This Bread Pudding was made with love

Last weekend I took Bryan to Eva to celebrate his birthday, and he ended up ordering the Grilled Pork Loin not so much because he wanted pork, but because he really wanted to try the Corn, Thyme and Bacon Bread Pudding that accompanied it.

And as you would imagine, he ended up much more interested in the delectable bread pudding, although the pork also was quite delicious.

And as you also would imagine, I became determined to try to emulate that dish.

I found a recipe on Epicurious for Arugula, Bacon and Gruyere Bread Pudding that looked like a suitable base for my creation, and I ended up with a creamy, smokey bread pudding that might not have been quite as good as Eva's, but somehow still tasted as delicious (because it was made with love, as Mom would say!).

Bacon and Smokey Gouda Bread Pudding
4 slices bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 day-old (or older) baguette, cut in 1-inch chunks
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups milk
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/2-3/4 c. smokey gouda cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a small casserole dish.

Cook bacon until crispy, then add garlic and shallot and continue cooking for 1-2 minutes, until just cooked through but not burning.

Stir mixture along with drippings into a large bowl with the bread chunks. Mix together eggs, milk, salt and pepper, and stir into the bread chunks along with cheese. Continue stirring until the moisture has been soaked up, then pat down evenly into the prepared casserole dish.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 10 more minutes. Let set for 10 minutes before serving.

Bacon makes everything better, like grits!

Since we had potatoes for dinner last night, I decided to mix things up a bit and make grits for breakfast instead of the usual eggs, bacon and potatoes we eat way to often on the weekend.

Once upon a time, I ate grits almost every day for breakfast, and that's likely the reason I eat them rarely now. But with gluten now off the menu (except when I cheat), I need to add as much variety to my carb repertoire as possible to keep my taste buds from craving bread and other wheatiful foods.

I followed the package directions, bringing 3 c. of water with 1/4 t. salt to a bowl, then slowly adding 1 c. of grits and stirring continuously for 5 minutes, turning the heat down to low. After removing the grits from the heat, I added 2 T. unsalted butter, about 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (cheddar is preferred, but I was too lazy to open a new package!) and pepper to taste, then scooped the grits into 2 serving bowls.

Top them with 1-2 eggs each, and chopped bacon, and you've got a flavorful breakfast that'll stick to your bones!

Summed ends with grilled potatoes and broccolini

Not being one to just follow a recipe correctly, I decided to modify Stephen's roasted potato recipe by throwing the lubed-up potatoes on the grill. Bryan was sure they would take forever to cook, but over a medium-low flame, it only took about 20 minutes to cook the potatoes, which is actually how long they've been taking me in the oven despite Stephen's assurance they take only 15 minutes.

Similar to his recipe, I tossed about 1 lb. of potatoes cut in 1/4-inch slices in about 2 T. olive oil, 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. Mrs. Dash Garlic Seasoning, then placed the potatoes inside of a burger grilling grate — I don't know if we've ever used that thing to grill burgers, but it works wonders for vegetables that too easily fall through the regular grill racks!

I cooked them for about 8 minutes on one side, flipped the grilling grate over and cooked the other side for about 8 more minutes. I gave each side another 4 minutes each, moving the grate around to more evenly distribute the charring, and each piece turned out perfectly cooked.

And also being one to not waste anything, I used the olive oil and seasonings that remained in the bowl to coat a package of broccolini that we also threw on the grill for about 10 minutes. As Bryan put it, "I don't think I've ever had a bad grilled vegetable," but these ones were among the best I've tasted the summer.

I'd walk 5 miles for this feast any day

When Mom, Stephen and I get together, it's always all about food. Even if all we do is a short, five-mile hike, in the end we'll feast like we hiked 20 miles.

 

This weekend was no exception, especially since it was the celebration of Mom's birthday. Pictured, clockwise from the grilled fish: sauteed baby bok choy and curly kale, grilled beets, grilled pasilla peppers, grilled oysters, roasted rosemary potatoes and grilled asparagus.

It was a group effort that only took us about a half-hour to make, and yes, even though it was Mom's birthday, she did the majority of the cooking.

She grilled the tilapia, which she'd sprinkled with salt the night before to tenderize it a bit, and also squirted a bit of lime juice on top before throwing it on the grill for about 20 minutes. Mom also brought the oysters, which were wrapped in foil and seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil, then quickly grilled for no more than five minutes. And she grilled the peppers (watch out for spicy bites!), which were simply rubbed with olive oil before being placed over the flames.

Stephen and I were in charge of the rest. I grilled the asparagus, tossed in olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper, then cooked until tender but still crisp, about 8-10 minutes. And Stephen made the roasted potatoes, which were tossed with olive oil, fresh rosemary and "lots of salt," he said. Although he usually uses red potatoes, this time he used Yukon Golds with much success.

He says the key is to preheat the broiler for at least 10 minutes before placing the potatoes in the oven. Toss them every five minutes, and they should be done in 15 minutes.

As a rosemary hater, I was skeptical of this dish, but it turns out I only hate dried rosemary because the subdued flavor of this freshly snipped rosemary was simply one of freshness rather than pine needles!

Stephen also made mojitos with fresh mint from his garden, and he prepped the beets and greens that he bought the previous day at the Olympia Farmers Market. We simply wrapped the beets in foil with olive oil, and left them on the grill while we were cooking everything else, about 30 minutes. Delicious! And Mom quickly stir-fried the greens with olive oil and garlic, then added a smidge of oyster sauce at the end.

I can't think of a better way to end our weekend!

Beet and Kale Salad to support the liver

Although I still haven't managed to give up gluten, I'm nevertheless eating a lot of the high-antioxidant dishes my naturopath has recommended, including the above Beet and Kale Salad.

All of the main ingredients in the dish are believed to be great sources of liver support, including kale, beets, carrots, onions and garlic.

Instead of going on a fast to cleanse the liver, many naturopaths believe you can just as easily and much more safely cleanse the liver by eating such foods. It sure tastes better than drinking water spiked with lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne!

Beet and Kale Salad

Salad:
4 large beets
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
1 bunch kale
3 scallions
1 medium carrot

Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon finely diced garlic

Wash beets and bring to a boil in a large pot. After boiling bring to a simmer, continue to simmer for one hour, until tender. Let cool, then peel beets and cut into 3/4-inch pieces.

In the meantime, lightly toast the pumpkin seeds by placing them in a dry skillet and cooking over medium heat. Constantly stir the seeds to ensure even cooking. When they begin to pop and give off a nutty aroma, they are ready. Set aside to cool.

Wash kale and place in a large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds. Place in strainer and cool with cold water, cut into bite size pieces. Finely dice the green onions and peel the carrot. Slice into 1/8-inch rounds.

Place all dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a wire whisk. In a separate bowl place chopped beets, chopped kale, diced green onions, sliced carrots and pumpkin seeds. Add dressing and toss gently. Serve chilled.

Serves: 6

Courtesy Bastyr University

My love for Morbier is stinking up the fridge

Why does Costco feel the need to tempt me with their delicious cheeses? Now they've added Morbier to the selection, and my fridge will forever smell like stinky feet because of it.

But what a great snack, with sliced apples and salami, for "True Blood" night!

Sprucing up the classic BLT

Forgive me for slacking off lately, but Bryan's the one who really needs to forgive me because I feel like my culinary skills have just been so boring lately!

Here's what we had for lunch today: Modified BLTs. Is that even a blogworthy subject?

I replaced the tomatoes in Bryan's with a fried egg, and both also had sliced avocado and American cheese to keep things from getting too boring. Served on toasted Dave's Killer Seed Bread, it was certainly a delicious lunch, but hardly an award-winning meal.

Perhaps if I had made a Mom-style BLT, which she always made with a tasty layer of peanut butter, it might not be so boring. Unfortunately, I haven't yet convinced Bryan that PB & B is a tasty combination, but it's really time for him to get on the bandwagon. Everybody else is eating such culinary delights as the Peanut Butter Bacon Burger from The Slip in neighboring Kirkland, and in just a slight variation, there's also the Smokey Bacon Maple Bar from Frost Doughnuts in Mill Creek.

Now that proves Mom's a woman a few decades ahead of her time, so far ahead that I think she may already have retired that calorie bomb and replaced it with tomorrow's more healthy culinary trend. The rest of us will catch up after the bacon catches up with us!