Greens and Goat Cheese Scramble

Boy do we have a snow day today. We've got a foot on the ground already and more is coming down as we speak!

Sassy is not impressed with the snow.

What better way to keep your snow day occupied than cooking?

Notes: I made this for lunch, but it could be a nice weekend breakfast.

It actually happens that I end up with small amounts of greens that I need to use up and this is a great way of doing that. I also happened to have some fresh herbs because I was making some spaghetti sauce.

The key to a nice scramble is to keep the heat low. Not really low, but low enough so that the eggs cook slowly.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs or 3 medium eggs
1/2 cup of fresh arugula leaves
1/2 cup of fresh spinach leaves
1 tablespoon fresh herbs (oregano, chives, or basil would all work well)
Goat cheese (to taste)
Salt
Pepper
Butter

Directions:

Give your greens a rough chop and mince the herbs. Crumble your goat cheese into small pieces.

Put the herbs in a bowl big enough for your eggs. Crack the eggs into the bowl and beat together with the herbs until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a small amount of butter in a skillet on medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the greens and cook until just tender. Turn the heat down. Pour the eggs over the greens. Start to stir the eggs around in the pan. When the eggs still look wet, but are mostly cooked, add the goat cheese. Gently fold the goat cheese into the eggs.

Serve hot and enjoy!

My Favorite Buttermilk Biscuits + Pepper Fried Egg and Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

After many attempts at making buttermilk biscuits, I have perfected my recipe. Fluffy on the inside and golden brown on the outside---they're perfect for biscuits and gravy or a pepper fried egg and bacon breakfast sandwich!

Notes: I do one thing that all the biscuit recipes will tell you not to do: knead. Everyone says it will make your biscuits tough. But every Southern lady I've ever known kneads her biscuits. Once I started kneading, I finally got the consistency I was looking for. My biscuits also starting rising correctly. As long as you don't knead them like bread, it won't make them tough.

I think a pastry blender is incredibly helpful, so if you plan on making these a lot, I would invest in one. You can also use a dinner fork, but it will take you a little longer.

This is also my favorite way to make a fried egg. The whites are fully cooked, the bottom is a little brown and crispy, and the yolk is still runny. If you don't like your yolk runny, poke it before you flip it over.

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk, cold
1 stick butter, cold

For the sandwich:
1 egg
1-2 strips of bacon
Pepper
Salt
Cheese of your choosing (optional)

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut the cold butter into small cubes. Work the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or a fork until the butter is the size of large peas.

Stir in the buttermilk. Once the dough comes together, knead it in the bowl for just a minute. Pat the dough out on to a floured service. Pat it into a circle that's about a 1/2 inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter (or an empty aluminum can) and cut out rounds. When you work your way through the circle, gather the scraps and reshape into a ball. Pat the dough out again and repeat until you use up all the dough (should make about 8-10 biscuits).

Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown.

While the biscuits are cooling, heat a skillet on medium. Cook the bacon. When the strips are done, put them on a plate lined with paper towel. Crack your egg right into the bacon grease. Sprinkle a liberal amount of pepper on the top and season with a little salt. Cook the egg on one side until the edges are a little crisp and brown and the whites are mostly set. Gently flip it over and turn the heat off. Let is sit for about 20 seconds. If you want cheese, lay it on top of the egg now.

Slice open a biscuit. Slide the egg from the skillet onto one of the halves. Top with bacon and make a sandwich. Enjoy!

Salami and Swiss Scrambled Eggs (for One)

I might have mentioned this a few dozen times, but my husband is not a breakfast person. He doesn't have many flaws, but his lackluster attitude toward breakfast food is one of them. So when I'm in the mood to make something for breakfast, I'm usually flying solo (unless it's biscuits and gravy).

Too bad for him, because this was delicious!

Notes: This dish was born because I had leftover deli meat and cheese in my fridge. The cooking muse speaks to you for different reasons and one of those is using things up.

I used a pizza cutter to make small pieces of salami and cheese, which worked out fabulously.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3 thin slices of salami
2 slices Swiss cheese
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Cut the salami and cheese slices into small pieces. Crack your eggs in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and beat them lightly with a fork.

Heat a small non-stick skillet on medium. Add in the salami and allow some of its fat to render in the pan. Once it starts to get a little crisp, add in your eggs and stir gently.

When the eggs are almost done, put the cheese on top. Turn off the heat and cover the pan either with the plate you're planning to use or a piece of foil. Let the cheese melt, then serve and enjoy your single-serving salami and swiss scramble!

Q.E.D.: Fried Egg and Goat Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

When we were visiting our parents a few weeks ago, my mom made me a fried egg sandwich for breakfast one morning. I had forgotten how great fried egg sandwiches are. I decided to make one this morning and put my own twist on it.

Notes: This makes a great breakfast, of course, but it could easily be a light lunch as well. Add a green salad and you'd be good to go.

I've written the directions using sight clues rather than time. Eggs vary pretty widely, so you're better off just watching to see when it's done rather than trying to time it.

I desperately wish I had used some herbed goat cheese, but I only had plain. It was still good.

You want to make sure you take the goat cheese out of the fridge well ahead of time so that it's spreadable.

This recipe makes one breakfast sandwich.

Ingredients:
1 large egg
2 slices of bread (I used multigrain)
Goat cheese for spreading
Butter for frying
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Remove all ingredients from the fridge. Put a small amount of butter in a small skillet. Heat between medium and medium-high.

When the butter is melted, crack the egg gently in the pan. Season with salt and pepper. When the white starts to turn opaque, tuck the sides slightly in with your spatula (just so it will cook more evenly and fit on your bread). When the whites are almost totally opaque, pierce the yolk.

Put your slices of bread in the toaster. When the toast pops up, flip your egg, turn off the heat, and let the egg sit in the pan.

Spread the goat cheese on both slices of toast and slide the egg on top of one of the slices. Assemble the sandwich, serve, and enjoy!

Muffin Tin Eggs

It's fun to entertain with breakfast or brunch, but there aren't a lot of breakfast dishes that lend themselves to easy prep for large groups. Baked eggs solves that problem!

Notes: I debated posting this because frankly I didn't care for the results. The eggs turned out very spongy and I was not a fan. But I figure some people might like their eggs well done. I've done some more digging and it turns out you should use some kind of base in bottom of the tin. I would recommend a little pile of kale, since kale and eggs are such a delicious combination! I have also seen recipes with sauteed onions and bell pepper in the bottom. Having something on the bottom will keep your egg from the direct heat of the bottom of the tin.

I did two types of eggs: one just cracked on its own and one scrambled with some kale and parmesan cheese (like a mini frittata). The regular one was much better. The scrambled eggs had an even spongier texture. Not tasty!

The lesson here is that you need to experiment in order to ward off the tough texture. Either shorten the cooking time, turn the heat down, or keep the eggs off the direct heat. I'm posting the recipe the way I did it.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 or 2 leaves of kale
1 teaspoon parmesan cheese
salt
pepper
butter

Directions:

Heat the oven to 350.

Use the butter to grease the two muffin tins that you will use for the eggs.

Crack the regular egg directly into the muffin tin and season with salt and pepper. Beat the other egg in a small bowl. Tear your kale into small pieces. Add the kale, cheese, salt, and pepper and mix to combine. Pour the the mixture into the other prepared muffin tin.

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the eggs are set. Serve and enjoy!

Dill Scrambled Eggs

Fresh herbs are awesome. They add tons more flavor than dried herbs. The trouble is they are sometimes difficult to use up. The co-op where I buy my groceries sells bunches of fresh herbs that are the size of a small bouquet. If I buy fresh dill for my egg salad, I better be prepared to eat dill in everything else I make that week.

Case in point: I mistakenly bought some dill last week forgetting I was going out of town. I didn't manage to use it all up, but I at least used a little more with this dish.

Notes: This isn't so much a recipe as an idea. If you have fresh herbs to use up, don't forget about breakfast!

Also, I will tell you my strategy for making (the perfect?) scrambled eggs. 

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
1 heaping tablespoon of fresh dill
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Take your eggs out of the fridge. Crack them into a measuring cup and whisk. [Many people add milk at this point. Nay, my friends. It detracts from the creaminess of the eggs.] Add the salt, pepper, and dill and whisk to combine. Let them hang out on the counter while you heat your pan. [Most people crack them too late. They need to take the chill off.]

Melt the butter in the pan over medium-low heat. [Many people rush the cooking of their eggs. Rookie mistake. Take your time.] Once the butter is melted, add the eggs to the pan. Let them sit for a minute. [Most people want to stir them immediately. Let them warm through so that they start to congeal.]

Stir the eggs by drawing the sides into the center and gently folding them over as you go. Once you make it all the way around the pan once, stir the eggs in a circle starting in the middle to redistribute them in the pan. Keep doing this motion until they start to look like scrambled eggs.

Take them out of the pan when they still look a little moist. [Most people take them out only when they look dry. Newsflash! You'll have dry eggs.] Serve them up warm and enjoy!

I'd eat those green eggs any day!

The Kale Diaries, Part Four: Brown Butter Greens and Eggs

Greens for breakfast? Why not! Actually, you could make this dish any old time. It would be great for brunch or an easy dinner. I tweaked this dish from Healthy Green Kitchen.

Notes: This dish was even more delicious than I thought it would be. The greens were tender-crisp and went perfectly with the egg. You simply must try it. I made it for one, but you can easily add as many eggs and bunches of kale as you have people.

Ingredients:
1 egg
3 tablespoons of butter
2-3 kale leaves, stemmed and sliced thin
Dash of red pepper flakes
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Heat your butter in a skillet (with a lid -- you'll need it later) on medium-high. Once the foaming subsides, allow the butter to brown slightly, just until it smells nutty.

Add your chopped kale and stir it around for just about 30 seconds. The kale will make a lot of noise and might spatter, so just be watchful. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Make a hole in your kale bunch (like a bird's nest) and drop your egg into the hole. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Season your egg with salt and pepper. Cover the pan and let your egg cook to your preference. I like my yolks runny, but my whites set.

Serve it up and enjoy!

(The Perfect?) Hard Boiled Egg Wrap with Microgreens

Made it to Pennsylvania safe and (mostly) sound! There are still boxes in various places around the house, but the kitchen back open for business. Speaking of which, by the looks of things I might have to change the name of this blog to A Professor's Tiny Kitchen.

Good things come in small packages, right? Guys?

It's a galley kitchen. In this picture it was missing a fridge. Apparently it's not standard for apartments in the Northeast (my place in Mass was the same way). We bought one, so now I am fully equipped and ready to cook.

The new kitchen will probably change the direction of the blog a bit. Unlike my Louisiana kitchen, I now have no dishwasher. I didn't have one in Mass either. It's not a big deal, but it does make me mindful of how many dishes I use. You might see some one-pot meals because of that. I'm also sans slow cooker at the moment. It's probably for the best right now, since I have no clue where I would put it. That might have to change soon, though. I'm not sure how long I can go without my slow-cooker beans.

The first recipe from the new kitchen is not so much a recipe as a method. It also stems from another feature in my new apartment: no central air. Now, the weather in Philly is not nearly as hot as the weather in Lake Charles, but it still gets up into the 90s. When it does, turning the oven on is not exactly the thing I want to do. As such, I've been eating some cold meals. And in my increasing efforts to cut out meat and yet still eat sandwiches, I have created this one.

Notes: I have been in search for the perfect method for hard boiling eggs for some time now. Everyone claims to have the perfect method, but only one has worked for me time after time after time. And I have tried many. I share my secret with you.

Directions for What Could Be the Perfect Hard Boiled Egg

I'm not one to insist on certain ingredients, but if you love eggs, it is 100% worth it to find yourself a farm or farmers market and buy eggs from pastured chickens. Not cruelty-free, not vegetarian fed, not even organic. All of these eggs can be fakers. I mean the eggs you can only get from a farm or farmer's market that come from chickens that still live outside. You won't find them at your local grocery store, unless you're like me and your local grocery store happens to be a hippie, granola co-op. What's that you say? You don't know how to find farms or farmer's markets that sell eggs? Oh yes you do. It. Is. Worth. It.

Once you have your delicious farm eggs:

1.) Take your eggs directly from the fridge and put them in a pot. Don't let them come to room temperature.
2.) Fill the pot up with cold tap water. Not warm, not hot. Cold tap water. Put enough water in the pot so that the eggs are covered well.
3.) Put the pot on high and let it come to a boil. At this point, most recipes tell you to turn the heat off. Don't listen to them. They lie.
4.) Let the eggs boil for approximately 15 seconds. THEN turn the heat off. Leave the pot on the same burner.
5.) Most recipes tell you to leave them in pot for 5 minutes. Don't listen to them. They lie. Set the timer for 7 minutes.
6.) When 7 minutes is up, take the eggs out of the water and let them cool completely on a kitchen towel. Once they are completely cool, remove the shell. You will have a perfectly cooked egg: the whites and yolks will be totally done, but the yolks will not have that weird greenish tint that over-cooked eggs have.

Like so

Store them in the fridge. That way they will be ready for you when you want to make the following sandwich:

Ingredients:
1 (perfect?) hard boiled egg
1 whole wheat tortilla
2 teaspoons of whole grain mustard
A small handful of microgreens
Salt
Pepper

Directions: First, spread the mustard on one edge of your tortilla leaving enough room so that you can tuck and roll later.

It has a face!

Slice your (perfect?) hard boiled egg and lay the slices on top of the mustard.

Like so

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the microgreens.

[Aside: I used a rainbow mix. Again, because I have a hippie grocery store, I can find things like this. If you don't, just use whatever your favorite salad greens are.]

I use a tuck and roll method for my wraps. So, pull the edge over the sandwich ingredients and tuck it under them just a little. Then tuck in the sides and roll once. Tuck in the sides again and roll one final time so that the seam is on the bottom.

More or less

You can eat as is or cut it in half on a bias. Either way, enjoy!

BONUS: Omit the greens and mustard and you'll have a tasty and healthy breakfast wrap!