Tuesday Recipe Club: Brunch Casserole; Eggs, Oatmeal & Berries
“The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.”
— Anne Morrow Lindbergh, writer (1906-2001)
I cannot be insincere, or lie to you, Internet. A lot of my time revolves around What to Cook. Will it be on the table at 7, when Hockey God gets home, or more like 8:30, when I finally pull my head out of the oven? And will the kids eat it? Really do not care about that one anymore. I’m extremely tired of being slave to my kids. They’re growing fine. And they’ll never be forced to eat oxtails or tamales in a can, like I was as a kid. So their complaints go in one ear and right back out.
We mostly dine at home. Especially since the last two years have been remodel from hell and eating dinner out? Perdon? (I fantasize about it, really. And in the fantasies, I always order french fries. And a big slab of chocolate cake.)
I’m making this column a weekly feature. Chain mails? Flippin’ hate chain mails. But when N hooked my name onto one I was so happy when those recipes started coming in. If anyone has recipes to share, please e them to me, or just do a post! Am tired of cooking, but trying to stay inspired… Have a superfine Tuesday.
BRUNCH CASSEROLE
from the files of Wacky Great-Grandma, with modifications by Wacky Mommy
(this is a make-ahead dish)
4 cups cubed, day-old bread (French, sourdough, whole wheat — anything sturdy)
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarrella or colby jack)
1/2 cup mushrooms (we don’t like mushrooms here — I subbed olives)
1/2 cup chopped, peeled tomatoes (I used 1/2 a cup of salsa instead)
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies (OK to omit)
10 eggs, lightly beaten (I used seven eggs and a little less milk)
1 quart milk (four cups)
1 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 small onion, diced
Generously butter a 13-by-9 inch pan.
Arrange bread cubes in pan; sprinkle with cheese. Spread mushrooms or olives, tomatoes and chilies. Sprinkle onions on top.
Beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper; pour over bread mixture. Cover and chill up to 24 hours.
Bake casserole at 325 degrees until set, about 1 hour. Tent with foil if top begins to overbrown.
(Other substitutions: Red or green bell pepper would be good; sub for tomato or just add it. Saute with onion, if you’d like. For other herbs, try basil and oregano, Italian seasoning or fresh rosemary. We don’t cook with meat over here, but I’m sure bacon or ham would be just delish.)
Bon appetit, Mamas! I have no idea how many this serves. 6-8? Sounds good.
Here’s another one…
EGGS, OATMEAL & BERRIES
My Nekkid Neighbor S hates eggs as much as I do, yet we need the energy. And 73 calories per egg? That’s nothing! So we disguise them. (See Brunch Casserole, above.)
For this one, we take 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 eggs, half a cup of blueberries (or any kind of berries will do) and some cinnamon.
Put it in a microwave-proof bowl, nuke for 2 minutes, stir. Add liquid if needed — a couple of tablespoons will usually do. Microwave again til cooked, one or two minutes.
Serve with vanilla yogurt on top. Nice with toast and fresh orange juice.
, 
.
Here’s another one good for vegetarians, I’ll save the green chili for later as it is chock-full of pork… this keeps a bit with the pepper theme, though. This is more of a summer-with-b-b-que salad, but also good in colder weather with a hot soup and bread.
Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella Salad:
1 C dry white wine
2 Tbs golden raisins
3 lbs red bell peppers or a combo of yellow and red (about 6 lg)
1/2 to 1 lb mozzarella cheese
a couple bunches fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
red pepper flakes to taste
3 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
Bring wine to a simmer, add golden raisins, remove from heat and let set until raisins plump, at least 15 minutes. While raisins plump, char peppers on grill, over gas or roast in oven. Peel and seed, reserving any juices, and cut into inch pieces.
Cut mozzarella in inch pieces. Toss together peppers, raisins and white wine, mozzarella, basil, garlic and red peppper flakes. Whisk together oil, vinegar and juices from charred peppers and drizzle over salad.
Add sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Can use jarred roasted peppers instead- 3 13-oz jars.
March 1st, 2006 | #
oh yumskamie! and they do make a green sauce (Mrs. R), that’s not salsa-style.
March 1st, 2006 | #
STONE SOUP!
Originally published in FamilyFun magazine.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
As a prelude to making this recipe with your kids, read aloud Marcia Brown’s STONE SOUP (Simon & Schuster Children’s). Our testers loved plopping a real stone into the broth, as we’ve described below, but if your pantry’s low on stones, you can let the potatoes fill that role.
1 stone, big enough that it won’t get lost in the soup (quartz is a good choice because it won’t break down in cooking)
1 tbsp. butter or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped fine
1 large carrot, cut into coins
3 medium red-skinned potatoes (unpeeled, and cut into halves)
1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 large garlic clove, pressed
6 cups chicken broth (or a combination of broth and water)
1 medium zucchini, diced large
1 medium yellow squash, diced large
1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
2 cups cooked tubettini or ditalini, or other soup pasta (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese
Croutons
1. The first step is for your child to scrub and wash the stone thoroughly. Then, for an extra cleaning, she can drop it in a pot of water to boil while you prepare the rest of the soup together.
2. In another large pot, melt the butter or heat the oil, then sauté the onion on medium-high for 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the celery, carrot, potatoes and red pepper, sautéeing for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, then add in the broth. Using a spoon, fish the stone out of the other pot, add it to the soup and bring to a boil. Add the zucchini, squash, corn and pasta, cooking another 8 minutes or until the zucchini is the desired softness. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Before serving, sprinkle on the cheese and croutons, then ladle–minus the stone–into individual bowls. Serves 6 to 8.
3. (This is my personal added touch and fun for the kids.) Find a flat stone for each member of the family. Wash and dry the stones. Have the kids paint the family members faces on the stones with “child-friendly” paint. Let dry. For your stone soup dinner, use the “family stones” as place markers!
March 2nd, 2006 | #