First Dinner in Tampa

So the hubs and I moved to Florida recently an I wanted to make something nice once I got settled. One of his favorites is the lemon risotto here. I wanted to do something simple withit so I broiled some salmon with a little dijon mustard and s&p and roasted asparagus. With a nice bottle of pinot noir this was the perfect start to our life here in Tampa! I have a feeling more seafood is going to be showing up on this blog along with other faves.
What kind of food do you want to see?

Egg in the hole

This is another recipe that I have seen recently and wanted to try. I love eggs.. from my head down to my legs...which brings me to - Egg in the hole.

I saw a version of the egg in the hole used as the bread in a grilled cheese on 'A cozy kitchen' a wonderful blog with delicious and beautiful food. I am not sure I am ready to try the oozy cheezy yummy-ness that was the grilled cheese version but I took the egg in the hole part and made it for the first time. Delicious. Simple. Beautiful.

I also borrowed the Pioneer Woman book from a friend and there is a version in there as well also very simple. If you like eggs and want an easy breakfast or even dinner try it out.

Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 Piece of bread any kind (I used Texas toast style)
1 tablespoon butter (or spray)

Cut a hole in the bread with an inverted cup or cookie cutter. Make sure you have enough bread still left over to hold the egg.

Melt butter in a skillet over medium low.Place the bread and center that was cut out in the pan and leave for a minute or two.

Drop the egg in the hole (get it - egg in the hole) and season with salt and pepper.

Cook for a minute or two until the white is set on the bottom and the bottom of the bread is starting to toast and brown. Then, flip the bread with the egg carefully and cook on the other side until the egg is done to your liking and the bread is toasted and brown. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Flip the bread center piece too.

Use the middle cut out piece to dip in the center to get the oozy yolk of the egg. Enjoy

Egg in the hole
Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 Piece of bread any kind (I used Texas toast style)
1 tablespoon butter (or spray)

1. Cut a hole in the bread with an inverted cup or cookie cutter. Make sure you have enough bread still left over to hold the egg.
2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium low.Place the bread and center that was cut out in the pan and leave for a minute or two.
3, Drop the egg in the hole (get it - egg in the hole) and season with salt and pepper.
4. Cook for a minute or two until the white is set on the bottom and the bottom of the bread is starting to toast and brown. Then, flip the bread with the egg carefully and cook on the other side until the egg is done to your liking and the bread is toasted and brown. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Flip the bread center piece too.
5. Use the middle cut out piece to dip in the center to get the oozy yolk of the egg. Enjoy



A Cozy Kitchen - Egg-in-a-hole-Grilled-Cheese

Pioneer Woman - Egg in a hole

Queso with sausage

What goes better with a football watching party than some queso and chips? Not much in my opinion. This sausage queso is a 'Pioneer Woman' Recipe and it is a stepped up version of the normal 'Rotel' dip that many people make (Velveeta and Rotel). This is so good I am not sure I will ever make the 'normal' queso again. Thanks to the Pioneer Woman and my friend Beth for introducing me to this delicious recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 LB of Velveeta cheese-cubed
1 package 16 oz of pork sausage (you can use turkey if you want) such as Jimmy Dean
1 medium onion diced small
1 can Rotel (any level of spice you like)
1 can of diced green chilies
1-2 fresh jalapenos diced small and seeded if you are scared of the heat or leave it out

Its best to do this in a non stick skillet or big Dutch oven then keep it warm on the stove or transfer it to a crock pot for a party. I also took the suggestion of Pioneer woman and once it was slightly cool, put it in freezer zipper bags for freezing and eating later.

Brown the sausage and the chopped onion and cook thoroughly 

Then add in the cubed velveeta, rotel and green chiles with juice

stir and melt over medium ish heat stirring occasionally

Yummy....

Almost done...

 

Once it's pretty well melted add the diced jalepeno and stir...

Then taste!

Happy Football snacking!

Husband Rating: 4 Stars

Red, White, and Blueberry pancakes!

This morning I got up and decided to make pancakes for the hubby. We happened to have some fresh blueberries and strawberries so of course I decided to make red, white, and blueberry pancakes in honor of the July 4th holiday. I did not have any pancake mix but we usually keep all types of baking goods around (mostly because my hubby is the baker in this family) so I decided to look up a simple pancake recipe and it turned out pretty great.

I made the basic pancake batter below and dropped the blueberries on right before flipping. I then kept them all warm in a 200 degree oven as the recipe stated. Once they were all done I stacked 3 on a plate and buttered them then drizzled some blueberry syrup (one of my favorites) then a little whipped cream in the middle and blueberries and strawberries all around. Very festive and fun to eat!

Happy Birthday America!

Husband rating - 3 stars and stripes

 Here is a look of the pancakes upside down (or right side up) depending on how you like them stacked on your plate

Recipe adapted from marthastewart.com - Basic Pancake Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Assorted toppings, such as butter, maple syrup, confectioners' sugar, honey, jams, preserves, sweetened whipped cream, or chocolate syrup

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees; have a baking sheet or heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine).

3. Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel.

4. For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 2 to 3 in a large skillet).

5. Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You'll have 12 to 15 pancakes.) Serve warm, with desired toppings.

Check out this article on variations of the basic pancake and how to freeze and store them - Pancake variations