FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

The Breakfast Club

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The Breakfast Club

Two of the most notably wonderful things about twenty thirteen thus far are Sunday breakfasts and the acquisition of a boat.  Sunday breakfast followed by a boat ride is our newest thing.  And it just so happens that Sunday breakfast followed by a boat ride is also the greatest thing.

Homemade Waffles

Ever since I made waffles for Matt’s 31st birthday, the people are addicted.  But rather than make the same darn waffles every time, I decided to experiment.  Thankfully, everyone is totally on board.  Today we went with three different flavors: amaretto, coconut, and hot chocolate.  I completely dug the coconut.  Everyone else was obsessed with the “cocoa puff” waffles.

Sausage Peppers and Eggs

I’ve also been making some sort of egg dish to accompany the waffle breakfast.  Today’s hot sausage, onion, orange and yellow bell pepper, and monterey jack cheese combo turned out especially well.  I’m hoping this was the perfect segway to the savory waffle topped with an over-medium egg that I plan on making next weekend!

Candied Grapefruit Peel

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Candied Grapefruit

I kind of…  cheated when I made that poppyseed angel food cake the other day.  The recipe called for a topping of grapefruit curd and an optional garnish of candied grapefruit peel, of which I did neither.  And then when I saw Jessica’s Instagram post the next day, I felt like it was a sign that I shouldn’t have cut the experimentation short.  The grapefruit was staring at me from the kitchen counter and I said “tomorrow grapefruit, tomorrow.”.

Sliced Grapefruit Peel

I got home from yoga, caught up with my roommate, and ate a quick dinner.  And then around 8 PM I started gutting and slicing grapefruit.  Let me tell ya, 8 PM is not the time to start anything that slightly resembles candy, because something slightly resembling candy is not a quick feat.

Candied Grapefruit 2

The peels required lots of boiling to get rid of the bitterness.  You boiled them for 5 minutes, dumped, and repeated that step twice.  I tried to speed things up by having two pots of boiling water going simultaneously and transferring when ready.  And then you put the peels (I used the peel of one large pink grapefruit) in a melted mixture of 2-1/4 cups sugar and 1-1/2 cups water, simmering for an hour.  I also dropped a few drops of red food coloring into the mix because I wanted my peels to remain pink.  You set each piece in a bed of sugar until it is coated and then set on a wire rack to dry out for a day.

I haven’t tried the peels yet because they’re still drying, but I’ve certainly tasted the goo the peels left behind and I am sooo excited to bring a few of these to work with me tomorrow!

Thanks Jessica for the motivation!!

Another Pinsperation

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Quiche Stuffed Tomato

I go through phases of Pinterest-ing, but even on the good days I’m never that great.  I have, however, been extremely lucky on the few instances I’ve followed through on a Pinsperation.  Tonight’s inspiration came from Kelly’s inspiration that originated from a Martha Stewart recipe.

Gutted Tomatoes

FoodFash Tomato Cup Formula (yields 2 servings)

4 large tomatoes, tops removed and gutted

4 eggs

1/2 cup chopped protein (I used lump crab)

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used Swiss)

1/4 to 1/2 cup diced veggies (I used 1/4 cup shallots)

salt and pepper to taste (S&P!)

Move oven rack to the middle of your oven and preheat to 350 degrees.  In a medium sized bowl, whisk eggs until fluffy.  Add protein, cheese, and veggies and stir.  Add salt and pepper.  Place gutted tomatoes into an oven safe dish and then spoon mixture, carefully transferring even amounts of ingredients, into the tomatoes.  Sprinkle with Bake for 50 minutes, until the eggs are firm and cooked all the way through.  Remove the dish from the oven and move the oven rack up a notch.  Broil on high for 5 minutes or until cheese is browned.  Let stand for 10ish minutes before serving.  The flavors of the cheese and meat are much more apparent when these cups are still warm, but closer to room temperature.

Stuffed Tomatoes

I liked my protein/cheese/veggie combo, but would have preferred to have more color (like greener than green spinach!).  Other combinations on my mind are bacon/cheddar/bell pepper, sausage/gruyere/onion, or a veggie-filled spinach/feta/artichoke.  Any of these cups would be perfect for brunch and have me anxiously awaiting our next lake house breakfast shindig!

Pickled Egg Salad

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Egg Salad Sandwich

After 48 hours of pickling, the eggs and I were finally ready for Tasting Table’s Pickled Egg Salad.

Shredded Eggs

I pulled out the box grater and got to work shredding the eggs.  I would have never thought to shred eggs, but it worked really well with the eggs’ new consistency (the pickling process makes the whites much firmer than normal).  I poured the shredded eggs in a medium sized bowl and added 1/4 cup mayo (Vegenaise), 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper.  I deviated from the recipe by halving the mayo and nixing the salt.

Picked Egg Salad 3

This egg salad was definitely a unique twist on a classic.  Between pickling and shredding the eggs, they took on the flavor and consistency of cheese or a cheese spread, which completely confused my tastebuds.  Did I like it?  Yeah, I think I did!  I ate three sandwiches over the course of a few days.  Would I make it again?  Probably not.  I’d like to dabble in pickling a bit more, but I love a classic egg salad too much to go through the extra effort of a 48-hour pickling.