....is Granola & Yogurt

There's a lot of premade Granola out there, in addition to the first 3/5 ingredients being types of sugar I can't pronounce half of the ingredients listed on the nutrition label. What is thiamine hydrochloride, niacinamide, d-calcium pantothenate or pyridoxine hydrochloride? (Google tells me they're vitamins but they don't sound like they would taste very good.)

I set out to make my own granola with just a few basic ingredients. I've started to keep an assortment of nuts and dried berries in the pantry to easily create a weeks' worth (or more!) of granola at a time. It's made for a quick snack or an easy breakfast. My new favorite breakfast is granola mixed into plain greek yogurt with some fresh blueberries and figs & a drizzle of honey.

....is Huevos Rancheros Reprise

When I haven't been to the grocery store in a while I start to play the dinner game 'what's in the fridge?' (this happens frequently, see couscous, pizza, vegetables, salad and a special cabin edition). I almost always have eggs, flour and butter (necessities of baking). Ususally this results in biscuits and eggs sandwiches, on this lucky occasion I had tortillas and an assorment of produce that needed to be used before it wilted. I've previously posted a recipe for Huevos Rancheros, but it's been a while and every version is a little different. Try it for breakfast, dinner or make a huevos rancheros bar with company and let everyone build their own!

....is Green & White Pizza

Another wonderful recipe on the best pizza dough recipe I've found yet. 

The key to a good pizza crust:

Let is rest in the fridge, in plastic wrap, for at least two hours.

Press & toss it into shape, a rolling pin will smush out the chewiness.

A hot hot hot pizza stone, in the oven for at least an hour while it preheats.

....is Spaghetti & Asparagus

Here's a summer pasta recipe that's quick and delicious. I poached my first egg almost a year ago and I keep finding new ways to use this culinary trick. I really enjoy it with pasta and in this case the poached egg yolk blends with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to create a rich coating for the noodles. (I also love to top Pasta Carbonara with a poached egg, in case the bacon isn't rich enough.) I like my asparagus blanched so it retains just enough crunch and doesn't change to a sickly green color. Rather than use a second pot I drain the pasta directly over sliced asparagus and it cooks just the right amount. It's a simple meal that comes together in no time at all. 

....is Peanut Butter & Bacon Cookies

A few weeks ago our long time family friends, Mr. & Mrs. H and a number of others, helped my mom with her yard. A lot of people put in a lot of hours and I know it meant a lot to her. As a thank you she wanted to make cookies for the family so I offered my baking services. She told me Mr. H's favorite cookie was peanut butter chocolate chip and he loved bacon, I found this Food Network recipe and made a few alteration. I used the rendered bacon fat but no bacon pieces in the cookie because  they tend to get soggy when baked. I candied the cooked bacon before using it as a topping on the cookie so it would stay crisp and protect it from burning. (And I didn't have enough peanut butter so I had to do half almond butter as well.) There is a lot going on in this cookie, if I make them again I would be inclined to make them with only two of the three key flavors, I think it would simplify the cookie for the better. They were rich and delicious but one less ingredients would have helped the flavors blend together better.

Thanks again to everyone that helped my mom, the yard looks so much better!

(If you didn't get a cookie I take requests but for take out only, I'm not set up for delivery.)

....is an Open Faced Meatball Sandwhich

Today's post is not much of a recipe, instead it's another way to use the Meatball recipe I enjoy so much. (It's also about better pictures for this delicious dish.) My favorite way to eat meatballs is an open faced sandwhich. The Dutch Oven Bread I make is ususally stiry enough to stay intact while the meatball is being eaten. I like to serve it rolled in alittle bit of sauce, sprinkled with parmesan and sometimes with a side salad. This is a great way to eat them straight out of the oven or I like to make a double batch and use them for lunches throughout the week.  Enjoy!

Happy Cooking!

....is a Big Dutch Baby

The Big Dutch Baby is a wonderful morning treat, it's incredibly easy to make and pops up like magic in the oven. I've made a Pear Dutch Baby before but I decided to try a slightly different recipe this time. I also added apples to the new recipe. 

The Dutch Baby is a large eggy pancake with a crisp crust. The batter doesn't have any sugar so the fruit adds a little sweetness. It is usually dusted with powdered sugar and, in this case, a drizzle of honey. It's a quick, delicious, easy to fix breakfast with basic baking ingredients. The batter can be used without fruit or with whatever fruit you have available. Enjoy!

....is Italian Turkey Burgers

I like a good burger but sometimes they can feel a little heavy, I found a recipe for Italian Burgers that sounded wonderful but I decided to lighten it with ground turkey & by using a greek yogurt mixture in place of mayonnaise. I'm really happy with how they turned out, the balsamic added a nice flavor and the greens and avocado are the perfect topping for summer.

....is The Ginger

Usually when I'm referring to 'The Ginger' it's my lovely redheaded college roommate & cohort, SEF. Today The Ginger is a delicious incredibly gingery ginger cookie. I made a double batch but only one cookie lasted long enough to be photographed and it was immediately eaten after I captured this image (but before I ate breakfast). 

MMcK & I made Ginger & Molasses Doodles as part of our christmas baking day and they were wonderful. When I read the "50 all-time best Sunset Test Kitchen recipes" and saw they only included two cookie recipes I had to make these. (Also on my list from this article are the Triple-Threat Chocolate Cookies & Molten Chocolate Mousse Cups)

Much like the Ginger & Molasses Doodles, The Ginger develops more flavor and chewiness the next day than it has fresh out of the oven, that little fact did not stop anyone from trying a few of the fresh baked cookies. 

....is Grilled Pork Tendeloin

This Grilled Pork Tenderloin became a fast favorite in my house, the recipe comes from Down South, the new Donald Link cookbook CPB gave me for my birthday. I gifted CPB with his first cookbook, Real Cajun, last year and we absolutely love everything we've tried to make. From that first book we've made (multiple times) Braised Sausages & Chiles, Cajun Pizza and a Fried Chicken & Biscuit Sandwich. The first recipe I made from this book was the Braised Chicken with Salami & Olives but I forgot to take pictures (the same goes for the first two times we made the pork tenderloin, luckily we keep on making it). It was also the main dish for our Fourth of July celebration. The meat can marinade for anywhere from two to eight hours and I'm sure you could get away with alittle more or a little less if needed. It's paired with the arugula and parmesan salad, which is light and summery in contrast with the savory and lightly charred meat.

....is the Fourth of July with Red, White & Blueberry Sangria

Happy 7th of July! I hope you had a lovely holiday weekend. I had a long four days off and I know it will be really hard to wake up early to go into work tomorrow. (CPB & I had a productive but not particularly exciting Saturday & Sunday spent painting the kitchen & moving furniture to clean the carpets.) On the Fourth of July we had a lovely time with work friends, MMcK, LW & CRV on our patio and watching fireworks. We unintentionally saw two fireworks shows from a hill overlooking La Jolla. A house not to far from the official fireworks was competing (and possibly winning) the fireworks show. Here's a look at the tasty treats we had for the holiday, including the recipe for Red, White & Blueberry Sangria!

Menu

Charcuterie Board

Rosemary & Garlic Bread

Red, White & Blueberry Sangria

Grilled Pork Tenderloin

Grilled Corn in the Husk

Potato Salad

Salt & Pepper Chips

Mascarpone Lemon Tart

....is a Magnetic Chalkboard (Part II)

A few years back I helped Mrs. M make a magnetic chalkboard. We found the perfect frame at an antique shop near my house at the time, we cut down sheet metal to fit the frame, made our own chalkboard paint and voilà! Her Magnetic chalk board was complete. I intended to immediately make one for myself & CPB, and I did (eventually) this past Christmas.