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.

Thanksgiving 2010 - Vegetable Tian Time + a Tribute to Southern California

Quite possibly what I love most about Southern California is the fact that you can drive an hour or so in any direction and be in a completely different world.



To the NORTH, you have Santa Barbara, an upscale costal town with mountains, great restaurants, a beautiful pier, bike trails, shops, wine and a sophisticated beach bum attitude as well as the Malibu Mountains where you will find anything from a beautiful dam on a hike to a line of buddhist monks at the Getty Center Gardens.





To the EAST, you have the dessert areas like Palm Springs (a chill desert town with a retro-chic charm and a huge casino), Joshua Tree (a small hippy-ish native town with a huge unspeakably beautiful national park for hiking, camping and awwwwing), other desert towns (where you can do things like apple-picking or gambling at random casinos) and Big Bear Lake in the mountains (great for hiking, kayaking and other water sports in the summer, snow skiing in the winter and lama petting!).







To the SOUTH, you have charming coastal towns like La Jolla (where the seals literally sun bathe on the shore). New Port, Huntington, Seal Beach and Laguna are all worth while destinations for weekend trips that might include surfing, relaxing, shopping and whale watching. You might even prefer the small-town life in a place like Jullian, famous for their apple and berry pies. Travel slightly farther south, and you will reach beautiful San Diego...slightly farther to reach Mexico!




To the WEST (southwest), you have Catalina Island which is a gorgeous small island off the coast of Long Beach. Catalina is extra romantic and relaxing, but you can always occupy yourself with the beach, SCUBA, fishing, walks through the gardens and the casino...unfortunately, I cannot find my pictures from Catalina. I will just have to go again soon I suppose!

The amazing thing about these each-completely-different pictures is not that they are all in California (the state is huge!), but that they are all within day-trip distance of Los Angeles (2 hours or less). I wanted to expand to all of California (or weekend-trip distance), we would have a completely different situation on our hands! I would include places like Mammoth Mountain for skiing, San Francisco or even Las Vegas (which is slightly out of state, but still just under 4 hours driving. This place is crazy!

Part 3 of our Thanksgiving adventure takes place in a town just southeast of Los Angeles called Temecula. Temecula is one of the wine countries of Southern California, reaffirming the southern California mentality that you can, in fact, have it all. I couldn't believe this area even existed. I loved traveling to Northern California and visiting Sonoma and Napa wine country the few times I went. It seemed like such a unique experience and great way to spend a relaxing day just frolicking from winery to winery casually sipping on wines that took the winemakers years to perfect. Then you say something like, "I like this one...has a bite to it...now THIS one...it has less of a bite at first but then it kicks in after a few seconds." I, of course, don't really know what I am talking about, but it is fun to compare the wines once you have started to try them. It is also fun to take a little piece of the experience home with you when you buy a bottle...or two...or three...or....



I must be fair and say Temecula is no Napa. It is less beautiful and the wineries do not have the reputation of the northern California wineries. However, it is the perfect substitute when you consider the time it takes to travel to Northern wine country and the lack of knowledge I possess about the difference between a taste of a good wine and of a great one (if that barrier even occurs here...like I said...I cannot tell). I decided to take my parents to Temecula for some lunch on the terrace of a winery that overlooks the Temecula valley and some tastings of our own. It was a really nice time, and we got back to town just in time for a Lebanese feast at one of my favorite restaurants, Pi which was followed by a trip to the Planetarium show at the Griffith Park Observatory. Phew! It makes me tired just recapping it.

The final recipe I will share with you from my Thanksgiving feast was the first recipe I decided on making. As you can see, it was at the top of my list on the chalkboard:



Vegetable Tian is something I have never heard of before. I am still not entirely sure of what it means, but it seemed like the perfect side dish (not only for Thanksgiving, but for anytime of year). The recipe I used was from a really great cooking blog I came across called For the Love of Cooking. This was one of several recipes I will be trying from this site. I am especially drawn to the roasted chicken recipes she has posted...there are some unique and delicious sounding ideas I am excited about. The result for this dish was so pretty and tasty as well. It is just a great way to get in your starch and veggie sides in one fancy-looking dish. The one thing I regret is prepping this one ahead. I baked it half way (without the cheese) the day before, and then I continued the day of. The cooking times were all off because I was putting a cold dish into the oven on Thanksgiving day instead of a pipping hot one (because you are normally just taking it out to put the cheese on and then returning it to the oven). The result was still tasty, but my potatoes did not end up cooking properly so we were forced to get by on only the mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes on the table this year.



Vegetable Tian

(recipe exactly from For the Love of Cooking - serves 6)

2 tbsp olive oil (divided)
1 large sweet yellow onion cut in half and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 russet potatoes, unpeeled
1 zucchini
1 yellow squash
3 large Roma tomatoes
Sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Dried thyme, to taste
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 60 seconds. Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the greased baking dish.
Slice the potatoes, zucchini, squash and tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices. Layer them alternately in the dish on top of the onions, fitting them tightly into a spiral, making only one layer. Season with sea salt, black pepper and dried thyme, to taste. Drizzle the last tablespoon of olive oil over the top.
Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and bake for another 25-30 minutes or until browned.



*I forgot to et a close up of the dish with my camera, but my dad snapped this shot with his phone. I guess I got a little tired of taking pictures by the time it came out of the oven. The good (read: great) news is that the blog link for the original recipe has a beautiful picture that I could never duplicate anyway. So look to that for inspiration, and enjoy!

Save the Hard Work for the Office

This looks more difficult than it is.



Keep in mind work is very busy right now. I of course have found time to continue cooking; it is just difficult to find the time to gab on all about it. I am way behind my twice-a-week blog posts for this month (yes, I nerd-i-ly have a goal set) so I am cutting to the chase here.

You can do this. This chicken is pretty tasty, and more importantly, easy to make. It looks pretty (not to toot my own horn or anything), and it is not bad for you either.



I went skiing this weekend with some really fun people.



More on that later.

Why is Family Circle Magazine so inexpensive randomly? It is $1.99 / issue. Really.



Okay. Now I am embarrassed that people will know I read Family Circle Magazine.

Simple Stuffed Chicken

(makes 4 servings - recipe from Family Circle Magazine)

2/3 part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 C fresh basil, chopped
4 sun-dried tomatoes (not the ones packed in oil), finely chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, mashed
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
wooden toothpicks
herbs of choice for the outside of chicken

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a small bowl, mix together cheese, basil, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic.
Using a small sharp knife, cut through the side of the chicken breast, creating a pocket on the inside of each
Scoop about 2 tbsp (or a quarter) of the filling mixture into each pocket, and seal them with the wooden toothpicks.
Place the stuffed chicken breasts onto a small baking sheet, and sprinkle with any seasoning or rub you prefer.
Bake for about 25 minutes.
Serve over rice with vegetables.

I may change this up slightly by substituting goat cheese for the ricotta to make it a variation of Chicken Bryan.

Last Night

The past few weeks have been very busy for me. I had some friends in town for the July 4th weekend, and I went to a wedding in San Francisco last weekend. There has been little time to do things like cook and go grocery shopping. This weekend is the first in a while that I will have time to whip up some nice new dishes for this blog. I will also be dog-sitting this pup for our friends that were just married and are now in Hawaii for the honeymoon:



Her name is Three Hole Punch, but she also goes by Punch and sometimes George Clooney.

On a not-yet-but-soon-to-be related note, apparently one of my two adorable nieces, Olivia, is becoming a chatterbox. I use the word "apparently" because sadly she lives across the country from me so I have to settle for stories at this point. My favorite of the new things I have been told she has started to say is when she says "last night". It is more about how she uses the phrase to describe anything that happened in the past, no matter how long ago it was, that is so cute and makes me laugh. I guess she just does not yet understand the concept of differentiating between times in the past. For example, she might say something like, "Last night, I painted a picture for Aunt Lindsey", even though this even took place about three weeks ago. It is in this same regard that I will say, "Last night, I made this delicious pesto spaghetti pie with sun-dried tomatoes on top." I am not sure how long ago it was that I made this recipe (it must have been back sometime before things got too busy around here), but as far as Olivia would be concerned, it was last night.



Last Night Four Cheese Pesto Bake:

(adapted from a Paula Dean recipe)

1 lb spaghetti (I like to use whole grain pasta), cooked al dente according to package instructions
8 oz ricotta cheese (you can use up to 16 oz, but I think the 8oz is plenty)
12 oz pesto sauce (you can use a little more if you like)
2 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1 C grated parmesan cheese
1 C crumbled goat cheese
3/4 C sun dried tomatoes (in a jar with olive oil)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta, goat cheese, parmesean, 3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese, and pesto sauce.

Slowly add the spaghetti (about 1/4th of the pound at a time)to the bowl, mixing thoroughly, until the all of the pasta is coated heavily with the cheese and pesto blend.

Transfer mixture to a 9"x13" casserole dish, and sprinkle remaining shredded mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes evenly over top. Cover with foil to avoid burning the cheese on top during baking.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and turn oven up to broil for an additional 1-2 minutes.



Enjoy this as a nice heavy side dish to grilled chicken or as a vegetarian entree. I also like to serve it with some nice yellow summer squash on the side.

Chicken Brian

"Chicken Bryan...so yummy!!!" - a text I received from my brother, Brian, a few weeks ago after my sister-in-law made this recipe for him. It is a dish "inspired" by a meal you can order at Carrabba's Italian Grill called, well, "Chicken Bryan". So I guess when I say "inspired", what I really mean is a healthier, less-involved (but still tasty) version of exactly the same thing. Except mine is called "Chicken Brian" after my brother, father of two, wife of one, and 2nd to none.

I should also mention this recipe is an amazing option for all you low-carb dieters out there. It is very satisfying, for a (virtually) no-carb dish, if you serve it up with some grilled or steamed vegetables or a nice salad. It is also one of the easiest things I make on a regular basis. The restaurant version has it in a delicious lemon-basil-butter sauce, but I have skipped that completely simply because the dish doesn't need it and neither do your thighs.

Chicken Brian:

serves 4

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz soft goat cheese (crumbled or sliced - should be consistency of cream cheese)
1 small can of sun dried tomato paste OR small can of sun dried tomatoes (they should be in a can of olive oil, not in a dry package)
salt, black pepper, balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning to taste
Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F
Heat olive oil in pan over med-high heat on the stove-top.
Season the chicken breasts by lightly coating them balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
Sear each side of each chicken breast by placing them on the heated pan for about 30 seconds on each side
Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet and put them in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes.
Remove chicken from oven and turn the heat up to broil.
Generously smear the sun dried tomato paste (or you can put 3 or 4 sun dried tomatoes, halved)on top of each chicken breast (keeping them on the baking pan)
Generously sprinkle the goat cheese crumbles on top of the sun dried tomato (or you can put two or three slices on top)
Stick the pan with the chicken breasts back into the oven under the broiler for another 5 minutes or until the cheese starts to slightly toast.



This one in the picture was made with the crumbled goat cheese and the bottled halved sun dried tomatoes. If you use the paste, it should coat the entire chicken breast.