Green Eggs and Ham

» Not just for Dr. Seuss anymore. I admit, there's no ham in the photo above (and the broccoli is a garnish) but I've made it before with ham included, and it's pretty darn yummy. You could also use bacon if you prefer, but I like the whole "green eggs and ham" idea. (Also notice the coffee mug in the background... a Christmas prezzie from my grandma who had no idea I'd been ogling it in Caribou just last week. It describes my view of the dangerously addicting caffeinated beverage perfectly!)

Green Eggs and Ham

Ingredients:

» dash of olive oil

» 2 green onions, chopped

» 1-2 pieces deli ham, in small pieces

» 1/2 c. broccoli florets, chopped

» 3 eggs

» 1 T. feta cheese

» salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

» Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add onions and ham. When they begin sizzling, toss in the broccoli and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

» Meanwhile, crack eggs into a bowl. Add cheese and salt and pepper. Beat with a fork until combined. When the mixture in the pan is well-cooked, pour eggs on top.

» Here's a secret to an easy omelet. Stir the egg mixture around in the pan with a spatula like you're doing scrambled eggs. When it begins to form soft pieces, spread around into a flat circle shape like an omelet. Once browned on the one side, it's easy to flip over and brown the other side.

» Remove to a plate and fold in half. Serve with coffee and wheat toast for a well-rounded breakfast :)

Enjoy!

*Recipe entirely my creation.

Italian Sausage Bread

» Mmmmm Sausage Bread. This has become quite the legend in our house. Some of the best nights include sitting in front of a great movie eating sausage bread and grapes, with malted milk balls for dessert. Oh yes, I'm no gourmet chef and can certainly appreciate the simple things :) This is not the easiest dinner to make - if you're doing it alone. My mom and I usually collaborate so one person can mind the sausage while the other prepares the dough. If you're doing both yourself, be careful not to let the spices burn. 

» This is a wonderful potluck dish, or something to put out for Christmas Eve dinner (that is, if you do buffet-style like my family). It's a great appetizer or main dish.

Italian Sausage Bread

Preheat oven to 375° - Makes 1 pan

Dough Ingredients:
» 1 pkg. dry yeast
» 6 1/2 t. sugar, divided
» 1/2 c. warm water
» 3 T olive oil
» 2 T dried minced onion
» 2 t. dried basil
» 1 t. dried oregano
» 1 t. rubbed sage
» 1 t. garlic powder
» 1/2 c. cold water
» 3 c. flour

Topping Ingredients:
» 1 lb. Italian sausage, cooked and drained (I use the hot kind, but if you don't want it that spicy, go with mild)
» 1 c. shredded parmesan cheese
» 1/2 c. chopped black olives
» 1/2 c. chopped onion
» 1/2 c. minced fresh parsley
» 1/4 c. olive oil (I usually use less, depending on how greasy the sausage is)
» 2 garlic cloves, minced

Preparation:
» Start the sausage cooking (medium heat, frying pan, etc). If you're not the multitasking sort, it's ok to cook the sausage all the way beforehand, it's fine setting while the dough is prepared. Drain the sausage and set on paper-towel-covered plate.
» While the sausage is browning, dissolve yeast and 1/2 t. sugar in the warm water; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine oil, onion, basil, oregano, sage, and garlic powder. Cook over medium heat for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in cold water.
» In a mixing bowl, combine flour and remaining sugar. Stir in oil and yeast mixtures until just blended. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for three minutes.

 » Place dough on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand for 15 minutes.
» Combine topping ingredients.
» Once the 15 minutes is up, pat the dough evenly into the pan and let set 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle the topping mix over the dough.

» Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until well-browned. Remove from oven and let set 5 minutes.


Enjoy!




» Original Recipe

Gingerbread Men

» This recipe makes spicy, stiff little gingerbread men. If you're looking for those giant fluffy sort of gingerbread cookies, find one of those recipes with sour cream in them. These are crispy and delicious, and the perfect little cookie to satisfy that need for a bit of Christmas sweet. This recipe comes from a selection my mom got out of the newspaper a while ago that starts with a base which can be edited to any of 12 classic cookies. So far they have all been amazing, which I credit to the use of actual butter instead of Crisco or margarine. I'll most likely be posting more of these delicious cookies at a later time. But for now, enjoy the gingerbread.


Gingerbread Men
Chills for 2 hours - Makes 42 3-inch men


Ingredients:
» 2 3/4 c. flour
» 1/2 t. baking soda
» 1/4 t. salt
» 2 t. cinnamon
» 2 t. ginger
» 1/2 t. nutmeg
» 1/4 t. cloves
» 1/2 c. butter, softened
» 3/4 c. dark brown sugar
» 1 egg
» 1 t. vanilla
» 1/4 c. dark molasses


Preparation:
» Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. 
» With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, then molasses. (Oh gosh, I love molasses!) Beat until well-mixed.
» Reduce to a low speed and gradually add flour mixture until just blended. This is where having a stand-up mixer comes in quite handy. It's so much easier to add in a mixture when you're not dealing with just one hand!
» Split dough into three discs, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge. Chill for at least 2 hours. I made the dough the night before, and chilled it all night. When I went to roll it out it was surprisingly easy to work with.
» After the dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350°. Remove one disc from the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. I'm not great with inches, but I'd say about a quarter inch thick. Use a cookie cutter to make lots of happy little ginger-buddies. Bake for 11-13 minutes, until just browned around the edges. 
» Feel free to add red hots before baking, or use icing for decoration. Just be careful not to use last year's red hots, as they might create these sort of ginger-creatures:

Gingeroedipus Rex                            Gingerpolyphemus

     Gingerdarth Maul                 Gingergirl-without-hands

                                                                   (it's a real fairy tale! Read it!)

Enjoy!




» Original recipe from my mom

Chai Shortbread

» My cookies do not look quite like the picture from the original recipe. It's impossible to get them that perfectly round! Maybe my knife wasn't sharp enough, but it was hard. Not to totally turn you off to this recipe from the get-go. They certainly do not have to be perfect. Especially since their taste makes up for any imperfection in shape :) It was a bit difficult for me to track down the cardamom, but I eventually found it at Target, though I had to buy a much, much larger jar than I would have wanted. I think I need to research recipes that call for cardamom, because I have a lot left over! But the flavor of cardamom is so unique, it is necessary for these cookies. They are wonderful "tea cookies", buttery soft with an intriguing combination of spices. It's a wonderful break from all the mint, chocolate, and peanut butter that often flavor cookies. I will certainly make these again.

Chai Shortbread

Chills for 1 hour - Makes 2 dozen

Ingredients:

» 1 1/2 c. flour

» 1/8 t. salt

» 1/8 t. ground cardamom

» 1/8 t. ground cinnamon

» Dash of ground cloves

» Dash of freshly ground black pepper

3/4 c. powdered sugar

10 T. butter, softened

1 T. iced water

Preparation:

» Combine flour and next five ingredients (through pepper), stirring well with a whisk

» Place sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at a low speed until just combined (mixture will appear crumbly).

» Sprinkle dough with 1 T ice water, toss with a fork (yeah, I wasn't really sure how to "toss" it either... I just stirred it scatteringly with a fork and it seemed to work). 

» Divide dough in half. Shape dough into 2 (six-inch-long) logs; wrap each log in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour or until very firm. I stuck my dough outside, and it was frozen through within 30 minutes, so I had to stick it in the fridge to thaw a while!

» Preheat oven to 375°.

» Unwrap dough logs. Carefully cut each log into slices using a serrated knife. Be careful because the dough likes to randomly crumble when you think you're cutting the perfect cookie. No worries though, just smoosh it back together and no one will know the difference ;)

» Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes. Cool pans 5 minutes, then remove cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

» Original recipe from Cooking Light, December 2007