Tag Archives: brunch

Pie For Dinner

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Brunch, Carolyn's Originals, Main Dish, Vegetables and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I’m Stressed!  I’m experiencing two things that are not compatible with each other.  One is writing this blog where I want to include baked goods, and more importantly reading other blogs where there is all kinds of wonderful baking going on; and two is trying to follow a low carbohydrate diet plan.  Baked goods, generally speaking, have no place on a strict low carb diet.  I need to bake something to bring my stress level down.  I want to stir something or roll out something like pie dough or cookie dough.  Yeah, that would help out a lot!  I don’t need to eat it, just make it.  What to do?

Well after giving this situation a lot of thought,  I decided to make a pie.  Not a dessert pie, no sireee; a dinner pie.  My analysis of the standard pie crust shows that 1/8th of a 9-inch pie contains 13 Gms. carbohydrate, none of which comes from sugar.  This is well under the 20 Gms. I’m limiting myself to per day.  So then I needed to figure out what the filling should be.  I decided on cheeses and fresh tomatoes flavored up with pesto.  With the creative juices flowing, and the stress level coming down, I set to work mixing up the pie dough. Cutting in that shortening and rolling out that dough takes muscle, but I was up for it!

Here then,  ladies and gentlemen, I present to you for the first time, my newest creation:  Fresh Tomato and Ricotta Cheese Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Makes 8 servings

  • pie dough for a single crust 9-inch pie, either home made or store-bought
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 2 large tomatoes, and 4-5 grape or cherry tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup packed basil leaves
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Fit pie dough into a 9-inch pie pan.  Do not prick.  Line with heavy-duty foil.

2.  Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes.  Remove foil and continue baking for 8 more minutes.  Remove from oven.  Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.

3.   In a medium bowl mix together the ricotta cheese, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, salt and pepper to taste, and egg.

4.  Spread the cheese mixture in the partially cooked pie crust.

5.  Slice each large tomato into wedges, small tomatoes in half.  Remove as many seeds as possible.   Arrange attractively  on top of cheese layer.  Heirloom tomatoes produce vibrant colors ranging from pale yellow, pale pink,   purplish red,  even striped.  No two taste alike.  A tomato is a beautiful thing!  Mixing 2-3 varieties together makes a pretty presentation.

6.  In a food processor, process basil, garlic and olive oil until coarsely chopped.  Drizzle over the tomatoes.  I used my own previously made basil pesto, or you could use commercially prepared pesto here.

7.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  The filling will firm up a little more as it cools, so allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting.

8.  The finished product!  I served this pie with chicken salad on a bed of greens and a cucumber salad with a vinaigrette dressing.  I would also serve this dish as an entree for brunch along with some bacon or ham.  Oh, Yum!  The best part of all folks,  I didn’t just make it —-I got to eat it, too.  I am no longer stressed!

SOURCE:   a Carolyn Original

Grilled Cheddar and Bacon Waffle Sandwich

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch, Quick Meals, Snacks and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

It seems that when ever I make waffles there are always some left over.  Does this happen to you, too?  What I usually do is toast the pieces in the toaster and have them for breakfast or a snack, spread with jam or peanut butter.  Well as luck would have it on the day I made the Summertime Vegetable Soup, (see July 16 post)  I had a few pieces of left-over waffle in the refrigerator.  I was planning on making grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup, when inspiration struck:  how about using the waffles instead of bread for the sandwiches.  Bingo!  I was all over that in a second!

Out came the waffles, some sliced cheddar cheese, and some precooked bacon.  On a hot grill pan I placed the bacon just to crisp it up, and it was nice enough to leave behind a tiny bit of fat to grease the pan.  Next I lay the bottom waffle piece on the pan, covered it with slices of the cheddar cheese, lay on the bacon, more cheese to cover, then the top layer of waffle.   Couldn’t be more simple.   Keep the heat on low to let the sandwich toast slowly, so the cheese will melt, but not burn the waffle, since it’s already cooked.   WOW!  These were delicious, and a perfect accompaniment to the soup.

Blueberry-Coconut-Macadamia Muffins

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

The month of July has been declared National July Belongs to Blueberries Month, and July 11 is National Blueberry Muffin Day.  So if you guessed that I made blueberry muffins today you’d be right.   Now I know you readers are getting and reading this post the next day, but that’s OK since the whole month is devoted to blueberries, and any day you have one of these little gems will be a good day.

Whenever I eat one of these muffins I feel like I’ve gone on vacation.  They remind me of the Caribbean with their hint of coconut, and I think of palm trees swaying and Hawaiian music when I taste the macadamia nuts.  I think you get the picture.   I’ve made them many times in the past and I keep coming back to them because they are so good.  They taste as good as a cupcake with less sugar, fat and calories and they fit right into my week devoted to berry recipes.   Let’s get started making them.

INGREDIENTS

Servings:  12 muffins

  • 1/4 cup flaked coconut
  • 2 Tablespoons plus 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons plus 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 5 Tablespoons chopped macadamia nuts, divided
  • 2 Tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour, or white whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg white
  • 3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk ( no buttermilk?  Put 1 Tablespoon lemon juice in a 1-cup measure, add milk to make 3/4 cup)
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/2 teaspoon coconut or vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray, or line with muffin liners.
  2. Combine coconut, 2 Tablespoons flour, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, and 2 Tablespoons macadamia nuts in a small bowl.  Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon canola oil and stir with a fork to combine.  Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl put 3/4 cup flour, the whole-wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Whisk to combine.
  4. In another bowl put the 1/2 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 Tablespoon canola oil, egg and egg white, buttermilk, melted butter, and coconut or vanilla extract.  Whisk these together until well combined.
  5. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients, stir just to moisten.  Stir in the blueberries and remaining nuts.
  6. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups.  Sprinkle with the reserved coconut topping and gently press into the batter.
  7. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.  Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

These muffins are wonderful served warm, but can be easily rewarmed in the microwave by wrapping in a paper towel and microwaving on High for 30-40 seconds.  They also freeze well.

    

SOURCE:  EatingWell.com

Summer Squash, Bacon and Mozzarella Quiche

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Brunch, Main Dish and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

At this time of year I try to take advantage of summer’s bounty of fresh vegetables as much as I can.  Summer squash and zucchini are two vegetables that seem to grow in great abundance for anyone who gardens.  Several of my friends tend small garden plots and are generous in sharing ” the wealth” with me.

The recipe for this quiche was in Cooking Light Magazine last July and I made it several times last summer and already this summer I’ve made it again because we like it so much.  Except for the inclusion of some bacon it is almost meatless, so if you choose to omit the bacon the quiche will still be very good.  It’s also a good way to get children to eat some vegetables by surrounding them with eggs and cheese and calling the dish “pie”.

When I make this I usually serve it with just a green salad along side for a light summertime supper.  It is also a very good dish to serve for a brunch.

SUMMER SQUASH, BACON AND MOZZARELLA QUICHE

SERVINGS:  8

Crust:  You may choose to make your favorite pie crust recipe,  use a refrigerated pie crust such as Pillsbury, or a frozen premade crust from the frozen foods isle of the grocery store.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees  Pierce the crust bottom and sides with a fork.  Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.  Watch carefully to prevent bubbles from forming, by pricking with a fork.  Cool slightly.

Filling:  

  • 4 slices smoked bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled.   Save about 2 Tablespoons of drippings in the pan.
  • 2 cups zucchini, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
  • 2 cups yellow squash, sliced about 1/8 inch thick
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion or shallots
  • 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme,  or about 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 3/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk  ( I used skim milk, and it was fine.)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup egg beater product, or one more egg
  • 3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella

To prepare filling:  Saute the two squashes and the chopped onion in the bacon drippings, sprinkling with the thyme.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until squash becomes tender.

Combine the milk, salt, pepper and eggs in a large measuring cup, stirring with a whisk.  Arrange the squash mixture evenly in the pie crust, sprinkle with the bacon and mozzarella cheese.  Pour egg mixture over all.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until filling is set.

When you write a food blog like this the photos taken usually show off your dish to good advantage, and the reader gets the impression that everything goes smoothly and comes out looking ‘picture perfect”.  Not so!  Sometimes everything goes wrong and the dish looks horrible.  Those I don’t write about.  But sometimes funny things happen which was the case with this quiche.

For my crust I used one which was frozen from my freezer.  Some how I failed to notice there was a crack in it.  Look closely, you can see it!   So after I filled it with the veggies, bacon and cheese, I poured in the milk mixture, which ran out the crack, over the side of the pie pan and onto the baking sheet underneath.  I discarded as much of the overflow as I could manage, then put the whole thing in the oven and hoped for the best.  Needless to say it continued to leak in the oven.  When the quiche was cooked and I removed it from the oven there was a hugh bubble of cooked egg mixture attached to the side of the pie pan.  Sort of like a pop-over attached to a quiche!  It deflated quickly so I didn’t get a good picture of it, but you can see remnants of it in the  pictures below. 🙂  In spite of this the quiche tasted very good, and we really enjoyed it.

   

SOURCE:  Cooking Light Magazine,  July, 2011

Lemon Ginger Scones

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch, Carolyn's Originals and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , ,

The first time I had a piece of crystalized ginger, I immediately loved it;  my imagination went a little wild as I thought of all the ways I could use it.  Since then I’ve experimented with putting it in a variety of baked goods.  I found out that it likes being “center stage”, without a lot of other ingredients to compete with.  That way you get the full impact of its gingery, spicy, sweetness.  This recipe for scones with lemon and candied or crystalized ginger is a great example of that.  It’s one of my favorites—I hope you like it too.

LEMON GINGER SCONES

Makes 6 large or 12 small scones

 Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup cold butter
  • zest of one lemon
  • 1/2 cup chopped crystalized ginger
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk
  • egg wash and turbinado sugar for tops

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease baking sheet or line with parchment paper.

Mix all dry ingredients together ( flour through salt) with a whisk.  Cut in cold butter with pastry cutter or two knives.  Stir in lemon zest and chopped ginger. Add buttermilk.  Stir just to moisten.

Turn out onto lightly floured board and knead gently to unify. With hands form into a disc about  7 inches round by 1 1/2 inches thick.

Cut into 6 large or 12 small triangles, and place on prepared baking sheet.  Brush tops with egg wash ( I use a little Egg Beaters) and sprinkle with coarse sugar.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick tests clean.

Serve warm with jam.  I particularly like blackberry jam that I make in the summer when blackberry season comes around.  I’ll save that story or another day!

SOURCE;    A  Carolyn Original

Banana-Chocolate-Hazelnut French Toast

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

I don’t know why, but when I’m on vacation, I really enjoy having breakfast out.  Eating something rather sumptuous  that I didn’t make is such a treat.   Even coffee made by someone else tastes extra special to me.  Well, one recent weekend, I found that I had some ripe bananas that needed to be eaten or used, and at the same time an almost empty jar of chocolate-hazelnut spread.  Normally, I would have had a teaspoon in that jar in a  split second, eating the last of it right off the spoon,  but just in the nick of time I remembered once on vacation when I ordered “Stuffed French Toast”.  The filling was sliced bananas and peanut butter.  It was delicious, and I ate every last crumb.  I thought to myself, if peanut butter was so good , well then, hazelnut spread with chocolate must be as good or better, wouldn’t you agree?

So I tried it out and  yep, I was right!  If you have kids at your house I feel pretty sure they will like this, in fact kids of all ages will like it.  Pair this dish with a bowl of mixed fresh fruits to round out the meal.

Let me also add that in spite of the fact that the recipe may at  first sound high calorie, it really isn’t because I use skim milk, no butter, only 2 eggs (and  you could use egg-beaters instead to further lower cholesterol and calories) and  I get in some fiber by using whole-grain bread.  The recipe serves 4, and the calorie total as I make it comes to somewhere between 360-380 calories.  That’s less than 1/3 of a 1200 calorie diet.  A serving consists of 3 triangles of the stuffed toast, dusted with powdered sugar.  It is quite filling; you feel like you’ve had a special treat.

INGREDIENT LIST:

  • 1/4 cup skim milk
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 6 slices whole grain bread
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons chocolate-hazelnut spread ( such as Nutella)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced banana
  •  2 teaspoons canola oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons powdered sugar
  1.  Combine first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish.
  2. Spread each of 3 bread slices with 1 1/2 tablespoon chocolate hazelnut spread; arrange 1/3 of the banana slices on each slice of bread.  Top sandwiches with remaining 3 bread slices.
  3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Working with one sandwich at a time, place into egg mixture, carefully turn over to coat other side and then place into pan. Cook sandwiches about 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
  4. Cut each sandwich into 4 triangles.  Place 3 triangles attractively on each plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Garnish with fruit or serve with a cup of mixed fruits.

SOURCE:  This is a riff on someone else’s recipe. I can’t take credit for this one, although I did modify it to be more diet friendly.

Asparagus Popover

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch, Carolyn's Originals and tagged with , , , , , , ,

One of the things I love about living where I do, is the abundance of farm stands selling freshly grown native fruits and vegetables.  Most of them open around the beginning of May, taking advantage of the earliest vegetables like asparagus, lettuces, radishes, and rhubarb.  Once the markets open, I’m there weekly -often more so- and I plan my meals around what’s available and fresh.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved the combination of asparagus and eggs.  My mother frequently served crisp-tender asparagus with scrambled or poached eggs, and home fries along side as a quick supper. SWOON! I still love it today, but I also like to mix things up a little bit and try new combinations.

My thought process in creating this dish went something like this:  Asparagus is very good in quiche, yes? and quiche is basically an egg and milk batter very much like popovers,right?   So how would it be to make a giant popover with asparagus in it?  I didn’t have to twist my own arm to give it a try—-and here is the result.  My husband and I enjoyed it with crisp smoked bacon along side, and toasted English muffins with orange marmalade.

P.S.  My husband says I spoil him.  He’s  right, I do!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound asparagus, washed, and tough ends removed
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup  flour
  • salt and pepper
  • pinch sugar
  • 1 cup grated cheese (your choice)
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a saucepan heat enough salted water to reach a depth of 1 inch.  Bring to a boil.  Add the asparagus and cook until crisp tender, about 3 minutes..  Drain, rinse with cold water, then pat dry with paper towels.  Cut the spears into thirds.
  2. In a medium cast-iron skillet, (or other dish that can withstand hot oven temperature)  add the butter, and place in the oven to melt the butter.
  3. In a medium bowl, microwave the milk on high for 30 seconds.  Whisk in the eggs, then the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, pinch of sugar.
  4. Position the asparagus pieces in the hot skillet, and gently pour the batter on top.  Sprinkle with half of the cheese and bake until puffed and golden-brown, 18-20 minutes.  Top with remaining cheese and return to oven to melt the cheese. 
  5. Remove from oven and serve immediately, since popovers tend to deflate quickly, and this one is so pretty.
Serves 4
Source:  a Carolyn Original

Blueberry Biscuits

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch, Holiday and tagged with , , , , ,

One of the pleasures of a holiday weekend for me is the slow start to my days.  I like to linger over my coffee and enjoy a freshly baked “go with”, talk with Mr. D., plan out the day, catch up on the news and mail,etc.   This past weekend was no exception.

One of the  baked goodies  that I make often are biscuits, and quite frequently I add either dried or fresh fruits to add a little extra nutrition.  This serves as breakfast many times, but they can certainly fit into a brunch menu, especially by adding in savory ingredients like crumbled bacon, chopped chives or grated cheese. The choice of add-ins is limited only by your imagination.

The biscuits I made this weekend contained blueberries , thus the name BLUEBERRY BISCUITS.  They are super easy to make, with hands on time about 20 minutes, and baking time 17 minutes.  The recipe makes 12 biscuits.  These also make a nice biscuit base for strawberry shortcake.  Going that route will produce a ” red, white, and blue” dessert for patriotic holidays.  How neat is that?

Ingredients to have ready are:

  • 2 cups of flour
  • 2 tesp. baking powder
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1/2 tesp. salt
  • 1/4 tesp nutmeg
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk, or sour milk ( 2 tesp  vinegar + milk to measure 3/4 cup)
  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet, or spray  with non-stick spray.
  2. In a large bowl stir together flour, baking powder sugar, salt and nutmeg to thoroughly mix.
  3. Cut  in butter with pastry cutter to make coarse crumbs;  stir in blueberries, then buttermilk. Mix minimally, just to moisten.
  4. Turn out onto a floured surface, gently lift and fold dough onto itself several times, turning a quarter turn with each fold.
  5. Place onto baking sheet.  With palm of hands, form into a 7-8 inch square, approximately 1 inch thick.  Using a floured knife o pizza cutter, cut into 12 biscuits, leaving them intact.
  6.  Bake in upper half of oven for 17 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cut or pull apart to serve.

SOURCE:  Adapted from Southern Living 1993 Annual Recipes

Bacon-Date Scones with Orange Marmalade Glaze

Posted by deliciousonadollar in Breakfast, Brunch and tagged with , , , ,

A very close friend of mine who happens to be English, first intoduced me to scones, which she bakes frequently.  A visit to her home for “a cuppa’ always included freshly baked scones, warm from the oven, and falling apart tender.  They were served with some of her homemade jam and butter.  These were as comforting as comfort food can get.

I made myself a promise that I would learn to bake scones, too; and I did.

Over the years I have experimented with various flavor combinations,  some of which I plan to share with you in the future.  The recipe I have for you today, however, is one I found recently in the Pillsbury Bakeoff 100 Winning Recipes booklet.  I made a minor modification from the original recipe as published.  I baked them on a Saturday morning, and Mr. D., my husband. ate three of them warm from the oven with his coffee; ( and I ate two,  HA!)

The sweetness of dates coupled with the smokey saltiness of bacon and hint of orange work so well together.  I’m sure you will want to try them.  They are very easy to make, but as with all scones, remember to handle the dough as minimally as possible for the most tender outcome.

Bacon-Date Scones with Orange Maramlade Glaze

  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 6 tablespoons cold butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped precooked bacon
  • 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 3/4 cup whipping cream
  • 1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper, or spray with no-stick cooking spray. 

  1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, orange zest and baking powder; mix well.  Using pastry blender or fork, cut in 6 tablespoons butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together bacon, dates and nuts.  Stir 1 cup of this mixture into the flour mixture; set aside the remaining bacon mixture.  Make a well in center of flour mixture.  In another small bowl, lightly beat cream and egg together with wire whisk.  Pour into well of flour mixture.  Stir with fork until flour mixture is moistened.  Gently form into 2 balls.
  3. Place one ball on each cookie sheet, and pat them into  8-inch rounds.  Using a knife dipped into flour, cut each round into 8 wedges; do not separate.  Sprinkle top of each round with remaining bacon mixture, pressing lightly into dough.
  4. Bake 14 to 16 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup Orange Marmalade
  • 2 tablespoons butter

In small microwavable bowl, microwave glaze ingredients on High 20 – 30 seconds or until melted, stirring until smooth.  Spread glaze evenly over the 2 rounds.  Carefully separate into 16 wedges.  Serve warm.      Store any leftovers tightly covered.  May be reheated in microwave briefly to enjoy later.