Ramen Noodle Bowls

Japanese style noodle bowls are all the rage right now in the food world.

Vanilla Semifreddo With Raspberry Sauce

This refreshing dessert received oohs and aahs from the family.

Blueberry Bread Pudding

 I love making these breakfast bakes!

Spinach Hash Brown Quiche

This spinach bacon quiche is amazing!

Tomato, Egg, and Prosciuttto Tarts

These individual tarts look very sophisticated, but are easier to make than you may think!

Dutch Apple Oven Pancake

This morning I made this beautiful oven pancake. Nice and puffy filled with sweet apples.

Zucchini Frittata With Warm Potato Spinach Salad

I saw Lidia Bastianich on PBS the other night making this Frittata.

Caramel Pudding (Creme Caramel)

Caramel pudding (Karamellpudding) is a dessert that brings back childhood memories of holiday suppers at my grandmothers house.

Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bake

During the week breakfast is not a priority  around here. My husband leaves at the crack of dawn and my two teenage  girls are gone by 7 o'clock.

Grilled Cheese and Fried Egg sandwiches

This is not your average Grilled cheese sandwich! It is hands down the best one I have ever had! I haven't made anything really extraordinary lately (therefor the absence of postings last week), but I am really excited to share this recipe idea with you.

Tomato and kale strata

This is another recipe from the May/June issue of Eating Well Magazine. I just recently discovered this publication and it may be my new favorite cooking magazine. This issue is full of wonderful and healthy recipes. There are still a few more I want to try in here. I am always looking for tasty vegetarian dishes and this meatless strata looked amazing.

Deep dish omelet

This deep dish omelet is very similar to what we in the US refer to as Frittata (in our house we refer to it by its Norwegian name, "ostepanne"). It is a great way to empty out your fridge and use leftovers of veggies and cheese. Except for the leek, I had all the ingredients already in my fridge. I make a version of this on a regular basis, and  the beauty of it is that it is always different, depending on what I have available. This is the first time I have put potatoes in it (an idea I got from looking through my Ina Garten cookbook, Back to Basics). I left them unpeeled and it turned out great! My son was lamenting that there was no meat in it, and of course sausage or bacon or ham would be great, but I am staying true to my pledge of having one vegetarian day a week, so I left the meat out (he ended up eating three pieces anyway). As a side I made a really good salad using apples and pomegranate seeds (recipe to come).

Deep dish omelet with potatoes, broccoli and leeks

Lovely veggies!

1 T olive oil

8 large eggs

6 T milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

3-4 Yukon gold potatoes, unpeeled, diced

1/2 red bell pepper, diced

1 cup broccoli florets

1 heaping cup leeks, sliced thin

2 cups grated cheese (I used 1 cup Swiss and 1 cup cheddar)

1 t dried oregano

1 T butter

Beat eggs and milk together in a bowl, season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a medium skillet, over medium heat, heat oil and saute potatoes and peppers, until potatoes are tender about 12 minutes. Add broccoli saute another 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, over low heat, melt butter and add egg mixture. Sprinkle cooked vegetables evenly over the eggs. Add leeks and top with cheese. Sprinkle oregano over top. Cook covered, over low heat until egg has set, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 6-8

Recipe by, For the love of dinner, 2011



Fancy pre-superbowl Sunday Brunch

Superbowl Sunday is here! Yohoo! OK, so I am just trying to sound enthusiastic and adapt to American culture.Truth be told, after having lived her in the US for more than 17 years I have never become hooked on football. I think it is a game that is hard to love if you have not grown up with it. Huge guys piling on top of each other, and too much stop and go. Give me a fast paced soccer game or handball game. I can understand that! (handball you say? Google it!).  My guys will be watching though. My family and I are exited, however, that the Black Eyed Peas will be performing during the half time show, with rumors of other surprise acts. We will be glued to that. But first we will host a family brunch with Robert's parents and other relatives. I have put together a really tasty menu, most of which can be prepared a day in advance. That makes the day of, so much more relaxing. Two of the recipes, the Crunchy Zucchini rounds and the strata, comes from this beautiful cookbook I found at Cooks. It is simply named Brunch! 100 fantastic recipes for the weekend's best meal, by Gale Gand. Great inspiration and photos of almost all the dishes makes this book a treat for a food nerd like me.

Here is the menu (all recipes to follow):

Sunday Brunch menu

Crunchy Zucchini rounds

(with roasted tomatoes and goat cheese)

Bacon, cheddar, mushroom

 and tomato strata

Green salad With apples and Parmesan

Carrot cake

Crunchy Zucchini rounds With roasted tomatoes and goat cheese

2 medium zucchini

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Oven roasted tomatoes (see below)

3 oz fresh goat cheese

2 T chopped fresh chives

2 T extra-virgin olive oil

Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch-thick rounds and lay them flat on a platter (about 24 slices). Sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper. Place 1 piece of roasted tomato on each zucchini slice. Pinch a bit of goat cheese on top of each tomato piece. Sprinkle with the chopped chives, drizzle with the olive oil, and serve.

Oven roasted tomatoes

(Can be made up to 4 days ahead. Keep refrigerated until ready for use. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

Makes 24 pieces

6 plum tomatoes, cut into quarters lenghtwise

1/4 cup olive oil

2 t herbes de Provence

1/2 t salt

1/4 t freshly ground pepper

Lay the cut tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven at 325 degrees for about 2 hours, until the tomatoes are dried and wrinkled and their edges look lightly toasted (mine became a little too dark, so check them occasionally!)

Bacon, cheddar, mushroom and tomato Strata

5 cups cubed French bread (with crust)

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup crumbled cooked bacon (6-8 strips)

1 cup sauteed sliced white or shiitake mushrooms

1 cup chopped tomatoes

10 large eggs

1 Qt whole milk

1 t dry mustard

1t salt

Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Put the bread cubes in the dish and sprinkle them with the cheddar cheese. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, mustard, and salt. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Combine the remaining ingredients (bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes) and sprinkle over the egg mixture and fold them in gently. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Uncover the baking dish and bake for 60 minutes, until the mixture has puffed up slightly and is golden brown on top, and the strata doesn't shimmy with uncooked custard when you shake the pan. Tent the dish with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

(recipes adapted from Gayle Gand's book Brunch!)

Baby greens with apples, toasted pecans and Parmesan

10oz baby greens salad mix

1/2  small red onion, thinly sliced

1 apple, quartered and sliced thin

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

Sweet apple vinegar

Fresh parmesan shavings

Toast pecans in dry pan until fragrant, about 4 minutes.

In large salad bowl, mix salad greens, onion and apples. Toss with apple vinegar. Sprinkle  with pecans and parmesan shavings on top.

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

Cake:

Cooking spray

9 T butter, softened

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 t vanilla extract

9 oz all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)

2t baking soda

1t ground Cinnamon

1/4 t salt

3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

2cups finely shredded carrot

Frosting:

1/2 cup (4oz) block-style fat-free cream cheese

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 t vanilla extract

1/8 t salt

2 cups powdered sugar

1 T orange sugar sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Coat a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.

Place butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 5 minutes or until well blended. Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition until pale and fluffy. Beat in 2 t vanilla extract.

Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and 1/4 t salt; stir with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mix after each addition. Stir in carrot. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pan.

To prepare frosting, place cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, 2 t vanilla, and 1/8 t salt in a large bowl, beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until smooth. Cover and chill 10-15 minutes. Spread frosting over top of cake. Garnish with sprinkles. Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.

(recipe adapted from Cooking Light magazine/Quick baking)