Florentine Egg Nest

This breakfast/brunch is inspired by several ideas.  It's very similar to Salmon Hash (without the salmon, although it would be a good addition to add spinach to the Salmon Hash.)  I learned through my friend, Carlie, that it's typical to serve spinach, potatoes and eggs in Bavaria {Oberfranken} on Easter Thursday.  And finally I saw an idea similar to this on Breakfast Special, a PBS show.  Chopped potatoes (I did hash browns) with garlic salt, spinach, crack an egg in the middle, and cover to poach (I admit that I don't know how to poach an egg.)  They covered the dish with sauteed mushrooms and onions. 

I cooked a potato in the microwave, grated it in a greased (olive oil) skillet.

Sprinkle spinach generously around the skillet.

Cover with a lid, in hopes that the spinach wilts down.

Cook two eggs on another pan.
Place the eggs on top of the potatoes.

A festive brunch!

Pork Chops with sour cream sauce

Usually Thomas is the one who makes/grills the pork chops.  Today I cooked them.  Just by looking at them, Thomas said that it reminded him of a dish his parents made (in Germany) called Paprika Schnitzel.  We both enjoyed the dish a lot.  Even before I added the spices, it smelled incredible!

Wash and pat dry four pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick).  Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet and brown the pork chops, cooking 4-6 minutes on each side. 

Add one onion, thinly sliced; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp caraway seeds; 1/2 tsp paprika; 1/4 tsp garlic powder with 2/3 cup water.

Simmer, covered, for 50 minutes or until chops are tender.

Remove the pork chops, keep warmed on a separate plate.
Whisk in 2/3 cup sour cream, heat, and incorporate until smooth; don't let the sauce boil, though.

Return the pork chops in the sauce.
The sauce is excellent with baked potatoes, but pasta and rice would also be yummy.  With this meal I served green beans, too.

Source: "Pork Chops with Sour Cream"

Chocolate Almond Revel Bars

For weeks I've been thinking about making these bars.  Finally I've convinced myself to go ahead and make them, calories and all.  I decided to customize the recipe to make them richer and to give another dimension of flavor.  They are fabulous!

Recipe:

1 stick + 5 tablespoons butter {recipe calls for 2 sticks, minus 2 tablespoons)

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 tsp baking soda

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

1-1/2 cups wheat pastry flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces

1/2 cup bitter-sweet chocolate pieces

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup almond butter

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 tsp vanilla

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on high for 30 seconds, then add brown sugar and baking soda.  Beat until well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.  Beat eggs and vanilla.  Mix in flour then stir in the rolled oats.

For the filling, combine almond butter, sweetened condensed milk and chocolate pieces in a small saucepan, over low heat, stirring until melted.  Stir in vanilla and almonds.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Press two-thirds of the cookie dough into an ungreased 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. 

 

Spread the chocolate filling over the cookie dough.

Sprinkle the remaining dough over the chocolate filling.

Bake for 25 minutes-- the top will be lightly brown and the chocolate will look moist.

Cool on a wire rack and cut into bars.

{Customized from "Chocolate Revel Bars." Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Des Moines, IA: Meredith Corporations, 2002. 12th ed. 207.}

Broccoli-Cauliflower Bake {BH&G}

Here's a tasty side or main dish!

4 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)
3 cups cauliflower (fresh or frozen)
1 (10-3/4 oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup or cream of chicken
3 oz American cheese or process Swiss chess, torn
1 T dried minced onion
1/2 tsp dried basil, thyme or marjoram, crushed (I use Italian seasoning)
3/4 cup soft bread crumbs (1 slice)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Mix soup, cheese, onion and herbs in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Either cook diced broccoli and cauliflower or pour frozen broccoli and cauliflower and layer them in a 1-1/2 quart dish (my 8x8 dish did the trick.)  Mix together the vegetables and sauce.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and mix with bread crumbs.  Sprinkle over the dish.  If you used fresh vegetables, bake for 15 minutes.  If you used frozen vegetables, bake for 30-35 minutes.

{Better Homes & Gardens. DeMoines, IA: Meredith Corporation, 2002. 12th ed. 514.}

{friendlier} chicken enchiladas

These enchiladas are *almost* as good as the classic recipe.  Ever since last August I've needed to avoid fatty, oily, acidic, and citrus foods.  That doesn't leave much else to eat, hehe.  This is actually cheating because I added taco seasoning (hello, garlic, onion, chili powder, etc, etc) to the chicken just like in my classic enchilada.  But the sauce is mild with soup and sour cream (or yogurt).  Just a year ago, and earlier, I was eating my tomato dishes. Maybe, just maybe, I can have tomatoes as the staple of my diet again.  Until then, I will make do without it.

Sauce:
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream (or yogurt)
Italian seasoning
black pepper
anything else like chili powder, etc.  I added paprika, red color without the heat

Filling:
diced chicken (I always use rotisserie leftovers)
1 packet taco seasoning (1/4 cup)
3/4 cup water
cheese

Method:
Dice or shred chicken and place in a skillet.  Add taco seasoning and water, heat thoroughly and mix until thickened.  In the meantime, heat the soup, sour cream and herbs/spices in a small saucepan.  Warm eight tortillas.  Add a spoonful of chicken mixture and cheese in the center of the tortilla.  Wrap and place seam side down in a casserole dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.  Pour the enchilada sauce of the top.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Inspired from an allrecipes.com recipe

{And Happy BIRTHday to my new niece, Stephanie!}

Cheesy Mac & Cheese

It seems that I've been making macaroni and cheese dishes a lot lately.  I thought this recipe should be on my blog as I've made it more than a few times.  At this time it's my favorite mac & cheese recipe.

1 can cream of cheddar soup
1/2 can of milk
2 cups of cooked {whole wheat} pasta
black pepper, to taste
various herbs or spices (Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic- and/or onion powder, paprika, chili powder, etc)
extra cheese for taste
green vegetable for color (not featured in picture)

Boil salted water in a medium saucepan.  Once the water comes to a full boil, pour in two cups pasta.  In an 8x8 casserole dish stir together soup, milk, spices/herbs and extras.  Drain pasta once cooked at al dente.  Mix pasta with the soup mixture.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

(original recipe found on Campbell's Cream of Cheddar)