Fried Pumpkin Blossoms

My Sicilian grandmother always used to make a big deal about getting a hold of fresh squash blossoms (usually Zucchini), breading and frying them. Often they would be stuffed with something special such as cream cheese as well, but they were an interesting snack even without the stuffing. This story starts with the area of my yeard where I intended to put up a garden this season. Early on, a stray plant that looked vaguely squash-like sprouted out of nowhere, so I let it grow just to see what it would become. A few weeks later, my vegetable garden was out of the question- the mystery plant was a pumpkin plant, and it took over basically my entire proposed garden area. The good news is that the plant is now so big, I can pick the flowers at will without stopping the plant from producing plenty of pumpkins. I've never fried pumpkin blossoms before, but the idea works just as well for just about any squash or gourd flowers.

Eggs in Purgatory

It is easy to get bored of cooking the same old things the same old way. This dish is a welcome change- take your basic eggs, and some leftover tomato sauce (or gravy rather), and a nice piece of bread to make something memorable and a little different- eggs in purgatory.

Panettone French Toast

Panettone is a classic Italian dessert bread/cake studded with raisins and candied citrus zest and usually enjoyed during the holiday season. It originally came from the city of Milan, and was something distinctive to Northern Italy, however, it's popularity has spread far and wide- there is actually more Panettone consumed in Southern Italy and places such as South America than it is in Milan. It has a texture that sits in an odd halfway point between a light, sweet bread such as a brioche, and a cake- it is soft and pliable inside, but still has structure and form like a bread. I had a leftover Panettone from the holidays, and I wanted to use it in a somewhat un-traditional manner- so making it into a french toast breakfast seemed like the way to go- not something you'd normally do with a Panettone, but it isn't really a huge stretch of the imagination- and I thought the kids would like it too.

Eggs and Corned Beef Hash - Brookside Diner, Whippany NJ

 

The classic diner breakfast is an integral part of the local culture in the state of New Jersey. New Jersey has more diners per capita than any other place on the planet- and just about all of them take special pride in their breakfast offerings. It had been a while since I've been to any of the Garden State's many diners. My travels took me back to an area near where I once worked, so I took the opportunity to stop and have a little breakfast at one of the places  I used to eat at from time to time- the Brookside Diner in Whippany, New Jersey.

Dr. Atkins' Nightmare - Pan Fried Breading

This little fried side dish/treat is about as far from diet friendly as you can get. It's a little treat my mom used to make using the leftover breading and egg whenever she made any breaded fried foods, such as chicken parmigiana. It's a big chunk of starch and egg, pan fried until golden brown. The very thought of it causes practitioners of the old, anti-carb Atkins diet to run screaming. The rest of us, just tuck in and enjoy the indulgence...

Peppers and Eggs (technically it's a Frittata)

Pepper and Egg Fritatta served on a Grilled Ham Steak

One of the things my mother used to make frequently was what she called "Peppers and Eggs" - which was a little odd since it also contained potatoes, and sometimes leftover sausage too. This is basically a fritatta - an over-sized, open faced, omelette that is generally served in slices like a pie or quiche rather than whole - almost an egg pie with a variety of fillings. My mother's version was basically a way to make a meal out of a few leftover baked potatoes and/or leftover sausages combined with some freshly sauteed onions and peppers. The version I'm describing here is meant as a side dish, or a companion to a piece of meat (or just as breakfast by itself!). I'm focusing on the vegetables and potatoes, so if we serve it with a piece of meat - such as a grilled ham steak- we have a complete and filling meal.

Hard Boiled Eggs for Easter

Easter means hard boiled eggs!

We've all done them a thousand times- or at least every Easter weekend. Most of us have discovered that something that seems as easy as hard boiling a batch of eggs is a great deal more difficult we first thought. It is very easy to end up with a batch of undercooked eggs with soft spots, eggs that refuse to peel easily, or eggs that are just overcooked and have that unpleasant looking layer of greenish stuff on the outside of the yolk. Maybe your eggs have exploded or cracked in the pot and leaked messy egg white all over the place. There are a thousand things that can go wrong with such a simple idea as boiling a few eggs...