Author Archives: FV Strona

Sunday breakfast in front of the TV

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Been watching the tv and the complete idiocracy of what has been done with a swipe of a pen in the hands of the “wannabe” leader. So needed a breakfast I could make and eat easily, and still have leftovers for the week. These crustless (gluten free), “Egg-ffins” (yeah its just what call them..) where the perfect low drama fix.


They couldn’t be simpler to make and easy adapt to what ever you have in the house.

  1. Preheat oven to 365 (350 is fine just cook linger)
  2. Crack 12 large eggs in a bowl; 12 will fill a regular muffin pan. 
  3. Using a fork, blend, add a splash water or cream, salt & pepper to taste, stir and add in 1 teaspoon of dried parsely. Note: you can use any fresh or dried herbs you have available. This is a great way to use jarred herb blends as well. 
  4. Dice up cooked meat, leftover vegatables, deli meats, set aside.  In this case I used stir fried chicked & broccoli from earlier in the week. Hint: this works great with leftover steak or beef. You will need about 1-1 1/2 cups, depending on your taste.
  5. Use cooking spray on the pan, then pour the eggs mixture into each cup.   From half to 3/4 full. Then add the meat & veggies. Top with shredded cheddar cheese.
  6. Using the back of a fork, poke and gently stir each egg and cheese mixture, then top with more shredded cheese.
  7. Bake 12-15 min at 365 degrees until set and solid and it pushes back to the touch.


You can also pop these under the broiler for the last few minutes of cooking if you want the top more crisp. Hint: Especially good if you add some grated parm cheese on it just before hitting the broiler. 


FYI: if you use mini muffin pans, this same mix works great for appetizers or for a party. It can be pre-mixed and kept in the refrigerator until cooking (take out 30 min before)  at the last minute or even better cooking them earlier in the day and serve room temperature.

Hint: no time to make dinner? Pair the larger Egg-ffins with some fresh greens or spinach, diced tomatoes, pear etc and toss with a simple vinegrette and you have dinner.

Multi-level cooking

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Wanted to make a simple oven roasted vegatable and turkey tenderlions and only use one pan!


1a- cut and coat rhe potatoes and veggies in evoo, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and dried parsely

1b- marinate turkey with oil, honey, vinegar, pepper, lemon or orange juice and fresh herbs. 

2- start the veggies in the oven at 375 for 15 min. 


3- add a cooking spray, coated cookie rack over the veggies and lay marinated turkey on it. Bake 20 min more, remove from the oven, turn veggies, flip turkey and bake 20 more min. 


4- remove from the oven and move veggies to each end of the pan, take rack off and place turkey directly on the pan. Bale for 5 min on top shelf, flip turkey and bake 5 more min. 


5- remove from oven, check internal temp for doneness. If done, squirt veggies and turkey with lemon and eat!

My “Story Tree” or the stories behind the ornaments …

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For those of you who didn’t know; I lean towards the more historical, traditional (gasp and clutch the pearls), crafter, homemade and vintage inspired decorations of holidays, so my tree is often a mix of old and new.  its been that way since I first started to put up a tree (or rosemary bush in those really lean years). Even though these days I put up a smaller tree and yes – its a 1/2 tree, meaning its doesn’t have a back so I can put it flush against the wall to save some room; I still keep track of all my old favorite ornaments and rotate them each year. So while I add a few new ones each year (especially owls). It’s the usually the older, bruised or gifted ones that have become some of my favorites. Why? Because they tell my and my friends stories.

I was never one for fancy ornaments and decorations; rather I always found those that could serve to make me pause a moment to remember, to be an archive of sorts and tell the story of shared pasts, of friends, of families; the good times and the bad. Each year in November, (and yes I always put the tree up the weekend after T-day, unless I am on the road), it is a treat to open the boxes (oh, maybe all 12 of them) and unpack them. img_5641Deciding on which ones get to come out that year. It becomes a sort of “Mission Impossible” episode.

Some of mine; like the angel that has sat at the top of my tree for the last 20 years; and who before that it sat on my family tree since 1965. Yea, her “golden” wire skirt is tattered and torn, but she still gets to be the last thing I put up each year. I even had to make do with a new wand from her a few years back. Thank goodness for cliffs having something just right.. <grin>


Amore recent addition to the “family”; is the Santa diorama. I found this up in the Russian River several years ago at a church bazaar. When I saw it, I knew I was going to buy it. But the best surprise was when I asked someone working to tell me about it, she asked me did I want to meet the woman who made it. I said yes, and she came over with a lovely knowing grin on her face.  She said she knew right away I was going to want it. She told me how she had made it 40 years ago. Her husband built the box custom for her, and all the pieces she either made or custom ordered them. She even wallpapered it. Back then she said it has cost her almost a $100 to make.  I looked at Paul and he smiled, saying go ahead, you know if you don’t you will regret it. So I asked her how much, and she smiles and says $20 and make sure I gave it a good home.


These faded glass ones from a senior nieghbor many years ago. After she died, the family just left boxes of her ornaments on the street. It was sad to see them be tossed aside. Too much trouble to even gift or donate. But I love the dulled luster they offer tucked in the tree, like small candies.

A new one from my mother was delivered this summer. These ceramic trees used super popular back in the 70’s, in fact many of them were made during ceramic classes by crafters. Recently they have been put back in production, but I knew we had two and asked for one of ours. This particular one sits on a bourbon bottle base and wasn’t handmade by mother – my sister has that one.

Some of my other  favorites have come as “thank you’s”;  acquired over the last 20 years after the annual open house, when I get ornaments from friends who attend and realize my quirky little tree is a home for those odd, old or sentimental ornament they had as a kid or the one from Mom’s house that they no longer can use because they don’t put a tree up or it doesn’t match the “theme” tree.  Even the notes telling the story of each,  are saved.  Like this rusted bell, even to me as a way of saying goodbye to someone.

They each have a story to tell and find a home here. Maybe that’s why I always resonated with the seasonal story of the  “Rudolph and The Island of Misfit Toys”.

They all have a home on mine and are become “real”. I guess my tree becomes the playroom from the Velveteen Rabbit; only instead of a playroom it is a tree, where they become real again by being displayed and loved on my “story tree”.

Bringing Back Date Night

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‪Perfect rainy night meal @OssoSteakhouse last night. 

As expected it was all about the meat. Several cuts offered, but the bone in filet mignon is what takes it home. It’s monster huge portion size. 

They offer several app and sides to choose from. But that cheese bread captured my heart! Hot, gooey with just some spice from the chirizo- almost worth ordering two. 


So to balance that we went with the crispy potatoes & veggies which were spot on‬. Simple, clean taste with a balance of herbs and butter.  


We tried the italian pot-stickers as well, they were good but not “omg”. I would opt for one of  the seafood skillets next time. 


Reservations suggested. They have these great “command center” seats for couples, but if you are both tall; ask for the booth. 


Not a cheap night; but well worth it when celebrating or just a night out. 

1177 California St, San Francisco, CA 94108

Http://ossosteakhouse.com

Best part is that we had enough leftovers for sunday brunch!

So little time, but so many ways to make cheesy sausage snacks

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So last month I found a Low Country recipe for a cheesy sausage biscuit snack from Hoppin Johns Low Country cookbook; unlike a regular fluffy biscuit these are a much more dense & compact bite that are meant to be a  cross between a savory “cookie” and a snack bite. 

The only change I made after making it a couple times is the addition of a topping of pepper jelly, almost making it like a “thumbprint cookie”. The bite and coolness of the jelly on the dense snack adds a nice break in the flavor.

But there was still a taste of “flour” to it that I didn’t care for, so I kept looking for an alternative which I found in a recent more Italian style version from Valerie Bertinelli’s cookbook.

This cheesy sausage snack uses Bisquick instead of flour, uncooked bulk sasuage and a tablespoon of Tabasco sauce with a result that comes out hot, crisp, dark-golden brown and gooey good

Ingredients

  • Oil, for greasing the baking sheets (cooking spray is fine)
  • 3 cups biscuit mix, such as Bisquick
  • 1 pound spicy sausage (uncooked)

Note: you can use so use a pound of mild or sweet sausage and add in several links of hot sausage or any combination of sausage that meets your preference. The key here us it needs to be in bulk or taken out of the casing).

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 8 ounces aged white Cheddar, grated
  • 8 ounces sharp yellow Cheddar, grated
  • 2 tablespoons of parmesan  cheese, grated (this is in addition I added to the Recipe)
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco (or to taste)
  • Ground pepper to taste

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 2 baking or cookie sheets and set aside.

Note: I think the oven I use runs hot so 400 actually made them darker than I like, when I cook them in the future I’ll be doing them at 350.

  • Combine the biscuit mix, sausage and rosemary in a large bowl. 

  • Mix with your hands, then work in the white and yellow Cheddars and hot sauce. 

Note: this actually may take longer than you think. Because of the limited liquid, its the fat from the sausage as it warms up with your hands that ads to the binding from  the mixing. So be prepared to knead this until it’s really well combined. One trick is to make sure that your sausage isnt ice cold when you mix it together.  

  • Form into balls the size of walnuts and place on the prepared baking sheets.

Note:  I used a small ice cream scooper to divide them out and I tried both just scooping it onto the tray as well as shaping them into balls with my hands and ultimately they both look the same after cooking. 

  • Bake until cooked through, about 18-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. 

South at Southpaw

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Super great dinner tonight at Southwall barbecue in the mission. All the food past everyone’s taste buds from the smoke brisket to the ribs to the pulled pork. Another shine on the menu are the sides; from salty to sweet – a selection for everyone’s taste from the traditional grits, to a “grits cake”, fried pickles, baked macaroni and cheese and even vegetables. 

If it’s cold out, the restaurant itself can be chilly so dress in layers, other than that it’s a must-see. Reservations recommended. They cater too. 

Southpaw BBQ http://www.southpawbbqsf.com/

PHONE:

(415) 934-9300

ADDRESS:

2170 Mission St.

San Francisco, CA 94110

HOURS:

Mon 5–10:30p

Tues Closed

Wed 5–10:30p

Thur 5–10:30p

Fri 5–11:30p

Sat 3–11:30p

Sun 3–10:30p