Author Archives: Peg

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About Peg

I love cooking...basic southern style to sophisticated and modern cuisine, especially when my daughters and son in law are in the kitchen with me. Then it becomes a bit more festive! Traveling is something that I am passionate about. I achieved one of my loftiest goals a couple of years ago when we were in Vietnam. I spent days just photographing people. It was a blast; and the book i made brings me delight daily. Cheers!

Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce

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Rise and Dine! Sorry ’bout the messy plate; silly me, I forgot to clean up the edges prior to photographing…and then I ate it before proofing the images! Ha…that may teach me a little something. Today’s post presents a masterful mix, perfect for brunch or supper. Yummilicious!Brunch Baked Eggs in Tomato Sauce2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes with juices, lightly crushed
1/8 t kosher salt
1/8 t freshly ground pepper
4 eggs
Fresh parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In large oven proof skillet heat olive oil over medium high.
Add onion and cook until softened, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add tomatoes and simmer 5 to 7 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.

Using the back of a spoon, create a pocket in the tomato sauce for each egg.
Crack 1 egg into each pocket.
Transfer pan to oven and bake until eggs are set, 6 to 8 minutes.
Season eggs again with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley leaves.
Serve immediately.
Serves 4.

Bell Buckle, Tennessee

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Bell Buckle CafeOh, the Places You’ll Go! (thank you Dr. Seuss). Of the millions of places on earth, the don and I found ourselves in Bell Buckle, Tennessee a few weeks ago. And what an unexpected treat it was. Bet you’re wondering how this could possibly have occurred? Well, the abbreviated version is: in Nashville; in taxi; serenaded by cabbie with country karaoke; revealed we were headed to Sewanee; were told to take exit 97 into Bell Buckle to “lunch” at Bell Buckle Cafe. So, hell…we did it! Such a treat!Cafe Front

BIG BONUS! It just so happened to be the 20th annual RC Cola Moon Pie Festival.

This is the real deal people.Moon Pie Box RC 6 packMoon Pie StacksRC bucket

Chicken Vegetable Soup

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Happy Monday!

Slam dunk! I know, I know. It isn’t basketball season; nor is it hot soup season. That being said, I have a couple of friends who needed a little extra sustenance last week…and there’s little more nourishing than chicken soup. So I whipped up this version incorporating the currently abundant fresh tomatoes. Truth be told, it now holds the championship title.

©PEGhardee

©PEGhardee

Breast meat of rotisserie chicken, chopped
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
5 stalks celery, 1/4 inch slice
8 carrots, 1/4 inch slice
1/4 t kosher salt
1/3 t fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup rice
4 oz can tomato paste
14 oz can diced tomatoes, juice included**
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

Combine chicken broth, celery, carrots, salt, and pepper in soup pot.
Cover and bring to simmer over medium-high heat.
Reduce heat to low and simmer 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
In separate pot, combine 2 cups water, rice, tomato paste, and diced tomatoes.
Whisk together until tomato paste in incorporated into mixture.
Cover and bring to boil over medium high heat.
Reduce to low and cook until rice is tender, 15 minutes, stirring often.
In blender, puree rice mixture until smooth.
Whisk in to broth and vegetable pot.
Add chicken, frozen peas, cream, and parsley.
Simmer on low heat 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Serves 6 to 8.
400 calories per serving.

**I used my sweet canned tomatoes rather than the grocery canned. This added extra color to the pot; so don’t worry if your version is less “pink”!

Champagne Float

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Try a little grown up version of the old ice cream float! I’m giving it a solid A+. Mmmmm! Thank you Anne Burrell for sharing the love. (Food Network Magazine, June 2014.)

©PEGhardee ©PEGhardee

12 strawberries, quartered
1 Tbs sugar
1 pint Breyers vanilla ice cream
Bottle Barefoot Bubbly Brut Cuvee, chilled

Toss berries and sugar in bowl.
Let sit 30 minutes
Divide berries among 4 flutes.
Place small scoop ice cream in each glass.
Top up with champagne.

Chilled Tomato Basil Soup

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Need something else to do with all of those tomatoes? Well this is the real deal. Give it a whirl for a refreshing lunch or serve as a cool appetizer before a summer supper. 80 cals for 3/4 cup serving and 30 for demitasse serving! Now you simply Can’t Touch This! Thanks MC; it’s Hammer time!

©PEGhardee

©PEGhardee

4 medium size ripe red tomatoes, cored and quartered
2 green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
3/4 cup fat free buttermilk
6 fresh basil leaves, torn
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 t kosher salt
1/2 t black pepper
2 Tbs plain reduced fat yogurt, for garnish
Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

In a blender, combine all ingredients except the yogurt and basil for garnish.
Puree until smooth.
Makes 6 3/4 cup servings, or 12 demitasse appetizers.
*Note: I use the garnish only when serving in a soup bowl. In a demitasse the garnish tends to glide straight to that upper lip!

Vegetable Frittata

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Fortunate to be having these fresh eggs delivered weekly from my friend and farmer Ben. So I’m enjoying eating the chickens’ eggs and not the chickens these days!Brunch Spring Vegetable Frittata I1/2 cup frozen garden peas
1/2 cup frozen white Shoepeg corn
5 eggs
2 Tbs light butter
Few sprigs of mint and parsley
1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup finely grated fresh parmesan cheese

Blanch peas and corn in hot water for 30 seconds and then drain.

Break eggs in bowl.
Beat with a fork and sprinkle with pepper.

Place oven rack near the top.
Preheat oven to broil.

Heat oven proof skillet on stove over medium heat.
Add butter and when butter sizzles, pour in eggs.
Stir eggs around until they begin to cook.
Then turn off the heat. Frittata will stay half cooked and remain runny.

Sprinkle peas, corn, mint and parsley over eggs.
Arrange goat cheese on top.
Scatter black pepper and parmesan cheese over this.

Carefully lift the pan and put it in oven and broil 3 to 4 minutes,
until cheese is golden brown and bubbling and frittata is cooked through.
Cut into wedges and garnish with additional mint leaves.Brunch Spring Vegetable Frittata II

Brunch Spring Vegetable Frittata IIIAdapted from Delicious. Jamie Oliver. Winter 2007.

Key Lime Pie

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Ta Da!  Who doesn’t love a little lime in the heat of the summer? This little recipe makes enough filling for two pies…’cause you were going to make it for your neighbor, but shucks you knew you’d want one too. Go ahead; Be fabulous!

©PEGhardee

©PEGhardee

2 graham cracker pie crusts
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
14 oz can sweet condensed milk
Zest of 1 lime
3/4 cup lime juice
1 pint Half and Half
Fresh lime slices for garnish

In large bowl, with electric mixer beat cream until slightly thickened.
Slowly add in sugar and condensed milk.
Beat in zest, lime juice, and Half and Half.
Mix until thickened.
Pour into crusts.
Freeze 4 to 6 hours.

Makes two. One for you and one for me!

Thanks Paula Deen.

Fresh Tomatoes Preserved (for Winter!)

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Worth the effort…I PROMISE. You will be pleased as punch bourbon this winter when you make your vegetable soup, pasta dishes, baked chicken, and/or sauteed fish.  Don’t shrug this off; honestly, do it! This is THE simplest of all canning. Totally legit. It IS after all the season to “put up” summer produce, right?! I tweaked this recipe from Southern Living’s softback Little Jars, Big Flavors, featuring Virginia Willis. (Thanks Lou, for the intro to Virginia at Chapel Hill’s Southern Season!) So run out to your local produce stand or grocery and snatch those ‘maters up this weekend.

After the 60 second boil and ice water bath, they peel quite easily.

After the 60 second boil and ice water bath, they peel quite easily.

Sauce Canned Tomatoes Cookbook

Proof that I used the Little Jars, Big Flavors cookbook. Thanks Virginia Willis!

This is what you’ll need:
Complete Canning Set, just makes things easier!
9 lbs fresh tomatoes
2 Tbs salt
4 cinnamon sticks
6 garlic cloves, pressed
3/4 cup lemon juice
4 Tbs sugar

The first several steps make it a cinch to peel the tomatoes.
Bring large pot of water to a boil.
Prepare an ice bath in large bowl.
With knife, cut a large x on bottom of each tomato.
Drop tomatoes into pot.
Cook 60 seconds.
Remove with strainer directly in to ice bath for 2 minutes.
Remove tomatoes from ice bath.

Peel and coarse chop, discarding skin and core.
Place chopped tomatoes in soup pot.
Add salt, cinnamon sticks, garlic, lemon juice, and sugar.
Cover and bring to boil.
Once boiling, remove lid, and boil 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Remove pot from heat.
Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare jars and lids by boiling them 10 minutes in water bath.
When ready to fill, remove jars and lids from water.
Ladle tomatoes and juice into jars, leaving 1/2″ head space.
Place lid on jars, and screw rims on loosely.
Lower into boiling water bath.
Process in boiling water 40 minutes.
Remove from processing bath to counter top.
Listen for the popping sound, signaling a proper seal.
Allow to stand 24 hours untouched.
Label and transfer to dark pantry.
Good for a year.
Refrigerate after opening.

Makes 6 pint jars.

Ahhh...Dinner from a Father's Day Basket with my Homemade Italian Tomatoes!

Ahhh…Dinner from a Father’s Day Basket with my Homemade Italian Tomatoes!

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

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There is simply no substitute for experience; and family friend Edwina (aka “Pookie”) has her fair share of it! Years ago, honestly 25+ years ago, a group (including moi) cajoled her in to coming to G’Vegas to lead a series of weekly cooking classes.  A believer in hands on participation, she taught us brilliant techniques, and shared bountiful amounts of knowledge, skill, and marvy recipes. I mean, honestly, I was 31 and had never piped anything from a pastry bag in my life; she had me doing that in no time flat! I rely on her trusty recipes all the darn time. Here I present her broccoli salad; I recently began adding cauliflower. Yes, it’s simple and you see some version of it many places, but I just love the slight sweetness in this particular dressing. Literally, I could eat this every day. Enjoy!

©PEGhardee

©PEGhardee

1/2 head broccoli
1/2 head cauliflower
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup golden raisins
8 slices precooked bacon
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs red wine vinegar
3/4 cup sour cream

Cut broccoli into tiny florettes.
Cut cauliflower into tiny florettes.
Heat bacon in microwave until crispy.
Crumble bacon.

Dissolve sugar in vinegar.
Whisk in sour cream.

Combine broccoli, cauliflower, and raisins in large bowl.
Add most of the bacon, reserving a bit for garnish.
Pour dressing over salad and toss.
Place in serving bowl.
Garnish with reserved bacon crumbles.

Serves 8 to 10.