eggs

Ham And Vegetable Fried Rice

At the end of this week I was working on the last of our Easter ham and originally thought that the idea of putting it in a fried rice was a little odd.  But this wound up being a really tasty dinner and one that comes together pretty quickly.

Ham and Vegetable Fried Rice | Hottie Biscotti

This recipe from The Food Network was the one I followed, changing up a few things here and there.  I used less vegetable oil and added some sesame oil, added more vegetables and added some plain soy sauce and Soyaki sauce from Trader Joes.  Since no two people like their stir fries exactly the same, you can change up the vegetables and the amount and type of extra sauce you use.  When I served this I put a bottle of soy sauce on the table and Ben added a little more to his while I was happy without it.  Serving this with a bottle of sriracha as well wouldn’t be a bad idea if you want some heat.

Ham and Vegetable Fried Rice | Hottie Biscotti

A wok is ideal for cooking a stir fry, but you can use a large skillet.  This wok is a cheap one from IKEA and has served me well for the last couple of years.  Make sure to prep everything ahead of time.  Cut all the vegetables and meat, whisk the eggs, and have the rice ready to add the pan.  Once you start cooking a stir fry it comes together fast, and you don’t want to get flustered or burn something while you grab something you’ve forgotten.

Ham and Vegetable Fried Rice | Hottie Biscotti

This is a little bit of a cheater stir fry since you’re using a bag of frozen veggies instead of fresh, but it sure does help shave off some prep time!  And it’s still better for you than ordering take-out.  Enjoy.

Ham and Vegetable Stir Fry

Adapted from Food Network

Ingredients

  • 2-3 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil, divided
  • 5 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
  • 3 cups cooked, chopped ham
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
  • salt
  • 1 16-ounce bag frozen stir fry vegetables
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 3-4 cups cooked Jasmine rice
  • soy sauce to taste
  • Soyaki sauce to taste

Directions

  1. Heat wok or skillet over high heat, add in 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil and 2 teaspoon of sesame oil.  Add in ham and cook, stirring or shaking pan occasionally, until ham is lightly browned.
  2. Add in the chopped onion and cook until it starts to become translucent.  Then add in the garlic, ginger, and the whites of the scallions and a pinch or two of salt.  Stir fry for about 1 minute.
  3. Add in the frozen vegetables and stir everything together, then cover for 1-2 minutes.  Stir again until vegetables are just about defrosted.  Transfer everything to a large bowl.
  4. Wipe the pan clean, then return to medium-high heat and add 1 teaspoon each vegetable and sesame oil to the pan.  Add in the eggs and scramble until almost set.  Remove from the pan to the bowl with the vegetables and ham.
  5. Wipe the pan clean and return to high heat.  Add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil and 2 teaspoons sesame oil.  Add the rice and break up any large pieces.  Let cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then add in the vegetables, ham and eggs.  Cook everything together and add some of the soy and/or Soyaki sauce to taste.  I added almost a tablespoon of each.  Serve.

 

Ham & Cheese Quiche with Thyme

Of  course the first thing that comes to mind for me when I have ham around, after ham sandwiches of course, is quiche.  I’ve made ham & cheese quiche before, and you’ve likely seen this combination many times.  But this one is extra decadent and amazing thanks to some super yummy cheese that I had on hand.  I LOVE when a meal comes together without having to try too hard and when you just so happen to have ingredients that end up being delicious together.

Ham & Cheese Quiche | Hottie Biscotti

I had a little block of gruyere and some wine soaked goat cheese left from the Easter cheese tray.  Any cheese would do, but these seemed to take this quiche to a new level of wonderfulness.  Trader Joe’s has a goat cheese gouda that I think would be awesome, similar in flavor and texture to the goat cheese I used.  It’s not your typical soft and creamy goat cheese, this one is soft but still grate-able.

The crust and the base for this came from this America’s Test Kitchen cookbook.  Have you bought yourself a copy yet?  What’s stopping you?  I had to do some things differently with the crust because I started dinner at 5 and it needed to be on the table at 7.  I didn’t have the time to chill the dough for an hour, roll it and chill for 30 minutes, par-bake for 30 and then bake the custard for another 45 minutes.  So I improvised.  The recipe below shows what I did, but if you have the time, chill the dough before rolling and par-bake for a full 30 minutes.  It will yield a crispier crust.

Ham & Cheese Quiche | Hottie Biscotti

The quiche base is not for the faint of heart.  It’s heavy on the eggs, cream and whole milk.  Add in the ham and cheese and you’ve got yourself a quiche that is hearty enough for the manliest of men.  Add in a little crumbled bacon and they won’t have a hard time scarfing down a few pieces.  But it’s not so heavy that you can’t serve it at a ladies lunch.  It’s just too delicious for any sane person to say “no” to.

Ham & Cheese Quiche | Hottie Biscotti Ham & Cheese Quiche | Hottie Biscotti

You can take this quiche base and add in whatever you want to.  Make it vegetarian with mushrooms, spinach, peppers, asparagus, etc.  Use bacon instead of ham, or cooked chicken or other meat.  Play with the herbs as well.  Endless options.  Enjoy!

Ham & Cheese Quiche with Thyme

Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 1/4 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into chunks and chilled
  • 4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks and chilled
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Custard

  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup of cooked chopped ham
  • 4 ounces of shredded cheese, 2 ounces of gruyere and 2 ounces of firm goat cheese such as goat gouda

Directions

Crust

  1. In a food processor combine flour, sugar and salt, and pulse a few times to combine.
  2. Add in the chunks of shortening and butter and pulse a few times until the fat is in coarse pieces.
  3. Add the ice water into the machine, start with 3 tablespoons, pulse a few times, then add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing once or twice in between additions, until dough looks like it is just holding together, but not until it is smooth.
  4. Pour the dough out onto a large piece of parchment and pat it together into a disk.
  5. Place another piece of parchment on top and roll the dough out, as quickly as possible into a 12-inch circle.  Peel off the top piece of parchment, then place the pie plate on top of the dough circle.  Turn it all over together and carefully press the dough into the pie plate and peel off the parchment.  Make sure the dough is pressed into the pan evenly, crimp the edges and transfer to the freezer for 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  7. Line the crust with foil and fill with pie weights, beans or rice.
  8. Bake for 20-30 minutes, prepare the custard mixture while it cooks.
  9. Remove the foil and weights, then immediately fill with the custard.

Custard

  1. Whisk the eggs, milk and cream well in a bowl.
  2. Whisk in the salt, mustard and thyme.
  3. When the crust comes out of the oven scatter the ham on the bottom of the crust then scatter the cheese on top.
  4. Move the pie plate to the oven then pour the egg mixture slowly into the pan until it is almost full.  You may have egg mixture left over if you have a shallow pie pan.
  5. Close the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes.  Remove from the oven when quiche is just about set.
  6. Let cool before cutting and serving.

 

Huevos Motuleños

Easter Sunday left us with a huge amount of leftover ham that is going to be in all of our meals for the rest of this week and likely into the weekend.  I scoured the internet for some creative ideas on how to use it.  Here is the first meal I made to use up some of the ham.  It’s either a weekend breakfast or a breakfast-for-dinner meal but really can be eaten for any meal of the day and you can use any meat you have around.

Huevos Motuleños | Hottie Biscotti

This breakfast dish originated in the town of Motul in the Yucatan and in my recent search I’ve seen many different variations.  The things that seem to remain constant are the fried tortillas, black bean mash, salsa, egg, some kind of meat, and the fried plantains.

I prepped the beans and the salsa earlier in the day and reheated them at dinner.  But even if you’re making this and serving it immediately, you may need to heat things up, or at least keep them warm while you’re doing the other parts since this dish does have a few components and it takes some time to get everything together.  I found that getting everything else ready, then frying the tortillas and bananas and cooking the eggs last was a good way to get it all done.

Huevos Motuleños | Hottie Biscotti

My grocery store did not have ripe plantains so I used bananas.  A nice ripe plantain would’ve been better, but the bananas worked out ok.  If the idea of bananas with everything else is just a little too adventurous for you, then leave them out.  This is a great dish with or without them.  I used the smoked gouda cheese called for in the recipe I used, but other cheeses would work well.  I tried my best to make a nice egg over easy, but isn’t wasn’t pretty (as you can see).  Fix your eggs the way you like them.  I think next time I’ll scramble mine because as much as I want to like a runny yolk it’s tough for me to handle.  This recipe also calls for peas, which I found to be weird, but I used them anyway.  You can’t really taste them with all the other flavors going on, and they’re a fun addition to the plate, so use them or don’t.

I can see myself making these again, and I can definitely see myself making the beans and salsa again and using them for a quick dinner on tortillas with some shredded chicken, lettuce and sour cream.  The flavors in both the beans and the salsa are really nice and fresh.

Once you have everything together, assemble them and enjoy!

huevos3 huevos4 huevos8 huevos10 huevos11 huevos13 Huevos Motuleños | Hottie Biscotti

While some of the ingredients sound weird together, try them anyway!  Unless you have an allergy of course or peas make you gag.  When they’re all together this dish is deliciously different.  And it’s good to try new things.

Huevos Motuleños

Adapted slightly from Saveur

Ingredients

Beans

  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 poblano peppers, seeded and roughly chopped (reserve 1 pepper for the salsa)
  • 1 handful of cilantro
  • 1 medium white onion, quartered (reserve 3 quarters for the salsa)
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • kosher salt

Salsa

  • 1 pound tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped
  • Reserved poblano pepper, roughly chopped
  • Reserved onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • kosher salt

Base and Toppings

  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1 ripe plantain, sliced into thick, 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces
  • oil for frying
  • 4 eggs
  • 8-10 ounces cooked ham, chopped (or other meat)
  • 4 slices of smoked gouda cheese, optional
  • crumbled queso fresco
  • green peas
  • fresh cilantro

Directions

Beans

  1. Puree the beans, 1/4 of the onion, the cilantro, 1 poblano pepper and 1/4 cup of water in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  2. Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add in the bean puree, stir and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.  Season with salt.
  3. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm or refrigerate if using later.

Salsa

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add in the tomatoes, poblano and onion.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and there is some color on the onion, about 10 minutes.
  2. Let cool slightly, then puree in a blender or food processor until smooth.
  3. Heat another tablespoon of oil in the skillet and return the pureed vegetables to the pan.  Cook, stirring occasionally until mixture thickens slightly, and taste and season with salt.
  4. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm or refrigerate if using later.

Base and Toppings

  1. Heat  an inch or two of oil in a large saucepan or dutch oven to 360°F.
  2. Fry corn tortillas, 1 or 2 at a time depending on the size of your pan, for a minute on each side.  DO NOT undercook them.  They’ll be chewy instead of crispy if you don’t fry them enough or if the oil isn’t hot enough. Remove from the oil to paper towels to drain.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas, making sure oil is at the correct temperature before frying.  This may require turning the heat up and down to regulate the temp and keep it between 360 and 375.
  3. Fry the plantains (or banana) for about 45 seconds to 1 minute.  Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
  4. Cook the eggs, fry, over easy, scramble.

Assemble

  1. Heat everything if it hasn’t been kept warm, including the ham and peas.
  2. Place one tortilla on a plate.
  3. Top with 1/4 of the bean mixture, then your egg.
  4. Top with some of the ham pieces and one piece of gouda cheese torn into pieces.  Top with the other fried tortilla.
  5. Spread some of the salsa on top of the tortilla then sprinkle with queso fresco, peas and cilantro.  Place a few of the plantain (or banana) slices on top and serve.

 

 

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach & Feta

Breakfast for me is almost always a piece of fruit and a bowl of cereal, unless my sweet man has suggested going to pick up donuts or breakfast tacos.  When I scramble eggs for Carson I will sometimes scramble some for myself and toast up a piece of bread.  Scrambled is really the only way I like my eggs.  I cannot stand a runny yolk.  I wish I could because I want so badly to order eggs benedict simply because I find it to be a beautiful dish.  Alas, I am stuck with boring (and rather unattractive) scrambled eggs.  Eggs are good for you.  They are full of protein, and you can cook them quickly. They can be a really wonderful way to start your day.  And there are ways to dress them up and make your eggs more interesting.

My mom would make us cheesy eggs as kids.  The more cheese the better, specially if some of it got slightly crunchy on the edges of the pan.  It’s kinda like fricco!  You can’t go wrong stirring some salsa, cheese and crunched up tortilla chips into scrambled eggs for some cheater migas.  I remember once my sister made scrambled eggs for the family with feta cheese and fresh dill.   When I took out the carton of eggs a few weeks ago I saw the feta cheese and decided I’d add some to my eggs.  Then I remembered that I had some spinach that needed to get used up or else I’d have to toss it, so I took that out as well.  I wound up with quite a tasty breakfast and a nice change of pace from cold cereal.

eggsandfeta

This will serve one person, so adjust as needed for more servings.  I use one whole egg and one egg white.  Once upon a time I was scared of the yolk because that’s where that fat is!  Then I wised up and realized that not only did I need fat in my diet, but a little yolk makes scrambled eggs much tastier.  I tried making these eggs the first time by adding the raw spinach in with the eggs, but I didn’t like the way the eggs cooked.  So the next time I sauteed the spinach in a teeny bit of olive oil, took it out of the pan and let it drain a little on a paper towel, scrambled my eggs, then added the spinach back in near the end of cooking along with the feta.  I found this to be a much better method.

Spinach cooks down to practically nothing.  So be very generous with the amount of raw spinach you cook.  Better to have extra than to find yourself wishing you’d cooked more of it.  As far as the feta goes, you don’t need much.  It’s a very flavorful cheese, so a little goes a long way.  The feta is also pretty salty.  Use extra salt sparingly.

This is a great savory breakfast and a tasty way to eat more vegetables, something I am working on in my meals.  Adding some fresh herbs in with the spinach would be lovely.  Goat cheese would be a nice cheese to try instead of the feta.  And there are other veggies you can add as well, cherry tomatoes, sauteed zucchini or peppers.  Lots of options.  Let me know if you come up with a spectacular combination!  Enjoy.

Scrambled Eggs with Spinach & Feta

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • a generous handful of baby spinach
  • feta cheese
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil

Directions

  1.  Heat a medium sized skillet over medium heat.  Drizzle a tiny bit of oil in the pan, then add your spinach.  Sprinkle with a little salt and cook, stirring until spinach has just wilted.  Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel to drain off some of the liquid.
  2. In a small bowl whisk the eggs (or one whole egg and one egg white) until they are combined and a little foamy.  I like to use a tiny whisk or a fork.  A big whisk and such a small amount of liquid doesn’t really work well.
  3. Spray your pan with non-stick spray.  Add the eggs and scramble as you like.  My mom scrambles them into small pieces.  I like them a bit bigger, so I let them cook for a little bit right when I add them to the pan, then I stir gently and infrequently until they just about done, a little undercooked.  Add the spinach and feta to the pan and stir to combine.  Season with pepper if desired and salt if needed.

 

Overnight French Toast

Breakfast.  The most important meal of the day.  It also happens to be the most boring meal of the day for me most of the time.  I am not organized enough, and I don’t get up early enough to fix anything more exciting than a bowl of cereal and some fruit.  Every now and then I have enough time to scramble a few eggs, but that is rare.  So, when I have an opportunity to make something good for breakfast I make the most of it.

This weekend our great friends Carrie and Jason came up to visit.  We had such a nice and relaxing time together.  Sunday morning we had French toast casserole and migas for breakfast.  It was quite a delicious feast and something I plan to make again when we have guests.

The French toast is prepared the night before and allowed to sit in the fridge overnight to let the bread soak up the sugar, butter, eggs and milk.  I was pretty exhausted the night I was supposed to make the French toast and I almost felt like skipping it and just going to bed, but it took me less than 15 minutes to put it all together and pop it in the fridge so don’t let time be your excuse not to make this.

This breakfast is so very simple and easy.  In the bottom of a 9×13 pan goes a mixture of butter, brown sugar and corn syrup that has been melted together on the stove. The thick slices of French bread are placed atop this sugary sticky goodness, and the mixture of eggs, milk and vanilla is poured on top of everything.  Cover this in foil and go to bed.  When you wake up bake the dish for 45 minutes and voilà.  Breakfast.

The tops of the bread slices are golden brown as they come out of the oven.  The inside of each slice is creamy and delicious.  The bottom of each slice is covered in the rich buttery sugar sauce that has caramelized and become something very special thanks to its time in the oven.  So delicious.  Next time I will add some ground cinnamon and nutmeg to the milk mixture.  I served it with butter and syrup, and my husband had the ingenious idea of putting the sliced strawberries we had at the table on his slice.  Any kind of fruit or berry would be a good complement to this sweet, rich and crazy good French toast.  Make this some Saturday morning and make your breakfast guests very, very happy.

Overnight French Toast

Courtesy of allrecipes.com

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, sliced
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Combine the corn syrup , butter, and brown sugar in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar has melted. Pour this mixture over the bottom of a greased 9×13 inch casserole dish.
  2. Place the bread slices over the sugar-butter mixture in the dish. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and salt; pour this mixture over the bread. Cover the dish and let it stand in the refrigerator overnight.
  3. The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  4. Uncover the pan and bake for 45 minutes. Serve while hot or warm or the French toast will harden in the pan. It can be reheated.

Baked Rice Custard

Rice pudding is such a comfort food for me.  It is always so wonderfully creamy, rich and just slightly sweet.  Rice pudding is perfection in a bowl…or on a plate I guess if you like it that way.

Rice pudding has an incredible number of variations.  It is eaten in many different parts of the world.  Each type of rice pudding uses slightly different ingredients and flavors, but most come together in the same way and have similar textures.  In Sweden, rice pudding (Risgrynsgröt) is eaten at Christmas.  Coincidentally, Christmas is when my family eats rice pudding…we just can’t shake those Swedish traditions!

I’ve made rice pudding using the recipe given to me by my mom.  It is delicious.  We have always, and will always, eat this delicious dish cold sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, which is also traditionally Swedish.

I did not know until later in life that there were many ways to eat rice pudding.  You can eat it warm or cold.  You can eat is plain, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, served with fruits or fruit sauce, with or without raisins and nuts, or if you live in Iceland you might top off your pudding with blood sausage.  I will stick to cinnamon sugar.

Most rice puddings include these basic ingredients which are used as a springboard for all types of puddings:

  • Rice
  • Milk
  • Sugar (or some sweetener)
  • Flavoring (vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.)

What about eggs, you ask?  My family has never used eggs.  I never even really considered the use of eggs in rice pudding, until I came across a rice custard recipe.  Being one who enjoys trying new things, I decided to make this Scandinavian baked rice custard this past weekend.  Could it live up to real rice pudding?  Or would it surpass all my expectations and be…God forbid…better than “real” rice pudding?

This rice custard was definitely different than rice pudding but definitely delicious.  I liked the texture that the eggs provided.  It kept its shape when served, unlike my mom’s rice pudding which had a tendency to spread a little.  The flavor was incredible.  The combination of the vanilla and almond extracts is wonderful.  I would recommend adding in about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon.

I served this with a cranberry sauce that I put together with pantry items.  Lingonberry jam, if you can find it, would be good as well.  Or you can eat is plain, which is wonderful.  I tried it warm after a little cooling time, and the next day after it had been sitting in the fridge.  Either way is yummy.

The question is, was this custard better than the pudding?  No.  They are both very good and I will make them both in the future, but there are just too many great memories attached to eating my family’s version of rice pudding.  Try both and let me know your opinion, though.  I am biased.

Scandinavian Rice Custard

Courtesy of Group Recipes

Ingredients
  • ½ cup medium grain white rice
  • 4 cups boiling water
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • dash of salt
  • 3 eggs, beaten just slightly
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups whole milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • dash of cinnamon, if desired
Directions
  1. Add rice to boiling water; boil for 10 minutes.
  2. Drain rice in a colander; rinse and drain well.
  3. Put rice into a well buttered baking dish; stir in the butter and salt.
  4. Mix the beaten eggs with the sugar and salt.
  5. Stir egg mixture into the milk.
  6. Add the extracts and cinnamon ;pour over the rice.
  7. Set rice dish in a larger pan that is half filled with hot water (be sure to use HOT water).
  8. Bake at 325 degrees for 60 to 90 minutes (center of pudding should still be jiggle-y in the middle, but rice must be done).
  9. Stir rice every 10 minutes the first 30 minutes of baking.

Photo courtesy of taste.com.au

Bacon, Mushroom and Spinach Breakfast Strata

Breakfast is always a bowl of cereal for Ben.  Not only that, he uses the same bowl and sits in the same spot to eat it every morning.  I love that about him.  I usually eat some fruit and yogurt.  Sometimes I make banana bread and we’ll eat that for a few days, and if we’re really getting crazy, scrambled eggs.  Needless to say, breakfast is not too thrilling around here.

When company comes I tend to get a little excited about breakfast.  This breakfast strata is very adaptable to anyone’s personal taste.  I used bacon, mushrooms, spinach, and a combination of swiss and cheddar cheese.  Ham would be delicious, or spicy breakfast sausage…mmmm.  It would even be great with just vegetables.

strata2

There are easier overnight breakfast casseroles.  I made one once that used a box of croutons instead of fresh bread and I’ve seen recipes that use frozen hash browns.  I liked that this one was completely from scratch.  It didn’t take too long to put it together on Friday night.  The hard part was getting out of bed early to pre-heat the oven and bake it for an hour and a half.  But it was worth it.

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