Orange-Walnut Pancakes & Portabella Baked Eggs

This was a beautiful and easy brunch!

I loved the pancakes, but the mushroom was something really special!

I think if you had a brunch for a crowd these mushrooms would be ideal.

Portabella with baked egg, Orange-Walnut Pancakes and a Bloody Mary.

For the Pancakes...Here's what you need:

1 1/4 cup flour (sifted)

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 Tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

1 cup milk

3 Tbsp melted butter (plus a bit more for frying)

handful of chopped walnuts

1 Tbsp orange zest

2 Tbsp fresh orange juice

Here's what you do...

Mix flour, powder, sugar, egg yolk, milk vanilla, salt, butter, orange zest and juice together until well combined, but still has lumps.

Beat egg white until stiff peaks form. 

Fold egg white into pancake batter

Let the mix rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Now add the walnuts. 

Heat your pan or griddle and cook scant 1/4 cup batter (per pancake) for about 2 minutes (until bubbles appear) on one side and another 30 sec to 1 minute on the other until set.

These have a very light orange flavor with the hearty walnuts in each bite- YUM!

Now to the Mushrooms!

Here's what you need:

Large Portabella Mushroom caps

garlic powder

salt

pepper

eggs

Parmesan Cheese

parsley

Here's what you do:

Preheat broiler to high.

Spray mushrooms with either olive oil or butter flavored cooking spray. Sprinkler garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Broil mushrooms until tender- about 5 minutes on each side.

Oh my the delightful smell...

Remove mushrooms from oven. Switch oven to Bake and set at 400 degrees. 

Break one egg into each mushroom and sprinkle with desired amount of Parmesan Cheese. 

Return to oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until egg is set and whites are cooked.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with parsley for a fresh, pretty plate.

This is so pretty and delicious!

Happy Brunching Everyone!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Blueberry Blintz Bake with a Farmhouse Scramble- Easy & Fancy!

I trust Ina Garten. 

Really. Everything I have made from her recipes...perfection!'

I remember the first time I saw her show on the Food Network: The Barefoot Contessa. 

I loved the name. It really seemed to fit me. I love being barefoot. I will wear flip fops or sandles, but I do not like having to wear closed-toed shoes (or the cold that usually accompanies them). 

And Contessa...I think I'm a Disney Princess at heart. 

It just seems to fit!

Blueberry Blintz Bake- Ina Garten...Farmhouse Scramble- something of Tracy's own creation.

There is an ease about Ina. She moves with such grace around her kitchen; and when she is finished cooking, and is ready to enjoy her beautiful meal with her guests...they have her undivided attention.

She has never let me down either.

When I need a good recipe...one that will impress, but that is easy enough for me to handle...one that will taste really, really, really great...that's when I turn to Ina...The Barefoot Contessa!

Love this Ninja food processor/blender!!!

My grandmother's birthday is on February 8th and my mom's is February 9th.

This year, I wanted to do a very nice brunch to honor them. So, of course, I looked at an Ina Garten recipe...Baked Blintzes with Fresh Blueberry Sauce!

I mixed 1 1/4 cups milk, 2 Tbsp sour cream, 4 Tbsp melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 4 large eggs, 1 1/3 cups of all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp of sugar, and 1 Tbsp of baking powder in my Ninja blender.

I poured 1/2 of the batter in a 13 x 9 pan and baked at 250 degrees for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, I mixed the cheese filling, whisking together: 3 cups of ricotta cheese, 8  oz mascarpone cheese, 2 large eggs, 1/3 cups sugar, 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest (I used 2 lemons), 2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp kosher salt.

I spread the cheese mixture over the top of the baked batter, then I covered the filling with the remaining batter.

I finished baking it at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes.
(Ina suggests letting it set for 10 to 15 minutes after baking.)

Now for the sauce!
I combined: 3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (I used 3 oranges), 2/3 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp cornstarch. I Brought this mix to a boil and allowed it to thicken.
Then, I added 4 half-pints of  blueberries!

I let it simmer for about 4 minutes, until some of the blueberries burst, but most remained whole.
I added 1 tsp of lemon zest and 1 Tbsp of fresh lemon juice, and then allowed it to cool.

Now to the Scramble...

I browned and drained 1 lb of hot turkey sausage.

I sauteed shallots and mushrooms in the turkey grease and 1 Tbsp of butter until tender.
I added halved cherry tomatoes and cooked until they softened.

I whisked 10 large eggs and about 1/2 cup milk with 1 Tbsp of Herbs De Provence.

I poured the egg mix over the veggies and scrambled the eggs.

I then poured the scrambled mixture over the drained sausage in a bowl and stirred in 1/3 cup cheddar cheese.

Baked Blintz and Farmhouse Scramble!

It went over so well that everyone had seconds and my grandmother asked me for recipe!

This would be a great Valentines brunch! It really is no-fail!!!

I pray you all enjoy Valentines Day. Sweethearts come in so many ways...moms, dads, children, spouses, old friends...

Love comes to me from my family, dear friends, the Hubs, my cats...but it comes to me daily in Jesus!

"Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you." Jeremiah 31:3b AMP

I'm thankful that: "He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]" Hebrews 13: 5b AMP

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3: 16-19 NIV

Je te aime, mes amis! 

(I love you, my friends!)

La Bonne Vie Y'all!!!

Christmas Casserole...A Little Early!

Sandra Lee's sister, Kimber,  came up with this one. The colors make it look all Christmasy!

Ingredients: 12 large eggs, 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 jar (12 oz) roasted red peppers (rinsed and chopped), 1/2 cup crumbled bacon, 4 oz goat cheese crumbled, 1/3 cup sliced scallions, 10 slices of  white bread, torn (I used crescent rolls.)

Mix the first 8 ingredients. Spread bread (or crescent rolls) in the bottom of a 13 x 9 greased pan. 

Pour the mix over the bread/crescent rolls.

Bake at 400 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes until set.

This yummy, savory casserole is good on a weeknight as well as a weekend breakfast. 

Enjoy a little Christmas spirit...a little early!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!

Who Can Make A Cheese Souffle'? Anyone!

Cheese Souffle'

I always thought of a souffle' as something very fancy, something that was almost mythical...how does one achieve the light, airy mouth-feel of a souffle'???

Well...let's start by separating eggs...allow them to stand at room temp for about 20 minutes.

In the meantime...Gruyere!

Shred it, I used a cup of this cheese!

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a 2 qt souffle' dish.

Melt 4 Tbsp of butter over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of flour,
1/8 tsp of nutmeg, a dash of cayenne pepper, salt & pepper
to taste. Whisking together a paste should form, cook for
1 minute (but don't let the flour burn). Slowly whisk
1 cup of 2% milk and stir until thick and bubbly.
Remove from heat.

Beat the egg yolks and slowly whisk 1/4 cup at a
time of the white sauce into the egg yolks.

Now for the egg whites- beat them with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.

Using a wire whisk, gently stir half of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then use a spatula and gently fold in the remaining egg whites and the cup of shredded cheese.

Pour mixture into the souffle' dish. Bake- 30 minutes for a moist souffle' (my favorite) or 40 minutes for a drier souffle'.

Once you take your souffle' out it will deflate a little. It's ok- it still tastes great!
We served ours alongside a french recipe of creamed shrimp!

It's easy- I promise!

I plan to practice it often. I think that with a little practice I could improve on the egg white portion.

At any rate, the Hubs loved it and ate 3 slices that night...so, all in all, I think it was a win.

Souffle's...no longer just a mythical meal!

La Bonne Vie Y'all!