Potato Kugel

May 30, 2019 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

For our household, I’m often looking for easy, crowd pleasing, economical meals. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked up how to eat a potato for dinner. But happily, one of my searches brought this kugel to light. The original recipe never mentioned serving it as dinner, but that didn’t stop me. Doubling the proportions, using a large casserole dish, and adding a sprinkle of cheese on top (or not), this seemed substantial and tasty enough if served along a nice side of greens or veggie or fruit. While I make it for dinner many times, it also serves as a stupendous brunch dish. Plus, I love how it takes under a half an hour to whip up. The rest is hands off time in the oven.

Kale and Eggs

May 01, 2019 by Sophie Barrows in cooking, sophie

This is more of a method than a strict recipe, but it’s a favorite. We eat it almost every morning, and haven’t gotten sick of it yet.

herbed zucchini and bread Frittata

April 05, 2019 by Maria Almeida in maria, cooking

Have I mentioned how much I love Ottolenghi cookbooks? His recipes opened up a whole new world of flavor in my kitchen. He is so creative with flavors and food combinations. I’ve never been disappointed with an Ottolenghi recipe I’ve tried, and there are some that we return to again and again.

This recipe here is inspired by one from his newest cookbook Simple. It is simple. It’s also really delicious and makes a substantial meatless dish. The original recipe calls for ciabatta but I only had a loaf of sourdough so I used that. I made it a little more herby, too. I would maybe add some ham or bacon in a future version but it certainly doesn’t need it. It was puffy and light with delightful crusty cheesy baked edges. Mmmm. Serve it with a salad and you've got yourself a perfect weekday meal.

Avocado toast with soft boiled egg

March 01, 2019 by Maria Almeida in cooking, maria

Posting this as a recipe feels a little like posting a recipe for, say, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It’s just so basic, just another toast variety that we eat on the regular. I never give a thought to amounts or proportions. On the other hand, there’s definitely a technique for the eggs ... and even if it is a teensy bit fussier than a simple fried egg, the final product is so aesthetically pleasing that it feels that much more of a treat. This is the number one favorite breakfast in our house.

I’ve done these eggs on a couple different stove tops and it always works so I’m going to go ahead and call it a fail-proof method. The trickiest part is peeling the shell but that just requires a little patience and gentle touch.

I highly recommend a sprinkle of Trader Joe’s Everything But The seasoning. That stuff is bonkers. We put it on everything - eggs, avocado, vegetables, cream cheese on crackers, even in my sourdough. It’s so good.

Avocado toast with soft boiled egg

Ingredients

your favorite bread or whatever you have on hand, sliced and toasted
ripe avocado
1 egg or more depending on how many you are serving (I’ve done up to 5 eggs)

Instructions:

For the egg(s): In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 inch water to a simmer over medium low heat. Add the eggs, return the water to simmer, cover, and set the timer for 7 minutes. After 7 minutes, remove the pan from the heat, carefully pour out the hot water, and run the eggs under cold water to cool down. Add a handful of ice cubes to the water to speed up the process.
Meanwhile, have your toast ready and spread with slices of avocado. Sprinkle lightly with salt (if you’re not using the TJ’s Everything But The seasoning).
Carefully peel the eggs. This can be a finicky business, especially because with the soft yolk inside they are still, well, soft. I try to crack up the shell all around before I begin peeling, and I always start from one of the ends. Sometimes they come out like a dream, sometimes I end up taking off chunks of egg white. It doesn’t really matter much to me.
Place the egg on the toast and cut open. Watch all that beautiful yolky goodness spread like a rich sauce over your toast.* Sprinkle with aforementioned seasoning. Eat and enjoy.
*If you prefer your yolk to be on the more gelatinous and less liquid side, simmer for 30-45 seconds longer.

Breakfast week! potato feta scallion (or what you wish) Frittata

August 16, 2018 by Sophie Barrows in sophie, cooking

I love frittatas. They seem fancy, even though they are easy to whip together, taking just a little longer than regular fried or scrambled eggs. They make a great breakfast, but are more than suitable for lunch or dinner too. They are economical, easily vegetarian or milk free, and, best of all, adaptable to whatever you have on hand.

Breakfast week! Sweet Potato Hash-cakes with Bacon and Chives

August 14, 2018 by Sarah Blanchard in sarah, cooking

I don't know if this is a true "hash" or not. From years of watching Chopped, people always seems to be criticized for calling something a hash when it isn't. The best I can find from a dictionary search is simply something cut up into small bits. I like this from the OED: "A mixture of mangled and incongruous fragments." Mmmm, yes, serve me some of that!

Breakfast week! Bagels

August 12, 2018 by Maria Almeida in maria, baking

I grew up with New York bagels as my standard. Whenever my grandparents visited from Long Island, they would stop on their way out and pick up a couple dozen bagels to bring to us. Unfortunately, store bagels and even most bagel chains don't measure up. What to do except make my own?

This recipe is incredibly straight forward and yields some pretty delicious, chewy, soft bagels with very little work in the morning and only a little the evening before. I've tried a bunch of different bagel recipes and this one wins all around in my family.

Using Leftover Egg Yolks

March 01, 2018 by Sophie Barrows in baking, collaborative, sophie

As promised, here is the second installment of using up leftover eggs! This time, we tackle the yolks. Although, if you're like me, you'll be making at least one of these recipes even if you don't have any "leftover" yolks. Just jump over here once you have those extra whites!

Dusting off the cooking magazines: cheese soufflé

February 27, 2018 by Maria Almeida in cooking, maria

I don’t think I would’ve thought to try a soufflé if I hadn’t been searching through this one particular magazine for a recipe I could fit into that week’s menu with the ingredients I had on hand. I think in my mind i had relegated soufflé to stuffy dinner parties or French restaurants, not weekday meals. Turns out, soufflé is simple enough for a weekday meal AND tasty enough to be gobbled down by kids and adults alike. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, given the main ingredients of egg and cheese.