"Egg Puffs" for Breakfast

This recipe is from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious. I'm not really a fan of hiding veggies, but the high-protein, quick and savory nature of this breakfast dish appealed to me. I do not prefer sweet food first thing in the morning.

This is sort of like a savory mini-Dutch Baby, and it was great with Primavera salsa. It comes together very quickly, in the time it takes to heat the oven, although I'd consider making the batter the night before to see if that speeds things by much.

2 eggs
4 egg whites
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin or winter squash
2 T shredded cheese
1 T w/w flour, 1 T all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray four ramekins with canola oil and place on cookie sheet lined with foil. Whisk ingredients together and divide into four ramekins. Bake until puffed, and not runny when pierced, 13-15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Dinners Week of 04/05 - Passover!

With Passover and MZ's Spring Break, this week was weird. We sent MZ to Mana & Papa's so we could front-load the week. It was like the pre-MZ days, staggering in at 9 pm to take-out Chinese food. And then three nights of serious cooking.

o Sunday: Thai food out with Friends

o Monday: Chinese take out won ton soup

o Tuesday: Turkey Fajitas
So easy, so good: Sauteed 2 red peppers, added 2 red onions, then sliced turkey cutlets, Penzey's SW seasoning, juice of one lime, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, on the table in 30 minutes.

o Wednesday: First Night Seder with Friends

o Thursday: Second Night Seder at Emanu-el

o Friday: My Special Passover Lambshanks + Brown Rice + Steamed Broccoli

o Saturday: Big Family Seder at Our House

o Sunday: Easter Dinner at Mana & Papa's

Passover Matzoh Balls
My recipe for easy, foolproof and completely delicious matzoh balls:
1 package Manischewitz matzo ball mix
2 T schmaltz
1 T finely chopped green garlic
1 T finely chopped chervil
1 pot-sized piece parchment paper

Prepare matzoh balls according to directions on box, substituing schmaltz for vegetable oil, and adding herbs. Refrigerate 1 hour before shaping into small balls slightly smaller than a golf ball. Do not be afraid to handle them, really shape them into tight balls. Bring water to a boil (do not salt!) and add matzoh balls as fast as possible. Cover pot with parchment paper, cover quickly with lid. Turn down heat and follow package instructions. Taste, if they're ready, remove them from the water as fast as possible or they'll start to sink. Enjoy with homemade chicken soup!

Prepare matzoh balls according to recipe

Dinners Week of 03/22

o Sunday: Chicken Vesuvio + Sauteed Greens
A Weight Watchers recipe, this one needs work: the potatoes need to be cut smaller in order to cook in time, and cut down on the rosemary. But R. enjoyed it and it's super-healthy and I love artichokes, so I'll probably try this again.

o Monday: Mustard-Maple Pork Tenderloin + w/w couscous + String Beans
Another easy, delicious Eating Well recipe! Pork and couscous, oh the irony!

o Tuesday: Ground Lamb Kebabs with Basque White Beans + Roasted Brussels Sprouts
A Basque dish that Mana and Papa made together, the kebabs were too spicy for MZ but the beans were delicious!

o Wednesday: Miso Soup with Rock Cod, Bok Choy and Soba Noodles
A super-easy recipe from New Food Fast, R and MZ had this made before I made it home!

o Thursday: Peruvian Grilled Chicken + Grilled Asparagus + Brown Rice
One of Bubbe's specialties, this chicken is great.

o Friday: GFC at SOMAnu-el

o Saturday: Mixed Grill with Friends at Home

Dinners Week of 03/08

o Sunday: Pumpkin-Tomato-Lentil-Merguez Soup + W/w Toast + Green Salad
Lots of house projects, dinner from the freezer

o Monday: Turkey Burgers with BBQ Seasoning on W/w Buns + Roasted Cauliflower + Green Salad

o Tuesday: Mana's Tortilla Casserole + Steamed Asparagus

o Wednesday: Lemongrass Marinated Grilled Pork Bun
Marinated the meat in the a.m., came home and shredded lettuce, carrots, cukes and green onions, cooked some rice noodles and made a dressing from some nuoc cham. A speedy, delicious dinner

o Thursday: Hangar Steak + Mashed Potatoes + Steamed Artichokes
Bubbe made a delicious dinner!

o Friday: Out at Friends' House

o Saturday: Out at Restaurant

Dinners Week of 03/01

o Sunday: Out for Thai food

o Monday: Tandoori Chicken + Bok Choy with Ginger and Green Garlic + Aloo Paratha + Pickle, Chutney and Cucumber Raita
The tandoori recipe is from Cook's Illustrated and I do like it better than my old method. The bok choy was based on a recipe for spinach from Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking, MZ loved it. The Aloo Paratha was from Vik's, Swad brand -- delicious but too spicy for MZ.

o Tuesday: Mana's Tamale Pie + Salad

o Wednesday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce + Salad
Another quick dinner with sauce from the freezer. Almost time to make more!

o Thursday: Grilled chicken + Steamed Broccoli + Whole Wheat Couscous

o Friday: Birthday party at Giovanni's

o Saturday: Hmm, lost track

Dinners Week of 02/22

o Sunday: Lamb steaks with Penzey's Greek Seasoning + Steamed Broccoli + Boiled Red Potatoes
These may be MZ's three favorite foods

o Monday: Butternut Squash and Turkey Sausage with Whole Wheat Fusilli + Green Salad
I was going to make this baked pasta recipe with cubed roasted butternut squash, but it seemed several steps too many. So I browned the bulk sausage, removed it from the pan, sauteed the onions, added the chard, squash, sausage and olives and some chicken broth and pasta water. Finished it with olive oil and lemon zest. It was delicious!

o Tuesday: Out for Papa's Birthday

o Wednesday: Chile Verde tacos with sour cream, salsa and cabbage slaw
Just one container of chile verde left in the freezer for another quickie dinner. This is the recipe from The Gourmet Slow Cooker Cookbook, made in a big batch and frozen.

o Thursday: Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives + Whole Wheat Couscous + Salad
This is the easiest recipe, I made it on Monday when I worked at home and it was delicious a few nights later. The chicken doesn't need browning yet the flavors are so rich. My only adjustment to the recipe is browning the onions first.

o Friday: Out

o Saturday: Bistro Salmon + Steamed Asparagus + Roasted Potatoes
This simply seared-then-baked salmon recipe in Bistro Cooking is amazing, it completely transforms the texture of the the salmon into something amazing.