, if needed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 10 oz. boxes chopped frozen spinach
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup skim milk
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Place a large pot of water on to boil for pasta. When it comes to a boil, salt it and add the pasta to cook to al dente. Strain pasta reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.

While the water is coming to a boil, in a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, salt and pepper, rosemary, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano, egg and bread crumbs. (If the mixture seems too wet, mix in another handful of breadcrumbs.) Form 8 large round balls, about 3 to 4-inches in diameter. Coat balls in a couple of tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil and lightly grease a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Arrange balls on the baking sheet and roast 17 to 18 minutes until juices run clear.

Meanwhile, defrost spinach in microwave 8 to 10 minutes on “defrost” setting. Place the boxes in a shallow dish to catch any run off.

In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in flour and cook 1 minute, then whisk in stock and milk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook over medium-low heat 5-6 minutes until thick. Stir in the remaining cup of grated cheese and reduce heat to lowest setting.

Wring spinach completely dry in clean kitchen towel. Separate it with your fingers and add it to the sauce. Stir in the reserved cup of pasta cooking liquid if sauce is too thick. Toss pasta with the spinach-white sauce and adjust seasonings. (Serves four.)

We’re lucky. Whether we should or not (and often we should not), in our house we can eat pretty much whatever we like. No dietary restrictions, allergies, etc. to work around. Nothing’s really off-limits unless it’s just because we don’t care much for it. So, short of playing around with the occasional sugar-free recipe, I’ve never really tried much in the way of modified recipes.

Until now.

I imposed on myself sort of dual-purpose challenge… first, I wanted to try my hand at a gluten-free recipe to give to an acquaintance who has a daughter with celiac disease… and second, I wanted to put together a gluten-free cookie featuring mesquite flour.

What a fun way to stretch myself in the kitchen!

I had a particular cookie in mind when I set out on my little adventure… a cookie I had once upon a time about two years ago. It was fudgy and nutty and had a crackly top not unlike a brownie. It seemed like it might make an easy transition to being flour-free and still have a satisfying cookie texture.

I tried eggs versus egg whites… I tried cocoa versus melted chocolate… I tried varying amounts of mesquite flour. And, finally, I found my winner.

We liked them. The young lady I gifted half of the last batch with liked them. And I think this recipe’s a keeper. And, bonus, that makes three good cookie recipes that incorporate mesquite flour (the others are here and here if you’re interested).

Chewy Dark Chocolate Pecan Cookies
(makes approximately 18 cookies)
2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup mesquite flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt
4 oz. good quality dark chocolate
4 egg whites
2 cups pecans, toasted and roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals until just melted. Set aside.

Whisk the eggwhites on high until stiff peaks form, about three minutes. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the melted chocolate to the egg whites, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until ingredients are completely combined, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Fold in pecans.

Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets, spacing the cookies about two inches apart.

Bake for 18 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool for 7-10 minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container.

(I’m also envisioning these with dried cherries or chocolate chunks - or both! - mixed into the batter along with the pecans. YUM!)

I admire people who have the willpower to give up carbs. That whole “don’t eat anything white” thing? Yeah. Not this girl. I figure I’m doing well to be making the conversion over to more whole grains in my breads and my pasta… even sneaking it into my sweets here an there. But to give up all things white forever and ever, amen? Oh, to have such strength.

It would be hard enough to face life without a crusty piece of french bread or a plump, buttery biscuit here and there. But a world without potatoes? I can’t imagine. Roasted, mashed, baked, hashbrowned, scalloped, chowdered… I love them any which way. That’s why, when Tempered Woman announced the category for this month’s Homegrown Gourmet was potatoes, I knew immediately what my entry would be.

This recipe is all about homegrown comfort food. My mom has been making this literally for as long as I can remember. I think it was an adaptation from something originally published in the cookbook that came with her crockpot but, over the years, she’s modified to be much, much easier. It’s the first thing I think of when there’s leftover ham in the house (and, truth be told, it’s the same recipe I promised you for using up your leftover Easter ham… I just never got around to writing it up). It’s also a good reason to go ahead and MAKE a ham (it’s easy… you can even do it in the crockpot). And, if all else fails, it works fine with the pre-cubed ham that you can pick up at the supermarket.

(Carb lovers - be sure to server this with a big slice of french bread… it’s the perfect thing for mopping up the bottom of your bowl!)

Dad’s Ham and Potatoes
6 medium potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon Worcestersire sauce (more to taste)
2 cups cooked ham, cubed
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Peel potatoes. Cube and place in a medium to large pot. Cover with cool water and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a slow boil and cook until just fork tender. Drain.

When potatoes are nearly done, melt butter in a large skillet. Stir in flour and salt and cook for 3-4 minutes. Whisk in milk. Stir constantly until mixture has thickened. Reduce heat and stir in Worcestershire sauce.

Add in the drained potatoes, ham, and cheese. Mix thoroughly ensuring sauce coats all of the potatoes. Adjust seasonings and enjoy. (Serves four to six.)

Dear Dorie,

Almost-a-Convert

That’s right… another month has passed and it’s Daring Baker time again! Our dear fellow foodie, Morven, wanted to choose something that allowed us a little creative freedom, and I am so pleased that she picked this cake! Not because I took a lot of liberty with the recipe (because I didn’t - it sounded plenty wonderful just the way it was), but because I find it so hard to make that “leap of faith” for anything other than decadent sounding chocolate cake recipes. I’ve always wanted to like white cakes with their pretty appearances, but they always just left me sort of… eh. No more. I loved this cake.

Dorie says this is a “just-right cake for any celebration,” and boy is she right. This cake would be right at home at absolutely any event. And the combination of fresh, white cake, lemon, and raspberry? Just like the name… perfect.

I wish I were a coconut fan, because I love the look of this cake with sweetened coconut pressed into the sides. Alas, I am not, so I opted to garnish my cake with fresh raspberries to complement the raspberry preserves layered inside.

Looking back, I think next time I make this I’ll add a little more lemon juice to my buttercream. I’d have liked just a little more lemon flavor there. However, that’s pretty much the only thing I’d have done differently. This cake is just SO good. (Oh, wait… I’d also warm the preserves a little less - warm it too much and you don’t get quite the impressive raspberry layer that you’re looking for.)

My mom would LOVE this cake. Not too sweet with a nice balance of lemon and raspberry… she’d finally be able to finish a slice without looking for a cup of coffee to “wash it down.” I certainly wouldn’t be sad to make it again so she could try it. (Consider that an open invitation, Mom!)

Thanks, Morven, for a fun and tasty challenge!

(Don’t forget to check out the Daring Baker Blogroll to see the many wonderful interpretations of this cake.)

Dorie’s Perfect Party Cake
(from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours)

Cake:
2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk (Dorie recommends buttermilk with the lemon)
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon pure lemon extract

Buttercream:
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (from 2 large lemons)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Finishing:
2/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves stirred vigorously or warmed gently until spreadable

Making the cake:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 x 2 inch round cake pans and line the bottom of each pan with a round of buttered parchment or wax paper. Put the pans on a baking sheet.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg whites in a medium bowl. Put the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl or another large bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Add the butter and working with the paddle or whisk attachment, or with a hand mixer, beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture, still beating on medium speed. Beat in half of the milk-egg mixture, then beat in half of the remaining dry ingredients until incorporated. Add the rest of the milk and eggs beating until the batter is homogeneous, then add the last of the dry ingredients. Finally, give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Divide the batter between the two pans and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the cakes are well risen and springy to the touch - a thin knife inserted into the centers should come out clean. Transfer the cakes to cooling racks and cool for about 5 minutes, then run a knife around the sides of the cakes, unfold them and peel off the paper liners. Invert and cool to room temperature, right side up (the cooled cake layers can be wrapped airtight and stored at room temperature overnight or frozen for up to two months).

Making the Buttercream:
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved, and the mixture will look like shiny marshmallow cream.

Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one, and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate - just keep beating and it will come together again. On medium speed, gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla.
You should have a shiny smooth, velvety, pristine white buttercream. Press a piece of plastic against the surface of the buttercream and set aside briefly.

Assembling the Cake:
Using a sharp, serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, slice each layer horizontally in half.

Put one layer cut side up on a cardboard cake round or a cake plate protected by strips of wax or parchment paper. Spread it with one third of the preserves. Cover the jam evenly with about one quarter of the buttercream. Top with another layer, spread with preserves and buttercream and then do the same with a third layer (you’ll have used all the jam and have buttercream leftover). Place the last layer cut side down on top of the cake and use the remaining buttercream to frost the sides and top.

Decorate with fresh raspberries or sweetened coconut.

Serving the cake:
The cake is ready to serve as soon as it is assembled, but I think it’s best to let it sit and set for a couple of hours in a cool room - not the refrigerator. Whether you wait or slice and enjoy it immediately, the cake should be served at room temperature; it loses all its subtlety when it’s cold. Depending on your audience you can serve the cake with just about anything from milk to sweet or bubbly wine.

Storing the cake:
The cake is best the day it is made, but you can refrigerate it, well covered, for up to two days. Bring it to room temperature before serving. If you want to freeze the cake, slide it into the freezer to set, then wrap it really well - it will keep for up to 2 months in the freezer; defrost it, still wrapped overnight in the refrigerator.

Playing Around:
Since lemon is such a friendly flavour, feel free to make changes in the preserves: other red preserves - cherry or strawberry - look especially nice, but you can even use plum or blueberry jam.

Fresh Berry Cake:
If you will be serving the cake the day it is made, cover each layer of buttercream with fresh berries - use whole raspberries, sliced or halved strawberries or whole blackberries, and match the preserves to the fruit. You can replace the coconut on top of the cake with a crown of berries, or use both coconut and berries. You can also replace the buttercream between the layers with fairly firmly whipped sweetened cream and then either frost the cake with buttercream (the contrast between the lighter whipped cream and the firmer buttercream is nice) or finish it with more whipped cream. If you use whipped cream, you’ll have to store the cake the in the refrigerator - let it sit for about 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

There’s leftover ham in many a refrigerator this morning… including mine. For some, this is a bad thing. In our house, this is a very good thing. Not only do I live with a certifiable ham fiend, but there are just so many great things you can do with leftover ham (provided, of course, you can keep it out of the hands of your favorite resident “snacker”). I’m going to give you two… one today and one later this week. I’d give you more, but… well… I’m going to have to deliberately hide away part of the ham just to make it to the second recipe. I have no hope of the ham making it a millisecond past that.

My very first thought when I think “Easter leftovers” is the much-loved and oh-so-simple frittata. Frittatas are good hot, room temp, or cold. They’re fast. They’re flexible and happy to take on pretty much anything in your fridge.

What’s in my fridge? Leftover ham, a half a bunch of leftover asparagus, some sliced mushrooms. But, remember, you can throw in whatever you have.

Ham & Asparagus Frittata
8 large eggs
3 tablespoons half & half (milk works, too)
1/2 tablespoon butter or olive oil (or non-stick cooking spray)
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
10-12 asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 1″ pieces
1 cup cooked ham, cubed
1/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
salt & pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, half & half, and salt and pepper.

In a large, oven-proof skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they just begin to soften. Add the asparagus and ham and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until asparagus is bright green.

Preheat broiler.

Pour in egg mixture and cook, covered, for 5-6 minutes (without stirring) until almost set. Remove lid, sprinkle with cheese, and place skillet (uncovered) under the broiler. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until golden.

Remove from oven and cut into wedges.
(Serves 4-8, depending on how hungry you are.)

After a particularly long and hectic week, which culminated (by the way) in a twisted, swollen, and bruised ankle, I was ALL about a little comfort food tonight.

Yep. Despite the fact that I’ve already done plenty of damage to my attempt at a healthier diet this week, the pizza gods were calling my name. There was just no denying it. So, I poured myself a drink. Then I pulled a ball of frozen pizza dough from the freezer and let it thaw on that magical warm spot on top of my pre-heating oven while I surveyed my topping options.

A leftover chicken breast. A nearly overripe red bell pepper. A few stray slices of red onion. Cheese. BBQ sauce. Sounds like a BBQ chicken pizza to me!

Every bit as good (better, I say) as those “commercial” pizzas. Though, to be fair, we’re no strangers to the local pizza delivery guy! It’s just really nice to be able to control the toppings… the quality… the crispness of the crust. And, really, it doesn’t take too much longer than the pizza guy on a busy Friday night.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
1 lb. pizza dough, homemade or purchased from your favorite pizza joint
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
3-5 tablespoons BBQ sauce, depending on how you like it
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, sliced into rings
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded OR Sargento’s chipotle cheddar cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
cornmeal for dusting

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium frying pan, saute the chicken breast until just cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly.

Roll, throw, or otherwise shape your pizza dough into the desired shape. Spread with BBQ sauce and top with chicken. Sprinkle over tomatoes and onion, and lay down the red pepper rings. Cover pizza with cheeses.

Sprinkle hot pizza stone with cornmeal and transfer pizza to stone. Cook until crust is crispy and cheese is bubbly, approximately 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and enjoy!
(This makes an 8-10 inch pizza, but results may vary depending on how much dough you use and how thick you want your crust. Adjust your toppings accordingly.)

It’s Homegrown Gourmet
Roundup Time!

Since its inception, Homegrown Gourmet has covered sandwiches, soups, pies, stews, quick breads, and now… breakfast.

Our mothers always told us that breakfast is the most important meal of the day… and I’ve got some breakfast lovin’ readers! Sit back and enjoy… oh, and you might want to go ahead and grab a snack or you’re going to be starving by the time you reach the end of this roundup!

Ben from What’s Cooking gave us not only a great recipe for traditional Mexican Breakfast Sopes, but also a comprehensive guide to making our own tortillas. I have fond memories of the homemade tortillas of my childhood, and I can’t wait to try these Sopes!

Michelle at Greedy Gourmet, a self-proclaimed “potato monster,” shares the recipe her wonderful husband uses for their full English breakfast with Potato Hash Browns.

I love me some pancakes, and Meghan at Joy Through Cooking put on her Pittsburgh pride and featured truly droolworthy BLACKberry and GOLDen Pineapple Pancakes. Yum!

Kate from Paved with Good Intentions contributed an intriguing Californian Couscous Cake with Dates. Cake for breakfast that doesn’t make you feel guilty? What a concept!

Next we had my own entry… my “good enough for now but still in search of the ultimate” Southern Buttermilk Biscuits. I wish these had lasted long enough to pair with some sausage gravy.

The lovely founder of the Homegrown Gourmet Challenge, Bean, brought us a Maine Brown Egg Frittata, which also featured Maine potatoes and Cape Cod cranberries for garnish. Beautiful!

Shandy from Pastry Heaven made a wonderful Smoked Salmon Puff Pastry in which she uses wonderful Pacific salmon. And, bonus! You can prep this one the night before!

Mrs. W from Mrs. W’s Kitchen in Central NY brought a full-on Breakfast for Shoveling to the table. Eggs, bacon and home fries are the perfect fuel for shoveling yourself out from under 18 inches of snow (color me jealous… of the snow AND the breakfast!).

Ruth from Just Add Eggs shares with us an Irish Ulster Fry that would make anyone weak in the knees. Bacon/sausage, eggs, homemade breads, and tomatoes? What’s not to love?

Suzana over at Home Gourmets brings us a lovely Portuguese Pão de Deus. Pão de Deus translates to God’s Bread and, from her description and photos, I think it’s aptly named.

Holly from Phe/MOM/enon went back to her roots and brought out some great looking Cornmeal Griddle Cakes in honor of her ancestors who pioneered their way from Europe and across the U.S. to settle in Utah.

Tempered Woman went all out with a… ahem… “healthy” St. Louis classic - Gooey Butter Cupcakes (for breakfast!). Gooey butter cake is a St. Louis classic and one that you really must try if you haven’t already. Now, coming off my “bread so sweet it’s a dessert” win last month - TW is a woman after my own heart. Not only do I love the sinful goodness of having cupcakes for breakfast but, but having grown up in Missouri, she came in with an entry that really tugs at my heartstrings - and those two things make her my choice for the WINNER of Round Six of the Homegrown Gourmet Challenge! Congratulations!

Thanks to everyone for all of your wonderful and thoughtful entries! Be sure to keep an eye on Tempered Woman’s blog for her announcement on Homegrown Gourmet #7!