Request from my husband

"do it the way your sister does it".  Husband is referring to a poached egg.
Here's my story.  For the past 37 +/-  years I have struggled making my dear husband a poached egg on toast.  A favorite breakfast of his.  Seems like cooking eggs of any kind would be a bit of a struggle early on in our marriage.  Like hard boiled eggs but that can be another post.

So over the years I tried different ways and methods of poaching that egg.  Almost everytime I put that egg on the toast and put it in fromt of my dear husband, the yolk starts oozing out.  Well that's not the way a poach egg is supposed to be served.  We'd go to breakfast and the first thing dearest would order would be a poached egg.  Well dang it out it comes all pretty and intact. 
Once I grabbed a waitrees to ask her what the secret is in keeping the egg firm in water...................vinegar she says.  It firms to whites.  Well surely you must know I tried that.  One time too much another time not enough..........CRAP  I say!!

Fast forward to a few years ago while vising my sister.  She offers her husband and mine breakfast, they voted on poached eggs on toast.  I said  "I'll butter the toast". 

Wait till ya read this..........it is so simple and obvious why the heck did I never think of this.  The following is dear sister's method of poaching an egg.  And if you ever have trouble poaching an egg think of my many years of struggle.
*Moon's method of poaching an egg*
Heat an 8 inch pan put a little bit of butter or margarine in the pan to melt.  I use Smart Balance
Heat, in the microwave or on the stovetop, a couple a cups of  water.
Break the egg into the pan after the butter has melted.  Keep the heat med and cook the egg just enough to seet the egg white.  Now that water that you heated, gently pour that water into the pan with the egg.  Cook egg till the desired hardness of the yolks.  Scoop egg out of the water, drain a bit then place on your toast or english muffin. 
The springtime aspargus has been so good lately I had a bit leftover.  Put the warmed asparagus on the toast that  I spread with a dollop of chipotle mayo then the egg on top.

Needless to say I have a very happy spouse!!

Found the following over on Whole Foods recipe  blog

Eggs Five Ways

• Top a beef or turkey burger with an over-easy egg and a slice of turkey bacon for a knife-and-fork burger that puts the regular ones to shame. Who says you can't have burgers for breakfast?
• Tired of fried egg sandwiches? Slice hard-boiled eggs and layer them on buttered toast instead.
• Toss scrambled eggs with leftover brown rice and steamed veggies for a hearty lunch.
• Top rice cakes with a thin smear of miso and sliced hard-boiled eggs for a healthy breakfast.
• Arrange slices of hard-boiled egg on whole wheat bread, top with a dollop of cottage cheese, slices of avocado and salt and pepper.

Re post of Pasta with Pepper and Cheese

This is a re post/update to an earlier post Spaghetti with cheese and black pepper. This time I did not use Parmesano Reggiano. I had the Trader Joe Parmesan grated in the tub. I always have that in the fridge and honestly, I mean honestly it was just as good. I know, there will be some purists that disagree but go for it. I also made it exactly as the recipe with nothing else added.

This is such a fantastic, last minute out of the pantry dishes, you've got to try it and add it to your list of favorites. It seems like quite large for two but the leftovers are great. Just reheat in a skillet with a bit of oil and you've got a second meal. I had some leftover sausage and I'll chop those and throw them in for lunch. Yum.

If you're serving this to friends be sure to use the Italian name, Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe, it sounds better.

The other white meat

Isn't that what they call pork? Well I'm a big fan of pork loins cooked on the grille. For many reasons but one it's easy, and two it's fast.

When at the market try to get a plain old pork loin, not one that been injected with flovoring. Don't want a butcher dictating what is in my meat.

I marinated this particular piece in mojo , which is a bottled Cuban sauce. Of course how and what you cook your pork loin does influence how you prepare your leftovers.  Watch the temperature (approx 140-145*) and remember this still cooks once removed from the grille.  Place on a platter tented with foil while you finish roasting some fresh veggies, your choice.  For this I did fresh yellow and red bell peppers and some cute tiny yukon gold potatoes.  This meat is so tender you can cut it with a fork.

Carrot cake ala Outdoor dutch oven

Carrot cake ala Dutch oven a photo by mooncrazy on Flickr.

Love to cook outside in the cast iron and I'm getting ready for our annual teardrop camp out so thought I try my new carrot cake recipe. Worked wonderful. Just as tender and fluffy as one baked in my indoor oven and now I can't wait to make it at the potluck.

Here is the link to Mrs. Garrett's Carrot Cake.

If you are interested in more recipes for outdoor cooking visit the Cast Iron link.

What no roast chicken

So I stopped by the big box store on the way home for a roast chicken, actually I was going to get two so I could make a tasty chicken salad for lunch over the weekend, much to my dismay they were sold out.  WHAT the heck!!  Run to the back, pick up a roastable chicken and while waiting in line thinking hope it's not too hot to turn on the oven.

On the way home I remembered  a roast chicken I made  with some lemons stuffed inside.  Gotta go find that recipe.  FOUR YEARS AGO!!!  holy cow time flies.  It's nice to revisit some of our olders posts and this one especially I really like.  Before it gets too hot to turn on your oven make this chicken.  I know it's so easy to buy the roasted one at the market but trust me you'll be glad you did.

April 12, 2007 is the original post.
This has to be my favorite way to roast a chicken. It is a recipe adapted from a recipe from Giada DeLaurentis. This is a very rich tasting chicken that I served with roasted red potatoes and carrots.
I did place cleaned carrots on the bottom using them as a rack for the chicken and it's the lemons, garlic and oranges that you place in the cavity so don't skimp on that.

Garlic and Citrus Chicken
1(5 to 6-pound) whole roasting chicken, neck and giblets discarded I don't discard these little gems I cook them in some broth and use them at a later time
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered I used two lemons they were kind of small
1 head garlic, halved crosswise, plus 3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed  I used fresh juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves I used thyme
Kitchen string or butcher twine didn't have any

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, and garlic halves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string to help hold its shape. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. I rubbed a bit of butter and olive oil on the bird.Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding some chicken broth to the pan, if necessary, to prevent the pan drippings from burning. Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano, and chopped garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Brush some of the juice mixture over the chicken, after it has baked 1 hour. Continue roasting the chicken until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, basting occasionally with the juice mixture and adding broth to the pan, about 45 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan).
Place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce.
Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.

Soup, it's what's for dinner

Originally uploaded by mooncrazy

February, even though the weather is warm, is soup month for me. I can't get past the fact I'm making it wearing shorts but soup is a good "winter" meal for us.

A little spring cleaning was needed in my freezer after the holidays and January visit from relatives. I found some cubes of ham and a bone. There was also a package of chicken bones (I throw hardly anything away) left over when I boned a chicken last week. I roasted the bones with some chopped onions, carrots, and celery and then simmered the ham and chicken bones with the veggies in a large pot, about 4 quarts of water. Add some salt and pepper but remember, this is not the final product. The broth was drained through a sieve and discard everything else, it has served it's purpose. Chill in the fridge over night makes it easier to get rid of the fat. I then got busy making two soups.

Split Pea with Ham

1 lb of dried split peas, rinsed and sorted

2 quarts of broth

1 small onion, chopped

3 carrots, grated

3 stalks of celery, chopped

about 1 1/2 cups of chopped ham

salt and pepper to taste (careful with the sauce as the broth is sure to have seasoning)

Bring all to a simmer and cook uncovered until the peas are no longer peas, about 2 hours. If it gets too thick add some canned chicken broth or a bit of water. Adjust the seasonings and serve. We like cornbread to accompany it be it can be a first course if you wish. This soup freezes quite well and since it's just me and my honey, I freeze up separate containers for a future lunch.

The next soup is Artichoke Potato Puree and that post will be along any day now.

Getty Villa Carrot Cake

If the Getty Center in Los Angeles is my passion then the Getty Villa in Malibu is my secret love. I don't get there as much as I'd like but when I do it's special.

If anyone remembers the early days at the Villa you must have fond memories of the tea room. There were delicious scones and this wonderful carrot cake. I'm adding a link to the Getty Iris for this recipe. Read the interesting story of how this cake came about.

The cake could not be easier to make and since I've acquired the recipe I've made it about four times. The latest was when we were entertaining relatives from the East Coast just this past week and it was a big hit with them.

Enjoy and if in LA visit the Getty Center or Getty Villa

Mrs. Garrett's Carrot Cake Recipe

Up until now

This is the best Posole I have ever made, which is a hearty pork stew.  Yes you can make it with chicken I suppose, I never have.

Following is my method.....adapt it to your liking and taste.

About 2 cups of chopped pork brown in a tablespoon of oil.  Brown well so you have those bits, frond I believe it's called, on the bottom of your pan. Remember to salt and pepper to taste.

Once browned add 2 boxes of Swansons chicken broth, low sodium and my secret ingredient sort of is to add about a half a box of beef broth.  I happened to have my last but favorite Trader Joe's beef broth which I used.  Let that simmer for about two and a half to three hours.  Before poppping the lid on add a a couple a teaspoons of cumin.

Put the lid on and go chop some onions and celery, shred some carrots and get two cans of hominy rinsed.  Make sure you have on hand some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, I used only one pepper out of the small can** along with about a teaspoon of the sauce.  Also one can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes plus a couple a tablespoons of tomato paste. 

I had some corn tortillas I had cut up in slivers and toasted, chopped some fresh cilantro and a squeeze or three of lime juice.  Normally I would add a few slices of avocado but none on hand.

This is such a warming, feel good soup/stew.............I was giddy while enjoying the flavors.

**the small can of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce is way too much to put in the posole.  With the remaining peppers I took one pepper and a bit of sauce wrapped them in foil and froze.  Since I'll be making sister's red pepper hummus I'll be using at least one packet of the chipotle peppers.