What Did You Eat?

WHB: Eggplant and Goat-Cheese Sandwiches with Tomato Tarragon Sauce

As soon as I made this dish, I looked at the end result and thought, "It's a Whoopie Pie!"   As I dearly adore them, this added to the pleasure of eating this dish, so I'll always think of this as eggplant Whoopie Pie.  I enjoyed this recipe, as did my husband. However, he said that it reminded him of a souffle, and he's not crazy about them. So, he liked it, but it wasn't substantial enough for him. I loved it (I like souffles).  This was very quick to make. In fact, have everything ready because once you start cooking, it all goes like the wind. 

The dish has great contrasting tastes of sweet tomato sauce, crunchy panko crust, soft eggplant and creamy goat cheese.  The tomato sauce has the surprise seasoning of tarragon, rather than the expected sweet basil.   It adds a sweet anise flavor that makes the dish distinctive. Of course, you could substitute the basil, but I will always make this with the tarragon.  I offer this wonderful recipe for Weekend Herb Blogging, which was created by the amazing Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.  This week WHB is being hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, Susan at Food Blogga. Go to her excellent site and see the Roundup of herby recipes by bloggers around the world.

WHB: Poblano And Cheddar Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

I love looking at portobello mushrooms. They remind me of the mushrooms from Alice In Wonderland, almost big enough to sit on.  Almost.  And they're a great substitute for meat, delicious grilled and served on a hamburger bun.  But, I love best to stuff them.  This recipe was quite easy to make, but I didn't expect to like the stuffing as much as I did.  It was very good, with a light and savory "green" taste.  I know that may seem odd, but I immediately had that thought as I ate my behemoth fungi. It's a simple recipe made from poblano (or pasilla) peppers, onions, baby spinach, rice, cheddar cheese, and my favorite herb, cilantro. 

Most of us know that some people can't tolerate cilantro.  It has a very special taste, and is hated as much as it's adored.  I'm clearly one of the people adoring it, but if you're a hater, don't feel bad.  It's not your fault.  It's genetic.  Feel free to substitute some other herb if you wish.   Since this recipe does feature the Favorite Herb Winner Of Weekend Herb Blogging, it's perfect for this week's WHB.  As we all know, WHB was created by the marvelous Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen and is being hosted this week by one of my favorite bloggers, Astrid at Paulchen's Food Blog.  She will get lots of help from Othello and Kashim, no doubt. Make yourself some stuffed mushrooms and eat them as you read the Roundup at her site. 

Because I was Triple Dog Dared: Impossible Macaroni & Cheese Pie With Cheetos Topping

If you've ever seen A Christmas Story, you know the heirarchy of dares laid out in the film, with the ultimate throw down being the Triple Dog Dare. Upon receiving that, your reputation is completely destroyed if you back down from this challenge.  In my post for Impossible Spinach Pie, I wrote that I might try making Impossible Mac & Cheese Pie, with Cheetos Topping.   Upon reading that, Butta Buns threw down the gauntlet and uttered that dare of all dares.  With that, there was no choice. My reputation was at stake.  (The fact that I was overdue to have my once a year bag of Cheetos had nothing to do with my decision.)  Foolhardy though it might have been, I forged ahead heedless of the folly that might arise from my decision. I was Triple Dog Dared, so I would make the pie.  See what happens with these food events?  Surely Mimi never dreamed her Biscuit Baking Mix Day would come to this..

Biscuit Baking Mix Day: Impossible Spinach Pie

When I was growing up, a box of Bisquick in my mom's pantry was as normal as salt or sugar. She didn't use it very often as I recall, mainly for pancakes and dumplings.  Eventually, she became involved in the health food movement and never bought Bisquick again, making her own version from scratch and storing it in the freezer.  It's been years since I bought Bisquick.  But, it still seems like an old friend somehow.  When Mimi at French Kitchen In America came up with a Biscuit Baking Mix Day, featuring recipes made with  Bisquick type baking mix, I was hooked.  My friend Nancy just happened to have an official Bisquick cookbook and I was fascinated with the recipes in it.  In particular, I liked the Impossible Pies. I remember when Bisquick commercials on TV featured these pies, and I wondered if they tasted any good. After some consideration--they have an Impossible Macaroni & Cheese Pie that was certainly tempting--I decided on Spinach Pie.  It looked rather pretty and claimed to be only 150 calories per serving. 

Arugula Salad With Maytag Cheese, Pears And Candied Walnuts

Arugula salad again? Well, yes.   I had a large bag of it in my fridge, which needed to be used while still in prime condition.  I also had some candied walnuts made by a local grower.  That reminded me of a recipe from Food & Wine that combined arugula, pears, candied walnuts, and Maytag Cheese.  This is a favorite of mine, and the Food & Wine staff where it was developed.  All the contrasting flavors and textures worked together beautifully, from the sweet pears and walnuts to the salty cheese and bitter greens.   It's flat out delicous. I served it with some leftovers black bean enchiladas, and it made the meal seem almost sophisticated.

Earlier in the day, I stopped by the grocery store and my post of several days ago, detailing my addiction to chips and Cheetos, was on my mind. One part of my mind kept urging me to get some Cheetos, while another part opposed the idea.  Remembering that I've been eating high on the hog lately, I decided to forego Cheetos.  Instead, I told myself to substitute something delicious and healthy, to wipe the image of orange fingers out of my mind.  I wound up buying lovely blackberries and raspberries, to serve as counter programming. They were so far beyond Cheetos, I figured they would wipe any snack food urges out of my mind.  That was my plan.

Cheese Dumplings In Chicken Broth

First it was Bob's bread pudding that I mangled last Friday.  Then today, I tried to make passatelli soup, and that didn't work out.  Passatelli soup contains wonderful, delicate noodles made from parmesan cheese, bread crumbs and eggs.  It's mixed into a dough and then pressed through a food mill, a ricer, or a special passatelli press.  Though I've never made it before, I've enjoyed it in restaurants.  I had all the ingredients, and a ricer, so why not make it?  Plus, I bought turkey necks yesterday, which meant I could make broth for the soup. Since passatelli soup is so simple, the broth is crucial and I did manage to make a good one. But, my attempt at making the little passatelli noodles was a total failure. After several attempts I gave up and made little dumplings with the dough.  They were like little cheesy clouds, so delicate they almost melted in my mouth.  I'm a passatelli failure, but at least it wasn't a replay of the odious bread pudding.

Mac-N-Cheese-Off

When I first read that CookieCrumb over at I'm Mad And I Eat and Kevin at Seriously Good teamed up for a Mac-N- Cheese-Off, I knew I wanted to take part in it.   Like many people, I adore macaroni and cheese. My mom made it frequently, from scratch, when I was growing up.  It was a very rich recipe, using three different cheeses, whole milk, and a white sauce made with lots of butter.  We always had pickled beets with it, which cut some of the richness.  The dark purple of the beets against the pale macaroni always made me very happy, especially when my younger sister was 2 years old.   She would turn her plate upside down on top of her head when she was done eating.  The image of beet juice and pasta streaming down her beaming face is one of my favorite memories.  Antonia always did things her way.  But, as much as I love my mother's recipe, the fat level is too much right now, since we're recovering from stomach flu.  Instead, I decided to make a recipe from Martha Stewart Living.  It has less fat, but there's still enough to make the dish creamy and comforting.   Bob and I only had a taste, but this recipe is a good substitute for my old family favorite.

The Paula Deen Diet

I just returned from a two week vacation and I'm EXHAUSTED.  It's not surprising because I have chronic sleep deprivation even when I'm in my own home.  But throw different time zones and sleeping arrangements into the mix and I'm doomed.  Everyone I visited was lovely to me, but I still found it hard to sleep.  I was so happy to come home and sink into a deep sleep last night.  However, my bird Tee had other ideas. She began screaming at the crack of dawn this morning until I woke up.  Sigh. Only 5 hours of sleep.  Of course, another reason I could be tired is the extra poundage I acquired, all due to the Paula Deen Diet of rapid weight gain though Southern eating. It was fun while it lasted, but now I'm back home and I must make amends to my arteries.

Savory Bread Pudding With Summer Squash And Shallot Salad

This certainly wasn't a traditional Memorial Day meal. We usually have something off the grill, but I felt like eating lighter fare.   And light it was, almost like a savory angel food cake.  I don't kid myself that it was low in calories, as it contained two cups of cheese. But, it did seem much less greasy than strata recipes I've had in the past, which ooze puddles of oil all over your plate.  I used an egg laden white bread in the dish, so it came out light as a cloud. Seriously.  If there wasn't a mushroom layer, it would have surely floated away.  Deborah Madison, who created this dish for the Green's Restaurant in San Francisco, recommends trying different breads. Whole wheat bread will make the pudding crunchy and nutty tasting.  With white bread, the custard makes it swell like a souffle. As a side dish, a salad looks and tastes best with this kind of creamy concoction. So, I made a warm summer squash salad, also from Deborah Madison.  Freshly picked tomatoes would have been even better.

How to eat a Mt Tam cheese

Well, this is how I ate one particular Cowgirl Creamery Mt Tam cheese.  A Christmas present, it waited patiently in my fridge for the moment when we would be united as one.  Finally, three days ago all the stars aligned properly and magic time was at hand.   Even better, I was alone and didn't have to share it with anyone. 

Obviously, I'm a little over the moon about Mt Tam cheese. And happily so.  To begin, I looked at the pretty package, and realized it's been two years since I visited Point Reyes Station, the Northern Exposure style town where the cheese is made.  I'll have to correct that soon.