Wonderful (cheap) eggs

Eggs are always on top 10 lists of cheap healthy food, and I decided to let that be my guide for dinner tonight. While I've always considered a frittata to be a lame way of presenting breakfast for dinner, I must say that I enjoyed every bite of my eggy meal tonight.

I thought you may want to know the other food on the top 10 list...

Top 10 Healthy & Cheap Foods
1. Black Beans $0.07/serving and 114 calories/serving
2. Eggs $0.09/serving and 78 calories/serving (cage-free eggs may be a bit more expensive but the chickens are happier)
3. Cooked noodles $0.13/serving and 166 calories/serving
4. Oats $0.19/serving and 140 calories/serving
5. Frozen vegetables ~$0.25/serving and ~82 calories/serving
6. Potato $0.23/serving and 168 calories/serving
7. Canned Tuna $0.62/serving and 70 calories/serving
8. Bananas $0.20/serving and 100 calories/serving
9. Apples $0.60/serving and 80 calories/serving
10. Lowfat milk $0.35/serving and 100 calories/serving

And for the Frittata recipe...

Sausage-and-Cheese Frittata
10 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 (12-ounce) package reduced-fat ground pork sausage, cooked and crumbled
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Whisk together first 4 ingredients at least 1 minute or until well blended.

Melt butter in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat; remove skillet from heat, and pour half of egg mixture into skillet. Sprinkle evenly with cooked sausage and cheese. Top with remaining egg mixture.

Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes or until set.

For a little variety...

I know that I baked biscotti this past weekend, but I was especially drawn to another recipe by our friend Giada. In my opinion, you can never have too much biscotti. It keeps for up to 4 weeks in an air tight container and is a perfect accessory to a cup of coffee in the morning. I must add that I am especially enjoying my coffee this week, since it was a present from my favorite food guru Bridgey! Biscotti also makes a wonderful gift (I took a bag of citrus biscotti and almond biscotti to my coworker today to help ease the Manic Monday).

Citrus Biscotti

(Giada de Laurentiis, Everyday Italian)
2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 Tbsp. grated orange zest (1 orange)

1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped shelled pistachios

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat baking mat. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with an electric mixer until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in the orange and lemon zests, then the flour mixture, and beat just until blended; the dough will be soft and sticky. Stir in the pistachios. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Using a rubber spatula, transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, forming 2 equal mounds spaced evenly apart. Moisten your hands with water and shape the dough in 2 11 x 4-inch logs. Bake until the logs are lightly browned, about 35 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick diagonal slices. Arrange the biscotti cut side down on the same baking sheet, and bake until the cookies are pale golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Soup Sunday

Balancing my last hours at home between brewing beer with my Dad and baking/cooking with my mom, I decided to make an easy and light soup for this post-holiday Sunday. Because I haven't yet posted an Asian infused soup, I decided upon this recipe. Enjoy!

Wonton Soup

8 cups Chicken Stock

1 cup cremini mushrooms

4 green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

10 to 12 wontons

Heat stock to a simmer. Add mushrooms and green onion. Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add wontons. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Season with soy sauce and sesame oil.

**Meat can be added by using frozen Trader Joe's chicken pot stickers instead of wontons**

Mama's kitchen

I always enjoy cooking in my mom's kitchen. It's so much fun to crank up the Kitchen Aid mixer and spread my ingredients across her spacious counter tops. The lights in the kitchen are so warm and every necessary tool is easily at my disposal. I perform my cooking dance with an audience of 2 nosey hounds, my parents' basset hound Shamus and my own little Annie.

Tonight, I wanted to pick a recipe where I could use my new silicone baking mat. It's amazing how much cleaner baking becomes with a silicone mat. I think it may be my new favorite kitchen item...aside from the queen of my kitchen, the food processor.

Almond Biscotti
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. baking powder
2 cups flour
1 cup coarsely chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease large cookie sheet (or use a silicon pad). Cream butter and sugar, add eggs, then flavorings. Combine flour and baking powder and add to above mixture. Stir in nuts. Mixture will resemble regular drop cookie batter, being a little sticky. With floured hands on floured surface, kneed mixture just to combine, 5 or 6 times. Divide into 2 logs about 3" wide and 7" long. Place on the baking sheet, side by side (both will fit on one). Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from oven- cool 7 to 10 minutes on pan, then slice crosswise into 3/4" slices. A serrated knife works well. Lay cookies on their sides on the cookie sheet and return to oven for 10 to 15 minutes, more to lightly toast. Remove to rack to cool. Pack in tins to retain crispness. Keeps well for 4 to 6 weeks.

Let every heart sing...

"One time on Hollywood Boulevard I saw a young girl with a baby. It was a crisp winter morning & her hair shone dark purple in the sun. She was panhandling outside the Holiday Inn & the door clerk came out & told her to be on her way & I wondered if anyone would recognize the Christ child if they happened to meet. I remember thinking it's not like there are any published pictures & purple seemed like a good color for a Madonna so I gave her a dollar just in case."
-StoryPeople

Christmas is such a joyful time of year for so many people. This year, it took me an especially long period of time to get into the Christmas spirit. Just the thought of the worried faces of my customers at the Employment Securities Commission and I'm stuck thinking, "Why do I get to celebrate Christmas while others are met with a bad economy and the inability to provide the gifts their children desire." Or I think of my friend, who will spend this Christmas alone in his apartment, reading his bible and trying to remember what Christmas is all about.

On Tuesday night, however, I went on a run to my favorite Christmas corner in Raleigh. At the intersection of Iredell Drive and Jarvis Street, beautiful bright snowflakes reached high into the trees in one yard and a perfectly lit house decorated another corner. To top it off, the 3rd corner had every blow up Christmas decoration imaginable. Standing in the middle of all the lights, I sent a prayer up to the universe that my heart would find peace in this season and that my customers would see beauty beyond all the stress and anxiety. Since that night, I have kept Christmas on my mind. After all, the best parts of Christmas are family, faith, and the spirit of giving (not only of presents, but of love).


My favorite tradition is Christmas Brunch. I fill my belly every year with sweet, fresh ambrosia and eggs Benedict...not to mention a mimosa, of course. My presents to you, my dear friends, are two recipes that I look forward to, year around. Enjoy them!

Ambrosia
2/3 ratio of grapefruit sections to orange sections
1 small can of maraschino cherries
1 1/4 cup sweet coconut (optional)

Combine all ingredients.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. hot water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 stick hot, melted butter
Salt, pepper

Combine yolks, water, lemon juice in a blender. Blend for 1 minute. With blender running, add butter. Season with salt and pepper.

**Store Hollandaise Sauce in a thermos while poaching eggs, heating Canadian bacon, and toasting English Muffins.**

Soup Sunday

Clad in my first Christmas present of the season, a sassy apron from Rach, I cooked a tasty tortilla soup for this week's Soup Sunday. This recipe is super easy and low calorie. It's just what I need, as I know my trip to Shelby will include Eggs Benedict, peppermint cheesecake, and champagne galore.

Tortilla Soup
• 2 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans no salt added diced tomatoes . with juice
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Brush both sides of each tortilla with oil, using 1 tablespoon of the oil. Cut the tortillas in half, then cut each half into 1/4-inch wide strips. Arrange the strips on a baking sheet, sprinkle with the salt, and bake until crisp and golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 teaspoons of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the broth and tomatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice.

Remove the pan from the heat and puree with an immersion blender or in 2 batches in a regular blender until the soup lightens in color but chunks of tomato remain, about 30 seconds. Serve the soup topped with the tortilla strips, a dollop of plain yogurt, and a sprinkle of cilantro.

Random Acts of Kindness

This week, my neighbor left a bag of beautiful gala apples on my porch. Her random act of kindness warmed my Wednesday, and I wanted to repay her in some way. I made this delicious Orange and Cranberry Bread, and I hope she enjoys it as much as I've enjoyed the apples!

Orange & Cranberry Loaf
(from The Magnolia Bakery Cookbook)

2 c all-purpose flour
1 c sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
zest from 3 oranges
3/4 c orange juice (about 3 oranges)
1 large egg, at room temperature
2T unsalted butter, melted
1 c cranberries, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a loaf tin. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and orange zest. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, egg and melted butter together. Add in the flour mixture and stir until just blended. Throw in the cranberries and combine. Pour batter into tin and bake for about 1 hour or until cake tester comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack.

Sweet "Thank You's"

Make cookies for someone who has made a difference in your year. I made a tin for my boss today. He took a chance on me by offering me a spot in AmeriCorps, and I'm thankful for that! I decided upon molasses cookies...they're my (2nd) favorite. My very favorite are vegan almond cookies from Whole Foods, but I have yet to discover a recipe that matches them.

Molasses Cookies
3/4 cup margarine, melted
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup white sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together the melted margarine, 1 cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.

Gift tags can be downloaded from everybodylikessandwiches.blogspot.com

Soup Sunday

My appreciation for Corn Chowder developed over 6 years ago when I was doing Outward Bound in Maine. I was taking part in a 27-day sailing trip on an open haul boat. Although the wind was perfect on this particular day, the high swells and the cold, rainy downpour made most of the crew seasick and miserable. I remember thinking, "Why did I choose to go on this trip again?"

After hours upon hours of being cold, our group finally pulled into a cove and anchored the boat. We then constructed a tent and dried ourselves off. Once all of the day's chores were finished, we made a big pot of corn chowder. The warmth and relief that a bowl of soup brought me that day remains to be a fond memory of mine.

Today, I spent many hours working at a food drive in weather that reminded me of Outward Bound. The crowds were slow and very little food was donated. I kept dwelling on my cold toes and fingers, wishing that time would fly faster. The food drive finally came to a close, and I found myself once again cooking soup for Soup Sunday. I'm so glad that I chose corn chowder, because it was exactly what I needed to warm me and reinvigorate my spirit for the week.

Enjoy your Soup Sunday, and try this recipe!

Corn Chowder
(Splendid Table)

4 slices (turkey) bacon, sliced into 1/8 inch wide pieces
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped into 1/2 inch dice
2 bay leaves
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
1 medium red-skin potato, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
4 large garlic cloves, coarse chopped
28-oz chicken or vegetable broth
1 lb. frozen corn
2 cups of milk or cream, or a blend of both
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. hot sauce

Put bacon, olive oil, onion, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, salt, and pepper in a 6 qt. pot. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to color, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the potato, garlic, and broth. Cover the pot tightly and simmer the soup over medium to medium-low heat for 10 minutes, or until the potato is tender.
Stir in the corn, milk or cream, and hot sauce. Remove from the heat.
Pull out the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. With a slotted spoon, transfer about 1/3 of the solids to a food processor or blender. Blend for a few seconds to crush the corn.
Return the mix to the pot. Heat the chowder to a bubble, and taste it for seasoning. Serve immediately.

Staying in the kitchen's warmth!

Happy Saturday! I awoke this morning, unwilling to leave the warmth of my bedroom. Then, I had a great idea to make breakfast and listen to Car Talk. Can you think of a better way to spend your Saturday? I can't.

I leaped out of my bed, put on my purple Uggs, and got to work. With my sweet little beagle gazing up at me, I fried some turkey bacon and made a delicious batch of blueberry muffins that will warm my belly all week long. This quiet morning was so pleasant, and it was just what I needed to unwind from all the craziness that is AmeriCorps Access JobLink in December (the most difficult time to find a job).

Blueberry Muffins

(Southern Living 2009)

2 cups self rising flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 cup frozen blueberries (fresh, in the Summah time)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl; make a well in the center of the mixture.

Whisk together milk, oil, and eggs until well blended. Add to flour mixture, and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in blueberries.Spoon mixture into lightly greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes.

Bright, beautiful cranberries

I fully appreciate the fact that the winter holidays celebrate cranberries. In my opinion, there isn't a happier color in food than the color of cranberries. They dress up and flavor a dish in ways that other ingredients just can't match. When paired with poultry, I find myself loving and embracing every sweet and savory bite.

Tonight, I made Panko-crusted lime chicken with a cranberry-orange salsa. I loved it, and I think you will too!

Panko-crusted Lime Chicken
Boneless chicken breasts
panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. olive oil
Juice of 1 lime

Dip chicken breasts in panko bread crumbs. Brown each side in a saucepan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Remove from pan. Reduce heat to low. Add lime juice. Return chicken to pan and cook, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes.

Cranberry-Orange Salsa
(Southern Living)
2 navel oranges
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. salt
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Combine all ingredients; cover and let stand 1 hours. Serve alongside grilled chicken.

Day 2 as a 25 year old

I know that it's no longer my birthday, but I can't believe it has come and gone so quickly! I feel like being 25 means that I'm now a grown up. It's funny how, as a teenager, I envisioned myself as married and almost finished with graduate school at 25...not single and participating in AmeriCorps. Now, I realize the twists and turns that can occur over a few years, and I appreciate the journey a little bit more. Things haven't been perfect, but I must say that I'm perfectly happy with my twenties so far!

Now that I'm 25, I think its time for me to embrace meatloaf...

Turkey, Chedder Mini-Meatloaves
(Southern Living)

1lb ground turkey
1.25 cups of chedder cheese, shredded
1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, and shredded
1 onion, shredded
1/3 c. panko bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix turkey, 1/2 c. chedder cheese, apple, onion, bread crumbs and egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Distribute mix into a 12-cup lightly greased muffin pan. Cook for 16 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the mini-loaves. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.

I'm in love...with my new food processor

Hello friends! I need to send forth an apology for the very slack, few and far between postings I've made over the last week. My Internet hasn't been working up to par, so I've spent my evenings thinking about Only Real Currency, reading Pat Conroy and catching up on house work. Never fear though, I'm back in full gear again.

Today, I'm breaking Soup Sunday tradition for 2 reasons:
1. It's my birthday, and I can break my own rules on my birthday.
2. My parents granted my wish by giving me the queen of food processors, and I wanted to test its power and wonder.

Birthdays are always a time of reflection for me. I must say, although I haven't yet heard from medical school and I'm not completely sure what the next year has in store for me, I'm so content with the place that I'm in right now. I'll have to wake up extremely early tomorrow morning to start my busy week, but at this moment I'm thankful for my friends and family who made this weekend a special celebration for me.

Barefoot Contessa's Hummus
4 garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas
8 dashes hot sauce

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.


Rosemary Infused Olive Oil
Heat olive oil and a few sprigs of rosemary over low heat in a saucepan for 5 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Drizzle some over the hummus.

A Very Late Soup Sunday

While at home for the holidays, my mom made a delicious bean soup recipe. My family is rich in tradition and wonderful memories; this recipe certainly had a story with it. My great uncle was a Prisoner of War in the Vietnam War for over 6 years. After a horrific journey of survival, he came home to an overjoyed family and a small town that was filled with pride for their soldier.

Soon after his arrival home, my family got to visit Washington, DC and the White House to celebrate my uncle's bravery. I'm sure it was an exciting vacation for a family from Bladenboro, NC. My grandmother has pictures in her home of my mom as a teenager standing on the White House lawn, clad in bell bottoms and a flower print button-up shirt.

While at the Capitol, my family ate at the Senate Cafeteria. My grandmother tasted this soup for the first time during that meal and asked for the recipe. Now, I'm enjoying it today!

Make this recipe and then see if you can find some old recipes in your own family to share with our generation!

US Senate Bean Soup
3 cups dry navy beans
4.5 qts. water
1 ham bone
1/5 lbs. ham
1.5 tbs. minced onion
1 tsp. thyme
3/4 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Soak beans overnight. Drain, and combine with water and ham bone. Cook 2-3 hours. Drain ham from broth and add onion, beans, celery salt, and thyme. Cook for 1 hr. Add dry mustard. Puree with a potato masher or immersion blender. Serve.