Zucchini, Herb, and Roasted Tomato Frittata

 

I have more zucchini in my garden than I can deal with. I felt like trying something different than my usual zucchini breads and muffins.  It was a bit time-consuming to make, but the end result was worth it. I threw in a bunch of herbs from my garden.  It turned out better than expected and I enjoyed the taste, despite it being very veggie-forward.  

Zucchini, Herb, and Roasted Tomato Frittata  

Makes 6-8 servings

Roasted Tomato Ingredients:

1/2-1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 cloves garlic

1-2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves (from 2 sprigs)

drizzle olive oil

salt and pepper

Frittata Ingredients:

8 large eggs

1/4 cup milk or half and half

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (plus extra for garnish)

~1-2 teaspoons fresh oregano leaves

~1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

~1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

~1-2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tablespoon butter

1/2 tablespoon oil

1 zucchini, sliced

1 shallot, minced

Directions:

On a foil-lined baking pan, drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and garlic.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano leaves.  Roast at 400º for 15 minutes.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, herbs, and salt and pepper.

In a 9 or 10-inch oven-proof skillet (I used my cast iron skillet) over medium-high heat, melt the butter and oil.  Add the zucchini and shallot and a dash of salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes.  Pour the egg mixture over the zucchini.  Arrange the roasted tomatoes on top. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for about 10-15 minutes until the sides are set but slightly runny on top.  Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake at 400º for 10-15 minutes until the center is cooked through.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese if desired. Cut into wedges.

Poached Egg on Spiralized Parsnip Patties

I love Eggs Benedict, so when I saw this recipe, I decided to give it a whirl.  The parsnip cakes were a surprisingly decent substitute for English muffins.  The original recipe also called for an Avocado "Hollandaise" sauce, but my avocados weren't ripe enough.  I tried to force it, and it was a disaster, so I kept that off the plate.  I put a couple leftover parsnip cakes in the fridge, so maybe I can try again in a couple days and add the avocado sauce.  But really, it was fine without the sauce because the runny egg yolk provided a sauce itself.  The recipe took work, but it was delicious and worth it.

Eggs Benedict on Parsnip Cakes with Avocado "Hollandaise"
Recipe from Inspiralized and Beyond
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large parsnips, peeled, and spiralized into noodles
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 large eggs
dash of distilled white vinegar

Avocado Sauce:
1/2 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup hot water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and add the parsnip noodles, salt, and pepper.  Cook, tossing, for about 5 minutes until warmed through.    In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs.  Add the cooked parsnip noodles to the bowl and toss to combine.  Fill two (or more) ramekins halfway with the mixture.  Cover each with foil or wax paper and press firmly to compress.  If time permits, put in the fridge for 10  minutes.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil.  Flip the parsnip cakes out of the ramekins onto the skillet.  Cook for about 3 minutes on the first side.  Flip and cook another 2 or 3 minutes, pressing down with the spatula to compress the cakes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot halfway with water and bring to a steady simmer.  Add the vinegar.  Crack each egg into its own ramekin or small bowl.  Swirl the water with a spoon to make a whirpool, then gently tip in 1 egg, white first.  Cook for 3 minutes until medium-firm, remove with a slotted spoon, and place gently on a paper towel-lined place to drain.  Repeat for other egg.

To make the sauce,  combine all the ingredients in a blender or mixer and puree until smooth.

Arrange 1 parsnip cake on a plate, top with a poached egg, the drizzle with the avocado sauce.

Cloud Bread

I've been trying to reduce the amount of sugar and bread carbs I eat in a day (which was a LOT), so I decided to try out this recipe for "Cloud Bread" which just has eggs and cream cheese, and a mere 36 calories per cloud.  The recipe turned out better than I thought it would.  The size of each is similar to a McDonald's hamburger bun.  I used 2 clouds as a bun for a turkey sandwich and although it didn't taste like bread, it was still good and satisfied my need for a sandwich.  They're soft, but still held their shape while I ate the sandwich.  Later, I was craving dessert, so I also tried one piece with some mashed raspberries and some whipped cream, and that was absolutely delicious--reminded me of Schaum Torte somewhat with that meringue-like interior.   I'll make this again, and perhaps add some herbs to the recipe next time. Perhaps I'll experiment with Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese to lower the fat content a bit.

Cloud Bread
Makes 10-12 clouds
36-43 calories/cloud   (0 carbs, 3.7g protein, 2.8g fat)

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened (or cottage cheese)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon honey (or 1 packet artificial sweetener)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 300º.

Carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks into two separate bowls.

In the bowl with the egg whites, add cream of tartar and beat on high speed until they are fluffy and form nice peaks.

In the yolk bowl, add the cream cheese and honey, and mix until smooth.

Fold the yolk mixture into the egg whites just until mixed, being careful not to deflate the whites too much.

Spray two cookie sheets with cooking spray, or use a Silpat mat.  Spoon the mixture into 10-12 even rounds on the sheets (about the size of a McDonald's bun), about 3/4" high and 4-5 inches wide.

Bake at 300º for 20-30 minutes (depending on your oven) until golden brown. Mine took only 20 minutes.   Cool on a rack until completely cool.  While still warm, they will be crumbly like meringue, but once they cool, they set up nicely.  Store in a ziplock or storage container in the fridge.  May also freeze.

Emerald Eggs and Smoked Salmon Appetizers

For St. Patrick's Day, I brought a couple appetizers to our work party.  They were okay.

Emerald Eggs
Recipe from Food Network Channel

Ingredients:
12 eggs
2 cups watercress leaves
1/2 cup mayo or miracle whip
4 tablespoons scallions
4 tablespoons tarragon
pinch salt and pepper
8 slices ham, cut into thin strips

Directions:
Hard-boil the eggs, then peel and slice in half.   Scoop the yolks into a food processor and puree with the watercress, mayo, scallions, tarragon, salt, and pepper.   Place the ham strips in the the hollowed-out egg whites and fill with the yolk mixture.

*****

Smoked Salmon Appetizer


Ingredients:
6-8 oz of thinly sliced smoked salmon
12 slices rye cocktail bread
1 cucumber
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon dill weed
4-5 drops bottled hot pepper sauce
fresh dill sprig

Directions:
Beat together the cream cheese, milk, lemon juice, dill weed, and hot pepper sauce.

Spread the cream cheese on rye bread (or directly on cucumber), layer with cucumber, smoked salmon, and fresh dill.

Bacon & Eggs over Asparagus

Breakfast of leftover ingredients that I had to either use up or throw out.  I liked it, but it made a mess in the baking sheet.  I would suggest using foil in the pan so that you don't wreck your pan.   Also, one of my egg yolks broke when I tried to center it on the asparagus which made me sad.  Points off for presentation.

Bacon & Eggs over Asparagus
from Light & Delish Magazine
235 calories/serving

Ingredients per serving:
2 slices bacon
6-8 asparagus spears
fresh chopped thyme leaves
salt
pepper
2 large eggs
chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425º.  Arrange bacon on a rimmed baking sheet and roast about 8 minutes until browned and crisp.  Transfer bacon strips to a paper towel; set aside.  Drain and discard excess bacon fat, leaving just a thin film of fat.

Add the asparagus to the pan and roll in the bacon fat. Arrange in a tight single layer.  Sprinkle thyme leaves and ground black pepper on asparagus.  Roast about 8 minutes until asparagus are tender.

Carefully crack eggs, without breaking yolks, directly onto the asparagus spears.  Carefully return to oven and roast 5-6 minutes until whites are just set.  Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and parsley.  To serve, use a wide spatula to transfer to a plate and add the bacon.

Beet and Beet Green Gratin

Here's another recipe using veggies I picked up at the Farmer's Market.  I got it in my head that I wanted to make a beet recipe, and I saw this one in the online version of New York Times and thought the picture looked pretty, so I gave it a try.  My creation didn't look like theirs (see link), but it still tasted pretty good.  I used both red and golden beets.

Beet and Beet Green Gratin
Serves 6
167 calories/serving

Ingredients:
2 bunches (6-8) beets (~2 lbs), preferably one red and one golden, with greens
salt to taste
3 eggs
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup chopped chives
2 ounced Gruyere cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Slice off the beet greens about an inch from the beet, scrub beets cleans, wrap each beet loosely in foil, transfer to a baking sheet, and roast in the oven at 400º for about 50-60 minutes until easily pierced with fork.  Remove and let beets cool enough to handle.  Hold one beet with a paper towel and use the edge of the paper to rub the skin away. Repeat with remaining beets.  Slice thin.

Remove stems and wash the beet greens.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, fill another bowl with ice water.  When the pot of water comes to a boil, blanch the greens in the boiling water for about one minute.  Transfer to the ice water, then drain and squeeze out the water.  Chop coarsely.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet and add the garlic.  Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring until fragrant.  Stir in the greens.  Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.

Preheat the oven to 375º.  Beat together the eggs, salt, pepper, milk, chives, and cheese.  Gently stir in the beets and greens.  Scrape into a 2-quart casserole dish.  Bake 35-40 minutes until set and lightly browned on top.  Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.  Serve hot, warm, or room temperature.  Leftovers keep for 4-5 days.

Cheese Soufflé

I've been wanting to tackle the classic cheese soufflé for a long time, so I turned to Ms Julia Child for instructions.   Her instructions are a bit long-winded, but I got good results.  I was proud as a peacock when my soufflés puffed up a few inches above the rim.  I didn't own a large Charlotte mold as the recipe wanted, so I just used smaller-sized regular ol' American Pyrex ramekins.  The soufflé tasted good, but next time, I think I'd add spinach to it for something extra.  I'm going to repeat the recipe here in my own more concise format the way I made it.

Soufflé au Fromage  (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
from Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon butter
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup boiling milk
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of Cayenne pepper
4 egg yolks
5 egg whites
2 pinches salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese


Directions (in my own words):
Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Butter the bottom and sides of four 10-12oz ramekins. Dust with Parmesan cheese, tapping out excess.  Set on a baking sheet and set aside.

Boil milk.  Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in flour with a wooden spoon and cook until they foam together for a couple minutes without browning.  Remove from the heat; when it stops bubbling, pour in all the boiling milk at once.  Beat vigorously with a wire whisk until blended.  Beat in the seasonings.  Return to medium heat and boil, whisking the mixture for a minute.  Sauce should be very thick.  Remove from the heat.

Separate the eggs.  Drop the yolks into the sauce, whisking well after each addition.  Add more seasoning if necessary.  

Put the whites in a separate bowl.  (Discard the extra yolk from the 5th egg).  If using an electric mixer, beat with a pinch of salt on low speed, gradually increasing speed.  When the whites start to foam, add another big pinch of salt and the cream of tartar, and keep increasing speed for another minute or so until whites are shining and stiff.  Do not overbeat the whites.

Stir a big spoonful of the whites into the sauce.  Stir in all but a tablespoon of the Gruyère Cheese.  Delicately fold in the rest of the whites with a rubber spatula, being careful not to overfold.  It should only take a few strokes.  It is better to leave a few unblended patches than to deflate the egg whites.

Transfer the mixture evenly into the ramkins, about 3/4 full.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  Set on a rack in the middle level of 400º oven and immediately turn the heat down to 375º.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until soufflé is puffed and top is nicely browned.  Do not open oven while baking.  Serve immediately.

BLT Frittata

Hello, 2013!   For my first recipe of the new year, I decided to make something that would utilize my new oven-safe skillet.  A frittata sounded like the perfect answer.  I started with a basic tomato and cheese frittata recipe from the How to Cook Everything cookbook, and then I added an Anne twist by making it a BLT Frittata, adding spinach and bacon to the mixture.  It was quite yummy.  But isn't everything with bacon yummy?!

Anne's BLT Frittata   (2013 Cookbook Challenge)
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:
6 thick bacon slices
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 cup diced tomato
1&1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach
8 eggs
salt
pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Cook the bacon and let dry on paper towels.  Crumble into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

Put the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.  When hot, add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the tomato and spinach and turn the heat to low, stirring and cooking another few minutes until the pan is almost dry.  Add bacon and stir.

Whisk the eggs with some salt and pepper.  Pour the eggs over the tomato mixture, using a spoon to evenly distribute the vegetables if necessary.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top and cook, undisturbed, until the eggs are barely set, about 5-10  minutes.  Transfer skillet to a preheated 350º oven, and finish cooking eggs for a few minutes (or under the broiler) until set, being careful not to over-cook eggs. 

Picnic Pleasers: Fruit Salad and Deviled Eggs

This isn't part of my recipe challenge, but I made a couple food items for a family cookout and thought I'd share the very easy recipes.  The fruit salad was especially good.

Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
1 (29 oz) can peach slices in lite syrup, undrained
1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice, undrained
1 small box vanilla fat free instant pudding mix (dry)
1 pound strawberries, stemmed and quartered
1/2 pint blueberries
1/2 bunch grapes (any color)
2-3 sliced bananas or other fruit(optional)

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix and half of the pineapple and peach juices.  Mix until pudding is dissolved.  Discard the remaining juice. Add the fruit to the bowl and stir to combine until the fruit is coated with the pudding mixture.  Chill before serving.  Makes enough for a large crowd (12-15 servings).

********

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

3 tablespoons light Miracle Whip

1/2 teaspoon dry ground mustard

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

paprika to sprinkle

Directions:

Cut eggs lengthwise in half.  Slip out yolks and mash with fork.  Stir in mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and pepper.  Fill whites with yolk mixture.  Sprinkle with paprika.  Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.

Anne's Rainbow Chard and Gruyère Quiche (2012 - Week 4)

 2012 Week 4 Mystery Ingredient: Chard

Chard, also known as Swiss Chard, is a leafy green vegetable. The leaves are always green, but the stalks differ in color, giving names to the variations (like Red Chard or Rainbow Chard).  My grocery store happened to have Rainbow Chard in stock on the day I went, so that's what I got.

I decided to make a quiche this week, so I began an internet search looking for the best quiche recipe.  I looked at six different highly-rated recipes, and I couldn't believe the variations between them.  For the same 9" quiche, the quantity of eggs varied from 3 to 10, cheese from 1/2 cup to 2&1/2 cups, cream/milk from 1 cup to 4 cups.  Crazy!!  So I made my own special quiche recipe instead.  And I have to brag a little... it turned out spectacularly.  DELICIOUS!   The flavor of the chard and bacon and Gruyère blended together perfectly in the egg mixture.  Here's my special original recipe:

Anne's Rainbow Chard and Gruyère Quiche

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz bacon, diced
1 bunch Swiss Chard, any variety (I had 5 ribs in my bunch of Rainbow Chard)
~3/4 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (I just threw in a large handful)
6 eggs
1 cup Crème fraîche (If you can't find it, substitute 1:1 heavy whipping cream and sour cream)
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
pinch salt
pinch freshly ground black pepper
9" deep-dish pie crust (buy or make your own.. make sure it's deep dish!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375º.

Heat oil in large saute pan and cook shallots until soft.  Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.  Transfer to a large bowl.  In the same pan, fry bacon until the fat is rendered.  When fully cooked, transfer bacon to a paper towel to remove excess grease, then move to the same bowl as the shallots and garlic, but leave the fat drippings in the pan.

Strip chard leaves from their ribs (see my photo).  You can do this easily by pushing up on the leaves while holding the bottom end of the rib.   Chop the ribs small and shred the leaves.

 Fry the chard rib pieces in the bacon fat until tender.  Covering the pan will help speed up this process.  Add the shredded chard leaves, cover pan, and wilt leaves for about 3 minutes.  Add all the chard to the bowl with the shallots and bacon, add the shredded cheese, and stir to combine.

Beat eggs together with the crème fraîche until frothy and season with thyme, salt, and pepper.

Fill the pie shell with the chard mixture and pour the egg mixture over the top.

Bake at 375º for about 35-40 minutes until set throughout.   Remove from oven and let sit for a little while.  Serve at room temperature.    (Note: To reheat leftovers, cover with foil and bake for ~15 min at 300º F.... or just microwave for a minute).

Breakfast Veggie Casserole

Breakfast Veggie Casserole

Another healthy breakfast recipe.  It was good.

Breakfast Veggie Casserole adapted from a Weight Watchers recipe

Makes 2 servings

~170 calories/serving, 3 WW points

Ingredients:

2 sprays cooking spray

3 tablespoons red onion, diced

3 tablespoons zucchini, diced

3 tablespoons sweet red pepper, diced

1 tablespoon green pepper, diced

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat two oven-safe, 8-ounce ramekins (3 1/2-inches in diameter) with cooking spray. Lightly coat a medium sauté pan with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, red pepper and zucchini to pan; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften and onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Promptly remove from heat; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, egg whites, salt and pepper until well combined; stir in cooked vegetables and cheese. Pour equal amounts of egg-vegetable mixture into each ramekin. Bake, uncovered, until a knife inserted into center of a ramekin comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove promptly from oven; let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Yields 1 ramekin per serving.

Ninth Day of Christmas

Anne's 12 Days of Christmas Recipes

 On the ninth day of Christmas, for myself, I cooked...

~ Nine Ladies Dancing ~

 Anne presents...

Eggs Flamenco,
Ladyfingers doing the Salsa,
& Tennessee Waltz Drink

  

When I first began conceptualizing Nine Ladies Dancing, I knew I wanted to do something relating to dance, salsa being the first and most obvious thought.  I started mentally thinking about other dance types, and I considered doing a play on meringue/merengue, but when I typed "flamenco recipe" into google...viola!  Eggs Flamenco, or Huevos Flamencos, is a very old and traditional Spanish dish.  Perfect!  I stayed very true to the recipe and it tasted great.  Not too spicy.  You can't tell from the picture, but the entire underside of the egg and chorizo slices was all vegetable-based.  I then made homemade ladyfingers and made a fruit salsa to pair with it using strawberries, raspberries, and kiwi fruit.  My ladyfingers turned out quite nicely!  And lastly, I found the Tennessee Waltz Drink, which was perfect because I still had some Peach Schnapps left from my Muppet party.  It was yummy.

Anne's Fun Facts:

Cost of 9 Ladies Dancing (2010 Christmas Price Index) =$6,273.00 

(The most expensive item in 2010.  Must be high-quality dancers.) 

Flamenco is a style of music and dance that originated in regions of southern Spain, perhaps in the late 18th century or earlier. The flamenco dance is known for its emotional intensity, expressive use of the arms, and rhythmic stamping of the feet.  It is characterized by a proud, upright carriage - for the women, the back is often held in a marked back bend. 

Salsa is a syncretic dance form with origins in Cuba in the 1920's as the original American meeting point of European and African cultures. The current method of Salsa dancing contains movement elements from a variety of dance genres including traditional  mambo, guaguanco, swing, and hustle. 

The Waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in 3/4 time, performed primarily in closed position.  "The Tennessee Waltz" is a country music song.  It was first recorded by Cowboy Copas in 1947 then later popularized by Patti Page and by Les Paul and Mary Ford in 1950.  The popularity of this song also made it the fourth official song of the state of Tennessee in 1965.

********************

Recipes:

Eggs Flamenco

2 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

4-5 oz Spanish chorizo sausage (2 links), sliced 1/2"-thick

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 garlic cloved, minced

1/2 red pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 green pepper, seeded and diced

1/2 can (4 oz) tomato sauce

1 tablespoon Spanish sweet smoked paprika

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2-4 large eggs

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Directions:

 Heat oil in a large skillet and fry the sausage.  Remove sausage and set aside.   In the same pan, saute the onions, garlic, and peppers.  Add the tomato sauce, paprika, and sherry; simmer and let reduce.

Divide the tomato-pepper mixture between two cazuelas or two 6" diameter flat clay or ceramic oven-proof dishes.  Arrange the pieces of chorizo on top.  Break one or two eggs on top of each dish.  Bake in 350º oven about 10-15 minutes or so, until egg whites are cooked.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parmesan and chives.

****************

Ladyfingers with Fruit Salsa

Makes ~24 ladyfingers;  25 calories each (without salsa)

Ingredients:

2 eggs, separated

1/3 cup white granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Fruit salsa:
strawberries, raspberries, kiwi, orange juice, combined in food processor

Directions:

Place egg whites in bowl and beat on high until soft peaks start to form.  Slowly add 2 tablespoons of the sugar and continue beating until stiff and glossy.  In another bowl, beat egg yolks, almond extract, and remaining sugar.  Whip until thick and very pale in color.  Fold half the egg whites unto the egg yolk mixture.  Sift flour and baking powder together and fold into yolk-white mixture.  Fold in the remaining egg whites.  Transfer mixture to a pastry bag and pipe out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheets.  Bake at 400º for 8 minutes.   Serve with fruit salsa if desired.

*****************

Tennessee Waltz Drink

Ingredients:
2 oz. Pineapple Juice
4 oz. Vanilla Ice Cream
1 &1/4 oz. Peach Schnapps
1 oz. Passion Fruit Juice
Whipped cream (optional)
Strawberry (optional)

Directions: 

Blend ingredients until smooth, pour into parfait glass, and garnish with whipped cream and a strawberry.

**************************************

Anne's 12 Days of Christmas Recipes  
(I will be posting one per day from Dec 26 thru Jan 6th, 2010).  Feel free to comment!

1st Day: Partridge in Pear Tree             7th Day: Seven Swans a-Swimming
2nd Day: Two Turtledoves                    8th Day: Eight Maids a-Milking
3rd Day: Three French Hens                 9th Day: Nine Ladies Dancing
4th Day: Four Calling Birds                  10th Day: Ten Lords a-Leaping
5th Day: Five Gold Rings                     11th Day: Eleven Pipers Piping
6th Day: Six Geese a-Laying                12th Day: Twelve Drummers Drumming

Sixth Day of Christmas

 Anne's 12 Days of Christmas Recipes

 On the sixth day of Christmas, for myself, I cooked...

~ Six Geese a Laying ~

 Anne presents...

Gooseberry-Raspberry Tartlets
and
Laying an Egg on Brussels Sprouts Hash

Yay!  Breakfast!  I stole the brussels sprouts hash idea from another website.  I saw that the grocery store actually had a goose in the meat department, but it was huge, and I knew I wouldn't be able to eat all that meat.  So I decided to go with the "laying" of eggs.  It looked like a healthy and hearty brunch.  I actually made it on two different occasions.  The first time I made it, I didn't dice the sprouts and potatoes small enough, and the picture looked strange.  So I re-made it the other day, threw in some extra seasoning, and I had a much better-looking and better-tasting hash.  I also wanted to do something with gooseberries since I wasn't cooking a goose, and I somehow concocted this recipe in my head to get this little delectable bite.  It was sooo good! It would have looked nicer if I had used phyllo tart shells, but making my own cups from phyllo sheets in a muffin tin worked too.

Anne's Fun Facts:

Cost of 6 Geese a Laying (2010 Christmas Price Index) = $150

Did You Know...??  By flying in a V formation, geese increase their flying range by at least 71% due to the uplift from the bird directly in front of them.  When the head goose gets tired, it rotates to the back.  Geese in the back honk to tell those in the front to keep up their speed (Haha, kind of like humans.  I hate getting behind a slow driver!)

"Your goose is cooked"- The first time this phrase appeared in writing was a song published in England in 1851.  The song refers to the author's feelings about the Pope's appointment of Cardinal Wiseman as Archbishop of Westminster:

If they come here we'll cook their goose,
The Pope and Cardinal Wiseman.

How did the phase "your goose is cooked" come to mean you're in deep trouble?

Nobody knows for sure.  Here are a couple conjectures:

1) Inhabitants of a besieged town in the sixteenth century hung out a goose to show their attackers they were not starving. This act so enraged the attackers that they set fire to the town and thus cooked the goose.

2) It comes from the fable about the goose that laid the golden eggs, which, when the farmer killed it to obtain the gold inside, left him with nothing but a goose to cook.

******

Recipes:

Brussels Sprouts Hash with Egg
(Serves 2)

Ingredients:
(Note: These measurements are approximate... I just threw things in the skillet)
5-6 small red potatoes, diced

1/4 cup onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
olive oil
1/2 pound brussels sprouts, de-stemmed and quartered (or cut smaller)
1/2 cup chicken stock
seasoned salt
thyme
parsley
ground black pepper
salt
2 large eggs

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the potatoes, garlic, and onions and cook until the potatoes have started to brown.  Add the brussels sprouts, chicken stock, and seasonings.  Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes until liquid has evaporated and vegetables are tender.  Add more seasoning to taste if necessary.  Cook two eggs as desired and serve on top of the hash.

******

Gooseberry-Raspberry Tartlet

Ingredients:
(Sorry, I have no exact measurements.  I haphazardly threw this recipe together and it happened to work.  Amazing!)

Phyllo tart shells
raspberries
gooseberries
lemon juice
water
sugar
milk
cornstarch
whipping cream
powdered sugar


Directions:
Wash gooseberries and raspberries.  Cook gently in a covered saucepan with a teaspoon or so of granulated sugar and a little lemon juice and a little water until berries are soft.  Drain.

In a small bowl, blend a little milk and cornstarch.  In a small pot, boil some milk, whipping cream, and powdered sugar. Slowly stir the hot milk mixture into the cornstarch mixture.  Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring until thick.  Cool, stirring often.

Bake phyllo shells as directed on package and let cool.  Fill with cream mixture and top with berry mixture.

***************************************************

Anne's 12 Days of Christmas Recipes  
(I will be posting one per day from Dec 26 thru Jan 6th, 2010).  Feel free to comment!

1st Day: Partridge in Pear Tree             7th Day: Seven Swans a-Swimming
2nd Day: Two Turtledoves                    8th Day: Eight Maids a-Milking
3rd Day: Three French Hens                 9th Day: Nine Ladies Dancing
4th Day: Four Calling Birds                  10th Day: Ten Lords a-Leaping
5th Day: Five Gold Rings                     11th Day: Eleven Pipers Piping
6th Day: Six Geese a-Laying                12th Day: Twelve Drummers Drumming