t o m a t o e s & t e q u i l a

Pecan Sticky Buns seem so frivolous. I mean, who really needs a pan of ooey, gooey, hurt-your-teeth sweet sticky buns just hangin' out in their kitchen? Apparently, I do. For no apparent reason at all, in fact. I Just decided this recipe looked pretty on the cover of bon appetit and that I should make it. Done and done.

I actually botched this the first time I tried it. bon appetit made it sound really easy, "You don't need to be an expert baker to tackle the dough used to make all of these recipes. Sure, a yeasted dough can be intimidating. But this one's a dynamo - and it's easy to prepare." Yeahhhh.....right.  Turns out, this recipe was time intensive and required a certain amount of preciseness that apparently was too much for me during my first go-round. I was left with a tough, non-risen ball of dough after many hours of chilling, rising, etc. Boo.

So, I tried again. I am nothing if not persistent. They just looked so pretty on that darn magazine cover that I couldn't give up. I paid much closer attention to the details the second time around and voila! Sticky buns! And, just as I was muttering under my breath that I would never make these stupid sticky buns again...who needs 'em...too much work....blah blah, the hubby and I took a bite each and POW! Sugary, gooey, doughy goodness!!! I mean, these are crazy good. They are a bit difficult, but who cares, just get in that kitchen of yours and give it a go. You will be so happy you did.

I recommend giving yourself a lot of time with this recipe for all the chilling and rising nonsense. And, read the recipe thoroughly before beginning. And, read this. 

PECAN STICKY BUN RECIPE
(bon appetit)

 
I have a tendency to really focus my culinary efforts on dinner. Even on the weekend, breakfast is basically overlooked. I eat a lot of oatmeal. I mean a lot. The hubby eats a lot of cereal. It just feels like a waste of time (and calories) to eat a large, decadent breakfast. I want to change that. Breakfast is so important and can be so lovely. I mean, eating a nice breakfast with a steaming cup of coffee on the weekend while browsing my cookbook collection is nearly euphoric. I also think a good breakfast on a week day can really get you off on the right foot.

This recipe fits the bill. I made this a couple of weeks ago on Sunday night, sliced it up and refrigerated it. Then, before I hopped in the shower on a work morning I popped a slice in the oven and by the time I was ready for breakfast, my delicious breakfast was heated through with a nice crispy crust and eggy filling. This is surprisingly healthy too - about 320 calories per serving (whole recipe serves 6, serving size 1 large slice)

This recipe would also be great for a wonderful weekend breakfast or brunch, especially for guests because it's really pretty. Yet because it uses store bought pizza dough, it is also really easy.

Lastly, I would bet this recipe freezes well - so make a few and freeze them up for later use. I am guessing to reheat you would just pop it back in the oven at about 325 until it is heated through.

Yay for REAL Breakfast!


SPICY EGG, SAUSAGE & CHEESE BREAKFAST BRAID RECIPE
(Cooking Light)
1 (13.8-ounce) can refrigerated pizza crust dough
Cooking spray
1 tbl. olive oil
1/4 c. chopped onion
4 oz. chicken sausage with jalapeño peppers, chopped
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. (2 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c. chopped seeded jalapeño peppers (substitute spicy salsa if you don't feel like chopping one more thing)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 425°.

Unroll dough onto a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat into a 15 x 10–inch rectangle.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sausage; cook 9 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in eggs; cook 1 1/2 minutes or until set. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle Monterey Jack lengthwise down center of dough, leaving about a 2 1/2-inch border on each side. Spoon egg mixture evenly over cheese. Sprinkle cheddar over egg mixture; top with jalapeño peppers.

Make 2-inch-long diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart on both sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling using a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Arrange strips over filling, alternating strips diagonally over filling. Press ends under to seal. Brush with egg white. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut crosswise into slices. (At this point, either serve, refrigerate or freeze. I refrigerated and reheated mine during the work week for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees - So easy)

Is there anything better than a lovely breakfast on the weekend? The hubby and I got ambitious this morning and went all out - eggs, bacon, and strawberry scones.

I nearly messed up the scones - don't worry though, crisis averted. I used a simple basic scone recipe from Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, you know, the one we all have but don't use much. Anyway, I added defrosted, macerated frozen strawberries which created all too much moisture as scone dough should be very dry. After adding the strawberries and seeing the mess I had created, I furiously added more flour but the dough was still too moist to knead and cut into triangles. So, I threw the whole lump of dough into a spring form pan, baked as normal and sliced it when it had cooled. I actually think I like this method better since I hate dealing with too much gooey dough on the counter top as a traditional method would have you do.

PLAIN SCONE RECIPE
(Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

2 1/2 c. Flour
2 tbl. sugar
1 tbl. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. butter
2 eggs, beaten (I used egg beaters that I had on hand)
3/4 c. whipping cream (I used low-fat buttermilk, its lower in calories and has a nice tang)

Preheat oven to 400F. degrees.

In a large bowl (I highly recommend using a food processor for this instead) combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Using a pastry blender (this is where the food processor is easier) cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs - or in my case, just run the food processor for about a minute and then dump the mixture into a large bowl.

In a medium bowl combine eggs and 3/4c. whipping cream (or buttermilk). Add the egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. This is where I added about 1c. defrosted macerated strawberries - you could add anything you want, scones are a blank canvas for ingredients. Using a fork, mix until just combined. I added about 3/4c. more flour since the strawberries were so full of moisture, the dough should be dry.

Spray a 10 inch spring form pan with cooking spray. Dump dough into spring form pan and push to edges. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let cool before cutting.

My husband and I live in an apartment with a dinning room sized for umpa-loompas. We have room enough for one small, square dinning table and two matching stools. Of course, once we realized that we occassionally might want to eat with other people and went to purchase two more stools, they were no longer made (Darn you, Ikea!). We shortly thereafter became the proud owners of two new stools, though totally mismatched. I like to think of it as Ikea Shabby-Chic - and for us, it does the trick.



I think I quiche says all the right things to a dinner guest - it's homey and elegant, indulgent and light, all at the same time. 


QUICHE LORRAINE RECIPE:
(adapted from Smitten Kitchen, who adapted from Le Pain Quotidien)

1 3/4 cups diced leeks, white and light green only (about one large leek)
3/4 cup diced onion
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil (I used one tablespoon)
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Salt
6 tablespoons butter, diced
4 eggs, divided
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream (I used half and half)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch pepper
1 1/2 cups diced ham (I added a bit extra, about 1 3/4 cups)
3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese (Gruyere would be great here too)


Heat a large sauté pan over low heat. Sauté the leeks and onions in the olive oil 30 to 40 minutes until caramelized, occasionally stirring. Remove from heat and cool.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the flour, cornstarch and one-fourth teaspoon salt. Pulse until just combined. Cube the butter and to the food processor (make sure it's cold!) and mix until tiny balls form. Add one egg and mix it until a dough forms.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate and press to remove any air bubbles. Crimp the edges, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the quiche shell chills, mix the heavy cream (or half and half) and sour cream in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining three eggs. Add a pinch each nutmeg, salt and pepper and combine to form a batter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the quiche shell from the refrigerator and spread the leek and onion mixture evenly over the base. Sprinkle the ham and then the cheese over the leeks and onions. Pour in the batter and place the quiche in the oven.

Bake until puffed and golden, about 25 to 30 minutes (I had to bake for about 35 minutes). Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I refrigerated the quiche since I made it ahead of time. To re-heat, I place it in the oven on 300 degrees for 30 minutes. If the edges are browning too much, place foil around the crust.