Crepes

Yesterday, when I got back from class, I had a strong craving for crepes. I also had quite a few potatoes lying around that I wanted to use up. So, naturally, I googled the two items, hoping to find a recipe for savory crepes with a potato filling. I have had great experiences with this technique in the past, and my heart swelled with excitement as I waited to see what google would produce for me. Milliseconds later, however, I had recipe after recipe for "Potato Crepes," but no potato filling in sight. As I read on, I began to come around to the idea of a crepe made entirely out of potato, egg, salt and pepper. I began to think I might give this a whirl. What's wrong with an Idahoian spin on an old French classic?

With the naivete of Little Red Riding Hood, I went ahead and began the dish, blissfully ignorant of the Big Bad Fried Potato Mess of a Wolf that was hiding in my ingredients.

So I washed, peeled, and sliced four whole potatoes, added an egg, some salt and pepper and through it on the skillet.

First of all, whoever thought that little pieces of potato could actually stick together and form a cohesive whole, was an idiot. This, literal "hott mess," looked nothing like a crepe, resembling instead some fake brain mass I would have stuck my hand into at a fourth grade Halloween party. This should have been my first clue that something was off.

After six very long minutes, I began to "flip," the "crepe." Hah. By that, I mean that I began to fling little burned, yet somehow still undercooked sections of shredded potato out of the skillet and all over the kitchen. AWESOME. That was the end of that.

Needless to say, the "Potato Crepe" is a total hoax, completely on par with that Bubble Boy crap, and a lawsuit against the chef, (who I am now calling The Potato Creep),would not be out of the question.

Damn Internet.

One massive burned potato mash later, I collected myself, regained my composure, and began to make the classic savory crepe that I had wanted all along. Realizing that the ingredients to a regular crepe are quite simple and more importantly, normal, I took another stab at it and was quite satisfied with the end results.

Smoked Salmon with Creme Fraiche and Capers Crepe

Papa al Pomodoro with Portabellos

My boyfriend and I made this one day over my fall break when my Oma came over for lunch. Upon seeing the two of us cooking, she promptly commented "Ahh! It iz so nice to see romaahnce in dee kitchen!"

I blushed like a red-headed seventh grader at a boy-girl party with poop on my shoe.

* 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan, plus some for drizzling
* 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 medium to large onion, finely chopped
* 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
* Salt and pepper
* 1 quart chicken stock
* 4 cups, about 1/2 pound, chopped or torn stale bread
* 2 (15-ounce) cans small white beans, such as Goya brand (smaller than cannellini beans)
* 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to pass at table
* 10 fresh basil leaves, torn, optional
*Pesto
*Prosciutto

Directions

Heat a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, garlic and 3/4 of the onion. Cook 7 to 8 minutes, then add tomatoes and crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add stock and raise heat to make the soup bubble. Reduce heat to simmer and add bread and beans. Stir soup as it simmers until it thickens to a stew-like consistency. Turn off heat, adjust seasonings and ladle into shallow bowls. Top with grated cheese, prosciutto, an additional drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil or pesto and a spoonful of reserved finely chopped raw onions. Torn basil is an optional garnish.

Eggs

Holy heart attack! These are incredible. Although not quite a breakfast of champions,(in fact, any activity while this dish is 'gesting in your belly is ill-advised), these eggs are to die for--pun intended! Served up in a way that would make Julia's morning, this breakfast is cheesy, creamy, and buttery. These eggs are scrambled, but the trick to this delectable faux-French dish in in the texture. Be sure to resist the urge to overcook, keeping them soft-set and delish!

Scrambled Eggs

• Servings: 2
• 3 large fresh organic eggs
• 3 tb sweet butter
• 2 tb half and half
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• 2 tb pecorino romano, freshly grated
• 2 small sprigs basil
DIRECTIONS
1. In a small heavy bottom skillet, over medium-low flame, heat 1 ½ tb sweet butter until just golden brown (hazelnut looking)

2. Crack the eggs directly into the skillet and pour in 1 tb of half and half and add the ½ tsp kosher salt. If they break, don't worry, we're scrambling!

3. As the eggs cook scramble them gently with a fork. After a minute, grate the cheese directly into the skillet.

4. When the eggs are almost done, add the rest of the half and half and butter. This drops the temperature and prevents from over cooking and makes it silky smooth.

5. Mix everything together gently with the fork. Grate Remove the eggs from the pan piling them in a fluffy pile in the middle of a warm plate. Garnish with very small sprigs of basil and serve immediately.


6. Serve with your favorite morning drink, in a ridiculous mug that you just can't bear to toss.

Chili

To me, chili is synonymous with away football games in the fall. In fact, this chili is not unlike a life-saver. On these "football Saturdays," my mother and I often wouldn't see my brothers and dad for hours on end. Aside from the occasional scream, whoop, or holler that would emerge from the basement, we could have been on the moon and not known a difference. If it weren't for hourly chili refills, I probably would remember my male family members in little bits and pieces, like soldiers who are constantly leaving for war, or an uncle that stops by only when out of money or jail, and is never to be seen again for the next five years. A tad dramatic, I know, but I'm telling you, the spirit of "Football Season" overcomes these men like the Holy Spirit at a fundamentalist convention. Praise the Lawd!

Chili

Equal parts canned beans and canned diced tomatoes (usually 3 each). I like to use all different types of beans like butter, red, black and chili beans, to give the soup some variation and color. Sometimes, in a rather Jessica Seinfeld-esque way, I will even puree some beans and mix it in with the tomatoes for a thicker soup.

1 package lean ground turkey
1 Chili Seasoning packet
sour cream (optional)
shredded cheese of your choice (optional)
shredded coconut (optional)
tortilla chips (optional)

In a skillet, cook turkey over medium-high heat. While "browning," (the leaner the turkey, the lighter it will remain), combine beans, tomatoes, and seasoning packet in large pot and bring to a simmer.

When turkey is fully cooked, add it to the pot of soup. Add the rest of the ingredients to taste. It is insanely easy!

Gyros with Tzatziki

This meal was, as Sandra Lee would say, "Semi-Homemade." Not all that appetizing, but I like this gal's pluck and shiny outlook on things, despite the fact that she has come to grips with the notion that she really won't ever have the time or energy to make something from scratch. As a college student, I have the luxury of being able to say that "Time is on my side," like some crooner on a soft-rock radio station, and I don't always have time. So I'ma throw that lady a bone, and say, "I hear ya, Blondie, and I appreciate your sense of reality."

Okay, so by "semi," I meant just one ingredient was home-made. And get this Martha, it was only a sauce, a sauce that merely required some folding in of ingredients. What it lacks in complexity, though, it makes up for in taste. I give you Tzatziki:

(This recipe comes from the Greek cooking class I took when I studied in Athens. Stavros, my Athenian teacher, gave it to me. If you knew Stavros, you would know that he would want this recipe barked aloud, in a heavy Greek accent with a heaping dose of agitation.)

TZATZIKI DIP

INGREDIENTS FOR 1 ½ KILO

STRAINED YOGHURT 750gr

CUCUMBERS 800gr

GARLIC 5 cloves

FRESH MINT 1 bunch

FRESH DILL 1 bunch

OLIVE OIL ½ tea cup

WINE VINEGAR 2 table spoons

SALT ¾ of a tea spoon

PEPPER ¼ of a tea spoon

OUZO 2 table spoons

METHOD

First we pass the cucumbers from the grater and leave them for an hour in the strainer.

We make sure that all the juices have gone.

Then we chop the mint the dill and the garlic very fine and we mix them together with the yogurt and the cucumber. Now we add the salt-pepper-oil-vinegar and ouzo and mix again until make sure that is ready. We cover the bowl and keep it in the refrigerator. We can serve it with vegetable sticks and pitta bread.

I put mine on warmed pita with falafel from a box--surprisingly good.

Alright, I know I have put you and all of the rest of the real Foodies through a whirl wind of food related debaucheries today, but I'm about to slam you with the ultimate in Foodie crimes.

The Sultan of Sick.

The College Cliche.

I PUT THIS ON RAMEN NOODLES!!! Bwaahahahahahaaa! I know, I know, I should be balls deep in embarrassment right now, but to Hell with it, I am a college student after all...

Apple Pie

I got this recipe when researching another related ingredient/product for class. Nothing like productivity!

1 ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (1/2 of 15-oz. pkg.)
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3 red and/or green apples (1-1/4 lb.), thinly sliced
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon sugar
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
Make It!
HEAT oven to 450ºF.

LINE 9-inch pie plate with crust. Carefully spread cream cheese into 6-inch circle in center.

TOSS apples with granulated sugar and flour; spoon over cream cheese.

FOLD crust partially over apples; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake 25 min., covering loosely with foil the last 5 min. Cool. Serve topped with COOL WHIP. Refrigerate leftovers.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This soup, from The Greasy Skillet, was surprisingly delicious, despite its humble name and ingredients. This could be one of my favorite meals to date! I paired this soup with a freshly baked loaf of Asiago Cheese bread.
4 tablespoons of butter.
3-4 carrots shredded
3-4 ribs of celery diced
a 16 oz. bag of frozen chopped broccoli. I've also used a 10 and 12 oz. bag, depending what I find in the store.
1 cup of diced onion
3 cans of chicken broth
3 cans of cream of potato soup
1 lb. of Velveeta diced
8 ounces of sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot. Saute the celery, carrots, onion, and broccoli for 10-15 minutes.
Pour in the chicken broth and cream of potato soup.
Allow the soup to simmer for 30 minutes.
Add the Velveeta and stir until it's melted.
Right before serving add the sour cream and stir until it's blended with the soup.

Serve the soup with some nice crusty bread

Sweet Potato Rosti and Butternut Squash Pear Soup

Autumn is definitely in full swing. Leather jackets, boots, and plaid flannels are finally back! For no explained reason,other than the general magical transformations that come with the changing of the seasons, Saturday football and Thursday night television are all of the sudden important parts in my weekly routine. To fully immerse myself in the wonders of the season, I have been cooking hearty meals with ingredients from someones farm or patch or something. YUMZ.

Sweet Potato Rosti 750g Sweet potatoes, peeled and grated Olive oil, for frying 1 Small onion, finely chopped 1 Clove of garlic, finely chopped 200g Goats cheese (or any other – stilton also works well 2 Small eggs, beaten Salt and ground black pepper

1. Squeeze the liquid out of the grated potato and place into a bowl.
2. Lightly fry the onion and garlic in the oil, until they have softened and turned a golden colour. Add to the potato.
3. Add the eggs and half the cheese to the potato mix and season as required.
4. Divide the mixture into six, and mould into cakes with your hands.
5. Place the cakes onto a greased baking tray, and drizzle each with a little olive oil.
6. Bake in the oven at 210 degrees C for 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.
7. Remove from the oven and scatter the remaining cheese on top. Brown for 5 minutes under the grill, and serve immediately

While cooking tonight, I had this song stuck in my head:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M11SvDtPBhA

I know. Embarrassing.
Peel and chop pears.

"My tummy's turnin' and I'm feelin' kinda homesick. Too much pressure and I'm nervous, and the taxi man turned on the radio and a Jay-Z song was on, and a Jay-Z song was on, and a Jay-Z song was on..."

Incredible lyrics, I know.

In a 4-quart saucepan melt the

butter over medium-high heat, and add and sweat the onions. Add squash and pears and sweat those too a bit.

"So I put my hands up, they're playin' my song, and the butterflies fly away, noddin' my head like yeah, movin' my hips like yeah, and I know I'm gonna be okay..."

Pour in the stock, enough to submerge solids. Add sprig of rosemary and bring to a simmer and cook until squash is fork tender about 15 to 18 minutes.

"Yeah, it's a party in the USA, it's a party in the USA..."

Remove rosemary. Puree with immersion blender. Add a touch of cream and season, to taste.

"It's when the DJ played my favorite jam and a Britney song was on... So I put my hands up, they're playin' my song..."

Enjoy.

"It's a party in the USA..."

No matter how much you hate to admit it, the girl's got pipes. Plus, I'm glad somebody's partying, I've about had it with all of this economic talk. Lets just party in the USA...