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!!

Zucchini & Tomato “Lasagna”

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Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna

Purchasing a mandolin slicer and making zucchini lasagna are two things that have been on my list for an unbelievable length of time.  And I’d like to say that I purchased a mandolin slicer this weekend which allowed me to finally whip up zucchini lasagna, but that’s totally not the case.  In reality, I bought the slicer about five months ago and it took five months to remember to put these five ingredients on my grocery list.  I used to be much better at lists…

Mandolin Sliced Zucchini

My intention for this recipe was something extra simple that involved lots of fresh stuff and minimal packaged stuff.  Oh!  And to make something that sorta kinda resembled lasagna.  My intention was not slicing off the top of my middle finger, which most definitely happened.

Zucchini Lasagna 1

FoodFash Zucchini Lasagna (Yields 4 servings)

3 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise on a mandolin slicer

3 large tomatoes, sliced

15 ounces part skim ricotta

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup fresh, chopped basil

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, and basil.  Add the garlic salt and pepper, to taste if you prefer.  Once the seasoning is added, mix in the beaten egg.  In an 11-ish-inch round pan (I used this one), layer the bottom of the pan with sliced zucchini.  Gently spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the zucchini and then top with 2 layers of sliced tomatoes.  Spread the remaining ricotta over the tomatoes and then top with a final layer of sliced zucchini.  Sprinkle with the remaining 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until cheese is golden brown.  Let cool for about 15 minutes (until liquid sets) before serving.

Zucchini Lasagna 2

I was a little nervous when I pulled the super bubbly pan out of the oven, but once the cheese cooled everything held together quite nicely.  And as far as the taste, I couldn’t believe how much this dish satisfied my lasagna craving.  I’ve been eating the leftovers this entire week and my only complaint is that it only made four servings!