Start to Finish in Less that 20 Minutes. And That’s a Promise! This is life in abundance, as we neither bake nor eat biscuits in this household often. But when we do, we do it right baby! I paired this wonderful bread with homemade pimento cheese, cilantro butter, and homemade blueberry jam. That was for Sunday brunch. Sunday Supper saw us making tiny turkey sliders and topping them again with yummyness. The Don enjoyed his with pimento cheese and jam; and I enjoyed mine with cilantro butter and jam (and plenty of it)! I made it just to share with you excellent people who follow along on this joint journey. Southern know how people! Shine Bright Like a Diamond.
2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 2 t baking powder 1/2 t baking soda 3/4 t salt 1 cup whole milk 3/4 cup mayonnaise 2 Tbs melted butter
Preheat oven to 450°. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together milk and mayonnaise. Stir milk mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Spoon level scoops of dough onto parchment paper, spacing them an inch apart. Spread with melted butter. Bake until golden, about 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
Who’s in the kitchen this weekend? Even the youngest, well almost, can create this yummy appetizer or breakfast. Yes this is a truly simple creation. But, hey…we’re not trying to impress anyone. It’s about making our family or guests feel comfortable; and trust me, this makes everyone feel just that! Remember that food is our common ground. So go out and have yourselves a wonderful weekend! Stay safe, well, and away from that nasty Delta Variant good people!
2 slices whole grain bread, toasted* 1/2 ripe avocado, gently mashed Dash kosher salt Dash pepper 1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts 2 t sunflower seeds Wedge fresh lemon
Spread avocado on top of bread. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with sprouts. Sprinkle on seeds. Squeeze lemon juice evenly on top.
Makes 8 Appetizers. Excellent as breakfast as a whole slice of toast. *My personal favorites are Ezekiel and Genesis, made by Food for Life. Earthy tasting, in a great way.
This house on “the Forest Hill” was packed with energy and festive events last week. I had the five year olds for Grand and GrandDad Camp, a childhood friend here from Shaker Heights, and the Queen Peggy’s 95th celebration of life! And in the midst of it all, the children managed to create a wonderful bread concoction! It’s play time, so follow the trail below…
16 oz round sourdough bread Stick of butter 2 t minced garlic 1 1/2 t Italian seasoning (or equal parts of dried basil, parsley, and oregano) 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 3 Tbs chopped parsley, divided
Preheat the oven to 375°. Place the bread on non stick sheet pan. Cut a grid on the bread by creating vertical cuts, stopping before you hit the bottom crust. Repeat the cuts in a horizontal manner. Place butter, garlic, seasoning, and half of parsley in small sauce pan. Heat until butter is melted. Drizzle butter into crevices of bread. Gently stuff cheese deep into crevices of bread, and sprinkle of top. Wrap bread in foil to cover. Bake 10 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 12 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining parsley, and serve.
Bread by Lucy, Parker, and Peg. Sculpture by Jeff Kiefer.
Spreading a little joy to jump start this short week! The combination of flavors in this treat are like every section of the orchestra is playing in harmony and on key. This recipe just may become famous! So drop everything and head to the market straight away; then come home and savor the deliciousness!
4 oz fresh mozzarella 3/4 cup apricot jam 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 4 t olive oil, divided 2 t white wine vinegar Italian baguette, sliced 1 small ripe avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled 1/2 lemon Kosher salt Fresh ground pepper Torn fresh basil*
With fingers, pull mozzarella into shreds. Combine mozzarella, apricot jam, and tomatoes in small bowl. Drizzle with 2 t olive oil and vinegar. Toss to coat. Spread bread slices with remaining 2 t olive oil, salt and pepper. Toast bread slices. Smash and spread avocado on toasted bread. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Spoon apricot and tomato mixture over avocado. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with torn basil.*
May also enjoy for brunch. Note: This is also delicious on a bed of butter bibb lettuce. *I was out of fresh basil when I made this, so I substituted fresh mint and it was wonderful!
It’s still strawberry season, so don’t sit under the apple tree; get yourself to the strawberry fields. Then bring the berries home, race to the kitchen, and make this treat to tickle those taste buds. And the crunch factor of the toast just adds a bonus to the mouth feel. Enjoyed by adults and children of all ages. Just sitting back smiling!
4 slices wheat/seed bread* 4 oz fresh goat cheese Pint strawberries, hulled and sliced 3 Tbs maple syrup 2 Tbs olive oil 1/4 t salt 1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350°. On parchment lined baking sheet, toss together strawberries, syrup, olive oil, and salt. Bake, stirring twice, until berries are slightly shrunken and juices are syrupy, about 30 minutes. Let cool slightly. Toast the wheat bread and brush with olive oil. Spread with fresh goat cheese. Top with berries. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Enjoy for breakfast. Or cut into pieces for appetizers.
FYI…a cup of strawberries has more vitamin C than a cup of oranges, and almost as much fiber as brown rice. Leftover berries can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Makes 16 appetizers.
*My favorite wheat and seed breads are made by Food for Life, specifically Genesis and Ezekial.
I met Suzi, by text and chat, through the Pandemic of Love organization. We’ve never seen each other in person, but had an immediate connection. She is, in a word, amazing. She’s a giver, fun, funny, spirited, a warrior, a survivor…she never quits, wouldn’t dare give up, and conquers it all. Here’s Suzi:
I am a Savannah girl who grew up spending summers with my grandparents, aunts and uncles in Lumberton, Fairmont, and Rowland. I am blessed with very good southern cooking DNA. My family lived in different areas of NC when I was growing up, New Bern and Lake Norman were 2 of my favorites. My mother instilled the importance of volunteering in my siblings and me. So, I have spent my life volunteering for a variety of causes and organizations. The Red Cross, Army Family Services, The Brady Campaign & Million Mom March, Junior League, local NPR stations, school and church organizations and more. The two closest to my heart have come into my life in just the last few years. Bethematch.org, because I am a 2 time stem cell transplant patient. I have stage 4 DLBC Lymphoma. I am so very lucky because my 100% match donor was found relatively quickly through the National Registry. Many, especially those of color or mixed race, spend years waiting for a transplant. I am working to register 5000 new donors before reaching my 5th “ReBirthday” June 5, 2023! The second organization is PandemicOfLove.com. This organization started on March 14, 2020 in the beginning of the global Covid Crisis. It was started by a mom in South Florida who saw friends and neighbors suffering as businesses and schools closed. Family incomes evaporated leaving people without food and means to survive. It is a simple formula of Mutual Aid. Those who need help register for assistance with utilities, groceries, diapers, car repairs etc. Those who have enough, register to help out a neighbor in need. I manage the NC chapters of Pandemic of Love. In North Carolina in 13 months we have matched over 1000 people who connect, and neighbors help neighbors. Globally the organization has matched more than a million people. More than 55 million dollars in direct mutual aid has been given. The organization has chapters worldwide and is completely volunteer driven. We have been featured on The Kelly Clarkson Show, ABC, CBS, chosen as a CNN HERO in 2020, and many print and media outlets. Shelly Tygielski, our founder is a Nationally recognized Mindfulness and Meditation leader.
2 cups all purpose flour 1 t baking soda 1/2 t salt 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1 egg 1/2 cup Greek vanilla yogurt 1/2 cup buttermilk 1/3 cup canola oil 1 1/2 t pure vanilla 1 1/2 cup fresh chopped strawberries
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir sugars and egg together, mix well. Add oil, milk, yogurt, vanilla, and stir together thoroughly. Add flour, baking soda and salt; stir to combine-lumpy is ok. Fold in berries to combine. Do not over mix. Pour into parchment lined loaf pan. Bake in center of oven. Test after 45 minutes by inserting a toothpick and see if the bread is cooked through. Every oven is different and honestly every bread and cake are different!
Raise your antenna and begin a slow clap! This is a Southern agenda where flavors comingle. Boom…for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.
1 sheet Phyllo Dough Pastry, thawed overnight in refrigerator 3 Tbs Everything Bagel Seasoning 1 egg beaten 2 Tbs room temperature light vegetable cream cheese 1 cup grated cheddar cheese 1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese 6 oz spicy sausage 1/2 sweet onion, chopped Fresh tomatoes, sautéed 4 poached eggs 1 Tbs honey, for drizzling Chives for garnish
Preheat oven to 400°. Brown sausage and onion together until cooked through. Drain on paper towel. Fold all edges of pastry over 1/2 inch to form rimmed edge. Brush with egg. Sprinkle with seasoning, and press to embed. Spread cream cheese across pastry. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Top the cheese with sausage and onion mixture. Top this with sautéed tomatoes. Bake 12 to 15 minutes until browned. While that’s cooking, poach the eggs. Remove the flatbread, top with eggs, and sprinkle with Gruyere. Bake in oven for 5 more minutes until cheese is melted. Drizzle with honey. Garnish with chives and serve!
*Author’s Note: the don prefers scrambled eggs to poached eggs. So you will notice in one of the photos above that I used poached eggs on one half of the flatbread, and scrambled eggs on the other half. Feel free to mix it up in any manner that you desire!
A word from my kitchen…This is just the perfect little accompaniment for your afternoon tea or appetizer for cocktail hour. In my household, they are loved equally by both children and adults. The children like cheese on all of the twists and bagel spices on only half of the twists. The choice is yours, and it’s always right. The children and I have been making these together for years, because a good recipe never gets old!
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in refrigerator 1 large egg, beaten 2 Tbs everything bagel seasoning 1/4 cup grated Assiago cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough to smooth creases. Cut puff pastry sheet in half crosswise, (I like using a pizza cutter for ease!) on lightly floured surface. Then cut each half into 1″ wide strips. Brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with bagel seasoning and cheese (The children and I made half with bagel seasoning and half with just cheese). Roll with rolling pin to set the ingredients into the pastry. Twist each strip a few times. Place on baking sheet. Bake 18 minutes; rotate baking sheet; bake 4 more minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
Hellodie from the great ENC…I want to introduce the older son of my dear lifelong friend Michѐle. I trust that you will learn more about him as the blog expands and he contributes more often with a more contemporary (read that as younger!) offering. This Friday heads up gives you time to study his recipes for two French Toasts, grab the ingredients, and bake it all up this weekend. Prep it for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner…Home Grown and Orchestrated like a Beautiful Symphony…That’s our Clark! And Now…
In his words: Hey I’m Clark – I’m 23 and live in Washington DC. Food has played an important role throughout my life whether eating out or cooking at home. Now that I have my own kitchen, I’ve been focused on developing new recipes and flavors as I cook to sustain and entertain.
I feel like the potential of French Toast often gets overlooked as an exciting dish because most restaurants don’t offer much variety around it. From my experience, most places that serve French toast don’t do it justice and I think that can be attributed to a few things. For one, assuming it’s a breakfast place, they are probably putting out high volume of orders. Often times this can result in thinner slices and drier toast, understandably due to the need to conserve portions and put out orders quickly. Another reason might be because better restaurants often only serve French toast as a breakfast item, allowing it to get overlooked as a featured dish. Whatever the case may be, I definitely prefer making it at home because you can control all the flavors and variables that go into the dish.
French toast can be so much better if you just take the time to soak the bread enough to yield a soft fluffy result instead of a chewy dry texture. Here are two recipes that can help you step up your French toast and get creative with the flavors.
Cardamom French toast (sweet)
Ingredients: Custard dip Coconut milk – 1-2 cans 2 egg yolks Mirin (can replace with sugar or honey) Cardamom – 1-3 tablespoons Cinnamon – 1 tablespoon Freshly ground nutmeg Vanilla extract – a few drops Coconut extract – a few drops (optional)
Other Loaf of challah or brioche Butter Sliced almonds or other crush nuts Poppy seeds or sesame seeds (optional) Citrus zest (optional) Mint (optional)
Toast: Step 1: Combine all the custard ingredients to until they are mixed well. Adding the miring or sweetener to the custard will help the toast to caramelize when cooking Step 2: Cut bread into 1.5 inch slices (you need thick slices up to 2 in. If you want) Step 3: Soak bread in custard; make sure it gets fully coated on both sides and soaks up the liquid Step 4: (medium to high heat, 5-7) Add a knob of butter to a nonstick pan and let it get hot – the butter should be bubbling before you put the toast in Step 5: Set the toast in the pan and let it sit until the bottom starts to brown and crisp up, then flip and let the same happen to the other side.
Syrup/custard reduction: Take the remaining custard and put it into a small pot on the stove and bring to a simmer. Add in more mirin (or other sweetener) and let it simmer uncovered so it reduces into a thick paste. Add more nutmeg/cardamom to taste. Once the custard is at the desired consistency, turn off the heat and mix in the nuts.
Plate the toast and top with your syrup reduction, citrus zest, poppy seeds and mint (or whatever else you would like)
Garlic & onion French toast (savory)
Ingredients: Savory custard dip Coconut milk – 1-2 cans 2 egg yolks Garlic cloves (a couple) Garlic powder Onion powder Any other herb/spice mixes (thyme, oregano, etc…) Salt
Other Loaf of challah or brioche Onions Zucchini Herb yogurt sauce Butter
Caramelized Topping Step 1: Slice onions and zucchini into thin pieces Step 2: Add sliced onions and zucchini to a sauce pan with some oil and salt to taste Step 3: On medium heat, cover with a lid and let them cook down, stirring once in a while until they caramelize (add a little butter or deglaze if needed) Step 4: (Optional) You can add different flavors to the caramelized onions like curry powder or paprika
Toast: Prep steps: Mince garlic Combine all the custard ingredients and mix well. (Optional but better) Heat custard to a brief simmer to bloom the garlic & herbs, then let cool in the fridge until room temp again
Step 1: Cut bread into 1.5 inch slices (you need thick slices up to 2 in. If you want) Step 2: Soak bread in custard; make sure it gets fully coated on both sides and soaks up the liquid Step 3: (medium to high heat, 5-7) Add a knob of butter to a nonstick pan and let it get hot – the butter should be bubbling before you put the toast in Step 4: Set the toast in the pan and let it sit until the bottom starts to brown and crisp up, then flip and let the same happen to the other side. Step 5: Lay down some type of sauce, plate the toast and top with the caramelized onions and zucchini
Notes: This dish is great paired with a light salad or mixed greens You can use cream too; I just prefer coconut milk In the picture I used leftover beef that I had from lunch but to keep it simple, I just used caramelized onions for the recipe You can customize most of the herbs, seasonings and flavors that go into this to make it your own
We’re just completing this convenience expansion downstairs on our home; and there have been 8+ of the most dedicated gentleman working on the project for months. So Christmas week I baked, and baked, and baked a bit more to show my appreciation. I don’t know about all of you banana bread bakers in this pandemicized world, but I’m a very merry messy baker. And there are images to prove it! However the cakes and loaves all turned out to be bright stars in a dazed and confused time. So give them a whirl to pep up your New Year’s Weekend, and glide sweetly, filled with lemon and rum into 2021.
Have a Helluva Happy New Year’s Weekend and an Even Livelier Entire Year. Vaccines are popping up all over the place…soon we will be hugging and loving on all of our family members and circle of friends! Grab the Lemon Loaf Recipe HERE. And the Rum Cake Recipe HERE. Run and Go Dance into 2021! I send lots of love to my Circle of Family, Circle of Friends, and Friends of this World Wide Web!
And Boy Oh Man do I have a FIRST, and DELIGHTFUL surprise waiting for you next week! Think…Clark, soccer, Shaker Heights, DC entrepreneur, foodie, delightful young gentleman, and lifelong family friend!
PegHardee.com Insight into Southern Cuisine and Hospitality 