Bacon Cheddar and Spinach Strata – We’re Rocking the Breakfast Casserole

For such a simple dish, I sure have a lot of additional info to cover regarding the construction of this beautiful bacon, cheddar, and spinach strata. First of which, is the somewhat unusual name. Whoever invented this recipe apparently thought it looked like layers of rock, known in geological circles as, “strata.”

I guess it sort of does, and probably would a lot more, if we used a deeper dish, and did more layers. Regardless, even with just one layer of filling in the middle, you’ll still be looking at a gorgeous casserole, which should thoroughly impress your brunch guests…bottomless Mimosas or no.

As I mentioned in the video, if you want something a little eggier, a little more quiche-like, just simply increase the amount of egg custard used. As long as your pan is deep enough, you could as much as double the eggs and cream in this.

Speaking of the cream, this is a very rich dish, so you may want to cut the cream with milk. In fact, many people use all milk for this, but I do enjoy the extra butterfat the cream provides. As usual, let your conscience be your guide.

Above and beyond that, this recipe just begs for personalization. I’m not sure what your favorite omelet ingredients are, but I do know they would work in this, and work really well. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 portions:

1 pound loaf of day old bread, cubed

12 large eggs

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, milk, or any combination thereof

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

pinch cayenne

pinch nutmeg

1 pound bacon, sliced and cooked crisp

1 pound fresh spinach, wilted, and squeezed dry (or enough thawed, drained frozen spinach to cover one layer)

12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided (use 1/2 over the first layer of bread, 1/4 over the spinach, and the last 1/4 over the top layer of bread)

- Bake at 350 F. for 45 minutes or until set. Then broil for a minute or two to brown the top.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

I love white chocolate. I just love the taste of it. Most people are dark and milk chocolate fans but I like white chocolate the most. So I love making cookies with white chocolate chunks or white chocolate chips whenever I can.  I love cookie because it is soft and chewy and has a lot of white chocolate in it.  I eat these warm...just out of the oven.  This is a keeper my friends!

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour'
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces white chocolate baking bars, chopped in 1/2 inch chunks
1 jar of macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Beat both sugars, butter, shortening, vanilla and the egg in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer.  You want your dough light and fluffy. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt.  At this point your dough will be much stiffer.  Then with a wooden spoon, stir in the white chocolate and macadamia nuts.

Drop dough onto un-greased cookie sheet in rounded tablespoons and keep them about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until very light brown.  Cookies may look under-cooked but remember they will continue to cook outside the oven for a bit.  Cool for about 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack.

Enjoy!

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Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I love a soft and chewy cookie.  Maybe a little crispy on the outside edges but definitely moist and chewy in the middle.  My Mom used to always store her cookie dough overnight in the refrigerator because she said it always gives you a better tasting and softer cookie.  You could always find several batches of cookie dough in our refrigerator and every now and then she would let us pinch off a little and eat it!   You will love these cookies! 

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1/2 cup butter

⅔ cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raisins

1/4 cup pecans, chopped

In a large bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla with a stand or hand mixer until smooth.

In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Add the wet and dry mixtures together and then stir  in the oats, raisins and nuts.  Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and form a ball. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Using a scoop, measure out  2 inch balls of chilled cookie dough and arrange on the cookie sheet leaving two inches between each ball.  Flatten the dough ball just a bit with your fingers.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center looks slightly under cooked. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the warm baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack.

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Sweet Potato Muffins – The Sweet Potato Pie of Muffins

Sometimes you don’t have a good reason for not loving a certain recipe, and that’s how it is for me with sweet potato pie. It just does not do it for me, and I don’t even know what “it” is. However, I thought the same flavors could work for a holiday-inspired sweet potato muffin, and I was thrilled with the results.

These are perfect if you have leftover sweet potatoes during the holidays, but if not, totally worth cooking a few just for this easy recipe. I microwaved mine for about 6 or 7 minutes, until they were very soft, but roasting, or boiling will also work.

By the way, we’re not using sweet potatoes for our sweet potato muffin; we’re using yams, which are actually just incorrectly named orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.  So, I guess never mind.

As I mention in the video, these muffins are just a little bit of frosting away from being cupcakes. I’ve never understood the allure of mini marshmallows on a sweet potato casserole, but something tells me some “fluff” would work well on these, as well. I really hope you give them a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 24 Sweet Potato Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups mashed sweet potato or “yams”
1 cup chopped pecans, plus more for the top
demerara sugar for the tops

- Bake for 25 minutes at 350 F. or until a wooden skewer comes out clean.

Homemade Beef Vegetable Soup

I'm not into those thin broth-like soups unless I am having Won Ton soup or Egg Drop soup. I like my soups thick and chunky. So when I make a home made beef vegetable soup....it is very close to a stew. I am definitely a meat and potatoes... girl and I like to eat my chunks of vegetables and beef...not drink them!

 Homemade Beef Vegetable Soup

1/4 cup flour
2 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into bite sized pieces
2 tablespoons cooking oil
4 cups beef broth (low sodium)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup peas, fresh, canned or frozen
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon Lawry's seasoned salt
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons of garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Toss the beef and flour in a bowl until the beef is well coated. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat; add the beef and cook until nicely browned. Remove and set aside.

Pour in a little of the broth and scrape the bottom and sides of the pot to get all the brown bits mixed in. Then pour in the broth and add the remaining ingredients to the pot except for the potatoes and carrots and cream. 

Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover the pot and reduce the heat so that the liquid comes to a slow simmer. Cook for about 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender. Then add potatoes and carrots and cover and simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour. Remove bay leaves and add the cream to the soup.

To thicken the broth, add 2 tablespoons of corn starch to a cup of cold water. Whisk until all lumps are removed and then add to the soup. Bring to boil and broth will thicken nicely.

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Balsamic Glazed Hanger Steaks:

I'm going to let you in on a little secret today.  It's a secret that was told to me years ago and I've never forgotten it. I was looking for steaks one day at my local grocery store for a special dinner I would be preparing that evening for friends. I couldn't decide if I wanted to go with Ribeyes or Porterhouses and kept picking them up and putting them back as I looked over the marbling in each pack. That's when I heard someone whisper, "go with a Hanger steak and you'll never look for those popular cuts again."

It was my favorite meat cutter.  He had come to my rescue so many times over the years in helping me pick the right cuts of meat as well as giving me tips on preparing them. I considered him my expert for all meat and poultry and fish. And now he was telling me about a steak I had never heard of.  "What's a Hanger steak I asked?"

     He went on to explain that there was only one Hanger steak per cow and you will also hear it referred to as "Butcher's steak"  because butchers and chefs have long knowingly saved this juicy steak for themselves. And it's about half the price of a good strip, porterhouse, or rib eye steak.  Enough said.  I took home my first hanger steak that day and have never looked back!  

     My verdict?   Forget tenderloins, porterhouse, ribeyes and sirloins....I'll take a hanger steak any day.  It has been my favorite cut for all these years!  It's a winner in every aspect. It's easy to cook and quite versatile, just a quick sear in a hot pan or on a grill is all it needs.

       Today, I cooked up a wonderful Hanger Steak inspired by one of my favorite vinegars from Star Fine Foods, Modena Gold Edition Balsamic Vinegar.

Balsamic Glazed Hanger Steaks:

     2 lb. hanger steaks

     ½ cup Star Balsamic Vinegar of Modena- Gold Edition

     2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

     3 shallots, thinly sliced

     1 bay leaf

     1 teaspoon coriander seeds

     2 fresh thyme sprigs

     2 cups Star Fine Foods Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

     salt and pepper to taste

     ¼ cup dry red wine

To marinate the steaks, in a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, shallots, bay leaf, coriander and thyme. Slowly whisk in the olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Place the steaks in a baking dish and pour the marinade over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour. 

Remove the steaks from the marinade and place on a wire rack to drain. Reserve the marinade.  Heat a 12 inch grill pan or cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, lightly brush with olive oil. Add the steaks to the hot skillet or pan and sear for about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare. Reserve the marinade. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Remember the steak will continue to cook a bit while resting. 

Meanwhile, pour marinade into the same skillet over medium heat. Pour in 1/4 cup of red wine and  bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to medium and allow to cook for about 5-10 minutes until sauce reduces. Remove from heat. After steak has rested, slice it against the grain into 1/2 inch slices. Spoon sauce over the top and serve.

    Photography is the property of and copyrighted to ©Welcome Home.

You can get Star Balsamic Vinegar of Modena- Gold Edition in select Walmart stores and online at:


http://shop.starfinefoods.com/STAR-Balsamic-Vinegar-of-Modena--Gold-Edition/p/STAR-00216&c=Star@Vinegars.

Star Fine Foods now has a promo code for all Welcome Home fans that will give you a 10% discount on anything you order online. Just enter WELCOMEHOME10 at checkout! 

Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with STAR Fine Foods for my recipes and photography using their wonderful products. This post is sponsored by STAR. I am compensated for my time and work and I am sent products as I request them. However, all opinions of the product stated in this post are 100% my own. I truly love their products!

Crispy Farro Cakes – All Killer, No Filler

I had some crispy farro cakes at a restaurant a while back, and thought they would make for an interesting video, but when I started to research various recipes and techniques, I discovered something a little surprising; there was no such thing as a “pure” farro cake.

Every recipe I came across had some type of filler used to help bind the mixture together. I didn’t really understand this, until I proceeded to make a batch using nothing but cooked and cooled farro. They completely fell apart in the pan, and I ended up with something more like crispy fried rice. Not a bad thing by any means, but not farro cakes.

After a few more experiments, I discovered that by using a little egg, and a touch of finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, I was able to make it work with no non-ancient grain additions. The whole key is the crust. By letting the first side cook until a well-browned, crispy surface forms, the cakes develop enough structure to make the flip possible.

One thing I failed to mention in the clip; you should check your mixture for seasoning before frying the cakes. I used a good amount of salt when I cooked my farro, but you should still taste and adjust.

And while these were great with the crème fraiche and golden trout roe, there are so many ways these could be otherwise used. As usual, I’ll be lurking on Twitter and Instagram to see what you come up with, so fair warning. I really hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 6 farro cakes:

1 cup farro, not rinsed

3 cups water

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 springs thyme

3 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed

1/2 cup finely diced onion

- simmer covered about 45 minutes until very tender, drain well, but DO NOT rinse

Then add:

1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 ounce (about a 2-inch square piece) freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (if you use real Parmigiano Reggiano, and grate it on a microplane, you’ll get about 3/4 of a cup)

1 large egg

pinch cayenne

salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil for frying