This pancake is super easy & so much fun to make! I love watching it puff up… and it’s delicious, too.  If you’ve never made one before, give it a try. I’d love to hear from you, if you do.

Dutch Baby Pancake
Yield: One 10” Dutch Baby

INGREDIENTS
3 eggs
1⁄2 cup flour
1⁄2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp lemon zest, optional
Pinch of salt
4 Tbsp butter

METHOD
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
You will need a 10-inch frying pan.
Combine eggs, flour, milk, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
Put the skillet on a medium high and let it get hot.
Add the butter, let it melt, being careful not to let it burn.
Carefully pour batter into the pan.
Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes, until the pancake is puffed and golden.
Lower your oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 5 minutes longer.
Remove pancake from oven.
I like to top it with some powdered sugar.
Cut into wedges and serve at once topped with whatever you like (options below).
Enjoy!

GARNISHES: Syrup, powdered sugar, squeeze of lemon, jam, cinnamon sugar, fresh berries, banana, chocolate syrup, sliced cooked apples, nuts, sweetened ricotta, peaches, mango, pineapples, chocolate chips, whipped cream, etc.

Quiche is perfect for any meal! I made this for brunch, served with a side salad. Soup is also a great accompaniment, since colder weather is on the way.

Truth be known, quiche is great for using up those few veggies you have in the bin, or leftover cheese. I used Gruyere and Manchego cheese in this quiche because I happened to have some leftover pieces. Any cheese will work. This would be great with cheddar and jack, or Swiss would be delicious! It’s basically an egg pie. So once you get the base of eggs and cream, it’s ready for whatever veggies and cheese you like.

INGREDIENTS
1 Pie Crust (homemade or store-bought)
5 large Eggs
1 cup Heavy Cream (or Half and Half)
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 cob of Corn (corn cut from cob)
1 small Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 cups Cheese, shredded (I used Gruyere and Manchego)
1 tsp Granulated Garlic
½ tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp Salt
Ground Black Pepper, to taste

METHOD
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Get your pie crust ready in the pie pan, and set aside.
In a large bowl beat together 5 eggs and 1 cup of cream (or Half and Half).
Stir in the scallions, corn, red bell pepper, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to incorporate.
Stir in the cheese of your choice and carefully pour into the pie crust, being sure to distribute the filling evenly.
Bake for approximately 40-45 minutes, or until top is firm and feels set when you gently touch it.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Serve warm and enjoy!

Note: if top starts to brown before it is fully cooked, you can place a sheet of tin foil loosely over the pie to keep it from getting too brown.

I’m “friends” with Gary Langer, owner of Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Peppers & Pepper Jellies. Why is friends in quotes? Because I’ve never actually met Gary in person, just like so many of my other internet foodie friends I haven’t met… but I feel like we’re friends because I see him everyday online. I’ve also been seeing so many of my fellow food bloggers using Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Peppers & Pepper Jellies that I needed to jump on the bandwagon to see what all the fuss was about! I’m a lover of peppers, so when I received this assortment of deliciousness I couldn’t wait to start creating!!

The first thing I did was open the Gourmet Candied Jalapenos and popped a few of those in my mouth and wow, they’re so yummy! I haven’t opened all the jars yet… but here are a few dishes that I’ve created so far.

I bought a beautiful piece of wild salmon, skin on and decided to taste test Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Pepper Jelly and Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Zesty Peach BBQ Sauce (using one sauce on each half). Placed the salmon in the oven, along with some onions & peppers, and tomatoes topped with Parmesan.

Both were delicious, but I just could not get enough of the Salmon with Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Pepper Jelly on top. Oh my, it was sweet and savory at the same time, and had just the right amount of kick!

Then, 2 days later I prepared a puffed pastry snack using the Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Pepper Jelly again. I told you I couldn’t get enough!

I took a sheet of puffed pastry and placed it on the silpat. I put nine spoonfuls of cream cheese first.

Then I topped the cream cheese with cooked pancetta rounds, succotash (I had some left over from the previous night) and then…

Yep, I topped it with some Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Pepper Jelly. This may sound like a weird combination to some of you, but I guarantee that it was incredibly delicious!

The puff pastry rose in the baking process and the pepper jelly kinda caramelized on the succotash and pancetta. I cut the puff pastry sheet into nine squares. Thankfully, my husband was here to help me eat it, or I would have eaten the entire thing myself!!

I also opened the Hot Pepper Relish and it was just what my omelette needed to take it from tasty to spectacular!!

I know Sweet Potato Fries are really popular now. I love to make them at home, but ketchup is just not the right dipping sauce for them. But guess what? Mix some of Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Pepper Jelly with sour cream and you’ve got the perfect dip for those sweet tater fries!

My gourmet journey has just begun with Uncle Gary’s Gourmet Peppers & Pepper Jellies. So stay tuned for more!

If you’d like to start your own journey, you can order Uncle Gary’s products here.

Every year I dye eggs. However, this is the first year that I’ve tried dying the eggs naturally.

I experimented around with what I already had on hand and in the pantry. I think the eggs turned out nicely. Although, there is no bright red or pink, there are subtle shades that I achieved from different items; red wine, beets, and pomegranate juice.

I think my favorite result was using the Turmeric. The yellow was so vibrant.

I love coloring the eggs every year, but this year I enjoyed it even more. It was fun trying different things, and not knowing exactly how the eggs were going to turn out.

All in all, I think it was a pretty good first run. Next year it will be even better!!

These are the items I used for my eggs:  100% Blueberry Juice, 100% Grape Juice, 5 cups Boiled Spinach (then processed and strained), Turmeric, Beet Juice, Saffron, Red Wine, Paprika (that made the light orange eggs… which I should have turned more because laying in the paprika on the bottom gave the egg a circular mark).

Here are some items you can use to color your eggs naturally.

Blue: 100% Blueberry Juice, Canned Blueberries, Boiled Red Cabbage Leaves

Yellow: Turmeric, Saffron

Green: Spinach Leaves (boiled and strained)

Purple: 100% Grape Juice

Pink: Beets

Red: 100% Cherry Juice, Beets, Pomegranate Juice, Red Onion skins (boiled),

Orange: Paprika, Chili Powder

During the week I eat a light breakfast, usually a bran muffin and fruit, or yogurt. But on the weekends I like to make a heartier breakfast. One of my husband’s favorites, and often requested, is Mexican Eggs. This is my version of what we call Mexican Eggs.

They’re super easy, and super delicious. Below is my recipe, but you can easily modify this by using different veggies, add some olives, cilantro, use a different cheese, top with salsa… the possibilities are vast.

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
4 Eggs, beaten
1/4 of a Red Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 of a Green Bell Pepper, diced
1/4 White Onion, diced
1 Jalapeno, deseeded and diced
1 small Tomato, diced
Salt and Pepper, as desired
Queso Fresco Cheese, as garnish
Guacamole, as garnish

METHOD
Saute the peppers, onions and jalapeno in a little olive oil until soft.
Stir in the tomatoes.
Add a little salt and pepper into the eggs, beat, and add into the hot pan.
Turn off the heat, and stir the eggs until just set.
Serve topped with cheese and guacamole.
Enjoy!

Seriously, Quiche is something that I never make the same way twice. I don’t measure ingredients unless I’m baking, and sometimes even then I just eye it. Plus, when I make Quiche I usually just base it on whatever I’ve got in the fridge. It’s extremely versatile and can easily be changed by using different veggies and/or different cheeses. I can’t imagine a cheese that wouldn’t be good in Quiche. I base the herbs and spices on whatever veggies and cheese I use.

For the crust you can either make a pie crust, use store bought or use puff pastry. It’s up to you. And although the crust is definitely important (especially if you’re a crust lover like me) more important is what’s going to fill the crust. That’s where the eggs, cream and cheese come in. For a typical Quiche I use 6 eggs, 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of cheese. However, if you want to lighten the recipe you can just use 6 eggs and 1 cup of milk, low fat milk, evaporated milk, etc. You get the picture. And there’s always low fat cheese. However, I don’t make Quiche that often and when I do I enjoy the splurge. It’s not like I’m gonna eat the whole Quiche.  

Served with a side salad or a cup of soup  ~  it makes the perfect meal.

This recipe serves 6.

INGREDIENTS
1 Pie Crust
6 large Eggs
1 Tbsp Butter or Olive Oil
2 Shallots, diced
1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Heavy Cream
3/4 cup Spinach, cooked (if using frozen be sure to squeeze out the excess water)
2 pieces of Prosciutto, diced (or you can substitute crumbled cooked bacon, or diced ham)
1 cup Gruyere Cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp Granulated Garlic
1/2 tsp Salt
Ground Black Pepper, to taste
1 Tomato, sliced thin

METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a medium frying pan saute the shallots and mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil, just until tender.
Set aside to cool.
In a large bowl beat together 6 eggs and 1 cup of cream.
Stir in the spinach, prosciutto, shallots, mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper to incorporate.
Stir in the cheese and carefully pour into the pie crust, being sure to distribute the filling evenly.
Top with a thinly sliced tomato.
Bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until top is firm and feels set when you gently touch it.
Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Serve warm and enjoy!

I love egg salad. There’s something comforting about an egg salad sandwich. For me the secret to really good egg salad is adding Horseradish. It really bumps the flavor up a notch.

I used real Mayonnaise in mine, and I’ve also used the Mayonnaise made with olive oil for a healthier version. Both taste great!

I had mine as a sandwich on some whole grain bread with lettuce.  It’s also delicious served with crackers as a snack, or on top of a green salad. However you serve yours it’s delicious.

Makes enough for 3 to 4 sandwiches.

INGREDIENTS
6 hardboiled eggs
3 celery stalks, diced
1 shallot, diced
1 Tbsp Horseradish
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise (more or less depending how you like it)
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp celery seed
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

METHOD
The secret to making great hardboiled eggs is to place your eggs in a pot and cover them with water.
Bring them to a rolling boil and then turn off the heat and allow them to sit in the water until it is cool.
Peel and chop your hardboiled eggs.
Add all the ingredients into a bowl and mix together.
Taste and season as desired.
Enjoy!

I always make my egg salad in a plastic container because I like to put it in the fridge to get cold before serving… but it’s also really delicious when the eggs are still a little warm. Of course I always try it warm to make sure it’s seasoned properly. That’s one of the benefits of being the cook!