My lady doctor gave me strict instruction that I need to start taking vitamins. I’ve put this off for a really long time because I’m a gigantic baby and suck at taking pills. I do that melodramatic thing where I fill up my mouth with water and then stick the pills in my mouth and then swallow. Sometimes I do like a little gag reflex thing…and then realize there’s no one around to feel sorry for me. Womp womp.

Anyway, I heard through a friend-of-a-friend that Trader Joe’s is the place to get those adult edible vitamins, so I went and she was right. And they’re not just “edible,” they’re deliciously edible! You mean I can take my daily vitamins in form of a gummi bear? Even though it was “candy,” I still expected it to be sort of disgusting. But whoa, before I knew it I ate, like, half the bottle. I’m sure this is awful, right? The bottle said take one…I took 10? Maybe 15?

I’m not sure what’s worse: too little vitamins, or too many. And I also did this on an empty stomach, but it was perfect timing because the batch of the carnitas that was on the stovetop was done, so I assembled two of these things and I felt a little better. Overly vitamized…but better!

I frequent Mexican taco trucks generally late at night. And mulitas with al pastor or carnitas are always my go-to. Mulitas are like quesadilla sandwiches…with meat on the inside. Hello! That’s cool!

This carnitas recipe is suuuuper simple, and only takes about 3 hours of braising on the stove-top. Not too long at all. If you wanted, you could even stick it in a slow-cooker while you head to work. I bet that’d work lovely.

You’re gonna start by cubing up about a pound and a half of pork shoulder/butt. And then you’re going to salt it liberally.

This recipe serves two people with a bit of leftovers, but if you need to cook for more people, it’s pretty simple to double.

You’re going to cook the pork with all of the things you see below: orange juice, lime juice, white onion, garlic, ground cumin and chile powder.

So…I don’t have pictures of the remaining steps, but basically you’re going to sear the pork cubes until they’re nice and crispy and lightly golden brown. Then you’re going to sauté some stuff a.k.a. the onions and spices together.

Then the pork goes back in the skillet, covered with some water and kept at a simmer for about 3 hours.

You’ll know when it’s ready because you’ll be able to cut it with a fork. That’s the money sign.

Mulita time!!

1. Tortilla, cheese, in a pan. Place a lid on top until it melts.

2. Then place a tablespoon or so of carnitas.

3. Top with another tortilla and gently flip.

4. I like mine topped with warm refried beans, this little cilantro/onion mixture, crumbled queso fresco, avocado and a dollop of sour cream.

Annnnnd, if you want to be really lazy and don’t want to make your carnitas, Trader Joe’s has pre-made carnitas that aren’t terrible. Are they as good as the ones pictured? No, but they take two minutes to buy. AND you can get some gummi bear vitamins while you’re there.

Mulitas

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Carnitas:
1 1/2 pounds pork shoulder/butt, cut into 1″ x 1″ cubes
Salt
Vegetable oil
1 white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 orange
1 lime, divided

Mulitas:
Handful of cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
4 small corn or flour tortillas
1/2 cup Monterey jack, shredded
1 (15-ounce) can of refried beans (you’ll have leftovers)
1 ounce queso fresco, crumbled
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 teaspoons sour cream

1. Lay the cubes of pork in one layer and sprinkle, on both sides, with salt, liberally. (I used about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt.) Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet (or dutch oven) over high heat. When oil glistens, it’s ready; using tongs, add cubes of pork, in one layer, and sear on both sides for 30 seconds to a minute, or until golden brown. Depending on the size of your skillet (or pot) you may need to do this in two batches. Remove pork and set aside.

2. Bring heat down to medium and add 1/2 of the diced onion; cook until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Next, add the garlic cloves, ground cumin, chile powder, and toss. Cook for about 30 seconds more. Add the pork back to the skillet and squeeze the orange and half of the lime over the meat. Pour enough water to slightly cover the meat and turn the heat to medium-high until it reaches a simmer. Once it’s at a simmer, bring heat down to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, for 3 hours, adding water frequently. You’ll the meat is ready when it’s easily shreddable.

3. To assemble mulitas, get all of your accessories ready, which includes warming the refried beans in the microwave or over the stovetop. In a medium skillet, placed over medium-low heat, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. When warm, add one corn tortilla and top with a handful of shredded cheese. Cover the skillet with a top and cook until cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Place a few tablespoons of shredded carnitas on top of cheese and cap with a tortilla. Cook for an additional minute more until top tortilla becomes warm. Remove and transfer to plate.

4. Top with a tablespoon of refried beans, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle onion and cilantro mixture on top, along with crumbled queso fresco. Top with a few slices of avocado and dollop of sour cream. Serve immediately with cold beer or margaritas. YES!

Yields Mulitas and Carnitas for 2

“My lady…”
“Your Grace…”
“Lady Adrianna…”
“Your Lordship…”

I wish someone–at some point in my life–would address me with one of the titles listed above. It would make my day if I walked into my coffee shop and the barista was all like, “Lady Adrianna, would you like a cappucino or your usual cup of Coava?” And then I’d be all like, “Ohhh Alex, I’ll take the Coava, thank you.” And he’d be like, “Of course, Your Grace.”

Umm…hello!!! How rad would that be?!?!

I’ve clearly been watching too much Downton Abbey/Game of Thrones. Clearly.

But let’s be serious, even if I did live back then, I wouldn’t be a princess. I don’t have a single drop of blue blood running through these veins.

My life would probably be spent in some dark basement kitchen making crazy meals for the royals. And I’d probably be really happy there, because unlike the “Lady,” I’d get to marry a dude I actually liked. That’s pretty huge. Imagining spending your life with some boring rich dude?! That’d suck, big time.

I wonder if they had endive back then. I’m guessing they probably hated it. A lot of people stay away from this spear-like leaf due to its bitterness.

But I’m here to tell you that endive, like most things, is majorly awesome when wrapped in prosciutto, and covered and smothered in cheesy bechamel sauce.

The bitterness is there, but only slightly–it’s subtle. I think the endive works wonders with the salty prosciutto and cheesy, creamy sauce.

There’s a few (easy!) steps to this dish. It starts off by the endive being simmered in chicken broth for about 10 minutes. The endive is cooked, but not over cooked. Important. I then drained and dried it, thoroughly.

I wanted the leaves to be a slightly crispy and brown, so I added it to a few tablespoons of hot oil and browned both sides.

I then wrapped each head of endive in prosciutto…

Next, I cooked up the bechamel.

This bechamel has Gruyere, mustard and a pinch of nutmeg. Wut’s up, creamy deliciousness!

I did a little pour-over action and stuck the casserole dish under the broiler for 5 minutes. I’ve realized that broilers will always scare me. Always.

Mine is under my stove and it’s just scary, man. I have to get all on the floor to peek to see if everything is okay and not burning to smithereens.

Also, whenever I turn the thing on my fire alarm goes off, so it really takes me a lot to put something under the broiler. I can tell you that this gratin needs a date with a broiler. The crispy cheesiness is everything.

Before I stuck it in the oven, I considered quartering the bechemel recipe for you, because there’s a lot of it; but when I served it up, I felt like every bite was even better with a spoonful of sauce.

Cheese on vegetables is the way to go.

Endive Prosciutto Gratin

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3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
6 heads of Belgian endive, washed and outer leaves removed
Olive Oil
6 slices of prosciutto
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cup Gruyere, shredded and divided

1. In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring broth to a simmer. Add endive and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Place the endive on paper towels, allow to cool and then dry thoroughly. Important! Next, we’re going to get this endive brown and crispy, so it needs to be as dry as can be. While your endive is cooling, clean and dry the saucepan. We’re saving dishes here, ladies/gents.

2. Place the saucepan over medium-high heat; add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When oil is hot, place endive in the pan and cook until browned, about 1-2 minutes; flip and cook on opposite side until brown. Remove from the saucepan. Next wrap each head of endive in a slice of prosciutto and place in a 10 1/2 x 8 1/2 casserole dish.

3. To a small to medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and stir until the flour and butter become one. Whisking vigorously, pour in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, about 2-3 minutes. Turn off heat and add the salt, mustard and nutmeg. Whisk until all of it dissolved. Next up, add the 1 cup of Gruyere and mix until it’s melted. Yum!

4. Pour sauce over the endive and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of Gruyere. Set under a broiler and cook for 4-5 minutes, and until cheese is toasted.

I made these two recipes (here and here) make out, which resulted in what you see above. BOOM!

Confession: sometimes I’m a brat. This is totally true. Sometimes I’m sleepy, my eyelids are heavy and I just want my way, like, right now.

Currently, if I could get my way in all things life, this is how it’d go:

1. More hours in the day for me to work and say hi to friends.

2. I’d be able to drink copious amount of gin without having an awful hangover face. I can’t swing it–not a youngin’ anymore, guys. Depressing.

3. I’d drink coffee at 9pm and still be in bed by midnight. I’m totally not sensitive to caffeine at 8am, but it ruins me after 6pm. Truly unfair.

4. At Chipotle I’d be able to assemble my very own burrito. They’re very nice people at Chipotle but I just wanna do it myself.

When I’m sensing my brattiness is taking over my usual good and positive nature, I gotta put myself in check. ‘Cause seriously look at what I made! Look at what I have had in my life! Crispy hash browns! With cheese! All topped with a runny egg. Such a good look!

Like any good thing, it starts with a good amount of carbs.

The trick I found to crispy hash browns/latkes, etc. is you must sprinkle the potatoes with a bit of salt, let them stand and then squeeze out the moisture. You’ll be surprised at how much comes out–it’s kinda crazy.

Next you’re going to add some good stuff to the potatoes like a shallot, garlic, some pepper, paprika. All for good measure.

Add a few tablespoons of the potato mixture to the muffin cups, and lining the bottoms and sides using your fingers.

You want to make sure they’re compact as possible. This will help with ensuring the little potato nests keep their shape.

Oven time!

After about 12 minutes, they’ll look like this situation below. Sort of crispy on the outsides, but definitely a pale potato on the insides. This is cool. They’re still more baking in their future. Add the cheese (not a lot) and then crack an egg in each of the muffin cups.

Now, if I could do this again, I’d totally use medium eggs (I used large eggs). Everything was perfectly fine but I was a little scared some of them were going to overflow.

More oven time!

Just enough until the eggs are cooked.

You’ll be met with the cutest, egg and hash brown situation ever. Perfect for those days when you need to be yanked out of your bratty, attitude mood.

Egg and Cheese Hash Brown Nests

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2 russet potatoes, peeled
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
8 medium eggs

1. Generously grease a muffin tin and set aside. Using a box grater, shred the potatoes and transfer them to a bowl; sprinkle with the kosher salt and allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Gather the potatoes in the center of a cheese cloth (or a bed of paper towels) and wring the potatoes dry, removing the excess water. There will be quite a bit!

2. Transfer the dried, shredded potato back to the bowl and add the shallot, garlic, pepper and paprika. Mix until combined.

3. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into each muffin cup, being sure to line the bottom and the sides. Since the potatoes will shrink when baked, make sure you go all the way to the top of the muffin tin when lining the sides. Bake for 10-15 minutes, and until the outer sides appear lightly golden brown.

4. Decrease oven to 350F. Remove from oven. In the center of each hash brown nest, add a teaspoon of grated cheese, and then top with one egg. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, and until whites are set, but yolks still appear soft.

5. Allow to cool for 2 minutes in pan. Using a butter knife, run it around the edges of each hash brown nest and gently remove it. Top with remaining freshly ground pepper and serve immediately.

Yields 8 Hash Brown Nests

Phew! I didn’t mean to be away this long. I missed you all!

I figured I’d take MLK day off, and then a recipe failure happened. And then I had to jump on a plane to head back east to bury myself in the work that I’ve been putting off for weeks. Procrastination, I hate you.

But good news: I’m here, working diligently and it’s awesome. I’ve been in this really awful anxious mood for the past few weeks, so all this doing, writing and completing feels refreshing and wonderful. SO, I’M BACK! And I brought cheese to this productive party, my dudes and dudettes. Cheese!

This recipe is inspired by a picture in the new issue of Saveur. The picture is just a few jalapeño peppers just laying there looking cute and delicious and fried.

I might’ve stared at the picture for an hour straight. Mainly because I knew under the fried bread crumbs cheese lived, and partly because after about 20 minutes of being on any plane I’m immediately ready to get off.

I get ansty. Bratty. And I always have to go to the bathroom. Basically I’m the worst plane neighbor ever. But I will share my food magazines with you and I’ll smile a lot. So there’s that.

I started by using an espresso spoon to get out of the seeds and membranes from each of the jalapeños. If you’re a lunatic and love spicy, then by all means leave them in.

These peppers are stuffed with a softened cream cheese, Monterey Jack mixture a spice or two and some salt and pepper. After they’re filled, they take two dips in the egg and bread crumb mixture. The two dips is pretty essential since jalapeños have super smooth skin and you really want the bread crumbs to stick. In some hot oil and out they come, all golden brown and gooey inside.

Fried, cheesy, spicy….and go!

Fried Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers

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3 cups canola oil
16 jalapeños
6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 3/4 cup Monterey Jack, shredded finely
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups panko bread crumbs

1. Make a slit down the middle of each jalapeño, being sure to keep the stem end intact, and slice off the end. Using a small spoon (I used an espresso spoon), scoop out the membrane and seeds.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, Monterey Jack, cumin, salt and pepper.

3. Add canola oil to a medium pot (or cast iron skillet) and heat to 350F. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside.

4. Meanwhile, stuff each jalapeño with a small spoonful of cheese mixture.

5. In batches, dip jalapeños in flour, egg, panko bread crumbs, and then dip once more in egg and panko bread crumbs. Transfer to hot oil and fry until golden brown, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towels to drain and serve immediately.

Fried Cheesy Jalapeño Poppers

I arrived in Florida (where my parents live) exactly two days ago, on a red eye flight. I was sitting next to the most adorable baby in a onesie. We said hi, we smiled…we became friends.

And then she totally betrayed me. An hour into the flight, she started bawling her eyes out. And didn’t stop…for the. next. four. hours. Right then and there our friendship ended, obviously. Her poor mother…she was doing everything she could. Nothing worked.

So, instead of sleeping with my eyes closed, I tried to sleep with my eyes open. You know…where you just stare REALLY hard and try to take your brain to a newprettybetter world, like, immediately?

I thought about Christmas morning…oh Christmas morning. Does a cozier more lovely place even exist? I think not…

This year I have nothing to do with Christmas dinner. I bowed out since I cooked all of Thanksgiving dinner.

Instead, I’m on the sidelines mixing cocktails, making playlists, drinking cocktails…

I did, however, agree to get down on Christmas morning.

Last year I made this eggs benedict, PW’s cinnamon rolls and some spice hot chocolate.

In a couple days, I’m gonna make Joy’s pull apart bread (have you made this?!?!), some more spice hot chocolate, an apple cheese danish…and this quiche.

This quiche is so dreamy.

Sure there’s a bit of flour and butter mixing, and water mixing, and rolling out.

BUT you can do all of that the night before. Yes, that’s right. The pie crust can be made the day before, rolled out, put into its pie crust or tart shell..so it’s all ready for the next day. You can even mix up the filling if you like.

This way all you have to do is wake up, shuffle into the kitchen in your pjs, do a little pre-heat action and stick the thing in the oven.

An hour later, you’ll be met with this beautiful cheese, ham and spinach filled quiche.

I can’t think of a better breakfast to share with a bunch of people on Christmas morning.

I’m wishing you all a beautiful peace-filled Christmas.

Merry merry!

xo

Adrianna

Ham Spinach and Gruyére Quiche

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Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), cold and cubed
1/4 cup cold water

Egg Filling:
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 handfuls of spinach
4 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup cubed ham (sliced to a 1/4-inch thickness)
1/2 cup cubed Gruyére

1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt together. Working quickly, and using your fingers, add the cubed butter to the flour mixture and break up until butter is in pea-size bits. Make a well in the center of the mixture, pour in 1/4 cup cold water, and incorporate it into the mixture it’s moistened and comes together forming a ball. Note: If you find it to be too dry, add a tablespoon at a time until it comes together. Wrap the disc of dough in plastic and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the handfuls of spinach and cook until wilted. Drain in a colander (or on a handful or paper towels) and set aside.

3. Pre-heat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl beat eggs together with cream, milk, salt and pepper.

4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch circle (or just a bit bigger than your tart shell–mine was 9.5 inches). Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Gently press the inside bottom edges of the dough against the sides of the tart pan to eliminate any air bubbles. Roll the rolling pin across the top surface of the tart shell to cut off the crusts’ edges.

5. To the bottom of the tart shell, add the wilted spinach, cubed cheese and ham. Pour 3/4 of the egg mixture over top and transfer to a baking sheet. Place in oven on rack and top off with the remaining egg mixture (this way it won’t spill over!).

6. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour. The top of the quiche will be puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly until serving. It’s delicious warm or at room temperature.

Recipe adapted from this Jacques Pepin video

This may be a total shocker to some of you, but in third grade I was not the cool girl.

Definitely not the cool girl. But I also wasn’t the weird girl, the girl that smelled nor the girl that was super jockey and athletic.

I was just way normal. Like really normal. Too normal for my own good. So I’m pretty sure I just kinda faded into the background…

The cool girls were the sprightly blond ones. Their hairs were always French braided. They wore a lot of pink. They were talkative and outgoing. The boys liked to punch them, in a good way (I think). And they had awesome packed lunches. (Read: Lunchables, Cheetos, Snack Packs.)

I was like, the antithesis of the situation you just read.

My dad thought it was a genius idea to buy me boys’ tennis shoes because he thought they were “designed” better. So yeah…I have him to thank for that. I was shy and quiet and observant. And my hair was frizzy and always sort of a mess. My mom, nor I, could French braid despite how many times we tried.

And my lunch…ugh…my lunch was always kind of lame. Think like, hummus, crudites and…arroz con pollo. Tell me! …how is a child supposed to be cool with yellow rice in their lunchbox?!?!

But now…I’m a totally different person. I know how to use a blow-dryer. My clothes are better. That lunch would actually make me excited. And I know how to do regular braids, French braids and fishtails. Yeah…I totally graduated to braiding pro status.

Despite who you were in third grade, everyone can braid this cheese danish. Everyone.

Let’s talk frozen puff pastry. Sure…you can make your own, if you’re up for that. But if you’re not, try and buy the good stuff.

You’ll be able to spot it because puff pastry should only have a few ingredients: flour, water, salt and BUTTER. A lot of the ones at the store have oils instead of butter.

I found my puff pastry at Whole Foods for $10 for two sheets. (I usually buy Dufour but this one was the brand Toque.)

A little pricey…but the quality was amazing. So so worth it.

You’re going to start by throwing all of the filing ingredients in a bowl and mixing them up. It’ll smell tart. And delicious.

Next up you want to slice the apples and toss them with a little lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon.

Fall in a bowl. Fall in a bowl.

Take your defrosted puff pastry and roll it out. Mine was an annoying circle, so I had to cut it into a rectangle. No biggie!

Cut off the top corners. And make triangular notches in the bottom part of the rectangle.

Then make slits down both sides. Those are gonna be the pretty braids.

Fill the center with a few tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture and smooth it out.

Lay the apple slices down the center…

Fold in the bottom and top flaps…

And then braid! Sorta. This is when it gets really easy.

Simply fold over the strips, alternating between sides.

P.S. If you need more visuals, this video really helps!

Trim away any leftover strips or dough.

And when you’re done…it’ll look like this!

Brush it with a little egg wash action, stick in the oven and bake.

While it’s doing its thing in the oven, mix up the icing. Just powdered sugar and a tiny bit of milk. I had to play with the consistency a bit. I wanted it to be thick.

And then…pour it all over the warm apple cheese danish..

The filing in this cheese danish is just the perfect amount of tartness; it isn’t overly sweet, which makes the icing welcome…perhaps even necessary?!

And the cinnamon and sugar speckled apples practically become one with the cheese…after the 20 minute baking time. This is all such a good thing.

When I took a bite, the first thing that came to mind was how perfect this danish would be for that certain holiday where people get presents in late December. I can’t bring myself to mention it this early. I just can’t…I’d totally end up hating myself…

But for real, this thing really would be perfect for it.

Apple Cheese Danish

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Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoon ricotta
1 lemon, zest and juice used
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
5 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 Gala apples
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 box of frozen puff pastry (mine contained two circular sheets of puff pastry), defrosted

Icing:
3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, place the cream cheese, ricotta, lemon zest, vanilla, salt, 4 tablespoons of sugar and mix until smooth, using an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Set aside.

Peel and slice your apples into 1/4-inch slices. In a small bowl toss them with 1 tablespoon of sugar, cinnamon and juice from the one lemon.

Carefully unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry and roll slightly with a floured rolling pin until it’s about 1/4-inch in thickness. Since mine was a circle, I cut it into an 11″ x 8″ rectangle. Transfer the sheet of puff pastry to a piece of parchment.

At an angle, slice off the top corners and cut two notches in the bottom. Slice 1-inch strips diagonally down both sides of the puff pastry, leaving the center uncut. Try to cut the same amount of strips on both sides. I had about 8 strips per side.

Add three tablespoons of cream cheese filling, spreading it evenly down the center of the puff pastry. Top with apple slices.

Fold in the bottom and top flaps. Braid the puff pastry, by folding the strips over the filing, alternating sides, until you’ve worked your way down the puff pastry. Using your knife, trim off any leftover strips or extra dough.

Transfer the danish (with parchment) to a baking sheet, and brush top with egg wash. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until puffed up and golden brown.

Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry.

While baking, mix confectioner’s sugar with milk and mix. When the danish comes out of the oven, drizzle top with icing and serve warm.

Yields 2 Medium Danishes

I have another potato with cheese (and cheese) and butter recipe for you.

I swear I’m not trying to kill you; it’s just I like cheese.

I kinda figure it’s like math…you know, two negatives make a positive, OR depending on your life perspective, two positives make a big gigantic cheesy, calorie-filled positive. I consider myself a super optimissitc person, so I’ll go with the latter.

If you are too, then hop over to PW’s Tasty Kitchen blog where I did a guest blogging situation. You’ll find: step-by-step pictures, the recipe and me waxing poetic about cheese and butter. You know, THE USUAL!!!

LOVEYOUBYE

P.S. I’ll post a recipe of some salad soon. Or not.

I’m never the girl that’s super prepared for things.

I wash my clothes only when I start wearing mismatched socks. I wash my hair when I can’t go another day. I only buy paper towels when I start using bath towels to clean up messes.

And the list goes on…and on. And on.

I think it’s just that I’m really good at wingin’ stuff. It’s how I like livin’…

The only season I actually prepare for is Fall. I dig it so much that I can’t just can’t help it.

I buy sweaters while it’s still hot outside. My boot game starts to get good when I really should be wearing sandals. I have 30 minute conversations (in September) with my dad about turkey brining plans.

And as of right now, I have thirty-two Fall-ish recipes written down in a notebook that I can’t wait to make. Yeah, I’m way prepared.

This Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread (with the Vegan Chili) was one of the first things to hit the list.

I was just waiting for it to be the right temperature.

But since I live in LA, it’s sort of never the right temperature.

Whatever. I’m gonna experience Fall…even if I have to force it.

Let’s talk cornbread details…

Despite no pictures of the cast iron skillet, it’s made in one, which means the edges are crispy and brown and delicious. There’s loads of cheddar in this cornbread…as well as a kick of spice from the jalapeños.

Add a pat of salted butter on top and experience what Fall tastes like.

Cheddar Jalapeño Cornbread

Recipe adapted from Homesick Texan

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2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or bacon drippings)
2 cups of cornmeal (yellow or white)
½ cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk, shaken
2 jalapeños, diced
1 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put the oil (or drippings) in a cast iron skillet and place it in the oven for a few minutes until it’s sizzling.

Mix together dry ingredients. Set aside. Whisk egg and buttermilk. Mix with dry ingredients. Fold in jalapeños and 1 cup of shredded cheddar.

Take cast iron skillet out of oven, and pour hot oil into batter, and mix. Pour batter into cast iron skillet and top with remaining 1/4 cup of cheddar. Bake in oven for 20 minutes. Cornbread should be brown on top and pulling away from the sides of the skillet.

Hi!

I know a few days ago I was totally publicly flirting with Fall, talking about pumpkin this and cuddle that and apple cider whatever…and here I am posting this recipe with slices of heirloom tomatoes and fresh pesto.

I’m sort of all over the place, but that’s what you get during this awkward period between seasons. My brain isn’t sure what’s appropriate. My heart knows to look for cheese for the answers…

When I went to go categorize this post, I realized I don’t really do salads on this blog very often. It isn’t that I don’t like vegetables; there’s plenty of those around.

I think it’s the whole lettuce thing.

Sure, arugula is cool as a topping on pizza, a Caesar salad is always good, and butter lettuce tastes amazing…when drenched in buttermilk ranch dressing or something.

But mainly lettuce, for me, acts as this vessel for something more awesome than itself. So why not skip it all together?!

This salad does just that. Cheese…no, correction: fried cheese, tomatoes and pesto. There’s no catalyst. No middleman!!

Can we just not live in a world where salads have ingredients that are middlemen?!

This salad is pretty straight-forward–no crazy tricks or pro-tips, really. Just some friend cheese.

Oh there is a little info on the cheese I wanted to explain. In order to get that thick crust around the cheese, I dipped the piece of mozzarella in the egg and batter two times. That’s all. No biggie. Nothing major.

And yeah, I know frying stuff kinda sucks, but there’s melty cheese on the other side of this recipe and it’s so SO worth it.

Fried Mozzarella Caprese Salad

Yields 2 servings

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Pesto:
1 cup of basil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Handful of walnuts
1/4 cup of Parmesan-Reggiano
1/4 cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Fried Mozzarella:
1 tomato
1 quart of canola oil
1 five ounce ball of mozzarella (low moisture, not water packed)
2 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
Salt

1. In a food processor, add the basil, garlic, pine nuts (or walnuts), Parmesan, and pulse until chopped. With the processor on low, add the olive oil in a slow and steady stream until completely combined. Taste the pesto and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. Slice the tomato in 1/2 inch slices and place on paper towels. This will absorb some of the tomatoes’ moisture.
3. Prep a plate with a few layers of paper towels. Fill a 10″ cast iron pan with 4 inches of oil, about 2 quarts, and heat oil to 350F.
4. While it’s heating up, slice the mozzarella into 1/2 inch slices. Prep bowl with beaten egg. On a plate, combine bread crumbs, crushed red pepper, oregano and salt (if needed). Note: Try your mozzarella. If there’s a lot of salt, chill on the salt. Don’t add any. If the mozzarella has no salt, then add about 1/4 teaspoon to the bread crumb mixture.
5. Double-dip mozzarella by dipping in the beaten eggs, then bread crumbs and repeating the step. This will give you a thick delicious crust.
6. Gently drop the mozzarella into hot oil using a slotted spoon and fry, about 30 seconds, or until golden brown. Turn the mozzarella and allow to fry on the other side for another 30 seconds.
7. Transfer to the paper toweled plate to drain.
8. Grab a plate and stack tomatoes and mozzarella in whatever fashion you like. Top with pesto and a crack of black pepper.

Sometimes I’m attracted to food because of its motion. Let me explain.

I love pulling a slice of pizza from the pie and seeing all the cheese strings flail in the air; only to then sword the cheese with my finger, breaking it off for good. That’s rad.

I love imagining (and watching) a kernel of popcorn exploding and transforming into a buttery, movie snack. Popcorn is the butterfly of the food world. Think about it.

I like when I pour a beer and flirt with the idea of it overflowing…and then it does. I always give a bratty smirk when that happens.

I like watching the little craters sporadically show up on the surface of a pancake.

I really dig bubbling, simmering tomato sauce. Lots of things simmer…tomato sauce, hands down, is the prettiest.

And then there’s the stream of a bright yellow yolk that gently flows out of a fried egg.

Food motion makes me hungry. Wait, does this mean I wanna eat motion? Is food motion even a thing?

Moving on…

This sandwich has two motions going on: a runny yolk and oozing cheese.

Pause…can we just take a moment and all agree that Egg-in-a-Hole is the cutest dish ever brained up.

“Yo, egg-in-a-hole, who brained you up?!”

Oh, you’re a piece of food and can’t talk back…cool.

Moving on…again…

I added a little prosciutto for some heft. I wanted dinner.

If you don’t have any or are trying to go veggie, leave it out. It’s totally delicious without it.

And please…grate yo’ cheese. It melts faster, which is important in this case.

Now, go make this for breakfast, lunch or dinner…and eat some food motion. It’s the right thing to do.

Egg-in-a-Hole Grilled Cheese

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Yields 1 Sandwich

2 slices bread of choice (I used white; I think 7-grain would be lovely.)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
2 large eggs
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
3 slices prosciutto

Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, cut a 2-inch hole from the center of both slices of bread. Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. When it’s melted, add the two slices of bread. Let the bread lightly toast for a minute, or until lightly golden brown, and then flip the two slices over. Dab the remaining butter in the middle of the bread circles. We want to ensure the egg doesn’t stick.

Crack the eggs into the holes and season with salt and pepper. If you’re using prosciutto, chill with the salt. Just add a little.

Cover the pan for a minute, just until the egg whites are sorta set. Next, add the grated cheese to one half and cover for another minute, or until the cheese is practically melted.

Using a spatula, gently top the cheese slice with the egg slice. Cook for one more minute, or until the cheese is melted.