Egg Salad Sandwich for One

Egg Salad is either one of those love-it or hate-it foods. For those of us in the love-it camp, there is also an element of craving it.  I don't want an egg salad sandwich every day or even every week, but once in a while, a very good egg salad sandwich is really sublime.  I often find those times to be when I am home alone with the afternoon stretching out before me.  I indulge in the process of making the sandwich exactly to my liking and then enjoying it on my own.  It is very easy to make in small or large quantities, but since I can't imagine that it keeps well, it is a great thing to make for one.  Cooking and eating just for yourself is one of those simple pleasures in life, so feel free to substitute anything you like: relish, whole grain mustard, chopped pickles.  Go nuts.  Not caring for any one's preferences but your own is not how most of us live our lives, but for just one afternoon, with this sandwich, we can!

Egg Salad Sandwich for One
Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 green onions
1 Tbs. mayo
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
celery seeds
salt and pepper
bread and arugula (for making the sandwich)

1.  My trick for hard boiled eggs (that I've taken from Nigella) is to put the eggs in a pot of cold water and bring the water to a boil over high heat.  Let boil for 1 minute and turn off the heat.  Let the eggs sit in the hot water for 5 minutes and remove.  Perfect every time.

2.  Finely chop the green onions and coarsely chop the eggs.

3.  In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, onions, a light sprinkle of salt and pepper.

4.  Add the mayo and mustard and fork together until well combined.

My favorite little addition in celery seed.  I don't know what about it completes MY perfect egg salad sandwich, but I highly recommend it.  It gives that hint of celery flavor along with some texture that I really love.

Sprinkle some celery seed in there and then you can put it in the fridge for a few minutes to chill while you toast your bread.

I like thick slices of toasted wheat bread and I slather a generous amount (read: all) of the egg salad on top.

A spicy green like arugula completes the perfect egg salad sandwich!

One Year Ago: Spicy Peach Sauce
Two Years Ago:  Pickled Radishes

Strawberry Inside Out Cake

Mark's parents came down this weekend under the guise of a Memorial Day picnic. What actually happened when they arrive was that we locked them outside in the garden and subjected them to hard, hard manual labor.  They planted 4 beautiful rose bushes in our backyard and completely transformed our front yard from a weed factory into a beautifully landscaped paradise. On top of all this work, Mrs. deWolf also brought a delicious dessert. Apparently this was a favorite of hers growing up and her mom would make it for her birthday. It was not only a beautiful cake, but it was totally scrumptious. It is perfect for a hot day because it is very light. The other nice thing is that you can prep each of the components ahead of time, transport it very easily to another location, and assemble it when you arrive. I hate going to a party with a nice looking dessert only to find that I've mushed it into unrecognizable status in transit.  We've got a HUGE piece left in our fridge and I am home from work today with what can only be described as a totally wicked case of poison ivy. The great outdoors and I are not friends. I am seriously considering eating a piece for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I will save a sliver for Mark. Hopefully.

Eileen's Strawberry Cake for Ginny's Birthday
Ingredients:
1 Angel Food Cake
1 package cool whip
1/2 cup sugar
1 pint strawberries

1. I know that Mark's mom made her own homemade angel food cake. You can pick one up at the grocery store, use a mix or make one yourself. There is a good, simple recipe here.

2.  Using a serrated knife, carefully cut the cake in half horizontally and separate the two halves.

3.  Using the knife and your hands, scoop out a well in the bottom half.

Save the cake that you scoop out (minus any that you snack on) in a large bowl.

4.  In another bowl, combine sliced strawberries with 1/2 cup sugar and allow to macerate for 1 hour in the fridge (but up to overnight).  The strawberries will get very juicy and delicious.  You can drain the juice and reserve it to drizzle over the cake later.

Also, take the cool whip out of the fridge to soften up a bit.

5.  Mix together the berries (sans juice) and the cool whip in the large bowl with the cake bits.  Reserve about 1/2 cup plain cool whip to top the cake later.

6.  Use half of this mixture to fill the well in your angel food cake.

7.  Use the rest to slather up the other half of the cake too.

8.  Carefully (with a spatula and maybe even a little help from a friend) flip the top back onto the cake.

9.  Spread the plain cool whip that you reserved earlier on top of the cake.  You can also slice up some strawberries on top if you want.

10.  Allow the cake to firm up in the fridge for 3 hours or so.  If you are short on time, 1 hour will do the trick.

Serve up and enjoy!

One Year Ago: Oven Jerk Chicken

Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs

Every year for mother's day weekend, my dad takes a fishing trip.  As a man outnumbered by two daughters and his long-suffering wife :) he knows when it is time to get outta Dodge.  This frees us up to have a hyper girlie, mimosa-fueled weekend of pedicures, shopping, and eating ladylike snacks.  On Sunday afternoon, my sister and my mom said that they were going to pop out to the store and grab something for dinner.  I assumed that they would be bringing back some dainty cucumber tea sandwiches and a box of wine.  What they actually picked up was quite different...a full rack of baby back ribs.  Those two girls dropped the ribs on my lap, cracked open their box, and proceeded directly out to the deck to get their suntan on.  What to do, what to do?  I settled on a simple dry rub and then hit the grill.  My dad has a big gas grill, which I am not permitted to use...when he is at home.  When he is miles away in Lake Champlain, all bets are off.  He came back to my mom, sister, and I using his grill, which I'm sure took 12 years off his life.  Sorry dad!  I love you!

Dry Rub Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients:
1 rack baby back ribs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 Tbs. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder

1.  Mix together all of the dry ingredients to make your rub.

2.  Rub it all over your ribs: top, bottom, and sides.  Then cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least an hour, but up to overnight.

Even after an house, you can see that the rub has brought out the moisture and really soaked into the meat.

3.  Heat the grill and place over indirect heat for 30 minutes.

4.  Then place the ribs gently on to direct heat and cook on each side for 15-20 minutes per side until you have a great, crisp crust.
5.  Remove the ribs and cover with foil to rest for 10 minutes.  Then use a sharp knife to break down the ribs into individual pieces.

Serve up and enjoy!

Oh and I have another little treat for you...the world's cutest Phillie's Phan!

One Year Ago: White "Breakfast" Sangria

Chocolate Cake Balls

Because I think I am cooler than I actually am, I like to say that "I'm not really one for food fads." I like to eat things that taste good to me and as a person of infamous bad taste, my preferences usually do not fall in line with anything considered trend-setting. But then I'd been seeing these "cake balls" in a few places. To be honest, I kinda assumed that they would be gross. Then my cousin Jessica brought a plate over to my parents' house a few weeks ago and I ate one. Then I ate about 14 more. They were SO good. So very very good. My mom made it her life's mission to recreate this phenomenon as soon as possible. That happened to be last weekend wen we were home together. These little balls are so inexpensive and easy to make and they are so cute and delicious that they would make a great dessert to bring for a potluck party, picnic, or buffet of any kind. One box of cake will make a very large quantity of cake balls so this isn't really a dessert-for-two type of thing. Word of warning: They are addictive. You will not be able to eat just one.

Chocolate Cake Balls
Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix (along with eggs, oil, water - or whatever the mix calls for)
1 can chocolate frosting
2 bars Hersey Milk Chocolate
Toppings (I used sprinkles, course salt, and cinnamon)

1. Bake the chocolate cake according to the box instructions. Allow to cool and dump the whole cake into a large bowl.

2.  With a spoon (or your hands) crumble up the cake.

3.  Add a whole can of chocolate frosting and mix that in with a spoon.

Now you will have your "cake ball" batter.

3.   We used a little scoop and scooped out a bunch of little balls.  Place them on a lined sheet and put this in the freezer.

4.  Break up the chocolate in a microwave safe dish.

Melt in the microwave for 1 minute until smooth.

5.  Take your fully frozen cake balls and dip them in the chocolate.  This is messy business, but it is worth it.  Immediately after you dip each ball, place them on another lined baking sheet and sprinkle them with your topping.  I used sprinkles, cinnamon and course salt.  I thought the course salt was particularity delicious.

Since the balls are so cold, the chocolate will harden quite quickly so you do want to put your topping on right after you do each ball, rather than to wait until you've dipped all of the balls.

One Year Ago: Guacamole a la Emily

Bruschetta Chicken

I do not like Bruschetta. Raw tomatoes and I do not see eye to eye. As soon as they are cooked though, even just a little bit, tomatoes and I can be friends again.  This chicken is a great example of how I can like tomatoes.  It is also a great example of an easy, one pan dinner that you can get on the table after work.  The juicy Bruschetta topping keeps the chicken moist while you cook it through.  I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they have more flavor than breasts, but you could certainly use chicken breasts if you prefer.  I really loved this meal and will be making it all spring and summer long.  I think it is nice enough even to serve company, but easy and affordable enough for any day of the week. 

Bruschetta Chicken (serves 2)
Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 onion
2 large garlic cloves
1 Tbs. chopped parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup white wine
olive oil
salt and pepper

1.  Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Flatten out the chicken thighs as best you can and salt and pepper on both sides.

2.  In an oven-proof skillet, heat about 1 Tbs. olive oil over medium-high heat until hot.  Then brown the chicken for 4 minutes per side.

3.  To make the topping, chop the tomatoes in quarters and finely chop the onion.  Mix together in a bowl with parsley, Parmesan, 1 Tbs. olive oil, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  (Note:  You could certainly mix it up and use any Bruschetta topping mix you like by changing up the ingredients here.  This is what I had on hand, so it is what I used.) 

4.  Once the chicken is browned, top with all of your Bruschetta mix.  Some will not fit on top, so you can put it around the sides.  Add your white wine.

5.  Place the whole pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly, the topping is bubbling, and the chicken is cooked through.

This meal has a lot going on with the side dish built right in on top.  I served with a simple side salad and a generous drizzle of the sauce from the pan.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Grapefruit Honeys

Postcard from Nashville, TN

I traveled to Nashville with a group of coworkers for a fellow co worker's wedding and we all had an absolute blast. The beautiful wedding was the cherry on top of our delicious Nashville sundae. We ate and ate and ate delicious southern food and BBQ until we simply couldn't stuff ourselves anymore. At which point, we waddled back to the airport and came home.

Our first adventure came in the form of a distillery tour (come ON...we were in Tennessee!!) at Corsair Artisan, a local distillery with small batches of gin, vodka, and of course, whiskey.  My favorite was the gin, but it was great to learn a little something while drinking a little something too.

I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning to walk over to the Nashville Farmers Market where they had all sorts of delicious local produce, jams, baked goods, meats, jerkys, and tons of other great things.  My Uncle Jim always used to say that he liked to go to a hardware store while he was on vacation because it gave him a sense of people's everyday lives.  I like to go where people buy food.  It gives me a connection to how I imagine that people live, cook, and feed their families in other parts of the world.

Around the corner from the farmer's market was the most delicious southern meal I've ever eaten.  Say what!??!  I am constantly on the lookout for great southern food.  This is two parts selfish (I mean, who doesn't love to get their fried chicken on) and one part a labor of love.  Mark lives and dies for southern food and I like to bring it into his life as often as his heart and cholesterol levels will allow.  Thankfully Bob came with us to help document the occasion with his far superior camera.

The restaurant is called Monell's and they have a unique and amazing concept.  You sit in this sweet, Victorian house at long tables with other groups.  Then they bring out platters upon platters of steaming hot homemade southern classics and you pass them all around the table while getting to know your neighbors.  You don't leave until you are full and very happy.  First, they passed around biscuits, sausage gravy, butter and homemade jam.

Then, the world's largest platter of bacon, sausage, and ham.  Pictured below AFTER everyone had already eaten their full.

Then two huge baskets of fried chicken that was tender and juicy inside and crispy perfection outside.  I wish I had two stomachs that morning.

My plate was piled high with cheesy grits, baked apples, chicken, sweet corn pudding, bacon, and breakfast potatoes.  The corn pudding was one of my favorites because the lightness and sweetness from the corn balanced out the richness from the other dishes.

Then they brought you your meal ticket to check out which I thought was hilarious.  "I've eaten and I can't get up..."  My thoughts exactly.

Here we are in all of our feasted glory.

Next door, we stopped unto The Cupcake Collection because they had numerous signs out, boasting the best cupcakes in Nashville.

We got a half dozen and they were quite delicious.  I was a particular fan of the carrot and the red velvet.  It seemed like a very nice, family run place where I would be picking up cupcakes all the time if I lived nearby.

The day after the wedding, we head over to Jack's Bar-B-Que in downtown Nashville for lunch.

I am a brisket girl at heart, but I got the combo platter of brisket, pulled pork and ribs.  My sides were creamed corn (I think I was still craving it from the day before) and slaw.  I used to be a strict mac & cheese person, but their version looked lacking.

The ribs were the best meat they offered, with the brisket being pretty dry.

Mark got smoked turkey, which was also very excellent along with the yummy beans.

Yum, yum, yum.

The rest of our motley crew, Whitney and Pete!

As a very proud East Coast girl, I never think I am going to enjoy the Midwest or the South as much as I invariably do when I visit.  All in all, Nashville gets a two thumbs up from me for the food, great company, and very happy wedding.

One Year Ago: Crockpot Chicken and Mushrooms