Kale and Caramelized Onion Frittata

Recently in the food world there was a bit of a debate over how long it takes to caramelize onions. You can check out the article here, but the gist of it is that *some* recipe authors are carelessly writing into recipes that caramelizing onions takes only 5-10 minutes. I posted the article on to my facebook site that 10 minutes was laughable and got into a debate with a friend, her saying that how familiar one was with a cooking technique could depend on the timing of the recipe. That's absolutely true, but I think the main problem are the liberties that authors take with cooking times. There's nothing more frustrating then deciding on a particular recipe, namely because it only takes a certain amount of time, and then have that timing be grossly untrue.

The eventual frittata I made with said caramelized onions

Here the main culprit is caramelized onions but I'm sure this could also be true of braises, stocks, sauces, etc. But going back to the original I decided to test this out. I've caramelized onions many many times and I would never describe the process as speedy, but I'd never actually timed myself. Now keep in mind, there are many factors at play here, such as the type of onion, the uniform thickness that it's been sliced (you really want the thinnest slice possible, so that as much of the onions surface is touching the heat as possible), the inclusion of a touch of sugar (so as to help bring out the natural sugars in the onion), and how many onions you're using (how crowded is the pan). Depending on all those above things, it could be a longer or shorter process, but again I was very skeptical of 10 minutes. So I used one fairly large Spanish onion, cut fairly thin, about a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and a tiny sprinkle of some turbinado sugar while nearly constantly stirring. Also, I'd consider myself fairly expert. It took me just over 15 minutes.

Roasted Banana Brown Butter Muffins

Currant Cream Scones

I lifted nearly this entire recipe from Smitten Kitchen... but naturally, NATURALLY, I just cannot resist playing around with a few things here, another tweak there. It's a real issue that's maybe good for other hobbies and professions (my day job for one) but with baking... no way. You need to be exact. Precise. My sister even got me a baking scale for Christmas for goodness sakes so I should be doing this correctly. I just can't though.

This time... well it turned out pretty delicious. Because I kept the changes to a minimum. I soaked the currants in some sherry to see if that would lend another flavor. Normally I'd start adding in cinnamon, nutmeg, even cardamom, but I wanted to see what a liquid change would do, especially one with such a heavy almond aftertaste. The result... nothing I can really notice. The second was replacing a teaspoon of the flour with some cornmeal. Maybe it's the Southern girl in me try to get every possible taste of home into a baked good, but I like the crunch and extra little bite when there's a touch of cornmeal in something.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

I don't eat breakfast much (I know, I know), and when I brunch I usually tend to the savory, but there's something about lemon ricotta silver dollar pancakes that always gets me. They're rich and thick, the way a good pancake should be. But light and lemon-y, the perfect way to start a day. A great use for leftover ricotta and a wonderful way to add some brightness into your morning (or afternoon). Sometimes served with stewed apples, lemon curd or even some berries and cream, but I personally don't think they need any extras, they're pretty darn good just as they are. 

Brioche French Toast with Bourbon (of course)

Lately I've been wrapping my head so much around summer and diets and learning how to put foods away- like preserving and canning, not like arranging pantry items-, it's been a while since I had a true indulgence. No, I'm not talking about my shore weekend that consisted of drinking and eating more calories than I care to divulge. I mean a true, luxurious indulgence... like a brioche french toast, the thick egg-y and buttery slices of bread dipped in a sweetly spiced custard with that lovely smokey kick of bourbon. The outside browned just so, with a slight crunch and the inside melting and moist, like the best kind of bread pudding but for breakfast.

So this weekend, in need of something sweet and lovely and wonderful to start the day I made brioche french toast for the birthday girl and her boyfriend before we went out to watch some baseball. This breakfast was the perfect start to a wonderful day.

Weekend Breakfast

This morning when I woke up, in addition to my daily cup of coffee I decided it was tea time. I had recently been fortunate enough to find my absolute favorite tea, Lapsang Souchong, by chance and of course snatched it up. I have a deep reverent love for anything that smells smokey, like a wonderful fire without actually having a fire, and this tea is the epitome of that.

 My favorite candle scent is firewood, specifically Henri Bendels' and will seek them out in any season. Next to peonies and lavender it may be my favorite smell ever. Lapsang Souchong is just that scent too, the smokey firewood-y smell in a cup of tea. The story behind the tea is that in the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty in China, the passage of armies would delay the drying of the tea leaves. In order to dry the leaves faster to satisfy demand, tea producers would dry the leaves over fires made from pine, resulting in a lovely, woody smell to the black tea.

Good Morning Sun!

Welcome back to my life! I've missed you terribly and can't wait to spend so much time with you, being warmed and freckled by your glow. And as I sit on my couch and snack on my breakfast of pre-cut watermelon- such a summer fruit itself- I can't help thinking forward to all the fun we will have in the coming months.

Did you know how good watermelon is for you? It's not only an excellent source of vitamin C and A, B6, B1 and magnesium, it's also packed full of antioxidants and contains electrolytes, making it great after a night of drinking. Additional health benefits of watermelon include being good for kidney disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart care, heat stroke, macular degeneration, impotence, etc. And it's delicious. Watery, sweet, melt in your mouth yumminess.

The Texas Breakfast

This morning we were all being just typical Texas lazy, watching the sun make the day warmer from the safety of the central air inside, sipping our coffee and generally just contemplating life. My very dear friend mentioned that she was hungry and I seconded which is when the best idea occurred. "Kolaches?" asked very dear friend's husband. "Yes please" we both chimed together.

If you aren't familiar, kolaches are a semi-sweet dough, traditionally filled with dried fruit, poppy seeds, or cream cheese. Less traditional versions (i.e. the delicious bastardization we get from Shipley's) are filled with cheese, ham, sausage, etc. They came over to the states from Czech immigrants, a number of whom settled in Texas and Oklahoma and started up bakeries with kolaches fast becoming a breakfast treat, but back in Europe these pastries were reserved as a wedding dessert.

Out with Dumb Holidays

I really don't want to do the seemingly obligatory single girl hate-on-V-day post but another part of me is finding this day so hard to ignore to the point that it's just really pissing me off (thanks Mark Zuckerberg with your targeted facebook ads, et al). But truth be told while there is definitely a heightened sensitivity to this most pointless of holidays this year in particular, I've always generally found it, well... a pretty pointless holiday. Even when I've been in relationships. And in no way am I belittling love, but rather the obligation to show someone you love that you love them. It defeats the purpose somewhat. Because there's nothing romantic about feeling obligated to do something.

My sentiments on this faux holiday may change if I got this bear. This bear is AWESOME!

Think about it for a sec. Some guy gets you some stuff not because he wants to but because he feels obligated by Hallmark  or some retarded jeweler to, you are constantly one-upped by co-workers and frienemies whose flowers are bigger, they're presents shinier (I would know, I've been that girl), you pay too much for an overrated "romantic" pre-fixe at some sucky restaurant because you couldn't get a reservation at a nicer one. This. Is. Not. Fun. So why do it?

Paximathakia Portokaliou

Try saying that 10 times fast. Or even pronouncing it at all. Bear with me though, this is a great recipe, especially if you love sesame seeds, adore biscotti and/or are vegan. It was the former 2 reasons that drew me to this recipe though.
In college, being on a very strict budget and also still having that lingering teenage metabolism that allowed me to eat and drink whatever I liked, one of my greatest pleasures was stopping by the coffee shop, grabbing a mocha and a vanilla biscotti and plunking down to study, all the while slowly dunking the crunchy cookie into the coffee and nibbling away. It was a luxury, a treat and something I knew I couldn't indulge in every day, or even every week but when I did it was wonderful. Sesame seeds I just plain enjoy. They're tasty, and versatile. Can be added to both savory or sweet items and are just that finishing touch that can make a dish stand out. Also excellent on bagels, as a shout out to my adopted city.