Don't You Forget About Me - Brunch Club May

I thought of a new excuse for not posting in a while.



Brunch club nearly disappeared after the last one that was sometime last year! Sue heroically revived it, and the newlyweds, Robily, graciously hosted at their new cool apartment in Pasadena. It was delightful to meet back up again. It had certainly been a while. With the return of brunch club, I am inspired to make a return to blogging after, well let's call it a sabbatical.

The club-goers (the brunch club goers that is) depend on us to bring the hearty egg-type dishes to the event so I made this little breakfast calzone I have been meaning to try from my recipe binder.

I made two, one with sausage/jack cheese/egg/peppers/onions



...and the other with feta/sun-dried tomato/egg/spinach/mushroom/onion.



The former was from the recipe, the latter was a creation of mine not only to accommodate the vegetarians in the group, but also to experiment with the concept to see if it would work with other ingredients. The feta/spinach one was actually better in my opinion.

It is almost unnecessary to bore you with a recipe for this because you can do whatever you want with these things. I used Pillsbury pizza dough which comes in one of those scary pop-open cans (doyouknowwhatimean?...one of those cans where you slowly peel away the wrapping on the outside until the can bursts open like BLAM!)
You can stuff the thing up with anything you want. I will definitely use more eggs next time. You can almost just make scrambled eggs with anything you like to add and then roll it up in that dough, and bake for about 15 minutes.

Instead of a traditional recipe, I will simply give you some tips for this:

*Cook or saute whatever meat or vegetables you will be using until the meat is brown or the vegetables are slightly tender.
*Mix together about 4-5 eggs, and scramble them with whatever filling (meat/veggies/cheese) you are using
*Roll out your pizza dough into more of a long rectangle so once the filling is added and folded it, you will have a log-shaped calzone that you can cut across.
*Add the egg filling down the center of the dough rectangle.
*You can fold the edges it and pinch them together at the top.
*Brush the dough with an egg white wash OR just use some cooking spray to lightly coat the dough (I used olive oil spray)
*Use the timing/temperature on whatever pizza dough package you use. Just make surethe dough is cooked all the way through. I believe I did about 20 minutes at 350 F.
Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into the calzone.

A Decade in the Making: Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken

November 6th, in a wedding ceremony on the beach in St Augustine, Florida, my dear friends, Mike(y) and Amanda were married in front of 54 of their friends and family.



November 10th, they will celebrate their ten-year anniversary during their honeymoon in Jamaica. These two started dating our Sophomore year in high school (this suddenly makes me feel pretty old). They are newlyweds with the experience and history of a couple that has been married for years.

These two have been a staple couple in my life practically since the era of real dating began. Amanda’s sister, Sarah, gave a great maid of honor speech at the reception which included a list of trends and events that were going on during the year the couple started dating: “Survivor” was in its first season, The infamous Florida election recounts were underway, Amikeda even precedes Brangelina (and Brangelina have 6 kids). Sarah also mentioned that she always admired the fact that Amanda always knew, from the start, that she wanted to spend her life with Mike. I think we all (those that are close to them) always knew they would end up together as well. I remember talking to our other friends on several occasions about how excited I was for them to get married because their wedding would be really special not only to them, but to those of us who watched them grow together. It takes two really special people to A) recognize the kind of partner they want to be with for the rest of their lives at such a young age and B) be the kind of partner someone wants to be with for the rest of their lives at such a young age.

(I wish I had a really embarrassing picture of the two of them from high school to insert here)

I am so proud to call these two people my friends. They are two of the most fun and interesting people I know and such a blast to hang out with. They do not need my well-wishes or congratulations because Amanda and Mike’s wedding was just a great celebration of what they already have and will continue to have together as long as they both shall live.

I don't have many pictures from the wedding day, but here is a look at the little rehearsal set up on the porch of the beach house where the families were staying for the weekend:



The rehearsal was followed by a dinner at Saltwater Cowboys on the marshy, uniquely Florida land:




Here is my one and only good shot of the bride all dressed up:



Something Amanda and Mike have always loved to do together is cook. Although Amanda’s favorite food seems to be simply toast, she has bragged about their picadillo recipe for a long time. I told her to guest blog about it so hopefully she will be sharing that with us soon. I know they also like to create unique spice blends, which might be interesting to hear about as well. I almost love cooking with someone I love more than I love eating with someone I love. It can be a romantic activity to cook with your significant other or it can be a fun activity to share with your family during the holidays. Since the wedding was in St. Augustine, I had the pleasure of visiting with my brother’s family in Jacksonville for a few days before and after the festivities. I found myself in the kitchen cooking for my family on Sunday afternoon for one of three to four meals a year my immediate family gets to have together. I had a special helper in the kitchen for most of the cooking time.



Olivia was by my side, brushing olive oil on the bread, handing me toothpicks for the chicken and of course taste testing anything that was safe to eat. I was cooking for about two hours total, and I want to say she stayed with me for well over an hour of it. I kept explaining to her that sometimes if you want something to be really really yummy, it takes a long time to make (referring to the fact that we were making the croutons for the salad ourselves instead of buying them already made). She learned what garlic was and how fresh spinach “shrinks” when you sauté it. I learned how fun it can be to cook with curious little kids (it gave me an idea of someday teaching a “mommy-and-me” or even just a kids cooking class…could be chaotic-I-mean-fun right?). I also learned how much nicer/easier/better it is to cook with unlimited counter space and a garbage disposal.



It was such a treat to cook with someone I love so much. Olivia and I made panzanella (which basically gets better every time I make it), roasted potatoes and chicken stuffed with spinach, feta cheese and pine nuts. I realize I forgot something very important in making this recipe for my family because while they were all very complimentary of the dish, it could have used some fresh LEMON JUICE in the stuffing mixture. Lemon juice, by the way, is the miracle ingredient that provides bursting flavor to so many meals without adding a single calorie. You can use this recipe as a base for any stuffed chicken you would like t try. Sub goat cheese for the feta with the spinach, try something totally different with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes or use Katie’s mom’s suggestion of creating a cream cheese and onion mixture to act as the stuffing. The stuffing can be made up of anything that sounds good to you. Just make sure it has a lot of strong flavors or else you run the risk of the dish coming up flat. Lastly, a nice flavorful sauce could be a great addition to the stuffed chicken (the gorgonzola sauce that goes with Ina Garten’s Beef Tenderloin recipe perhaps?).



This recipe is completely kid-friendly, see? (There is a bite or two way down at the bottom of her plate, people)



Although I am sure Charlotte prefers her popsicles:


Sometimes if you want something to taste really really yummy, it takes a long time to make. This is not one of those times.

Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken: not a decade in the making, but still good

(Makes 6-8 servings)

6 Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 package fresh spinach
4 oz feta cheese (or more...you will never regret using more)
1/4 c pine nuts
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper
Olive oil for the pan
toothpicks

Coat a large pan with just a little bit of olive oil and place over med-high heat.
Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook until tender (about 8 min)
Add the fresh spinach to the pan and cook until wilted (about 5 min)
Add salt and pepper to taste, and remove from heat (try to drain, squeeze out or pat dry any excess moisture you can).
Toast pine nuts in a toaster oven until they turn slightly light brown (you can use a regular oven or just throw them in with the spinach in the pan for the last couple minutes while it wilts).
Add pine nuts, lemon juice and feta cheese to the spinach mixture, and combine well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lay out the chicken breasts on a cutting board, and cover with plastic wrap.
Pound chicken breasts out until they are less than 1/2 inch thick (no thinner than 1/4 inch), and remove plastic wrap.
Place a small handful of the spinach mixture in the middle of each chicken breast, and roll them up, securing with toothpicks (to keep them from unrolling.
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste on the outsides of the chicken rolls.
In a large pan coated with a little bit of oil, brown the chicken rolls on all sides.
Place chicken in a small casserole dish.
Bake for 25-30 minutes (mine took 28) at 350 degrees F (until the juices run clear and there is no pink left in the flesh of the chicken.

I got a chance to chill with my brand new niece after dinner when the world was quiet (i.e. the other two girls were in bed).

Got Eggs? (and Feta and Spinach): Brunch Club October Continued

I cannot stop thinking about these little gems.



This is definitely a self-appointed title, but just call me "Savory Sammy" when it comes to brunch. I feel like I can be counted on to provide at least one savory dish when we gather for our monthly brunches. I had been planning to make Chocolate Chip Puffins for a while, but I needed a savory dish as well. I almost always end up bringing some sort of egg, meat or egg/meat dish. I am simply running out of ideas for ways to make eggs! I resorted to searching Tastespotting for egg dishes. If you are not familiar with this website, it is essentially pictures of food...pages and pages of food pictures. You can click on something that looks delicious and be directed to the website of the photographer (which usually is a food blog that includes a recipe).



I came across a delightful photo of a tasty-looking egg dish on a blog I had never visited, A Big Mouthful: Adventures in Food. I mean, I pretty much started drooling when I saw the picture of these "Spinach Feta Pop-In-You-Mouths". I thought if I could make something that looked half as good, I would be more than happy. I was impressed to find (after actually reading the blog post) that the blogger, Adrienne, basically made these spontaneously one day with some ingredients she had on hand. I was even more impressed when I got a chance to taste my recreation of them.



The recipe is flawless. I followed it exactly as written (which I almost NEVER do), and they came out perfectly...exactly as I had hoped they would. It was very easy too!

Please visit Adrienne's blog for the recipe and other amazing ones as well: A Big Mouthful: Spinach Feta Pop-In-Your-Mouths . You will not be disappointed!

Oh Lighten Up

Have you or anyone you love been visually assaulted by a Bravo! Network’s “Real Housewives” mini marathon?



In an attempt to sink their teeth into their victims viewers, Bravo strategically laces the end of each show seamlessly into the beginning of the next. Upon blinking, it would be difficult for the average woman person tell when one episode is ending and the other is beginning. Did I mention I love the show?

Sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of delicious pasta and some NY housewives (with their awesomely petty drama)to keep me entertained was 100% more relaxing than the attempt I made at getting a massage that left me sore (an unable to turn my head to the left for a day) last weekend. There is something about the mindlessness of it all. Somewhere around episode 3 of a marathon, you start to share emotions with these ladies. It is just enough drama to make you forget your troubles but not enough drama to actually stress you out. The New York Housewives are, by far, my favorite. However, I should say New Jersey is sliding in to a close 2nd.

Programs such as this are the "comfort foods" of television so why not cook up some comfort food to go with it? A pasta dish will do the trick, but let's keep it light...there is nothing worse than watching these women with better bodies than most 20 year-olds while burying my face in a 1,000 calorie bowl of heavy creamy pasta.



Real Housewives Shrimp Linguine

(serves 3-4)

1 pkg fresh linguine pasta (12-16 oz)- fresh pasta is really a lot better
1 lb cooked shrimp, med size - peeled and deveined
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 big handfuls fresh spinach leaves
2 tbsp finely chopped shallots
2 lemons
plenty of olive oil
plenty of grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 C)
salt and pepper

Boil the fresh pasta as directed (about 2-3 minutes). Drain, drizzle with olive oil and set aside. The Olive oil will help keep it from sticking together.
Remove tails from shrimp.
Toss shrimp in a bowl with salt pepper. Squeeze the juice out of one lemon over the shrimp, and toss again.
In a large skillet or pan, sauté the shallots in olive oil for about 3 minutes over med-high heat.
While the garlic/shallots are sauté, squeeze the juice from 1/2 of a lemon over the leaves, and toss around until evenly coated. Then add the spinach leaves to the skillet/pan.
Cook spinach in the pan with the olive oil, garlic/shallots for another 2 minutes.
Add the shrimp (with any excess lemon juice from the bowl) into the skillet/pan; toss to incorporate (add olive oil as needed).
Now add the pasta (be sure to separate it as much as you can as you put it in the skillet/pan. Continue to add olive oil as needed.
Mix everything in the skillet/pan. Squeeze the juice from the remaining 1/2 lemon over the pasta, and add the Parmesan cheese.
Continue mixing until all ingredients are incorporated and the shrimp is heated all the way through (you do not want to keep it in there too long of the shrimp will get tough).

The Spin Zone

The spin starts here...



...followed by the artichoke, and the cream cheese, and the Parmesan.

Now, I don't want to alienate any potential blog readers. I just have a strong feeling I won't by saying Bill O'Reilly is an ass. I hope you will notice that this is the first slightly-inappropriate-however-more-and-more-generally-accepted-term I have used during my blogging experience, but I need it for emphasis. I challenge you to find a better word. "The No-Spin Zone" is the term O'Reilly uses to describe his program. Ironically, I would describe him as the least principle-based "news" personality on television. Others in close competition include Keith "anyone-who-disagrees-with-me-is-wrong-just-check-out-my-hip-frames-and-snarky-glances-into-the-camera" Olberman and Sean "I-count-all-my-invalid-points-out-on-my-fingers-to-make-them-seem-more-credible-I-also-whine-like-a-small-child" Hannity. Fox News and MSNBC seem to be competing constantly to see who can get away with the most bias while keeping a straight face.

If nothing else, these shows (The O'Reilly Fcator, Countdown and Hannity's America) are entertaining in an infuriating way. And if there is one thing they all have in common, it is SPIN. So in honor of these fine gentlemen and their spinning tendencies (no matter how far they go to deny it), let's see about another spinach casserole recipe.

This was perfectly prepared by my sister-in-law, Katie, for Christmas dinner this year. Since this girl has joined the family, she has brought nothing but wonderful things: true love for my brother, amazing friendship for me, one adorable little daughter, followed by another and finally this casserole. It was definitely a welcome dish at the table as the dish was wiped practically clean by the end of the meal. In fact, it was the only dish that was spared from becoming "leftovers". This would be a great addition to any holiday meal or potluck dinner. The recipe comes from my brother and sister-in-law's friend, Krista (who is married to one of my brother's best friends). After trying this dish, I would be anxious to see what other recipes Krista has up her oven mitt.

Spinach Artichoke Casserole

(Recipe from Krista Dearolf's family)

2 packs frozen chopped spinach, thawed
8 oz cream cheese at room temp (Reduced Fat if you want)
1 14 oz can of artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons milk
4 tablespoons butter at room temp (sometimes I leave this out for less fat)
1/2 cup (or more if you want!) real grated parmesan + extra for topping

Squeeze all liquid from the chokes and put on bottom of small to medium casserole dish.



Drain thawed spinach by squeezing all water out with hands or towel and place on top of artichokes.
Mix cheese, butter, and milk with mixer.



Spread this mixture as the third layer.
If desired, sprinkle more parmesan as fourth layer.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered with foil. Take off foil, and bake for 10 more minutes until golden and yummy looking. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

I Yam What I Yam

Cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar created a comic strip called "Popeye the Sailor" in 1929.



This not-so-handsome-but-still-charming-in-his-own-way comic hero went on to star in his own television show and films. Popeye was a gritty sailor who gathered his superhuman strength from spinach. Move over all you protein-pumping, meat-eating machos. Popeye's forearms grew 10 times bigger when he would down a can of the green stuff.

Segar's choice of spinach for the character's source of strength was due to the high iron content found in spinach in a 1870 German study. The research concluded that spinach contained just as much iron as red meat. Popeye brought popularity to the geen stuff for almost 10 years through the comic strip before it was discovered that the German study had made a mistake. The decimal point in the number for the iron content in spinach had been placed between the wrong two numbers making it appear to have 10 times the amount of iron than it really did. In reality, spinach had no more iron content than any other leafy greens. This was not realized until 1937 when the comic strip was well underway, and Popeye had no intentions of changing what was already working for him. Although I imagine if Popeye was created after 1937, he would be downing cans of sardines instead.

Of course, spinach still has plenty of wonderful vitamins that make it very good for you. I eat my fair share of fresh spinach in salads. I am not going to pretend that this casserole should be categorized as a health food. It is loaded with creamy, crunchy stuff that makes it something you really want to eat in moderation. I chose to make spinach casserole for Thanksgiving this year simply because Zach does not go for green beans so much. I am really happy with the way it turned out. I made it very small (about half of the recipe) since it was just the two of us, and I really don't imagine this keeping that well as leftovers.



Popeye's Spinach Casserole:

(Recipe adapted from All Recipes - serves 6)

20 oz frozen chopped spinach (thawed)
6 oz cream cheese (softened)*
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup*
6 oz french-fried onions (1 can)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Squeeze thawed spinach over a colander in the sink to ring out any excess water.
Separate the spinach so it is not clumpy in a large mixing bowl.
Mix in cream cheese, mushroom soup and 1/2 of the french-fried onions into the spinach.
Transfer the mixture into a small (2 qt) casserole dish, and sprinkle the remaining onions on top.
Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered.

* The recipe calls for the whole can of soup and 8 oz of cream cheese. I think this is too much. I used the equivalent of 6 oz cream cheese and about 2/3rds of the can of mushroom soup so that the casserole would keep more of the spinach flavor. You can use more or less depending on what you prefer.

You can see how it fits right in there on the right side of the plate.

The List

Everyone has their own list of foods they do not like and will not eat under any circumstances. Who knows how certain foods get on this list. I know for some of us, there are foods on our respective lists that we have never even tried before or at least have not tried in a very long time. For example, my intolerance for mayonnaise comes from a time in my childhood when a friend’s mother made me a bologna and mayo sandwich. I was not used to mayonnaise in my sandwiches. My mom used to make them with just bologna, and that was the way I liked them. I believe it was that episode that stuck mayonnaise on the list for me until the end of time. I have not really tried it since then, but it is just the smell at this point that makes me queasy. This recently got me wondering what is on my list and why. I did not want my list to get too long because I don’t like missing out on too many things when it comes to food. In my conscious effort to slash my list, I think I have done a pretty good job in the past year or so. Here are just a few things that used to be on this list that have since been removed:

Chicken on the bone – This was a great hurdle to get over, but there are so many times I find myself in a position where this is what is for dinner (with no escape). I do not remember the specific dish that got me out of my funk, but now I eat it all the time and even make it myself without even a second thought.

Sushi – Everyone kept saying you just have to have it from a good place. This infuriated me because it was like people just did not believe me when I said I did not like to eat it. People, it is raw fish! I think I eased into this one by tasting a Philly Roll (salmon and cream cheese) dipped in the wasabi and soy sauce that Zach ordered once. And no, it was not from a “good place”. It had more to do with the mood I was in I suppose. Either way, I am glad I like it now; it is very un-Californian to hate sushi.

Avocado – The only thing more Californian than sushi is avocado. These people put it in everything: their salads, their sandwiches, pizzas, burritos, tacos, omelets, etc. I found myself asking waiters to 86 the avocado from pretty much 50% of dishes I would order in restaurants. It was not until last December, when we had our assistants’ holiday potluck that I even tasted guacamole for the first time. We were waiting on everyone to arrive, and I was starving. There were chips and guacamole that someone had made sitting on the table, and I thought I would give it a shot. Check!

Honeydew – This green melon is just too prominent in fruit salads. I was sick of leaving ½ of the fruit salad on my plate at restaurants. Everyone just needs to suck it up and eat the green chunks. It is tolerable and even good at times if it is ripe.

Mushrooms – It was out of necessity that I learned to like mushrooms. Every time we ordered a pizza, Zach would want pepperoni and mushrooms. It was just silly to pick them off every single time so eventually I just left them on. I will even dare to say I like them now if cooked and seasoned properly.

Beer – Light beer is the alcoholic drink with the least amount of calories for the amount of liquid you get. It is also the cheapest adult beverage you can buy when out “for drinks” with friends, which is an inevitable and even frequent situation if you work in the entertainment industry. If you are watching your weight and your wallet, it is really the best thing you can do for yourself to learn to like light beer.

A few things are still on the list and are likely to remain for the rest of time, but I guess you never know. For now, my list remains small:

mayonnaise
tuna (excluding ahi tuna)
cucumbers
chicken salad
egg salad

A great way to ease into something that is on your list is to try a dish that includes the food instead of just eating the food on its own (the same way I started to like mushrooms on pizza). I slashed artichokes from my list a long time ago after trying spinach and artichoke dip for the first time. I love spinach and artichoke dip. When I found a recipe for spinach and artichoke macaroni and cheese, my heart melted. It just sounded like the marriage between two things that I could not love more. It did not disappoint.

All Good Things Come Together Spinach and Artichoke Mac and Cheese

(a Rachel Ray recipe)

Salt to taste
1 pound regular or whole wheat penne (cooked al dente according to box instructions)
2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and wrung dry
1 10-ounce box frozen chopped artichokes, defrosted and wrung dry
Ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups shredded Italian Fontina cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top
1 1/4 cups grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus additional for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

While the pasta is cooking, place a medium pot over medium-low heat with 2 turns of the pan of olive oil and the butter. Add the onion and garlic to the pan and cook the veggies until very soft, about 10 minutes.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and sprinkle the flour into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute then whisk the wine into the pan, cooking for another minute. Whisk the milk into the pan and bring up to a bubble. Add the nutmeg, veggies (spinach and artichoke), some salt and pepper to the sauce, and simmer until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Add the cheeses to the sauce and stir until melted.
Toss the prepared sauce with the cooked pasta and transfer to a casserole dish. Sprinkle some more Fontina and Parmigiano over the top and bake until the cheese has melted and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes.



Pictures of the batch I made were digitally misplaced so this is a picture from Rachel Ray's website. I will replace it with my own picture the next time I make it, but I did not want anyone to have to wait another minute to try this.