Savory Custard with Bacon and Cheese

With the holidays approaching, maybe you’re looking for a simple but elegant brunch offering for your guests, or maybe just something a tad bit special for yourself. This savory custard should please about anyone – – I even like it and eggs are not my favorite! It must be the garlic-infused cream, or the nutty… Continue reading Savory Custard with Bacon and Cheese

Spring Rolls with “No-Peanut” Sauce

Are there foods that you suddenly have an powerful desire for?  I’m sure this happens to us all, whether it is for chocolate fudge or Chex Mix (ahem).  I wonder what drives those cravings.  Is it simply the power of suggestion, or is there some physical or psychological need that is begging to be filled?… Continue reading Spring Rolls with “No-Peanut” Sauce

Chicken Tamale Casserole (with Roasted Tomatillo, Cilantro and Green Chile Sauce)

When we are in Santa Fe, I like to attempt at least one Southwestern-inspired dish, and with that, hopefully add an ingredient that is new to me. This recipe for Chicken Tamales sounded interesting and included tomatillos – a tart little tomato-like fruit that I have not cooked with before. However, I didn’t want to… Continue reading Chicken Tamale Casserole (with Roasted Tomatillo, Cilantro and Green Chile Sauce)

Sunday Morning Bacon and Swiss Quiche

Prospects are grim for getting breakfast in this house, any day of the week. That’s the reality when the cook of the house is not a breakfast eater, made more difficult when the cook does not really care for the taste of eggs. My poor husband subsists on nuts, berries, and yogurt most of the… Continue reading Sunday Morning Bacon and Swiss Quiche

Roasted Cauliflower Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Inspiration: Puree of White Bean Soup from Brasserie le Coze This week I got a blender, a powerful one, something that incredulously was missing from my arsenal of cooking tools.  I could not wait to take it for a spin.  After making a couple of smoothies, I thought I had the hang of it.  Let’s… Continue reading Roasted Cauliflower Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes (gluten-free and grain-free)

Recipe from Nourishing Days Mr. “He Cleans” requested pancakes for breakfast this weekend, and I was happy to give them a try. I haven’t made pancakes since we went gluten-free and I wasn’t too sure how they would turn out.  My experience with almond flour is that it holds up pretty good unless you get… Continue reading Fluffy Coconut Flour Pancakes (gluten-free and grain-free)

Peppers Stuffed with Curried Beef

I am overly fond of martabak, a savory, meat-stuffed pancake that one of our nearby Thai restaurants has on the appetizer menu.  It is meaty and a little spicy, with curry, minced onions, and garlic… and wholly addictive.  I’m not sure where this treat originates – according to Wikipedia it can be commonly found in… Continue reading Peppers Stuffed with Curried Beef

Eggs Caprese

Recipe from Fab Housewife Eggs with basil, mozzarella, and fresh tomatoes….I’m in! This classic recipe, from Fab Housewife, was perfect for our vacation. It met all my qualifications – which basically included being easy to make with little preparation, while allowing me to use these cute Le Creuset ramekins. The recipe was so pure and… Continue reading Eggs Caprese

Baked Cheese Grits with Sausage

If it seems like we’re getting a little corny around here, it’s because we’re out here in the Southwest and corn is hard to avoid.  Corn tortillas, polenta, corn in the salsa, grilled corn – – all yummy, but more carbohydrates than we intended to consume.  Well, heck, we can abstain when we get back… Continue reading Baked Cheese Grits with Sausage

Primal Sandwich Bread 2.0

Like a cat with a new (catnip) toy, I had to play around some with the new bread recipe.  I wanted to stick with the quick microwave method, but wanted the bread to be a little larger in diameter and have more flavor.  I think this modification to the original recipe accomplishes that…give it a… Continue reading Primal Sandwich Bread 2.0

BLT Salad

Every summer for as long as I remember, my favorite use of home-grown tomatoes was a bacon and tomato sandwich.  I never was too big on the idea of putting lettuce on it, because tomatoes and bacon seemed to be enough!  There was great anticipation for the first sandwich.  Two slices of bread, a slathering… Continue reading BLT Salad

Seared Tuna with Mixed Greens and Lemon-Tahini dressing

A week or so ago, I was rushed for time at lunch, so I picked up a little tray of seared tuna from the sushi station at Whole Foods and I ate it at the kitchen counter while unpacking my groceries.  To paraphrase Ulysses Everett McGill in O Brother, Where Art Thou?, that small taste… Continue reading Seared Tuna with Mixed Greens and Lemon-Tahini dressing

Stuffed Squash (1&8-ball)

There’s a mini-farmers’ market at one of our favorite spots, Community Q BBQ in Decatur, Georgia.  When we stopped by on Saturday, they had these lovely 1 & 8-ball squash that I have never seen before.  They are plump and round and fit in the palm of your hand.  We picked up two of these,… Continue reading Stuffed Squash (1&8-ball)

High-Altitude Muffin *FAIL*

Having lived most of my life at 1000 ft above sea level, or less, my first instinct when baking isn’t to consider the elevation of my oven.  It did occur to me, too late, when I peeked in the oven to find a pan overflowing with batter.  Oops!  This wasn’t a total fail since the… Continue reading High-Altitude Muffin *FAIL*