Emeril's Breakfast Stratta

My Mom used to make a breakfast stratta for certain family events.  I realized at Thanksgiving, during a conversation about Christmas morning breakfast traditions, that I have never made her stratta or any stratta for that matter.  

This December, while watching Rachel Ray, Emeril was a guest and what do you think he made?  A stratta! But it was tall because it was made with large cubes of bread rather than sliced bread.  It was the traditional "make the night before and bake in the morning" affair so I dedcided to give it a try.   Wow, it was delicious - and of course it doesn't hurt that it is made with Gruyere Cheese!

He calls his a Morning Breakfast Bake and he uses Canadian Bacon.  My family prefers Sausage so I crumbled sauage patties instead.  I did omit the garlic because I don't like garlic for breakfast but for brunch or "we're having breakfast for dinner" I would probably add it.  Feel free to swap out Shallots for the Onion.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 TBL Butter and to it add: 6 Crumbled Breatfast Sauage Patties and cook for about 5 minutes while stirring often. Add 1 Small Onion Diced and 1/4 tsp Salt and cook until the onion has sweated, about 2-3 minutes.  Have ready 1 pound of prewashed Baby Spinach.  Add half of the spinach to the skillet and once it is reduced in volume, add the other half.  Once it is wilted, remove the skillet from the heat.  

Butter a 9" x 9" x 2 3/4" - in other words tall baking dish.  Cut a Loaf of Bakery Bread (some suggestions are Italian, Sour Dough, Boulle or my favorite is Pane di Casa if you have a Harris Teeter) to 1 1/2 " cubes.  Grate 8 oz. Gruyere Cheese.  

Add the bread to the dish and top with sausage topping and grated cheese - preserving about 1/2 Cup of Gruyere for the top.  It works well to get the topping between the cubes of bread.  Just keep building until all the topping is gone and 3/4 of the cheese is used.   

In a bowl beat 10 Eggs,  2 Cups 1/2 & 1/2, 1 Cup Milk, 1/2 tsp Pepper, 1/2 tsp Nutmeg.  Gently pour egg mixture over the bread and toppings.  You may have to re-distribute any topping that got disrupted.  Press gently so the bread comes into contact with the egg mixture.  Top with about 1/2 Cup of preserve Gruyere.  Cover and place in refrigerator overnight.  

In the morning, remove dish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.   Preheat oven to 400.  Bake incovered for 35-40 minutes until puffed and golden brown and "set".  Let rest for 5 minuted before cutting into generous squares.  Serve with fresh fruit.  If you want to go crazy,  serve Vermont Maple Syrup along side of it for a light drizzle.  

Hopefully this dish will be part of your holiday tradition or your favorite "we're having breakfast for dinner" meal on that cold January night!  Enjoy!!

Jalapenos & Fresh Corn-off-the-Cob Corn Muffins

I have been wanting to make these for ages.  I had Fresh Corn-off-the-Cob and  home grown Jalapenos Peppers.  Though it's hot out today, I made them anyway. 

Feel free to mix up your own corn muffin mix from scratch, but I used Jiffy since I've been wanting to use it up.  Remember, muffins (no matter what kind) are wet into dry and are only mixed until just blended.  

This makes 10;  I like to leave the corners open for easy handling.  Preheat oven to 400.  Either grease a muffin pan or use paper muffin papers.  
Add 1 Box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix to a bowl.  Add 1 Cup Fresh Corn and 1 Minced Jalapenos Pepper and stir.  In a measuring cup, measure 1/3 Cup Milk and add 1 Large Egg, stir to combine.  Add wet to dry and blend until just blended.  Using a scoop, fill each cup until 2/3 full.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  

I plan to serve mine with honey flavored butter, but either ingredient on their own works well too!  Enjoy!!

Gougeres

I moved to a new state about a month ago and am in a new Reading Club.  We read the book, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.  The story is set in France when the Germans occupied the country during WWII.  Though they probably didn't enjoy a food like this during that time on account of food shortages, this is said to have originated in the Burgundy Region of France.  

I have on my blog a Dauphine Potato recipe as well as Profiteroles, both based on simple Choux Dough recipes.  This dough is similar and is made savory with the addition of cheese, in particular Gruyere.  

In looking for a recipe to give a nod to the French, I found this recipe in my book where I have indexed recipes from late food magazines.  I've never made them so this is my first go at it.  Based on the font of nearby recipes on other pages, I am fairly certain it came from Food and Wine, December 1988, wow, so practically 30 years old!

Remove 6 Large Eggs  from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature.  5 are for the recipe itself and 1 to brush on the Gougeres before baking.
NOTE: This recipe calles for a total of 5 EXTRA Large Eggs ~ so I made an adjustment on account of using Large Eggs
Preheat oven to 425.   
Grate 6 oz Parmesan Cheese and 1/2 Cup Gruyere Cheese into a bowl.  Set asside.  
In a medium bowl, combine 1 Cup Flour, 3/4 tsp Salt and 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Pepper.  Set aside.

In a large heavy saucepan, combine 1 Cup Whole Milk and 1 Stick Unsalted Butter.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring as the butter melts.  Remove from heat immediately and add the flour mixture all at once.  Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon just until the dough masses into a ball and doesn't cling to the sides.  

Transfer dough to a mixing bowl and using the paddle beater, on medium, add a total of  5 Large Eggs, one at a time, mixing after until each egg is completely absorbed.  The dough should appear smooth and satiny and hold it's shape when a small amount is scooped with a spoon.  Add the Cheese Mixture and mix until throughly.  








I am going to use parchment paper on my sheet pans so they lift easily.  You can either pipe, scoop or spoon 2 tsp of batter into mounds leaving 1 1/2" of space between each.  

Beat remaining egg, and brush each gougeres with the egg glaze before baking.  Bake for 15-18 minutes until rich golden brown.  The recipe called for 10 minutes of baking time but I clearly needed more time.  

Serve warm or at room temperature.  
Can be made ahead and reheated before serving.  Bon appetit!!

Cheesey Buttermilk Biscuits

This is actually from Martha Stewart's Hors D'oeuvres Handbook, which by the way, is an excellent reference if you like to cook.  This is her White Cheddar, Sage, and Buttermilk Biscuits, p 350.

So the story today is that here in the deep south, we have 2 days off from school because of a threat of wintery and icy conditions.  So for me that is code for 2 fulls days to bake and cook.  Yesterday, I bought a few things I needed in order to get cracking and first up is Cheddar Buttermilk Biscuits and scrambled eggs.  I don't have sage so sans the sage.  I'm not sure my son would like it anyway and he needs to put meat on his bones!!

This recipe goes together in the time it takes to heat the oven to 400, so turn it on first.  Make sure 1 Stick Unsalted Butter is sitting out so it becomes cool, but not room temperature.   Line a sheet pan with parchment paper cut to fit.

To a bowl add, 2 Cups Flour (I used 1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour and 1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour).  To that add 4 tsp Baking Powder, 1 TBL Sugar, 1 tsp Kosher Salt, 1/2 tsp Cream of Tarter.  Stir with a wire whip to combine.

Cut Butter into quarters the long way and then the short direction making 1/2" cubes and drop in flour mixture.  Cut with a pastry blend.  If you don't have one, improvise using 2 knives in a cutting motion in opposite directions.  This should resemble coarse cornmeal.  Stir in 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese.  Today I used 4-Cheese Mexican because it's what I have on hand.  Add 2/3 Cup Buttermilk.  Stir until just combined.

Dump dough onto a floured pastry cloth and shape into a rectangle.  Fold the dough onto itself, top 1/3 and bottom 1/3.  (As you can see by the photos, by dough has some ever so visible layers as a result of the folding).  Re-shape into a rectangle.  For shaping, I place my hands outside of the pastry cloth and shape using the cloth so my hands don't heat up the butter.  Roll the dough so it is an even consistency, a healthy 1" thick, while shaping til you are satisfied.  That is all the handling this dough should get or it will become tough. 

I bought this cool rectangle mold in Austin last year and thought I would make a new shape.  Once cut, place on parchment and brush with 1/2 & 1/2 and dust with Sanding Sugar.  Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. 
Let rest a minute or 2 and devour at once!!

Apple Danish and Cream Cheese Apple Braid

Recently my son came home from school and told me he tried a danish for the first time and loved it.  I thought I would buy a few apples and try my hand at danish using puff pastry.  These are both my own creations.  They turned out quite well but in actuality the danish should have a yeast dough.  But for a short cut method, perfect to make for a ski or beach vacation, this would be an option for breakfast.

Thaw 2 Sheets of Puff Pastry.  Dice 2 Medium sized Apples (I used Pink Lady).  Melt 2 Tbl Butter and 1 Tbl Light Brown Sugar until bubbly.  Add the diced apples and cook for about 5-7 minutes until they will become soft. Continue cooking until the moisture to begins to evaporate.  Remove from heat. 

• FOR THE DANISH (This will make 16):

Preheat oven to 400.  Fit Parchment Paper to a sheet pan.  Sprinkle the Puff Pastry with Sugar and roll it out.  Flip over the pastry and do the same on the other side keeping its rectangular shape.  Roll up the Pastry along the long end.  Cut in half, cut halves in half, and lastly, cut quarters in half resulting in 8 pinwheels.  Using a rolling pin gently roll the pastry to flatten.   Place the pinwheels in the parchment paper.  Score a circle on each pinwheel about 1/2" from the edge.  Add 1 Tbl of cooked diced apple to the center.

Dust with sugar and place in oven to bake for 20-25 minutes until dark golden brown.  Cool slightly before handling.

• FOR THE BRAID (This will make 2):

Preheat oven to 400.  Fit Parchment Paper to a sheet pan.  Sprinkle the Puff Pastry with Sugar and roll it out.  Flip over the pastry and do the same on the other side keeping its rectangular shape.  Using a 3oz Package of Cream Cheese, add about (18-20) 1/2 tsp dollops of Cream Cheese randomly.  Add 1/2 of the cooked Apples here and there, covering the pastry.

Roll up the Pastry along the long end. Carefully, and with a very sharp knife, Starting about 1/2" from the top, cut away a 1/3 width of the pastry on the right.  Cut the remaining 2/3 in half.  The result should be 3 similarly sized pieces.



Braid, right over the center, left over the center and so forth until you get to the bottom.  Wrap around the ends to create a ring.  Place the ring on the parchment paper.




Sprinkle with sugar and place in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes until dark golden brown.  Cut into slices and serve warm.

Bread and Butter

I own many years of many food magazines.  I set out to find a French Bread recipe and began scanning the indexes.  I lucked out and found one in the 4th or 5th magazine I opened, Gourmet may 1985.  I made the recipe which has (2) 30 minute dough rises plus one more 30 minute rise after the dough is shaped. 

I think for next time, I will allow for longer rises at each step.  The dough didn't quite have the texture I was seeking though it was quite good.  What homemade bread has never been good?  Well, none that I have made.  If you get a dry and cold day this spring, I highly recommend having yeast on hand so you can make some bread from scratch.  It is very rewarding.

For the butter, I beat 1 Pint of Heavy Cream with A Pinch of Sugar and A Few Pinches of Salt.  At first, as pictured, it was light and fluffy and spread easily.  We ate it with the bread the first night.  In thinking back, I recall from making butter as a kid that at some point it separated and liquid was poured off. 

Today, I decided to continue whipping it until it got to that state.  In all, it took about 20 minutes of total whipping.  Today, just as I recall, a milky white thin liquid became evident in the bottom of the bowl.  I lined a strainer with cheese cloth and strained off the liquid.  I squeezed the remaining solid until what remained was very firm, pale yellow and looked like butter. 


Except for wanting to get better at french bread, all in all, both were very good!!

Grilled Flatbread

I have a flat bread recipe on my blog already and it was cooked in the kitchen, on a grill pan.  This time I actually grilled it on our infer red grill, (not my favorite grill for this sort of thing), but tasty just the same.
Making dough takes practice and what eventually happens is you don't really follow a recipe, you just know what to do.  I have arrived at that point.  I will attempt to say what measurements I used, but humidity makes an impact on dough, so I will also tell you what you are looking for to attain a good dough and you can aim for that.  Dough is forgiving to a point while it is being kneaded, so the adjustments should be made during that time.
I made this on a school day in the morning and brought it to my friend, Big T's house, for a tennis party get-together.  I should add, the team I play on won our division in a local league so it was a fun day.  T's husband, J, char-grilled oysters for us and we ate the flat bread with the oysters.
I began running the mixer around 6:30am and like I mentioned, brought the grilled bread to her house at 11am.  First, warm your mixing bowl by rinsing it in hot water.  Dry the outside.  Then measure 1/2 Cup Warm Water (around 110F) and add 1 package of Rapid Rise Yeast plus A Few Pinches of Sugar.  Stir with a wooden spoon and let it activate for about 10 minutes; you will see bubbles form.  Place the mixing bowl on the mixer and using a dough hook, begin mixing on the #2 setting.  Add 1 Cup 110F water, 2 Tbl Olive Oil, 1 1/2 Tbl Sugar, and begin adding Flour- 1/2 Cup at a Time.  (You can use All-Purpose, Bread, Wheat or a combination of any and all).  In all, I added Between 4-5 Cups Flour.  Once you have added a few cups of flour, add 1 tsp Kosher Salt.  Continue adding flour until dough is compact but soft and ever so slightly sticky to the touch.  If it is too dry, add a few Tbl Water now.  Once it feels right, knead for about 15-20 minutes until it feels springy and seems to have strands when pulled apart.  Remove the dough and shape into a ball.
Oil a large bowl.  Coat the dough with oil and cover the bowl with a damp cloth.  Let rise for 1 hour in warm place.  I turn on a heat lamp on my hood and place the bowl on a back grate location so the light shines on the cloth.
Remove dough from bowl and using a dough cutter, cut the desired size pieces.  Shape these by pulling the dough from the center, down the sides and under until it appears you have dough that is slightly sticky.  Place these on a floured cloth lined sheet pan to rest.  Cover them with the damp towel and place back under the light or in a warm spot for about 30 minutes.
To busy yourself, cleanup, preheat grill, and get oil ready.  You can see, I used Fresh Rosemary and Olive Oil.  When you are ready roll out the dough, shingle the disks on the sheet pan.  Oil and add Kosher Salt the dough and place on the hot grill, oil side down.  Oil and Salt the upward facing side.  Turn the bread over when it releases from the grill and cook the second side.  Turn again and cross mark the 1st side and then the second.  When it comes off the grill, Oil and add a Pinch of Kosher Salt to the upward facing side.
Cover the bread so it doesn't dry out and serve with your favorite meal.  If hosting at home, I would opt to grill while the bread is being eaten, straight off the grill.  Let me know how it goes for you!!

Zucchini Craisin Muffins Recipe

I made up this batter recipe for Zucchini Bread.  I adapted that recipe for muffins.
Preheat oven to 375.  Grease 2 muffin pans or use muffin liners.  In a bowl, mix together 3 Cups Flour, 2/3 Cups Packed Brown Sugar, 1/3 Cup Sugar, 12oz Craisins, 2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Baking Soda, 1 tsp Kosher Salt, a touch of Cardamom, and a few grinds of fresh Nutmeg.  Hand mix with a wire whip to combine ingredients.  Grate 2 Medium sized Zucchini either on a grater box or with a mandolin.  Add to bowl.  Set aside.  In a 2 cup measuring cup begin stacking these ingredients, it'll save on the cleanup!  1/2 Cup Canola Oil, 1/4 Cup Milk, 1/4 Cup Sour Cream (add sour cream to the cup until line comes to 1 Cup), and 2 Eggs.  Mix with a fork until the egg is broken up and the sour cream is distributed.  Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until just combined.  The batter will seem a bit sticky and possibly slightly dry but not to worry, zucchini is a watery vegetable and will make it all good in the end!

Scoop batter using a 1/4 Cup Scoop into the muffin pan.  Makes 22 muffins.  I always leave a corner open on each pan in order to handle the pan without destroying a muffin.  Place in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes.  You can serve this with Orange Flavored Cream Cheese by combining the Zest of 1 Orange into 8 oz softened Cream Cheese.  Serve muffins warm.

Zucchini Bread

It's summer and what to do with that oversized Zucchini from your garden...or your neighbors?  Make bread, that's what.  Last summer my father in law brought over some beautiful vegetables and the zucchini was huge.  I immediately thought to make bread with it.  It's a simple recipe going back to 7th grade food class when we made muffins.  Measure dry onto one bowl, measure wet into a measuring cup, add together mixing until just combined.  Bake and what a wonderful treat!

Preheat oven to 375.  Butter a 9.25 x 5.25 x 2.75 Wilton bread loaf pan.  Wash and cut the Zucchini into 4" long pieces.  Using a mandolin or the down and dirty version, the V-Slicer, with the cut side facing the blade, shred the zucchini using the 1/8" blade so you have match stick sized shreds.  You'll need about 2 1/2 cups of Zucchini.  

This is my own recipe.  In a bowl, mix together 3 Cups Flour, 2/3 Cups Packed Brown Sugar, 1/3 Cup Sugar, 2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Baking Soda, 1 tsp Kosher Salt, a double pinch of Cinnamon, a touch of Cardamon, and a few grinds of fresh Nutmeg.  Hand mix with a wire whip to combine ingredients.  Set aside.  In a 2 cup measuring cup begin stacking these ingredients, it'll save on the cleanup!  1/2 Cup Canola Oil, 1/4 Cup Milk, 1/4 Cup Sour Cream (add sour cream to the cup until line comes to 1 Cup), and 2 Eggs.  Mix with a fork until the egg is broken up and the sour cream is distributed.  Add zucchini to the bowl with dry ingredients.  Add the wet to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined.  The batter will seem a bit sticky and possibly slightly dry but not to worry, zucchini is a watery vegetable and will make it all good in the end!  Place in oven and reduce heat to 350.  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes until it is fragrant and the bread pulls from tsothe side of the pan.  Enjoy any time during the day with butter or an orange flavored cream cheese.  Best right out of the oven.  For reheating, I like to cut thick slices and warm in the toaster.

Flat Bread Recipe

I was watching TV recently and Tyler Florence (whom I like very much) was making a Moroccan dinner. He made a flat bread on his grill pan. He was able to get dough from a local pizza place, a convenience of living in NY. I actually tried to get dough from the Fresh Market and though the butcher went way beyond the call of duty trying to help me, in the end I made my own. You can make this by hand but I used my mixer fitted with the dough hook.
For the dough, warm mixing bowl first using hot water during cold months. Add 1/4 Cup Warm Water (approx 105 degrees), 2 Pinches of Sugar and 1 1/2 tsp Yeast. Let sit for 5 minutes until frothy. Place bowl on stand. Add 3/4 Cup Water (approx 105 degrees), 1 Tbl Sugar, 1 Tbl Olive Oil and begin adding flour 1/2 cup at a time. You will need at least 3 cups of flour and it will vary greatly depending on where you live. After adding 2 cups of flour, add 1 tsp Kosher Salt. Continue adding flour until the dough forms a ball. It should be slightly sticky to the touch. Continue kneeding for 10 minutes until soft and a bit stretchy. Add to an oil rubbed bowl that has tall sides. Flip dough over so the outside is completely covered in oil. Cover with a damp towel and let sit in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size. When ready, cut into small pieces that when rolled to 1/4" will fit on your grill pan. I have a sqaure pan so this recipe made about 6-7 flat breads. Heat pan over medium high heat. Roll out dough as you go. Brush generously with Olive Oil and top with seasoning and a sprinkle of Kosher Salt. I made 3 flavors, Barbeque Shrimp Seaoning, Thyme and Oregano. I think Rosemary would've been good, too. You decide, depending on what you are serving. The Barbeque seasoning and the Thyme tied for first as a compliment to the Paella. Place on hot pan, seasoning side down and brush with oil and season the other side. When browned, turn and cook the other side. Place between clean cloth napkins to keep warm and keep from getting soggy. Serve Warm.

Pecan Topped Banana Cranberry Bread

This is the perfect bread for Thanksgiving Day breakfast.  It keeps the focus of the busy morning on the turkey and the trimmings. While everyone is prepping the night before for the big feast, you can whip up this bread and work while it bakes!
Making this quick bread follows the same method as making muffins; dry in the bowl, wet added at once and stirred together until just combined.
Preheat the oven to 375. Generously grease a loaf pan using Crisco.  Pictured is a Wilton 9.25x5.25x2.75.  It's oversized so the bread took a bit longer to bake. If you are pressed for time, opt to make muffins or smaller loaves instead.
In a large bowl, mix together 3 Cups flour, 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar, 2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Baking Soda, 1 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp Cardamom, 1/4 tsp Cinnamon, 2 1/2 Cups Frozen Cranberries.  I like to freeze the berries so they don't bleed into the batter.  In 4 cup measuring cup, mix together 1 Cup Whole Milk, 1/2 Cup Canola Oil and 2 Eggs. Add 2 Large Bananas and mash them against the side of the cup and stir until all combined.  Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix with a rubber spatula until combined. Add to prepared pan.  Top with 1 Cup Chopped Pecans pressing gently into the batter.  Place in hot oven and lower the temperature to 350 and bake for 1 hour.
My bread was not yet done in the middle (shown) so I lowered the temperature to 325 and baked for another 15 minutes. Let rest 5-10 minutes before removing from pan. Using a serated knife, cut thick slices and serve with butter.

Banana Bran Berry Nut Muffins

I love to bake first thing in the morning on cool or rainy days. I've been baking these muffins or some facsimile there of for about 30 years. These are easy enough to make on a school day with a little pre-planning. I prefer to butter the muffin tin over using muffin papers because the muffins always seems to stick the the paper, but do what's easier for you. In any case, your child can help with this step.
The interesting thing about muffins is they are stirred the old fashioned way, mixing the wet ingredients with the dry until just combined. If you overstir or beat the batter you will end up holes or tunnelling as it's called, noticable when you break it apart. Not good in a muffin.
I have adapted this recipe from the Nabisco recipe on on the Bran Cereal box but I actually prefer Kellogg's Bran Cereal.
Preheat oven to 400. Prepare the muffin tin with papers or butter each cup. In a 4 Cup Measuring Cup measure 1 Cup Milk and add to it 1 1/4 Cup Bran Cereal. Let sit for 5 minutes until soft. Meanwhile in bowl measure 1 1/4 Cup Flour, 1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar, 2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder, 1/2 tsp Baking Soda, 1/2 tsp Salt, 1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts, 3/4 Cup Frozen Cranberries or Blueberries and give a stir. Set aside. To the wet ingredients add 1 Egg and 1/4 Cup Canola Oil. Break 1 large or 2 small Bananas into pieces and add to the wet ingredients. Using a fork, rough mash the banana against the side of the cup. Give wet ingredients a stir to combine. Add the wet to the dry and stir until just combined. If batter is too thin, add additional flour. Divide among 12 muffin cups. Bake for 20 minutes or until done. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the muffin tin. Serve with butter.

Homemade Tortillas for Quesadillas and Fajitas

Making this tortilla recipe was easy, fun and delicious! It was a bit sticky on account of our humidity and I had to add a bit more flour in order to roll it out. I don't have lard in my pantry so I substituted Crisco. I actually never photographed my fajitas (cause I ate it!)but the same ingredients were used to make the quesadillas.
Using pastry blend, mix 2 Cups Flour with 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder and 1 tsp Salt. Using pastry blend, cut in 3 Tbl Crisco. Add 3/4 Cup Warm Milk. Stir together and knead gently for a few minutes. It's a very soft dough. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
While dough is resting, on stove, preheat skillet over medium heat while preheating outdoor grill. Season a 1 1/2 lb Sirloin Steak with S&P. Julienne 1 Large Bell Pepper and 1 Onion. Add Olive Oil and lightly brown vegetables.
Next, make a quick Pico de Gallo. To a bowl add, 1 Diced Large Tomato, 1/2 Red Onion, finely died and a minced Jalapeno Pepper. Add the Juice of a Lime, 1 pressed Clove of Garlic, Chopped Cilantro and S&P to taste. Place Sour Cream in a separate bowl.
Divide dough into 8 equal balls and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Grill steak to medium rare or medium.
Preheat griddle top to 350. Using as little flour as possible, roll out dough to thin rounds. The dough is stretchy so you have to roll it quite thin to get it to stay. I used a pastry cloth to help with this.
Add a small amount of Olive Oil to griddle and cook 2 tortillas at a time, browning dough lightly on each side. If you cook these too dark, they will not bend easily for fajitas. As they are done, place on plate with a paper towel in between to keep hot and prevent moisture from making them soggy.
Let steak rest and slice very thinly. Let each person top their own fijitas.
With leftover ingredients, make quesadillas. Preheat skillet and butter 1 side of the tortilla and place in pan buttered side down. Top with grated cheese, steak, peppers and onion and cheese again. Add another totilla buttered side up. Cook both sides until golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.

Spinach Pesto Bread

Back when I made pasta that I sold at the local farmer's market, I also made pesto. My sister D told me of a bread she likes to make using pesto so I began making it. I reminds me of the bread I used to buy at Fisherman's Wharf in SF. Sorry I am not going to give you my pesto recipe. Proprietary secret.
This Spinach Pesto Bread recipe is very simple to make. It can be served many ways; as an hors doeurves, a bread, or by itself. Whichever you chose, I can attest everyone always enjoys this Spinach Pesto Bread.
Preheat oven to 450F. Split lengthwise, 1 Fresh Loaf of French or Italian Bread . Spread your favorite Pesto (about 4 oz) onto both halves. Top with 1 layer of Fresh Clean Spinach Leaves. Lay Muenster Cheese over spinach. Place in hot oven and bake until golden brown about 10 minutes. Cut on the diagonol into strip and serve at once.

Just In Time for Easter Brunch , Orange Raspberry Scones!

I used to think that scones were buttermilk biscuits in a different shape until this past Thanksgiving. We, 29 family members, shared a house in OBX and my brother, G, and his wife, M, prepared for us 2 batches of scones. Oh my goodness they were so good! Once home, I found a number of recipes and in the end created my own. This is loosely based on a Martha Stewart recipe from her Baking Handbook.
I don't like giant plump watered down pieces of fuit in my food and often times that's what you get when you bake with fresh berries. I found dried raspberries at Christmastime at the Fresh Market and those work perfectly. I have pure citrus oil (Williams-Sonoma or King Arthur) in my pantry and to get a really good flavor you can use either the zest of an orange or 1/2 tsp orange oil.
This is a simple process.

To begin- Preheat oven to 375F.
In large bowl add:

2 1/2 C All Purpose Flour, 2 Tbl Sugar, 1 Tbl Baking Powder, 1 tsp Baking Soda, 3/4 tsp Salt. Stir using a wire whip. Take 1 Stick Unsalted Butter out of frezer and cut into quarters the long way then slice to make about 24 pieces. Using a pastry blend, cut butter into flour mixture until is resembles peas sized pieces. Mix in 1.2 oz. Dried Rapsberries (Trader Joes). Add 1 Egg Yolk and 1/2 tsp Orange Oil to 9 oz Heavy Cream. Stir with a fork. Make a well in the flour and pour liquid into flour mixture and mix with a spoon or sturdy rubber spatula. Before it becomes a solid form, dump onto pastry cloth.

Using cloth, fold edges up to form a disc shape.

Using very sharp knife, cut the disc into 8 or 10 wedges.

Place wedges on parchment lined sheet pan. Brush with heavy cream and dust with Sanding Sugar (Williams-Sonoma).

Bake in hot oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown, do not over cook. For reheating, place in 300F oven for 5-7 minutes. Serve with an herbed omelette and champagne!