Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

When you look at the ingredient list you might think that this is going to be a very heavy dish, but it is actually very light. I can't figure out why.  I mean it's got cheese, bacon, and ricotta. Nothing sounds light there at all! This is ideal for brunch or even a nice Sunday night meal. However, since you refrigerate it overnight you can even do it for a weeknight. I must confess the first time I made this, I cheated and didn't refrigerate it overnight and it still came out great. I only chilled it for about maybe 6 hours? Puffy Spinach Egg Bake (Adapted from Cooking Club) 4 c cubed whole grain bread 6 slices bacon, chopped 1/2 c chopped shallots 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry 6 eggs 2 c ricotta cheese (homemade) salt/pepper 1/3 t nutmeg 2 c milk 1/2 c shredded Fontina cheese Coat a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Arrange cubed bread in the bottom of the dish. Saute bacon until browned. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes until...

I'm sure you are all much relieved that this is the last Easter Brunch entries. These were quite easy to prepare and different than regular stuffed mushrooms - there are no breadcrumbs to be found in there! Pepita Pesto-Stuffed Mushrooms (adapted from Cooking Light ) 20 cremini or white mushrooms, stems removed 2 T olive oil 6 T pepitas - toasted 1 c parsley 1 c cilantro 2 oz parmesan cheese zest of 1 orange 2 T fresh orange juice 1 clove garlic minced 2 T olive oil hot pepper flakes to taste salt/pepper Heat a large skillet and add a little olive oil.   Place mushrooms in stem side up.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  You will start to see a little liquid gathering in the caps.  Flip over and cook another 5 minutes or so.  Place stem side down on paper towels to drain. Place 4 T of peptias and the remaining ingredients, except olive oil, into a food processor. Pulse until ingredients are chopped.  With food processor running, drizzle in ol...

This is another standard fare item for Easter Brunch.  Usually I mix all the dry ingredients together the night before so it's all ready to go the next day.  It's really different - sort of like a bowl of oatmeal with lots of good stuff mixed in but in a bar format. Oatmeal Clafoutis (adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini ) 2 1/4 c quick oats (2 3/4 c old fashioned) 2/3 c brown sugar Dry ingredients ready to go 3/4 c raisins, currants, dried cranberries or a mixture of all 1 t cinnamon 1 t salt 1 pear peeled and sliced 1 apple peeled and sliced 1 banana sliced 3 1/3 c milk 2 eggs 1 t vanilla Lightly grease a 13x9 pan. Combine dry ingredients. Spread in the 13x9 pan. In a bowl mix the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients. If you are using the old fashioned oats, you can refrigerate this for a few hours to allow the oats to plump).  Arrange apple, pear, and banana over the oats.  Bake 55-60 minutes at 350.  Cut into squares. Be...

This looked like such a pretty dish to serve for Easter Brunch. They didn't have any heirloom tomatoes, as the recipe recommends, so I used just regular tomatoes. Tomato & Eggplant Terrine (Adapted from Cooking Light ) 4 medium heirloom tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1 c water 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 medium leek, chopped 1 medium tomato, quartered salt/pepper 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin 12 (1/4-inch-thick) slices medium eggplant 1 1/2 T extra-virgin olive oil 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices 1 T fresh thyme, divided ...

I've been making this pasta salad so long I don't even know where I got it from originally. It's a little different than your regular old pasta salad as it has a citrus dressing. It was a nice addition to the Brunch table. Chicken & Bow Tie Pasta Salad 1lb cooked farfalle pasta 2 c cooked chicken, shredded 1 1/2 c red seedless grapes, halved 1 c celery, cut on the diagonal 1 c grape tomatoes, halved (optional) 1/3 c red onion, minced Dressing: zest of 1 orange 1/3 c fresh orange juice zest of 1 lemon 1/2 c fresh lemon juice 1 T rice wine vinegar 3 T olive oil pinch of sugar may be necessary parsley chives salt/pepper In a large bowl combine all of the salad ingredients.  In a small bowl whisk together all the dressing ingredients.  Taste and add additional sugar if necessary. Pour over salad. I made this the day before.  I found it needed additional dressing the next day - the pasta had absorbed all the dressing so it was a little dry. But ...

Yup - still working on the Easter Brunch dishes-don't worry there's only a few more. This is such a great quick recipe to make. I've used fresh pears but I've also used jarred pears (Trader Joe's carries them). It's such a no-fuss recipe.  You just press the dough into the pan and put the pears on top.  It is also a nice dessert to bring to someone's house.  It travels well and looks like you went to a lot of trouble. Pear Tart (Adapted from Real Simple ) 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons 1 t vanilla 1 egg 1 c flour 1/4 t baking powder 2 to 3 bosc pears, peeled, halve and cored 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon , divided 1/4 c apricot jam 1 T lemon juice Butter a tart pan (14" rectangular, 10" round, whatever you have).  Cream butter and sugar together until mixed well. Add egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix flour and baking powder together. Mix into butter mixture slowly.  Dough is v...

This was the first time I made this and I was a little nervous that it might not come out. I found it on this website and immediately knew I had to make it for Easter Brunch. What really intrigued me was that instead of using water or milk in the dough, it uses white wine as the liquid. I made it Sunday morning so that was a little added pressure. But I worried needlessly - it was a breeze. I would definitely consider making it a day ahead next time and just re-warming it. Not exactly round - more of an oval Kitchen scissors worked better than a knife A quick 90 degree turn Even though is started out oval-ish, the final product looks pretty! The only thing that I would do differently next time, is add some garlic into the spinach filling and perhaps some nutmeg? and oregano? basil? It was quite impressive looking and would be really nice to bring to somebody's house.  It would be pretty easy to transport.

I've made this a few different ways - using fresh tomatoes, using canned fire-roasted tomatoes, or just plain canned tomatoes. Well and this time it turned out I used crushed fire-roasted tomatoes.  After I opened the can, I realized that they were crushed tomatoes.  I let the tomatoes strain through a sieve for about 10 minutes to get some of the extra liquid out. It's a nice side dish but you could use it as a main course also. I've made it a few times for the Easter Buffet. Potato Torta (adapted from Cooking Light ) 2lbs of potatoes cubed 3 T olive oil 1t basil 1t oregano salt/pepper 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese 1 egg 1/2 c flour 14.5 oz canned tomatoes, drained 2 clove garlic, chopped fresh basil 1 c mozzarella, shredded Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain. Add seasonings and Parmesan cheese. Mash potatoes adding olive oil as needed to keep potatoes moist.  Add egg and flour. Mix.  Spread in greased 9" pan.  Add garlic an...

What the heck is Bierock? It's a meat filled roll-type thingy basically.  It's almost like having a turkey burger stuffed inside of the roll-only better. These are a really nice item on the brunch buffet since you can make them ahead of time. Bierocks (Adapted from Cooking Light ) Filling: 1/4 c chopped onion pinch of sugar 1/2 lb ground turkey 2 c finely shredded cabbage salt/pepper 3T Worcestershire sauce Dough:   1/4 c sugar 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons) 1/2 c warm water (100° to 110°) 1/2 c low-fat milk 1/4 c oil 3/4 t salt 2 large eggs, lightly beaten ...

Egg salad is a simple thing to make.  You boil the eggs, smash them up, throw in some celery and onions, and add some mayonnaise.  But OH NO that would be too simple for me and it really wouldn't taste as good either.  I prefer to make my own mayonnaise and at least I know what is going into it.  It is so easy. It was a nice addition to the Brunch. Mayonnaise 1 egg 1 T Dijon mustard 1 T vinegar (or lemon juice) 1 shallot 1 clove garlic salt/pepper variety of fresh herbs, basil, parsley, thyme, or tarragon approx 3/4 - 1 c oil (canola or olive) Place all the ingredients except for the oil in a food processor. Buzz until mixed.  With food processor running, drizzle oil through chute. Once you start to hear a glug, glug sound, you have added enough oil.  Taste and adjust seasoning by adding either more acid, salt, or a pinch of sugar. Olive oil herbed mayo I used olive oil this time for the egg salad. It gives it a little mo...

I've been doing a Brunch buffet for several years now for Easter instead of a whole sit down meal.  It was always difficult to figure out what to cook for Easter until I hit upon the Brunch idea. There are a few standards but the rest I mix up a bit each year. What I like about doing Brunch is that a lot of the work is done ahead of time so it's just a matter of finishing it off or reheating. Some of the dishes actually taste better because the flavors have had time to meld together. Almost everyone can find one or two things they like. Unlike a sit down, it's very flexible for the number of people. Throw in some bagels and it will be no problem adding last minute guests. It gives me a chance to test out a few new recipes too. The only problem with this menu is refrigerator space! It takes some creative arranging. So far this is what's on the menu this year*: Pesto Stuffed Mushrooms (New) Tomato Eggplant Terrine (New) Apricot Blue Cheese Angels (New) Egg Salad...