Breakfast
What Kind of Eggs to Buy at the Grocery Store
The best kinds of eggs come from happy chickens. It sounds cliche, I know. But after being around the hens on our property—hens who are free to roam around all day eating bugs, leftover veggies, and grass—and enjoying their delicious, deep orange (like the color of a tangerine!) yolked eggs, it’s hard to imagine eating eggs from any other source. Except sometimes I do have to buy eggs. We typically have fifteen to twenty hens in our flock. And by “we” I mean my parents—the chickens are theirs, but since we all live on the same homestead property, using “our” is practical. And while I don’t take care of the flock…
Holiday Bread Pudding
This holiday bread pudding is a simple and tasty way to prepare a make-ahead festive dessert during the Christmas season! Coming off Thanksgiving, we’re eating our way through a lot of leftovers. Turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and a slew of other trimmings. I also ended up with most of a loaf of hearty, rustic cranberry walnut bread. Truth be told, I realize a lot of folks don’t love bread pudding—even though you see it made on shows like Chopped all. the. time. It’s often the chefs’ go-to for the dessert round, but I’d wager not because it’s the best dessert on the planet. It’s because it’s simple to make. They can…
Café Du Monde Beignets At Home
Believe it or not, I’ve never been to New Orleans. As a foodie, it hurts my heart to say that, because I’m pretty sure I could spend at least a week eating my way through the French Quarter. It’s on my bucket list for when we win the lottery we’re able to save up enough money. A few years ago I had a friend who traveled to the Big Easy and had the audacity to share (and also tag me in!) posts during the visit—specifically several trips to Café Du Monde for coffee and beignets. C’mon. It’s like those beignets (and my friend) were taunting me the. whole. time. (Okay, I didn’t…
Apple Bread
This delicious apple bread is simple to make and so good. No peeling apples and a secret ingredient to add tons of flavor and keep it moist! I got a mixed box of apples, peaches and plums from a local farm a couple weeks ago, and it was filled to the brim! Two different kinds of apples, the juiciest peaches EVER and little plums that my kids adored. Back to those apples, though. In our house, zucchini bread is a staple. My daughter LOVES zucchini bread “sandwiches” in her lunchbox, filled with a generous slather of plain cream cheese. I love warming a piece in the toaster, and eating it with…
Mashed Potato Pancakes
Mashed potatoes might be the quintessential comfort food. Or, at least, my quintessential comfort food. Mashed potato pancakes? Ahhh … divine. It’s rare that I whip up a batch of mashed potatoes and have leftovers “just because,” so I have to be intentional about it and throw in an extra potato or two to ensure leftover mashed potato goodness. I use a basic mashed potato recipe that’s no fail, and super yummy. It involves whatever potatoes are on sale (though my favorites are red skin OR russet because I believe they make the creamiest mash), whole milk, salted butter, salt, a dash of black pepper, and a hand-held mixer. Some of…
Homemade Blueberry Muffins
These homemade blueberry muffins are a perfect grab-n-go breakfast or snack! Let’s face it. Whether you’re working from home, working outside the home, or busy managing the household as a stay-at-home parent, breakfast is one of the toughest things to pull off Monday through Friday — though morning routines can make a big difference. What I like for breakfast during the week is something cold, portable, and that still tastes okay if it takes me a while to eat it — because meetings and conference calls and deadlines. Right? I’m a big fan of zucchini bread. I make it in big batches and then freeze the loaves. Sliced thin with…
Berry Cucumber Yogurt Smoothie
This berry cucumber yogurt smoothie can be a tasty breakfast or yummy snack! The garden is starting to produce LOTS of goodies right now: kale, gooseberries, black raspberries, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, onions and more! After spending time picking a bagful of berries and veggies this afternoon, my youngest announced he wanted to make a smoothie out of our haul. We’re big smoothie fans over here. So, once the picked produce was analyzed we determined a berry cucumber yogurt smoothie was in order. It sounds a little bizarre, I know. Cucumber and yogurt… Well, cucumber and yogurt go together well in tzatziki, and who doesn’t love that? Mmm… But, with…
Chicken Fried Rice
Sometimes dinner takes hours to prepare, with meticulous mis en place, fifteen different steps, more pots than burners, and ingredients so expensive you wince at the check-out. Other times, it’s the exact opposite. Like one of our weeknight must haves. A favorite of both my husband and my youngest: homemade chicken fried rice. Its presentation? Messy. Its ingredients? Cheap. Its difficulty level? Easy. Bonus: my chicken fried rice is often made from leftovers. LEFTOVERS. Chicken from a couple nights ago, rice from Sunday dinner, the odd green onion or two left in the crisper drawer. Chicken fried rice is like the “kitchen sink” of dinners, and I love it for that!
