A Hungry Bear

spinach artichoke quiche

Recently I had a couple of girlfriends over, and we cooked a few things from the blog (I won’t go so far as to call it a “lesson”, more like rambling + drinking + food). We made a big batch of creamy spinach artichoke dip, which doesn’t make much of an appearance in my house until every Sunday during football season. I had almost forgotten how good it is, especially since you can use so many different kinds of cheese. But after the girls left, there was half a bowl of the stuff, and no one left to eat it. The next morning, I realized I had a frozen pie crust and eggs - why not use the leftover dip as filling for a quiche?

(Here’s a picture of the spinach artichoke dip.)

So that’s what I did. I layered some of the cold spinach dip on the bottom of the pie crust, whisked 6 eggs with 1/2 cup of whole milk, and baked it for about an hour at 350 degrees. It was perfect. During football season, I might have to start making double batches of the stuff to be sure I have leftovers for this quiche.

leftovers for breakfast: turkey bacon and kale scramble

The kale with roasted onion rings was made for this purpose: to try and recreate The Flying Biscuit’s bacon-collard scramble. It might not look that appealing (no offense to The Flying Biscuit, but neither does their version - greens scrambled in eggs have a beauty in the eye of the beholder), but it was delicious. Using (mostly) egg whites and turkey bacon made this a healthy option for any day of the week. (more…)

our little secret: easy but impressive leek & ham quiche

If you’re having dinner guests on fairly short notice, or want to prepare an easy make-ahead brunch that won’t require a lot of fuss while you visit with your out of town guests, let me tell you about this quiche. Growing up, it was always my mom’s staple “fancy” food - we made it for Christmas Eve, New Year’s, and other festive occasions. Precisely because it can be made ahead (even baked the day before), you never have to follow the recipe exactly, it uses up odds and ends of cheese left over from other recipes in your cheese drawer, and it’s impressive enough on a plate. The basic premise is some meat (optional), some vegetable (optional) plus some cheese(s), and several eggs mixed with half-and-half. I made a double batch of leek confit (remember how good it was in Molly Wizenberg’s leek tart?), and used up a little fresh mozzarella, fontina & gruyere I had on hand, with a few slices of ham. Perfect. (more…)

yogurt crepes with raspberry sauce

I’ve been looking for something new for the breakfast rotation lately. I mean, the buttermilk pancakes and french toast are fantastic, and I’m all over the eggs and grits with texas pete, but sometimes you just want something different. So I was excited to see an entire article dedicated to fresh breakfast ideas in December’s Food & Wine - including one AHB will actually eat (sorry, salmon hash is *totally* out of the running here). Don’t be intimidated by having to cook each crepe one at a time; if 8 minutes is really too long, get 2 fry pans going simultaneously. (more…)

bacon cheddar quick bread

I’ve never had a desire to bake my own bread, but I guess that’s the next step in my adoption of the “slow food” trend. When I saw this recipe for a bacon and cheddar quick bread in the October 2008 issue of Bon Appetit, it was time to bite the bullet. It only took a few minutes to put together, and made a great breakfast. This would be a great bread to throw together if you have house guests - impressive but very hands-off. (more…)

leek tart with goat cheese

I really am loving Molly Wizenberg’s (AKA Orangette) “Cooking Life” column in Bon Appetit. She is such an incredible food writer - she’s so over the top with her descriptions (I can relate). Her column in the October 2008 issue was probably my favorite, featuring 2 recipes in 1, for leek confit and a leek and goat cheese tart. Based on her recommendation, I was putting leftover leek confit on everything for days (including scrambled eggs - who would have guessed?). The tart was perfect, even though I used fresh goat cheese instead of aged. (more…)

banana flambe french toast

Would it be completely ridiculous to admit I made such an indulgent breakfast on a weekday? Well, I did. No special occasion either. I just had 2 overripe bananas and a couple of half-stale loaves of brioche from the sale rack of the farmer’s market that I had to get rid of, and a Thursday seemed as good a time as any. I’ve covered my yogurt french toast recipe before - it’s SO easy, breakfast is done in 10 minutes, no exaggeration. This time I just made some bananas on the side. Try it and see what you think (my hungry bear said he liked it as much as the strawberry version, which is a good sign). (more…)

weekday breakfast: egg white omelet

Making a healthy breakfast only takes me about 10 minutes. It may seem like that’s 10 minutes you don’t have in the morning, but if you invest there, you won’t have to take extra time out mid-morning to go get a snack or another coffee. I also take one morning (or Sunday afternoons) to prep the ingredients for several breakfasts at once, so it’s even easier to just grab a handful of veggies and throw them in the pan. (more…)

one more thing to love about weekends: ABLT egg sandwiches

Bacon, egg whites, lettuce, heirloom tomato slices, mayo, extra sharp cheddar, all on a toasted bun. How could you NOT have the best Sunday ever?

eggs benedict

While on vacation in Anguilla, I decided to try eggs benedict for the first time. I’m not a big fan of egg yolks, and other than eating around what some people consider the “best part” of a poached egg, I loved them. When I suggested to my boyfriend that I might try them at home, he was skeptical — why try something so involved, so unhealthy? Ahh, a challenge — can I make eggs benedict, and at least a little healthier than the original? Of course, and it wasn’t nearly as involved as I thought it would be. It’ll be part of the weekend brunch rotation from now on… (more…)