Tag Archive for: Breakfast

L’USINE and Jet Lag Dreams

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Happy New Year to everyone!!  I am finally coming out of the fog of jet lag from our trip to Vietnam which was awesome!  It was such an amazing trip, and I am the luckiest girl to have gotten to spend such a special vacation with my family.  I feel so lucky and blessed that I forwent (is that a real word?) eating the traditional black eyed peas and collard greens on New Years Day mainly because I really do feel so lucky, and I really do detest them, so it worked out.  First I want to give a quick up date on the trip.  The food was phenomenal.  Walker, of course was much more adventurous than I, but everything I had was fantastic.  I need to tell you about them most wonderful restaurant we went to.  Corby, Walker and I had a day of wandering around District 1, doing some shopping and attempting to go to the Vietnam War Remnants Museum (it was closed- hence the attempt).  Walker was quite the trooper dealing with me and Corby and all we wanted to see, especially since Walker’s cousins who live in Vietnam and had already seen all this stuff, were back at the house swimming and watching TV.  After several hours of walking in the heat, we decided lunch was in order.  My sister had mentioned a place called L’Usine that all the locals know about and love, and she had pointed out the alley you walk down to find the staircase that leads you to the restaurant.  Fortunately, we were right around the same area, and I managed to find the alley.  Walker was very skeptical.  As we climbed the stairs and finally found L’Usine (http://www.lusinespace.com/), we actually realized we had found heaven.  It was like walking out of Vietnam and into the coolest Manhattan downtown loft space ever.  It also helped that one of the first things we saw was a huge display of cupcakes.   We sat down to a delicious menu.  Walker ordered the baby squid and clam linguini while I ordered a delectable cheese plate. It was a fantastic lunch, and Corby I think just about fell in love with that place and would make the 30 hour trip to Vietnam just to go back.  We then ordered cupcakes that came from a bakery called Sweet and Sour run by a girl from Wilmington, NC- no wonder they were so good!  Anyway, L’Usine was definitely a highlight of the trip!!

Now, here is a quick little recipe that I came up with at 4 am dealing with jet lag.  I know that I am not the first person to think of this, but I thought it sounded great and so easy!  I love Pilsbury Crescent Rolls- but what about before you roll them up, sprinkle some grated cheddar cheese and bits of bacon in them.  Or for a breakfast treat- sprinkle cinnamon sugar in them- roll them up and then sprinkle more on top.  Just a little twist that I am going to try out this weekend!!

 

The Pioneer Woman’s French Toast

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It was about this time last year that we were getting ready to head out to see Corby’s friend’s Ladd and Ree- otherwise known as Marlboro Man and The Pioneer Woman.  We stayed on their ranch for a few days and helped wrangle some cattle- it was pretty awesome.  Since that time, I have to say that I have done no wrangling, ranching or cattling.  However, I have of course been reading Ree’s blog and keeping up with her cooking.  I really enjoy reading her recipes because they are so tasty, but I also just have to laugh at her extensive use of butter, sugar and all things good.  I was looking at her recipe for Baked French Toast, and while I couldn’t (well actually I could because it is so delicious, but I would be very unhealthy and fat which I am not a huge fan of) eat this for breakfast every morning, on the occasional Saturday or Sunday, it is a huge treat!  Sugar, butter, heavy cream, more sugar, more butter, and bread- awesome.  While we are probably not going to make it out to the ranch this year, that will not stop me for enjoying her decadent Baked French Toast and all of her other wonderful recipes!

The Pioneer Woman’s Baked French Toast

Ingredients:

1 loaf Crusty Sourdough Or French Bread
8 whole Eggs
2 cups Whole Milk
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
Topping:
1/2 cup Flour
1/2 cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Salt
Freshly Grated Nutmeg, Optional
1 stick Cold Butter, Cut Into Pieces

Directions:

For the French toast: Grease the baking pan with butter. Tear the bread into chunks, or cut into cubes, and evenly distribute in the pan. Crack the eggs in a big bowl. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla. Pour evenly over the bread. Cover the pan tightly and store in the fridge until needed (overnight preferably). Or you can make it and bake it right away—delicious no matter what!

For the topping: Mix the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and some nutmeg in a separate bowl. Stir together using a fork. Add the butter and with a pastry cutter, and mix it all together until the mixture resembles fine pebbles. Store in a plastic bag in the fridge.

When you’re ready to bake the casserole, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the casserole from the fridge and sprinkle the topping over the top. Bake for 45 minutes for a softer, more bread pudding texture or for 1 hour-plus or more for a firmer, crisper texture.

Scoop out individual portions. Top with butter and drizzle with warm pancake syrup.

National Biscuit Month= Awesome

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September is National Biscuit Month which clearly makes it my new favorite month.  It is also National Honey Month, National Rice Month, National Mushroom, All American Breakfast, Better Breakfast, Chicken, Self-Improvement, Courtesy, Hug a Texas Chef, Cholesterol Awareness, and Organic Harvest Month just to name a few.  Clearly, the need to have a month dedicated to ridiculous things is pretty popular.  October has 38 things that it celebrates including National Toilet Tank Repair Month.  I think having a month dedicated to something is a really great idea, but maybe we could limit it to 12 special things- just one for each month- not 38.  And I am going to go ahead and throw out there that September should really lose all of those other things and just be solely National Biscuit Month.  Who doesn’t want to celebrate biscuits?  I am reposting my favorite biscuit recipe to date- Cracked Pepper and Cheddar Biscuits, but I am making it my goal if possible (and it very well might not be possible) to find a new favorite biscuit recipe.  What is your favorite biscuit- buttermilk with jelly, ham and cheese?  I love them all.

Cracked Pepper and Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/3 cup of cold butter

3/4 cup of buttermilk

1 tablespoon of cracked pepper

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

First, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and mix together. Next, cut in the butter- it is important to use cold butter. Cover the butter lumps with flour and squeeze them between your fingers to break them down into smaller bits and rub the butter into them. What is left in the bowl looks like break crumbs.

Stir in the buttermilk and mix up the dough until the liquid is all absorbed by the flour. At this point, you add the cheese and pepper or whatever combination you choose. With your hands, knead and shape the dough until all the flour is worked in and the dough is of a single consistency. It should be still be slightly sticky to the touch, but not so sticky that it clings to your hands and the side of the bowl.

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a board until it is between a half and inch and an inch thick. Cut the dough with a biscuit cutter or the top of a glass or cup. Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and crispy. So delicious!!!

More from the Mountains: Bear Claws

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This is my 11-year-old Springer Spaniel, Nemo (named before the fish).  As you can see, he is a ferocious beast.   Despite the fact that he still looks like a puppy, he is getting old.  His hips are going, and he sleeps most of the time.  However, this morning, he recaptured some of his youth when, at 5:45 am, he demanded to be let out.  I dragged myself down the stairs and opened the door- my eyes still basically closed, thinking he would just quickly do his business and come right back in.  Well, instead, Nemo, the ferocious beast, found and scared a bear cub off our front porch.  The barking and scrambling that ensued, I thought that there was a raccoon or something, except that when I ran onto the porch, I saw this. I did not get a picture of the cub because, well, this is a huge bear, and I did not want to hang out for too long.  But I woke everybody up in the house, and we all watched them safely through the upstairs window as they went up the hill.  I have to say,  when I am out on the boat in Charleston, I still get super excited to see dolphins- it never gets old.  Bears on the front porch, this could lose its appeal pretty quickly!  In honor of Nemo continuing to keep us safe and our hopefully never-to-return visitor, the bear and her cub, here is a fun recipe I got from www.tasteofhome.com for bear claws!!

Bear Claws:

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1-1/4 cups half-and-half cream
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 egg white
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup almond paste, cubed
1 tablespoon water
Coarse or granulated sugar
Sliced almonds

Directions

In a bowl, toss butter with 3 cups flour until well coated; refrigerate. In a large bowl, combine yeast and remaining flour.

In a saucepan, heat cream, sugar and salt to 120°-130°. Add to yeast mixture with 1 egg. Beat until smooth. Stir in butter mixture just until moistened.

Place dough onto a well floured surface; roll into a 21-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Starting at a short side, fold dough in thirds, forming a 12-in. x 7-in. rectangle. Give dough a quarter turn; roll into a 21-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Fold into thirds, starting with a short side. Repeat, flouring surface as needed. (Do not chill dough between each rolling and folding.) Cover and chill for 4 to 24 hours or until firm.

For filling, in a small bowl, beat egg white until foamy. Gradually add confectioners’ sugar and almond paste; beat until smooth. Cut dough in half widthwise. Roll each portion into a 12-in. square; cut each square into three 12-in. x 4-in. strips. Spread about 2 tablespoons filling down center of each strip. Fold long edges together; seal edges and ends. Cut into three pieces.

Place on greased baking sheets with folded edge facing away from you. With scissors, cut strips four times to within 1/2 in. of folded edge; separate slightly. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Lightly beat water and remaining egg; brush over dough. Sprinkle with sugar and almonds. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Skiing, Swimming, Sledding, and a Pinata

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We took 14 people up to North Carolina with us this past weekend, so including us, there were 12 adults and 5 children (and 2 dogs). It was a packed house, but we all had so much fun!  Corby, Walker and I drove up on Thursday night which also happened to be Corby’s birthday- we stopped in Blowing Rock at Bistro Roca (www.bistroroca.com) for dinner which was fabulous.  I had a pulled pork crepe that was out of this world.  Walker had mussels that he said were delicious, and Corby had meatloaf that was really good.  The only drawback was that we saved one slice of meatloaf to put in our eggs on Friday morning, and when we stopped to get gas after dinner, Nemo- my pesky 10-year-old Springer Spaniel- ate the meatloaf- it was disappointing.  Oh well.  Friday, we skied all day at Sugar Mountain which was so much fun- bluebird day and 50 degrees- what more could you ask for! The rest of the gang arrived on Friday night.  Saturday, we woke up to another beautiful warm day and an amazing egg, cheese, and vegetable casserole made by Marguerite.  So, the way we set up the weekend was every family was in charge of one meal- we didn’t count lunch, and I was in charge of appetizers and desserts.  After our marvelous and healthy breakfast (the casserole consisted of the only vegetables we had all weekend) we set off on a hike to Lost Cove, while the kids went snow tubing.  It is a beautiful hike down to these amazing swimming holes generally used in the summer unless you are crazy like the men on our hike who decided to swim- in February- in 45 degree water- what?  Anyway, appetizers after we got home included “cheesy goodness” which is Edam cheese wrapped in Pillsbury Crescent Rolls baked at 350 for about 35-40 minutes, and a cheese plate- yay cheese.  Dinner was the Haynie’s famous hot dog bar- every topping you could ever want on a hot dog, and then for dessert, I made the Cheesecake Strawberries which were amazingly good and easy and Blondie Bars- also easy and delicious!  In one batch I cut up Twix Bars- that was something special.  Sunday morning was a breakfast for the history books.  Kendall and Robert made Bailey’s french toast with some sort of homemade heaven (aka syrup), venison sausage, and they added a bowl of fruit for good measure.  While we were eating, it started snowing which of course made the kids go crazy!  We ended up getting about 5 inches of snow throughout Sunday- the sledding, the games, the snowmen, and the snowball fights exhausted everyone!  To revive the group, I made Bacon appetizers which I found on the Pioneer Woman website (www.thepioneerwoman.com).  It was the most simple and fantastic thing ever!  Take a package of bacon- cut it in half.  Lay out the half strips of bacon on a baking sheet.  Place a club cracker in the center of the strip of bacon, place a spoonful of Parmesan cheese on top to the club cracker and wrap the bacon snugly around the cracker and cheese.  Bake at 250 for 2 hours. Really really good, and they did not last long!  After another amazing dinner cooked by Robert and Olivia- beef stew with baked potatoes, we brought out the pinata for the kids which was so fun!  The whole weekend was amazing, and not surprisingly, Walker slept for 3 and a half hours on the car ride home!  Such good food and good friends- can’t wait to do it again!

Nashville: Avett Brothers, Arkansas vs. Vandy, and ohhh the food

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We got into Nashville this past Friday afternoon just in time for dinner before the Avett Brothers concert at Bridgestone Arena.  I have only been to Nashville once in the past and that was to look at Vanderbilt for college, so it doesn’t really count.  Fortunately for me, thanks to Corby’s fantastic ability to find amazing restaurants, and readers suggestions, we were all set!  As there were so many restaurants and so many yummy treats to eat, I will just provide a highlight as opposed to bogging you down with details of every morsel of food I put in my mouth.  First stop was City House (www.cityhousenashville.com). Corby had read an article in Garden and Gun about the 50 best dishes in the South, and the House Made Belly Ham Pizza was on the list (www.gardenandgun.com/article/southern-foods-meats).

The restaurant had such a great feel, the waiter was so helpful and friendly, and the pizza was really and truly special.  Also, if you do go there, and you should, there is an appetizer called Frico- cheese over potatoes baked in the wood oven that is a must.  Completely full and satisfied, we went to see the amazing Avett Brothers. I love them.  The next morning, we were supposed to go for a run before the Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt football game, but it was cold, so we opted for the Frothy Monkey http://www.frothymonkeynashville.com instead.  We saw a lot of runners on the way to this great coffee house, and they looked really cold, so I think skipping the run and getting an awesome hot chocolate and buttery croissant was a very good call.  Onto the game- I generally LOVE stadium food, but I knew we were not only checking out two spots after the game, but then we were headed to dinner with some friends, so I limited myself to one hot dog.  Arkansas won- yay!  Now more food.

After the game- thanks to a reader, Jessica, we went to SATCO- the San Antonio Taco Company (www.thesatco.com).  It was very near the Vanderbilt campus, and if any of you watch or care about college football and happened to catch the game this past Saturday- it was more than a little tense.  Tacos, queso and beer put all right with the world again.  We then made a quick stop at McDougal’s (www.mcdougalschicken.com) for some chicken fingers, and of the ranch, bbq, and house-made special sauce- special sauce wins- so good!  Dinner was at Taco Mamacita which is always a fav with their super fresh ingredients and amazing margaritas.  It was a very full day of eating.  To top off such a fun weekend, we went again to a suggestion from Jessia to brunch at The Loveless Cafe (www.lovelesscafe.com).  While there was a bit of a wait at this very popular place, the reason for the wait became very obvious when we were seated and the biscuits were brought out.  Oh so good.  We ordered the biscuit sampler as a side which came with a pulled pork BBQ biscuit, a steak biscuit, a chicken biscuit and country ham biscuit.  If Corby had not ordered the Pit Cooked Pork BBQ and two egg breakfast, we would have come to blows over that BBQ biscuit- the BBQ was that good.  Fortunately, this was Corby’s breakfast, and there was plenty of BBQ to go around.  It was such a fun trip, and Nashville is a great town but I will be eating salads for a week to combat the obnoxious numbers of calories I consumed 🙂

Glazed Gourmet Opened Today!!

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We now have a gourmet doughnut shop in Charleston- I am beyond excited! Glazed Gourmet (www.glazedgourmet.com) opened on Upper King Street, and I hear they have a pumpkin doughnut that is extremely tasty.  Can’t wait to check it out for myself! Will post with a picture and an update when I make it there. 

Gouda Grits and Seafood Goodness

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We spent a long weekend down on Wadmalaw Island, just 30 minutes south of Charleston, SC.  The weather couldn’t have been more beautiful, and we ate some good food!  Here are two of the best things we had.  First- the crabs!  I am not actually going to write a recipe for this as we caught fresh crabs, and a lot of them, put them in a pot with some seasoning, and boiled them.  Then we ate them.  I am using “we” rather loosely, as I am allergic to shellfish, but I did help catch the crabs and lived vicariously through everyone else watching them eat, and they are a lot better in pictures than grits (and here is the sunset thrown in as well)!

Next came the grits, which I ate. And ate. And ate.  I am not sure if it has come across yet how much I love cheese.  But I do.  I love it so much!  So Gouda Grits sounded pretty amazing when I ran across the recipe in Southern Living magazine.  I have grown up eating my mother’s amazing cheddar cheese grits, and I have never strayed from that recipe, but this sounded too good to pass up, especially now that I am writing this blog, which gives me an excuse to try just about anything!  Here is the recipe.  The next time I make this, I will cut it in half if not quarters, because it made so much!

Gouda Grits

4 cups chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups uncooked quick-cooking grits
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded Gouda cheese
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter
2 teaspoons hot sauce

Preparation

Bring first 4 ingredients and 4 cups water to a boil in a Dutch oven over high heat; whisk in grits, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in Gouda and remaining ingredients.

Cracked Pepper and Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

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I am not sure what is better than waking up on a crisp summer morning in the mountains to homemade cracked pepper and cheddar cheese biscuits. I found a wonderful recipe in the Charleston City Paper from Robert F. Moss who has a fantastic blog! We have tweaked it a little bit to add the cracked pepper and cheddar, which so far is my favorite combination, but earlier in the week we tried bacon and cheddar and jalapenos and cheddar, which were also delicious!

Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/3 cup of cold butter
3/4 cup of buttermilk
1 tablespoon of cracked pepper
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions

First, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl and mix together.

Next, cut in the butter- it is important to use cold butter. Cover the butter lumps with flour and squeeze them between your fingers to break them down into smaller bits and rub the butter into them. What is left in the bowl looks like broken crumbs.

Stir in the buttermilk and mix up the dough until the liquid is all absorbed by the flour.

At this point, you add the cheese and pepper or whatever combination you choose.

With your hands, knead and shape the dough until all the flour is worked in and the dough is of a single consistency.
It should be still be slightly sticky to the touch, but not so sticky that it clings to your hands and the side of the bowl.

Now you’re ready to roll out the biscuits

Bill Neal’s Hush Puppies

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Bill Neal tremendously important to the revival of Southern cooking in recent decades.  He co-founded and ran La Residence and Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, NC, and wrote several cookbooks.  He died far too young at 41, but has left a lasting legacy that extends to all regions of the South and many styles of cooking.  We recommend you read Sara Engram’s profile of Bill in Duke Magazine, “Some South for Your Mouth: How Corn Bread Cuisine Became Haute.”

“Neal approached the postlapsarian state of southern cooking as an anthropologist as much as a food writer.”
—Book Forum

In his wonderful cookbook, “Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie,” Bill Neal writes the definitive book on southern breads and pies.   His hush puppies are just the best.

“Hushpuppies are deep-fried cornmeal fritters and the classic accompaniment to outdoor fish fries and barbecues.  Some are little more than fried dough of the cornmeal dumpling variety, but most are enriched these days with eggs, butter, milk, and onion.  Almost every corn milling operation in the South puts out a hushpuppy mix and few cooks make hushpuppies from scratch.  For hush puppies from scratch, here is a typical recipe.

2 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2/3 tsp. salt
2 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3/4 c. grated onion
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
Fat for deep frying: shortening, lard, vegetable oil, or a combination

Sift together the dry ingredients.  Beat the onion, egg and buttermilk together; add to the meal mixture.  Beat well and let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.  Cook a test hushpuppy – drop by the large teaspoon into 350 degree F. deep fat.   Test after it has browned, in 2-3 minutes; if the hushpuppy is not cooked through, add a little more cornmeal to the batter.  If the outside is very rough and the inside too heavy, add a little buttermilk.  Proceed, cooking the puppies about 2-3 minutes until golden brown.  Drain on brown paper and serve immediately.  Recipe makes 36 hushpuppies.

From: Biscuits, Spoonbread, and Sweet Potato Pie: 300 recipes that celebrate the glories of Southern baking – with a generous accompaniment of historical lore, Bill Neal, originally published by Alfred A. Knopf, 1990 and now in paperback from University of North Carolina Press.