I’ve never really been one for baking, but because I love cookies, I decided to make an attempt at homemade biscotti.  I’m also not much of a coffee drinker, so this lemon almond biscotti is perfect paired with a sweeter green tea.

Ingredients:

• 2  1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs
• 3/4 cups of sugar
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 cup sliced toasted almonds

Directions:

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Our garden is just on fire this month.  Tomatoes are being produced at a phenomenal rate and our basil is just in fantastic shape!   I haven’t really been posting as many recipes lately because frankly, I haven’t been cooking nearly as much.  The summertime is just my least inspired season to explore in the kitchen because of the heat, but truly, with our garden producing as much as it has, how could I not!

This bisque was a fantastic and light weeknight dinner and because W always makes crostini topped with salt, pepper, olive oil and parmeggianno reggianno when I make soup, it made for a nice meal.

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 large red onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 6 good sized fresh tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup half & half
• 1 good sized bunch basil leaves, chopped
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Over medium heat in a large stock pot or dutch oven, melt the butter.  Add the onions and saute for a few minutes until tender.  Add the bell pepper and the garlic and stir quickly.  Add the chopped basil and cook until everything smells fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, and stir until everything is well incorporated.  Add the vegetable stock and bring everything to a boil.  Season with salt and pepper, and add the balsamic vinegar.  You may want to add more to taste.

Simmer for about 15 minutes, blend the soup in batches in a blender or use a stick blender to combine.

Add and stir in the half & half until well incorporated.  Warm through, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

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3. Savory Tomato and Sweet Onion Pie

If you happen to have a nice, sushi-grade wild caught sockeye salmon, try this dish as a delicious and refreshing amuse bouche.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. fresh good quality sushi-grade sockeye salmon, diced
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tbsp chopped dill

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except for the dill and cream and allow to stand about 5 minutes.

The citric acid in the lemon juice will cook the salmon a bit.

Divide into 2 -4 servings, and season to taste.  Drizzle with a tiny bit of cream. Sprinkle a bit of dill and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

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I know I’ve not updated in quite some time, but seeing as how summer is in full swing here in Dallas, my only excuse is that it’s hot.  Really hot.   So, in weekends past we’ve had friends in town, gone to see Lady Gaga, trolled McKinney Square for some good breakfast, and reserved “boardroom - sized” private rooms for birthday parties of 6.

W and I have been making an honest effort at eating more healthy recently, and part of that is including some fish in our weekly repertoire.

One of my favourite recent discoveries is that we have a Gordon Biersch less than 10 minutes from our house.  One of the meals that always makes me smile is their Cedar Plank Seared Salmon with a Creamy Dill Sauce.  I tried to make an attempt at that slightly sweet, very tangy, herb filled sauce, and while it’s not a direct copy, I think the flavour profile inspiration is there.  Try this dish and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

• 20 oz. Wild Alaskan sock-eye salmon, divided into four 5 oz. filets
• Juice of 1 lemon, divided
• Bunch of fresh dill, minced
• 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon thyme, leaves picked
• Salt and pepper
• 1 small red onion or shallot, minced
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup milk

Directions:

Season your salmon filets with salt and pepper and place in a shallow dish.   Sprinkle with a good pinch of the fresh dill and fresh thyme.  Pat 2 Tbsp of the fresh lemon juice into the fish.  Cover, and leave it alone for 10 minutes

Over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a saucepan and saute the red onion until tender, about 2 minutes.  Add the garlic and some of the dill and remaining thyme.   Add your remaining lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and the white wine.

Simmer until reduced by about half and add the cream and milk.  Season to taste with a bit of salt and pepper, and add any additional fresh herbs.  Stir until thickened and then whisk in 2 more Tbsp of butter.

Set aside and keep warm.

In a skillet large enough to hold all 4 salmon filets at once, melt 2 Tbsp butter.

When the butter begins to foam and the pan is nice and hot, place the salmon filets, skin side up, into the pan and sear for 2 minutes.

When the filets have seared well, flip them over gently and cook for about 30 seconds before adding the Lemon Dill Sauce to the pan.

Gently, add the sauce to the pan, making sure the filets are submerged evenly.

Simmer in the sauce for another 4 to 8 minutes, depending on preferred temperature.  We poached ours for 4 minutes, 20 seconds and the salmon was a delicious medium rare.

Serve with some fluffy steamed rice and steamed broccoli.  Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with additional fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

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2. Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo
3. Pork Chops in a Creamy Mustard Sauce

Since returning from our vacation last month, I haven’t really been incredibly motivated to cook.  But, now that we’ve been home for a few weeks, the creativity is starting to return.  As we haven’t had risotto in a while, I decided to empty the pantry one night by making a dish that included leeks, carrots, and peas and tie it all together with some saffron and good quality balsamic vinegar.  Pairing the risotto with some chicken sausages makes for a nice homey weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 shallot, finely diced
• olive oil
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar plus more for plating
• 4 cups chicken, veal, or vegetable stock
• 1 small pinch saffron threads
• 2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 cup peas
• a very large handful grated Parmaggiano Regianno
• 2 Tbsp butter
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 chicken sausages per person

Directions:

Heat  the stock and saffron threads in a saucepan.  Bring it to a simmer and maintain over a low heat. 

In a large dutch oven or heavy bottomed pan, heat the olive oil and add the shallot and leeks and saute until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the arborio and stir until each grain is translucent with a white dot on the center, about 3 minutes. 

Add the white wine and stir until it is completely absorbed.  Add the simmering stock to the pan a ladleful at a time, stirring frequently after each addition.  Wait until the stock is almost, but not completely, absorbed before adding the next ladleful of stock.  Toward the end of the stirring process, add the carrots and peas and stir together. 

Meanwhile, heat more olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.  Add the sausages, and cook through.  Remove from the pan when they’re done and reserve

When the rice looks creamy and is tender to the bite, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter and cheese.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Plate by adding a bit of risotto to the middle of a plate and drizzle with a bit more balsamaic vinegar. 

Stack the sausages on top of the risotto, top with more ground pepper and sprinkle with a touch more parmaggianno regianno, and drizzle with even more balsamic vinegar if desired!

Enjoy!

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And then we made it to Paris.  What an amazingly lovely city on the Seine, rich with history and culture . . . and FOOD!

I’d wanted to go to Paris for at least the last 10 years.  With our fourth anniversary approaching, Weston and I decided France would be our anniversary gift to each other. 

So, arriving in Paris was interesting.  We again rented a flat through VRBO, and although it lacked the charming owners of Villa Margarita, it had its own appeal.   At 123 Rue Saint Honore, it was so close to the Louvre that we were able to walk the grounds every day.  We were also above a very highly rated patisserie (that appeared in our Paris Insight eating guide) and every morning we were greeted with the smell of baking bread. 

Our first day in Paris was spent relaxing from our travels, and walking through the Tullerie Gardens that are adjacent to the Louvre.  On our way back to our flat, we found a small Italian place with a cherubic Italian chef out front giving passers-by a hearty thumbs-up.  I, once again, had a Carbonara dish, if only to see that lovely orange fresh egg yolk, and Weston also had his Four Seasons pizza.  It was becoming “our thing”. 

The weather seemed to look a bit hit or miss for Sunday, and because it was the first Sunday of the month, admission to the Louvre was free.  And it was absolutely mobbed.  So, although it was a bit chilly, the sun was out (mostly) so we decided to walk to the Arc d’ Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and around the Champs-Élysées in between bouts of rain.  Highlight of my trip in terms of shopping?  Walking through the Cartier on the Champs-Élysées.  Did you know that Cartier makes handbags?  I certainly didn’t until I ascended to the second level of the flagship Cartier.

Sunday night was our night to indulge.  After doing some research, W found a restaurant located by the Pompidou Centre that served authentic Auvergne food.  Every tripadvisor review gave L’Ambassade d’Auvergne 5 stars, except for a few who were obviously unfamiliar with the French dining protocal.  Every single person raved about the aligot, an Auvergne specialty of potatoes, garlic, and cheese that is worked to a pliable consistency that absolutely melts in your mouth.  Before your main course is served, the waiter brings a well-worn copper pot by your table to show you how your aligot has fared under the constant stirring.  The thick consistency looks a bit iffy, but once you take your first bite, you begin to understand why so many people raved about it.  Rich, flavoured with garlic, and super creamy, I have had dreams about this along with the duck that Weston ordered and the Blanquette de Veau that I ordered.  If you do go to the restaurant, make sure you have the chocolate mousse.  It is not to be missed!

Stuffed from dinner the night before, Weston and I decided that the rainy Monday would have to be our day to see the Louvre.  We made sure to stop by and attempt to see the Mona Lisa, but quite honestly, I don’t see the appeal.  Waiting in that crowd was a flashback to my ska concert going days.  I’m too old to stand shoulder to shoulder and face to neck with hundreds of people who just want a glimpse of Leonardo Da’Vinci’s most famous painting.  I think Weston and I made it only about 5 minutes in that mess before we decided to bail.  My heart isn’t broken over it. 

By far, my favourite exhibit in the Louvre was Napolean’s apartment, with a close second to the antiquities on the same floor.  Those of you who know me are aware of my fascination with shiny objects, and there were plenty of them in this wing! 

By Tuesday morning, we were ready to come home.  To our house.  To our kitties.  To our routine. 

Hopefully that means some more food related cooking posts that have been made in my kitchen. 

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I know, I know. It’s been a long time coming. Since about October, W and I have been excitedly awaiting our trip to the Cote D’Azur and Paris. The culmination of every birthday and holiday since last October. We skipped a big vacation last year to finally upgrade our backyard and get our garden started. This. This was the trip I’d been waiting for since our amazing experience in Italy and the Amalfi Coast. It did not disappoint.

If Italy was the trip that broadened my horizons when it came to food, this was the vacation that validated my love of simple, local, and extremely fresh ingredients, and that although presumably biased, the Michelin star actually means something, from the level of food preparation to the flourish of presentation. Our first visit to a Michelin starred restaurant was Melisse in Santa Monica, CA in October, and after that experience, we committed to making an attempt at visiting a Michelin star in France.

We succeeded in finding our Michelin Star in Chateau Eza, at the very top of Eze Village, but found that a meal at the proverbial hole in the wall across the South of France or Paris was just as rewarding a meal as a 1 or 2 star meal in California or France.

As for our first week in Beaulieu-Sur-Mer, we couldn’t have been more blessed with amazing weather, or a more perfect location. On our windy drive along the French Riviera from Nice in our rented Mercedes A Class (an upgrade from a Golf - yeah, right) we were frantically passed by two classic rallye prepped Porsche 911s. We were already disappointed that we were a bit too early for the Grand Prix of Monaco, but more on that later. Beaulieu was holding the French Riviera’s annual “Tour Auto” rally which changes location every year, so W was able to see his fill of Renault Alpines and within 3 hours in the South of France, we had already seen 4 Ferraris (topping Italy’s ONE) in the wild.

The villa we rented was named Villa Margarita, owned by an amazing couple who originally met in Aix-en-Provence while they were at university. Suzy’s an American who has a wonderful Chicago accent when she speaks English, married to Jean-Pierre who happened to get stuck in Paris because of the unpronouncable Iceland volcano’s ash cloud, which began our direct communication the week before we left. Luckily, I was worried for nothing, but it was a bit too close for comfort.

So, as we met Jean-Pierre at Villa Margarita, we were absolutely overwhelmed with the view. Perched over Beaulieu, with a direct view of Cap Ferrat to the east and Eze Village to the west and up the sheer limestone cliffs, the house sits on Suzy and Jean-Pierre’s property with direct access to Suzy’s overwhelming terraced garden. I think W has something to aspire to.

Once we were settled, we started to explore Beaulieu and visited the cars that were still left at the Tour Auto Rally. We were too late to get to the market in the square, but we found the Supermarche and walked around the port. Famished, we decided to eat at a small hotel and Italian restaurant at the base of the 169 stairs up to our villa. W chose to have a Four Seasons pizza and I ordered my first iteration of Taglietelle Carbonara with a fresh, raw egg yolk sitting atop it’s own egg shell. This was an incredibly fresh egg, with a brown spotted shell and a bright orange yolk. Even the chickens are happier in the South of France.

The next day, we drove about 10 minutes to the village of Eze which sits dizzyingly high above the Mediterranean. Thanks to my lovely friend Sarah and the wonderful Samantha Brown who also showed us Le Sirenuse on her show, Passport to Europe, I had a bit of an idea of where I wanted to lunch, but W seemed skeptical as we headed to the top. He was unaware that I had done my research and knew I wanted to go to Michelin Starred Chateau Eza, where Sarah had taken her Mum on their recent vacation to the French Riviera. Lunch did not disappoint. At a reasonable 39 EU, the 3 course lunch was perfect. Starting with an asparagus soup with a goat cheese crouton, moving on to a filet of local Corsican fish with a fennel salad and mache and pureed celeriac, and finishing with a tiramisu with the most amazing pistachio macaron, W and I relished in the view, the ambience, and the food. So much so, that we’ve bought about 40 macarons to gift to some of our lucky family members.

That evening, Suzy and Jean-Pierre invited us over for a drink and amuse bouches. Seeing Jean-Pierre’s framed racing photos on the wall in the kitchen, W and JP bonded quickly. By virtue of her job of hosting visitors in their villa, you can tell Suzy loves entertaining, and her home is to die for. They bought the house 18 years ago, and built the villa in 2005. I wish I’d taken a picture of her outdoor dining room when we were in it. With all of the accoutremont of whar one imagines of an outdoor dining room on the south of France (moorish arches, wrought iron chandelier, rustic solid wood table, etc.) and an overwhelming uninterrupted view of the Mediterranean from the Cap to Eze Village, it just felt so French! The balcony on the other side of the villa has an even better view of Cap Ferrat. This evening apertif was probably the moment I decided that we were honestly living in paradise for the week.

Later that night, we made our own version of Spaghetti Carbonara with our floor-to-ceiling windows open and a view of the full moon reflecting off of the water.

On Monday, we walked the Cap Ferrat and ate at Bar de la Mer. Eating next to the multi-million dollar yachts was a bit of an experience, but the restaurant was super casual boardwalk food. I decided on my first Croque Monsieur and W ordered a bruschetta dish. After such a warm walk, a beer and a croque monsieur with a plate of pommes frites was incredibly refreshing. We stopped at the market on the way back to the house, and watched a Frenchman parallel park a daily driven classic Ferrari 275 GT. At this point, we’d lost count at how many Ferraris we’d seen.

Tuesday morning, Suzy met us in her garden and took us on a tour. I think I’ll cover that walk in a separate post, because at last count, Suzy thought she had 35 or 36 lemon trees on the property. It’s just an amazing collection of flowers, fruit trees, and she’s very proud of her new raised vegetable beds.

Wednesday, we drove to Monaco and toured the Prince’s personal car collection. W was in heaven, and I think this tour was the highlight of his entire trip.

Monaco was a very car-oriented destination for us. Jean-Pierre had told us that they were busily setting up the stands for the Monaco Grand Prix. It was a bit surreal walking the streets that will be dominated by racing in the next couple of weeks. I couldn’t imagine how the city must just absolutely shut down for the event - major streets are closed to become a racetrack.

The next day, we drove to Menton, a relaxing beach city close to the border of Italy. So close, that I’m pretty sure we saw an equal distribution of French and Italians. We walked the narrow streets, eventually climbing the 8 flights to the church in the square, visited the Jean Cocteau museum, and decided to finish up our day in Monte Carlo strolling the streets of shops of the likes of Cartier and Hermes.

Cafe de Paris is a must see. Adjacent to the Monte Carlo casino, the prices are sticker-shockworthy, but the food is worth it for the people-watching and the quality of the classic French dish, Boef au daube over fresh pasta. This version includes nicoise olives and pearl onions, and I’ll make my best attempt at recreating it when the weather turns a bit colder in October.

Nice was next on our list, and with abundant parking, about 4 different Michelin starred restaurants in a 2 square mile area, I thought for sure we’d have great luck finding a place to eat. I was wrong. The Negresco Hotel was closed until July 4th. We couldn’t find Keisuke Matsushima although we’re sure we were at the correct address, and so we gave up, and ate at a brasserie and once again ate our pizza/carbonara meal. I couldn’t even tell you the name of the restaurant, but though the crust was good on the pizza and the carbonara was once again fresh with that orange eggg yolk, it was only a small notch above our first meal in Beaulieu. We toured the Massena Museum in Nice, and although the content was interesting, it was free, and the house in which the antiquities are stored is beyond beautiful. Walking through the petite mansione with the original herringbone wood floors and inlaid marble and wrought iron balustrade is not an experience I will soon forget.

On Friday, we stayed in town and walked to the Villa Kerylos, a recreation of a classic Greek Villa perched over the sea. The couple who commisioned the building of that villa over 100 years ago kept Italian tile artisans busy for years. The entire 4 level villa is tiled with intricate mosaic tile on nearly every surface available. It was a stunning villa, though a little too tight in keeping with tradition, but made for an amazing tour with expansive views.

During our stay in Beaulieu, we had looked out over the Royal Riviera for the entire week. It’s a beautiful hotel, but given our accomodations at Villa Margarita and the price for a one bedroom suite at the RR, I’d pick Villa Margarita and our 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and state of the art kitchen every single time. However, we were hungry, and the prix fixe menu looked attractive, although the main dining room was only open for dinner. So we took our chances on the casual poolside restaurant and were dining beside about 8 very French gentleman who were wine tasting at the table next to us. At least 10 bottles of wine and 4 bottles of Dom Perignon came out during their lunch. I’d never seen alcohol flow quite like that, so although our lunch wasn’t worthy of the exorbitant prices, the people watching was certainly worth it. That night, we again cooked our own meal as a final goodbye to Beaulieu because the next day was our flight to Paris.

What I’ll remember from our trip is the food, whether we cooked it ourselves, or were eating at a well regarded restaurant. Delicious, extremely flavourful ingredients, that always tasted fresh from the farm or Mediterranean Sea.

Pictured clockwise from top left: Taglietelle Carbonara, Four Season Pizza (#1), Chateau Eza Asparagus Soup, Roasted Maigret, Eze Villa Market, Beaulieu-sur-mer Market, Duck breast, Empty The Pantry Chicken, Veal Chop at Royal Riviera, Filet at Royal Riviera, Canned Haricots Vert we found in the pantry (and left uncooked), Spices at Eze Village, Tiramisu from Chateau Eza (center), 

I just adored the French Riviera, and upon leaving, I realized that I could easily return year after year to explore more of the area.

Perhaps Provence on our next trip?

Related posts:

1. And then there was Paris . . .
2. What I did this weekend! Rough Creek Lodge featuring a Cooking Demo with Chef Gerard Thompson

My husband is Garfield.  Now, I don’t mean to imply he really is a large orange cat famous for his affection for lasagne, but my husband does love lasagne.  And he had a large orange cat when we met, so perhaps there may be something to that. 

We had a very busy day of cooking over W’s birthday this weekend.  One of our friends who was coming over to help celebrate is a vegetarian, so along with the homemade pizzas we were planning on baking, I wanted to try something a bit different.  Something that was a departure from the bechamel, bolognese, and pasta that I’m used to.  Something without any meat.  The answer was found in a lovely roasted butternut squash filling that had an assortment of vegetables and cannelini beans. 

Fresh pasta is the key to this dish, so I highly recommend rolling out your own.  It’s well worth it, and so incredibly easy to do, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing it all along!

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• 1 butternut squash, peeled, diced, tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted until fork tender
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves picked and chopped
• small bunch of fresh oregano, leaves picked and chopped
• 1 can cannelini beans
• 1/2 cup white wine
• vegetable stock
• salt and pepper
• 4 oz. of mozzarella cheese
• 3 oz. of ricotta cheese

For the béchamel:

• 5 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

For the lasagne sheets:

• 1 egg
• 3/4 - 1 cup flour

Directions:

Over medium heat in a large dutch oven or heavy pan, melt the butter.  Add the onions, celery, carrots and sweat for a few minutes.  Add the thyme and oregano and stir a bit.

Add the garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes until things start to smell fragrant. 

Clear a spot in the bottom of the pan and add the chopped roasted butternut squash and about 1/4 of the beans with their liquid.  Mash the two together with a potato masher or the back of a spoon, and then add the rest of the beans to the pot. 

Deglaze with the white wine, and add just enough of the vegetable stock to thin the mixture out a bit.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer while you roll out the pasta and make the béchamel.

In a food processor, add the egg and 3/4 of a cup of flour. 

Pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.

Knead the dough together and roll out enough to fit through a pasta roller. 

Roll through, folding the sheets through each pass, until you reach the thinnest setting. 

Cut the sheets to fit in the bottom of a 9×13 buttered pan.

Meanwhile, in another pot, melt the butter for the béchamel.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth. 

Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture turns golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until it is just about to boil. Add the milk to the butter mixture, 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until the sauce is very smooth.

Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat and season with salt and nutmeg.

 To assemble:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with melted butter or oil. 

Layer in the following order from the bottom: béchamel, pasta, butternut squash filling and cheese (saving about 1 cup béchamel for last topping), making 3 to 4 layers of pasta, finishing with béchamel, and 1/4 cup of the mozzarella and ricotta sprinkled over the top.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 20 minutes, slice, and serve.

Serve with a salad and wine.

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Butternut Squash Risotto with Bacon and Thyme
2. Lasagne Bolognese - 2010
3. Autumn Celebration Soup with Sweet Potatoes, Chicken Sausage, and Cannelini Beans

I very rarely make breakfast, except for when the occasion calls for it.  Yesterday was my dear husband’s birthday, so I decided to make an attempt at some baked eggs.  Since I love spinach so much, I decided that combine the two to create an easy and delicious breakfast!

This dish was simple enough; saute some spinach in a small amount of butter and heavy cream, season according to taste, and drop in a couple of eggs.  Simple, right?  Well, you would think that, but this was my first ever attempt at baking eggs rather than cooking them on a range, and frankly, I’m not so great at moderating temperature when I can’t see the eggs.  I cooked my eggs for far too long, as my whites seemed to never firm up.  Just keep checking on them, and if you have to, touch them to assure the whites are done.   The drizzle of cream over the top makes the whites appear runnier than they are, so as long as you keep that in mind, you should be much more successful at this dish than I was, though it was still exceptionally tasty!   

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 8 - 12 oz. spinach, washed and spun dry
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• bread, toasted and buttered

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a saute pan with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat and add the spinach to the pan.  Toss the spinach a bit to coat in the butter, and replace the lid to steam the spinach for about 5 minutes. 

Lower the temperature after the first 5 minutes, and add some of the cream, plus salt and pepper to taste.  Replace the lid until your oven comes to temperature. 

Season once again with salt and pepper once you are ready to move the spinach to the oven.

Add half of the spianch to an oven proof dish.  Repeat with the other half  I used one of my french onion soup bowls since it’s all I have on hand. 

Crack 2 of the eggs per person, and gently lower the eggs into the dish. 

Drizzle the leftover butter/cream mixture from the saute pan over the top of the eggs, and season with salt and pepper.

Bake for 12-17 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs.  Serve with toast!

Enjoy!

Related posts:

1. Spinach Dip
2. Wild Mushrooms Over Creamy Potatoes. Topped With A Fried Egg.
3. My Sister’s Creamed Spinach

I absolutely love when Spring is in full bloom here in Texas.  The weather is a nearly perfect 75 degrees for about 3 weeks, with slight breezes and very minimal rain. 

This weekend, my husband and I drove to Houston to see my brand new nephew and to visit my in-laws.  On the way home from a lovely weekend of family fun and delicious food, including BBQ country ribs grilled by my father-in-law, and an indulgent late lunch at my in-law’s restaurant, Fat Mikes at the Market in Spring, my husband and I stopped to play in the bluebonnets. 

Seeing as how I’d never  taken part in the traditional Texan ceremony of taking photos in the bluebonnets, my husband and I decided to pull over at an enormous hill full of them - between mile marker 169 and 170 heading north on 75.  It’s unreal.  I’d never seen so many in one place before, so I happily hiked up the hill to get our pictures taken.  So, though I don’t post them too much, here is a pic of me in the bluebonnets! 

Now, onto the food.  It’s spring.  It’s grilling weather.  I really, really wanted to grill something different, but simple.  Because flank steak is tougher than other cuts, I might suggest a flat iron steak as an option if you’re constrained for time.  I added too much olive oil (or too few herbs) to the Chimichurri Sauce, but I’ve written the recipe so that it should turn out to be a somewhat chunkier sauce.  Also, I think it would make a delicious dressing for pasta, so I may explore that in a future post once our garden really gets going.

Ingredients:

For the steak:

• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
• 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground chipotle chili powder
• 1 1/2 to 2 pound flat iron steak
• canola oil to brush the grill

For the chimichurri sauce:

• 3 large cloves garlic
• 1 cup lightly packed cilantro, stemmed
• 1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, stemmed
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/3 cup white wine or rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/2 a seeded and deviened serrano pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

In a bowl, combine pepper, salt, garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne powder, and ground chipotle chili powder.

Lay your steak on some aluminum foil and cover all over with the rub.  Wrap the steak tightly and leave in the fridge for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, add the garlic, cilantro, parsley, kosher salt, cumin, vinegar, crushed red pepper, and serrano pepper, to a food processor or blender.  Turn the blender on, and slowly add the olive oil to create an emulsification.  Set the chimichurri sauce aside.

Preheat your gas grill to high.  Once heated, brush the grill with a bit of oil.

Grill your steak for 2 minutes on each side.  Reduce the grill’s heat to medium, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. 

Remove the steak, placing it on a plate with a bit of tinfoil tented over it.  Let it rest for 10 minutes, and then you can slice against the grain. 

Transfer to a platter and spoon your chimichurri sauce generally over the steak.

Enjoy!

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