open-faced fried egg sandwich

so it's (finally) cold here in austin, and i couldn't be more excited.  so i've been in the kitchen (surprise, surprise), celebrating with some hot & hearty treats.  yesterday, i whipped up a big (almost spilling over) pot of soup, but it was a little too similar to the potato cabbage soup of a previous post, so i skipped posting the recipe, but here's a photo:

tonight, however, i went for simplicity.  i was really craving fried eggs, which are one of my favorite cold-weather (or, really, all weather) foods that always reminds me of late-night dinners my mom whipped up.  so here's my version: an open-faced fried egg sandwich on a toasted roll with sauteed red onions and cottage cheese.

3 tbsp butter, divided
1 roll, split and toasted
1/2 red onion, sliced
4 eggs
cottage cheese
louisiana hot sauce (to taste)

start with one tbsp of butter in a pan on medium heat.  once melted and the pan is hot, throw in the onions and cook until well-softened and starting to get a little color on them.  i added a second pat of butter later in the cooking process, as mine got a little dry.  in the mean time, toast the roll.  when it's done, spread with cottage cheese.  once onions are done, layer them on the cottage cheese.  after teh onions are out of the pan, return it to the stove with the last pat of butter.  once melted and pan is hot again (shouldn't take too long), fry four eggs.  i like mine with a little s&p and some tony's cajun seasoning, but pick your poison ;) and fry your eggs to your favorite firmness.  i like mine a little runny so the yolk can coat the onions.  once the eggs are done, stack on the onions.  top off with a few shots of louisiana hot sauce, grab a knife and fork (you'll need it!), and dig it.  afterwards, submit to the food coma and be glad you aren't out in the cold (even if you're glad the cold is here).

now about submitting to that food-coma...

orange-braised chicken with fennel, asparagus, and carrots

i am visiting the family this week, and tonight was "my night" to cook.  apparently i needed some vitamin c in my diet, because everything i cooked/baked today had oranges or orange juice (or both) in it.  what i ended up serving for dinner was this: orange-braised chicken with fennel, asparagus, and carrots!

(i swear there is chicken under there...)

a few tbsp vegetable oil (i used canola)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 small (or 1 large) fennel bulb, sliced

1 small bag baby carrots

1 white onion, sliced

2 bunches asparagus, trimmed (bent and snapped)

5 clementines, or 1-2 lg. oranges, peeled and segmented

orange juice (a few cups -- eyeball it and use your best judgment)

preheat oven to 350

on stove top, heat oil in a large dutch oven on med/med-high heat.  pat chicken breasts dry with paper towel, salt and pepper one side.  once pot is hot, put seasoned side down to sear.  season top side while the bottom side sears.  sear both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side.  remove chicken from pot, set aside.

add fennel and onions to dutch oven.  after a few minutes, add baby carrots (or peeled carrots cut into 2-3 in pieces).  once onions begin to soften, add asparagus.  salt and pepper to taste

after a few more minutes of cooking, spread a layer of orange segments over vegetables.  put chicken breasts on top of this layer, and top with the rest of the orange segments.

pour in orange juice to cover vegetables and just touching the bottom of the chicken breasts.  cover and bring up to the beginning of a boil.

uncover, put in oven, and let braise for about half an hour.

check chicken for done-ness (should be white, not pink, all the way through).

this was a total hit with the fam!  really delicious!  moist, tender chicken, and the citrus was a really nice accent to the veggies!  i served it with fresh spinach that i just wilted with orange segements and toasted pecans.  none of the orange was overpowering, but it just added a really nice freshness to the whole meal!  it would actually be really great in the summer, but i love oranges during cold weather as well.  i recommend it, and i'm pretty sure my family would, too!

and, of course, have a very happy thanksgiving!

cabbage, potato, and turkey sausage soup

so i've been daydreaming of this hearty soup for a while now, and it's finally cold(ish) enough out to be really appropriate.  i mean really, i love this soup all the time, but you know...

1/2 lb turkey sausage
1 white onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
6 small russet potatoes, cut into 1 in. pieces
1/2 head green cabbage, roughly chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
water or stock (enough to cover -- use your best judgment)
a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
your favorite (or handy) blend of seasonings

brown turkey sausage in a bit of olive oil and/or butter in a pot to crumble(mine is unseasoned, so i added paprika, pepper, and a pinch of salt).
remove sausage and put on paper towel to drain.
into rendered fat, add sliced onions, saute for a few minutes until slightly softened. (i add red pepper flakes -- i like HEAT.)
add garlic and jalapeno, continue to saute until softened completely.
add potatoes and cabbage, continue to saute for a few minutes.  salt and pepper to taste (i like a LOT of pepper).
pour over hot/boiling water, enough to cover plus an inch or so(?)
bring to a boil, lower head to low/medium-low, cook for 45 minutes.
10 minutes before cooking time is finished, add sausage back to the soup.
just before serving, stir in parsley.
serve, enjoy, and warm up!

this is enough to easily server four large helpings (maybe with seconds)! 

this is fantastic with a good crusty bread!  i love the heat, and it's totally filling and hearty.  fairly easy, and it's sort of a blank canvas.  i threw in some old bay seasoning, a dash or two of cinnamon, some dried basil and thyme, and what i had left of some frozen broccoli (before the water goes in), but use your imagination!    you could also use stock instead of water, but it doesn't need it.  so save a few bucks and go with good ol' water.  and, as with pretty much any soup, it's even better the next day!

hot cocoa bread/cake!

that's right, you heard me.  a cakey-bread that tastes like (because it's made with) hot cocoa (mix).
i know, i know, i just said i prefer ingredients closer to the ground, but i had the hot cocoa mix around and wanted something chocolatey, so this is what happened.  and lemme tell you, it HAPPENED.

2 c whole wheat flour

1 c oatmeal

2 packets dark chocolate hot cocoa mix

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

a few dashes cinnamon

1 c brown sugar

1 c buttermilk (or 1 c milk with 1tsp-1tbsp of white or cider vinegar)

2 eggs, beaten

4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, softened

juice of one lime (i know, right?!)

(i didn't add, but might next time) 1 tsp vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350

combine dry ingredients, add wet ingredients, pour into greased pan (either loaf or cake).

for loaf pan, i baked for an hour, which gave a moist center and a wonderful crust on top!

for the cake pan, i'd guess more like half an hour, but use the old toothpick method/press test to determine when it's done.

for real.

carrot ginger muffins!

i made these a few days ago (and am going to try to remember the recipe as best i can), but they were delicious (if i do say so myself)!  lots of big, warm, spicy fresh ginger flavor, and i loved the sort of background sweetness the carrots provided.  definitely not overly sweet, which is just the way i like it.  and full of protein etc from the oatmeal and whole wheat flour.  so let's see if i can remember this...

1 1/2 medium carrots, grated

1 in. or so of fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c oatmeal

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 egg, beaten

1/3 c brown sugar

1/3 c honey

2 tbsp butter (plus extra to grease pan, if you so choose)

1/2 c milk

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp dry powdered ginger

1/8 tsp allspice (you could use 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice instead of these last three)

1/8 tsp vanilla extract

1 bag each of black and green tea leaves

opt: 1/2 c raisins or nuts

preheat oven to 350

cut butter into small cubes and let soften

in lrg bowl, combine flour & baking powder with butter.  add sugar/honey, ginger, carrot, milk, egg, vanilla, & spices, and mix thoroughly.

bake 25 minutes in oiled/buttered/lined muffin pan, let cool, enjoy!

this should make about a dozen smaller muffins, or probably 4 bigger ones.  or one loaf.  just remember, the bigger the muffin/loaf, the longer it will need to bake.

so simply, incredibly delicious!  carrots for vit. a, k, & c (plus a host of other vitamins/minerals), ginger is calming for the stomach and possibly anti-inflammitory (and warmyly delicious!), the whole wheat flour and oatmeal provide fiber, protein, and magnesium, as well as having cholesterol-lowering properties.  also, whole grains stabilize blood sugar levels and provide more prolonged, slower-burning energy/fuel for your body!

and as you'll see, i always choose butter over margarine.  as woman-of-many-trades and nutrition expert joan gussow said:

"As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists."

My Very First Post!

welcome!

my name is preston, and this is my food blog. please share with your friends haha

i come from a long line of fantastic home cooks (i break the mold in that the vast majority of them are women), and i've always grown up around cooking and food. the whole process of turning scattered ingredients into a product that is something much greater than its combined parts has always seemed important to me -- for lack of a better word, "magical" -- but, to be honest, being a broke college student sort of threw me into the kitchen out of necessity. but i fell in love, spent all kinds of time in the kitchen, and here i am.

generally speaking, i characterize my cooking style as (mostly/relatively) healthy food (versus 'health food') with a bit of a southern inspiration, but part of my starting this blog is to challenge myself to branch out and try new things. i believe in ingredients that are closer to the ground than the factory. i try to think of food as a balance between flavor and function, which is to say 'delicious and nutritious.' or at least that's what i stive for, because i think achieving anything but that balance is just silly -- tastebuds are only one part of the equation. but they are an important part ;)

so here goes nothing.

(also, this is a brand new adventure for me, this blog, so please be forgiving, and feedback is always welcome and desired. i'm always looking for ideas, techniques, critiques, and if you happen to try a recipe and want to let me know how it went, by all means do! i'd love it!)