Basil Egg Sandwich

I totally stole the idea for this from this recipe, but since I didn't have pesto on hand and don't know how to successfully make an eight egg omelet (or a two egg omelet), I made it this way... This ended up being too much egg for the four sandwiches I made, so you probably want to cut this back to six eggs if you're making four sandwiches. Also, she posted an instructional video of the original recipe if you want to watch someone make an omelet without being a spaz.


Basil Egg Sandwich
8 eggs
1/3 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup grated parmesan
heavy splash milk
salt and pepper
2 tblsp butter, divided
whole wheat bread
1 cup cheddar cheese
Beat eggs, basil, parmesan, milk, and salt and pepper together. Melt 1 tblsp butter in large skillet. Scramble eggs. Remove from pan and wipe pan clean. Melt 1 tblsp butter in skillet. Assemble sandwich with cheese on both sides and grill in pan.

Braised Short Ribs - Take Two

I revisited this recipe this evening and changed up a few things. It was delicious, so I figure it's worth posting the changes.


Braised Short Ribs
2 tblsp olive oil 
10 short ribs
flour for dredging
4 carrots
1 pt button mushrooms, quartered
1 1/2 cup red wine 
2 tblsp tomato paste
beef stock
salt and pepper
Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium high heat. Dredge ribs in flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Brown all sides. Remove meat from pot and brown the onions, carrots, and mushrooms in the fat. Season veggies with salt and pepper. Deglaze pan with wine. Stir in tomato paste and season to taste. Return meat to the pot and add stock until meat is almost totally submerged. Simmer for 3-4 hours or until meat is tender. Remove meat and veggies from pot and increase heat. Reduce sauce until it reaches a gravy consistency (15-20 minutes). Skim fat periodically while reducing. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or just with a hunk of crusty bread for sopping up the sauce.

Po-chilis?

We've always made potacos, but it's equally delicious to slop up a potato with some leftover chili as well. It's lacking in the cute nickname department... Kevin calls them phillies, but that reminds me of cheesesteaks, so it's not really working.


Po-chilis
4 baking potatoes
olive oil
salt
4 cups warmed leftover veggie chili
1 tblsp butter
1 tblsp flour
3/4 cup whole milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
plain yogurt
Poke potatoes repeatedly with a fork or knife. Microwave on high for 15 minutes. Coat with olive oil and salt and place in 400 degree oven or toaster oven for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and bring together a light roux. Whisk in milk and heat over medium heat until milk thickens. Remove milk from heat and stir in cheddar cheese. Cut open the potatoes, top with chili, cheese sauce, and yogurt. 

Veggie Chili

So, after the arrival of baby girl, people brought us food that somehow, always included a can of corn. I'm totally grateful for all the delicious food that people brought, so if it sounds like I'm poo-pooing the arrival of corn in our house, please know that's not the case. Anyway, I ended up with a few cans in the pantry and remembered this recipe from our friend, Rachel. She always downplays her cooking skillz, but this was a good recipe. 


Veggie Chili
2 tblsp oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 cup banana peppers, chopped (I used banana peppers because I have a ton of them left over from an overproductive garden. If I had jalapenos, I would have used those instead.)
2 1/2-3 cups black beans, soaked overnight (or 2 cans black beans for a faster recipe)
2 cans sweet corn
1 can chopped tomatoes and the juice
2-3 cups additional veggies (I like zukes, carrots, broccoli, but use whatever you like)
chili pepper
cayenne (probably not necessary if you use a pepper more powerful than banana)
garlic powder
salt and pepper
Heat oil in a soup pot (if you're switching to a crock pot, use a smaller pan) over medium high heat. Sweat onions and peppers and then season with salt and pepper. If you're switching to a crock pot, now's the time. Add beans, corn, tomatoes, and additional veggies. Season to your taste. You'll have to come back a few times to get it right because the heat will bring out the spices. If you're going for a quick cook, bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it come together for 30 minutes. If you're using the crock pot, cook everything on high until the beans are tender (around 4 hours) and then reduce to low until you're ready to eat. I let the whole thing go for about an additional 3-4 hours. Serve with sour cream and cheddar cheese.  

Vinegar Smashed Potatoes

This recipe is from our friend Grant. It's a nice change for standard mashed potatoes. This makes enough for three servings.


Vinegar Smashed Potatoes
3 white potatoes, cut into 1" squares
salt
2 tblsp melted butter
3-4 tblsp red wine vinegar
Just cover potatoes with cold water and salt. Bring to boil and cook potatoes until fork tender. Drain potatoes, return to pot, and add melted butter and vinegar. Mash potatoes to mix, but leave them on the chunky side.

Quinoa Salad

Is it just me or do the cooking instructions for grains always make waaaaay too much? This is my favorite thing to do to get rid of some of the leftovers. If you have any ideas about what else to do to use up grains, let me know.

Quinoa Salad

Chopped romaine lettuce

chopped cucumbers

sliced onions

1/4 cup leftover quinoa (mine had peas and banana peppers) or couscous

1 handful sunflower seeds

honey balsamic dressing

Honey Balsamic Dressing

This dressing is super simple and has been a hit in our house.


Honey Balsamic Dressing
1/4 cup wildflower honey
1/2 cup balsamic vineagar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tblsp yellow mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Put all ingredients in a shaker or empty dressing bottle and shake like crazy.

My Favorite New Rice

Since Natty has been groovin' on rice, I've been looking for ways to a) enjoy rice and b) prepare rice without burning it. Rachel Ray made this rice on her show one day and it looked interesting, so I thought I'd steal the method. Turns out it's my new favorite. A nice bonus is that it's super easy to change the spices and veggies to match whatever you're serving it with. 


Yummy Rice
2 tblsp olive oil (or butter)
1/2 cup orzo
1 cup rice (I went with quick cook brown rice)
salt and pepper

1-2 cups veggies depending on how you want to balance the dish. I have used onion, banana pepper, zucchini, broccoli, and peas in different versions.

1 tblsp spices to match your main course. Cumin and crushed red pepper for Mexican, basil, garlic, and oregano for Italian, saffron and paprika for Spanish.
2 1/2 cups stock or broth
Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add orzo to oil and lightly toast. Add rice, veggies, spice, and season with salt and pepper. Add broth, reduce heat to medium low, and cover. Cook 15 minutes, until rice is tender.