Fried hard boiled eggs "Lucullian Style"

I decided to play with my food during a past snowstorm. Since the natural food store where I work sells farm fresh local eggs I had an abundance of them in the fridge. I had seen a recipe that caught my attention from Lucullian Delights which was Fried Hard Boiled Eggs and thought it sounded crazy and tasty enough to try. They were delicious!

Basically all one has to do is hard boil as many eggs as you think you may want to slice and fry. I used a shallow dish sprinkled with some dry bread crumbs and a dash of Jane's Crazy mixed up salt and then gently pressed the bread crumbs on both sides of the eggs. I used a shallow non-stick fry pan with a tinge of olive oil nicely heated through to quickly sear the lightly breaded eggs to a nice golden crust (about 3-4 minutes each side). After rummaging through the crisper in the fridge I found some organic fresh spinach and leftover olive oil/Dijon mustard dressing in the fridge door. I sensed a twist on an old spinach salad theme! After compiling everything together on one plate I have to say I was glad I tried Lucullian's recipe....even if it wasn't exactly the same.

Up waaaaay too early

I can picture Bob and I "later in life". Two old birds strolling the beach in the pre-dawn hours because they can't sleep. I was thinking "beach" and "warm" while sitting inside my cozy house and it's 19 degrees outside. The picture above is from our last trip to Hilton Head South Carolina, in the pre-dawn hours.

So what to do early in the morning when there's no beach or warm temperatures to occupy the sleepless? Browse the internet of course. I brewed a pot of coffee (NOT condusive to going back to sleep) and reviewed my Yahoo page. I subscribe to a web page called The Consumerist and it had a great link to a coupon web site that I thought was pretty informative. Since I'm trying to be a more conservative home cook and housewife I was pretty excited....I guess it doesn't take much to get my engines fired up.

I went to Brooks Tavern yesterday afternoon (whoops that doesn't sound like I'm being economical does it?) and had lunch. I can say that I was intrigued by my experience and that I liked the environment. The menu was varied and interesting and it was hard to pick from the fresh salad selections or the local beef burger (which is obtained via St. Brigid's Farm). The rustic place wasn't a bad experience but it wasn't the speediest either. The poor server tried his best and Barb (I think?) hurried around making sure the gradually filling tables were satisfied. I got the impression there were some "regular's" there as she appeared familiar with a few diners. She definately lightened the load a bit as it appeared there was only one waitstaff for the cozy room. The spinach salad I ordered was satisfying and was served in a quantity that was plentiful and pretty to look at. The fact that this restaurant participates with local venders and growers appeals to me in a very "colonial" sense. I love the idea of knowing where your food comes from, establishing a relationship with local food artisans, and making all of it work together in a thriving business for the public.

So there you have it. I forgot my camera in my haste to get out the door but I won't make that mistake again. I definately wanted to have a field trip (it was partially accomplished) but didn't get to visit the fledgling vineyard that is located in between Centreville and Church Hill while on my way home. I wanted to stop yesterday but the lane looked a little too muddy for me and, well, nature was calling.

Snowy day fun: (CHICKPEA FLOUR PIZZA)

For some reason unknown to me I purchased chickpea flour in the organic section of the grocery store recently. I had no clue what to do with it until I started messing around on Recipezaar. I found a recipe for chickpea flour pizza and decided to monkey around with the ingredients. Chickpea flour on it's own tastes like crap. I seriously thought I had made a major mistake buying it. After it was mixed with other ingredients and cooked it redeems itself though. With this recipe you will definately need an ovenworthy skillet/pan to finish the pizza under the broiler. I used my cast iron skillet which worked wonderfully. I didn't stick to the original recipe and forged one on my own with ingredients that I had on hand. The chickpea batter is fodder for whatever you may want to put into it. I don't think you can make any mistakes with it. This recipe is for 2 pizza's which was certainly needed for a young hungry boy sitting inside on a snow day.

Chickpea flour pizza:

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
olive oil

Directions:

1. Sift chickpea flour and salt together over a medium bowl.

2. Add the water and stir with a whisk to prevent clumps.

3. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes and preheat your oven's broiler; set the rack on the lower third of the oven.

4. After 30 minutes stir in the oregano and garlic powder into batter.

5. Heat your oven-worthy pan on medium-high on the stove and cover the bottom well with the olive oil.

6. Ladle some batter into the pan and swirl to cover all sides evenly.

7. Let cook until the batter bubbles and the sides are beginning to brown. At this point I swirl some hoagie oil over the top and crack some fresh pepper over the oil.

8. Using whatever topping you desire place these on top of the cooked batter but don't overcrowd. I used blue cheese, genoa salami, and thin sliced red onion.

9. Place the "pizza" under the broiler and cook until the toppings are bubbly.

Sandwich Day

It started this morning with Kevin. I toasted the apple bread I made yesterday for his morning breakfast. Out of the blue he wants a toasted ham and cheese on apple bread. Hummmm. Sounded pretty good to me. I've made apple and peanut butter sandwiches on waffles before. This could be good too.

I used real butter on both sides of the bread, tavern ham, and chedder cheese. Kevin had two sandwiches and Bob, later, had one too.

Bob stayed home from the office today because he's traveling tomorrow. I coerced him into being lazy yesterday so we ran around like crazy today. After running around doing some errands, earlier in the morning, we raced home for lunch around 1pm. I was STARVING. I had just bought baby spinach and a few small eggplant a couple of days before at the grocery store and knew there was some way to use them at lunch today. I was craving eggplant chips again and wondered how to use them this time around. Again, I roasted them, sliced very thin, in a 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes, swooshed in olive oil and salt and pepper. I smell another sandwich!

I made a vinaigrette dressing from equal parts (1 1/2 tbs.) balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard, 1 tbs. fresh chopped oregano, 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper, and 1 tsp. fresh chopped garlic. I whisked olive oil into the mixture until thick (1/4 cup).

I then stuffed whole wheat pita's with baby spinach, tomatoes, and the eggplant chips. I drizzled in the dressing and Yum!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood: (BLEU EGG SALAD & BACON SANDWICH)

What a gorgeous day here on the Eastern Shore. I have considered it a success against Delmarva Power yet again by opening the house up and shutting off the window units. Yay! In a span of just three months the electric bill went up $100.00. I'd sure like to have that in my checkbook right now. Summer vacation and a sailboat sorta have dwindled the funds. I REALLY use coupons at the grocery store now!

Not too much time to be wasted (no offense) here. It literally feels like April, well, maybe May around here. The garden needs to be watered and I haven't been the best parent sometimes. I didn't water yesterday and now I feel terrible. Everybody out there looks good though and I should get marching soon to water or they might change their minds(being the plants that is) and revolt (meaning: die).

I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast this morning, which is my favorite meal. I wake up starving and if I don't eat I can get cranky. I feel like Nicole Ritchie looks. Hungry. I went to the grocery store this morning and stocked up as much as I could without getting too crazy. Never. I repeat, never go grocery shopping when you're hungry. All of a sudden even Maraschino cherries look good (and I hate cherries...well those kind). So, I brought home two dozen eggs. Two dozen eggs because I'm trying the South Beach diet. That's a lot of eggs you may say but that's the main "go to" food for me right now. No excuses here, but, really, I've had a heck of a time since really quitting smoking with an ever expanding "spare tire". Ugh. And I hate my arms too but that's another time. So anyway, South Beach seemed nicer than Adkins to me. So, I've just boiled six eggs and am looking for a good egg salad recipe. For lunch, now. Crap I'm hungry. Here's what I came up with from Recipezaar:

Bleu Egg Salad and Bacon Sandwich (Recipe #33821)

Ingredients:

6 eggs, hard boiled,cooled and peeled
1/4 cup celery, diced
4 1/2 tablespoons crumbled bacon
1 tablespoon diced scallion
2 fluid ounces bleu cheese salad dressing

Directions:

1. Coarsely chop the eggs and combine them with the celery, bacon, scallion and bleu cheese dressing in a mixing bowl; stir well.
2. Keep chilled until just before serving.
3. Spread the salad evenly, topped with lettuce and tomato, on your choice of rolls or bread.

I won't use bread of course and based on the user's comments I think I'll use an additional tablespoon of real crumbled bleu cheese too. I have reduced fat bleu cheese dressing and I dithered whether to use that (as called for in the recipe) or, maybe, just add two tablespoons of my treasured Hellman's Light mayo instead with the bleu cheese crumbles. Decisions decisions. I bought turkey bacon this morning so I'll use that too in place of real bacon. It's just two weeks of induction people! I can and will survive. Besides, if I'm hungry enough I'll eat just about anything, except maraschino cherries.

Post Script
I tweeked the above recipe and used:

6 hard-boiled eggs
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. onion powder (I had no scallion)
3 turkey bacon strips, crumbled
3 Tbsp. Light mayo (Hellman's)
2 Tbsp. crumbled bleu cheese
1/4 tsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste