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.

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!

You Can't Eat Babies

Sweet. Scrumptious. Honey. I could just eat you up.



Why do people use words traditionally used to describe food to describe or talk to babies? I don't really think it works the other way around. I wouldn't particularly respond to a dish on a menu that was described as being, "adorable", "cute" or "looking just like his mommy".

Don't get me wrong. I do understand the urge to want to take a bite right out of a cute baby's chubby leg or (on the same strange level) pinch a baby's cheek. I mean look at these faces.





My brother and sister-in-law just had their third baby girl this week. Her name is Rachel Marie, and we are all really excited that she is here. I cannot wait to meet her when I am in Florida for Amanda and Mikey's wedding in a few weeks! She is just scrumptious.



I think it is just something deep down within us that touches us when we look into the face of an innocent baby. There is a nurturing primal instinct we feel that maybe we associate with other primal behaviors like eating. When I look at this face, inexplicable feelings of joy overwhelm me, and I barely know what to do with them. I call it the "Elmyra Effect". If you will recall, Elmyra was the little red-headed character on the children's program, "Tiny Toon Adventures". She would hug and pet cute animals until they could not longer stand it. I am definitely this way when it comes to Stanley. I will hug him and pet him and love him until he gets annoyed with me. I just can't help myself.



I suppose if I tried, I could see my breakfast as, well, "cute":



This is a simple breakfast sandwich that anyone can snap together in under 5 minutes. Best of all, this lush-looking, tasty, toasty, satisfying sandwich is is only 210 calories. It is basically the godmother of healthy breakfasts, bursting with fiber and protein. I like to enjoy this sandwich with a huge mug of piping hot green tea (with a packet of sweet n' low). This is honestly a case where "to good to be true" does not apply. It is easy, healthy, tasty and satisfying....and just adorable:



Ultimate Healthy Breakfast Sandwich:

(Recipe makes 1 sandwich)

1 whole grain english muffin - 110 calories
1/4 c egg beaters (you can also use one real medium egg, beaten*) - 30 calories (egg beaters) / 65 calories (medium egg)
1 wedge laughing cow creamy swiss cheese - 35 calories
1 slice of fresh tomato - 5 calories
1 slice of ham (you can substitute turkey, pastrami or turkey bacon) - 30 calories

Total: 210 calories
*if you use a real medium egg, the calorie total will be about 245.

Toast the english muffin.
Place the 1/4 c egg beater in a small microwave-safe bowl, and place the slice of ham on top of the egg liquid.
Microwave the egg and ham for about 1 minute and 20 seconds (time may vary depending on your microwave).
While egg is in microwave, spread the laughing cow cheese on the toasted english muffin, and add the tomato slice.
When the egg is finished cooking, you should be able to slide it right out of the bowl and onto the sandwich (the ham will be baked into the egg).
Done!

Brunch Club October: The Pumpkin Patch

How far will people go to decorate for Halloween?

"A 75-year-old dead man sat decomposing on his Marina del Rey balcony for days because neighbors thought the body was part of a Halloween display and didn’t call police."

This is a story Andy brought to our attention at brunch last Sunday. According to this article, the body was in plain view for all to see. Other articles claim the gun shot wound to the man's eye was thought to be self-inflicted.

Call us lame, but we were not ready to go to such great lengths this year to decorate for Halloween. We stuck with good ole fashion pumpkin carving.









One very sweet dog sat aside and watched.



But first came the feast. Hosting brunch has become a huge deal these days. Sube hosted this week. Let me just say that at this rate, our once-a-month brunches may be my only meals I eat. I feel like I am still stuffed 4 days later. Here is the breakdown:

The Bite Me Favorite for this Month goes to:

Fried Cheese Grits by Sube


I mean...come on. I don't need to explain why this was nothing but awesome.

Collard Greens and Gruyère Dip Baked Inside of a Pumpkin by BreAnna



Crepes and Sugar by Sube



Savory Corn Pancakes by Sube



Carrot Cupcakes by Natalie



Apple Crisp by Emily



Delicious Cake with a Fancy Name I Don't Remember by Sueb



Portuguese Sweet Bread by Sube



Hummus by Sube



I cannot believe this, but I did not snap a picture of Andice's dish...AGAIN. They brought delicious pumpkin pancakes. DELICIOUS.

Everything But Pumpkin Frittata by Lindzachary



12 large eggs
olive oil (for coating pan)
1 large zucchini, sliced thinly
1 large potato, sliced thinly
2 small tomatoes(one chopped, one sliced for the top of the frittata)
1 C feta cheese
1 onion
1/2 C chopped black olives
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
2 mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, green peppers, garlic in a large cast iron skillet (at least 13" in diameter)over medium/high heat for about 2 minutes.
Add the potatoes and and continue to saute for another 2 minutes.
Add the zucchini, mushrooms, olives, and the one chopped tomato and saute until all the vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a large bowl. Then mix in the paprika, salt, pepper, and 3/4 C of the feta cheese (reserving 1/4 C to sprinkle over the top).
Once the veggies are finished sauteing, turn the heat down to medium and pour the egg mixture over them into the skillet.
Gently place the tomato slices over the top of the fritatta in the skillet, and sprinkle with the remaining feta cheese.
Keep the skillet on the stove top for about 5 minutes, and pre heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Move the skillet into the oven to bake until the eggs are set (about 10-15 minutes).
Turn on the oven broiler for 2 to 3 minutes (just enough to barely toast the cheese on the top of the fritatta.