Ham & Cheese Strata

With Spring holidays approaching here's a simple recipe you can create with some left-overs.  This ham and cheese strata is pretty basic.  Nothing fancy.  These items just happen to be the things our house tends to have on hand after Easter dinner.  You can substitute other ingredients too.  Peppers, onions and other watery-type vegetables are best sauteed first so they release their moisture prior to baking but for the most part feel free to use whatever.

Ingredients:

• Left over biscuits or bread
• Ham
• Cheese
• Eggs
• Milk
• Parsley

Directions:

1. Combine eggs and milk in a bowl and add your biscuit/bread and give it a good coat.
2. Let it sit in the fridge overnight soaking up the egg mixture.
3. The next morning add the ham and cheese to the bowl and thoroughly coat it. (At this stage you can almost add whatever you want. Onions, peppers and cooked potatoes make great additions.)
4. Pour out into a buttered, oven safe baking dish.
5. If the mix appears dry, with no excess egg mixture add more, whipping another egg or two with a splash of milk. Pour that over the top of your strata mix where it will pool at the edges.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 or so minutes until the strata puffs slightly and the center is cooked through.

Happy Spring everyone!

Dutch Baby Recipe with Strawberries

Over the last few months I have been cooking and delivering meals for an 84 year old women with chronic kidney failure that attends dialysis treatments three times a week.  I don't know much about dialysis but what I do know is the treatment is very exhausting with a diet that is highly restrictive.  The first couple of times when making deliveries she would meet me at the door and we would exchange friendly chit-chat.  However, over the last few weeks our exchanges have evolved.  The door is left unlocked, I let myself in, and then set about making my prepared meals comfortable in her refrigerator.  I can tell she is tired.  Sometimes I find her sitting in the dark and fear that's only because she is too weak to stand to turn the lights on. One look at her swollen feet and I know my job is more than providing her with dinner.  I have a self-appointed side duty of providing small but important creature comforts.  Nothing extravagant, as doing so might burden her with conversation she is too tired to have.  Instead I address a few minor things to make her evening a little more comfortable.  I turn a light on, move the TV remote closer and serve her a meal on the seated portion of her walker so that she can eat at a "table" and have mobility when she is ready.  The last thing I want her to do is stand-up.  "Rest Lori, just rest...  I got this".

Unfortunately, I only provide dinner so what's to be done about breakfast you ask?  Well, let me introduce you to the Dutch Baby!  Whereas pancakes require constant standing and supervision, the Dutch Baby is more like a "set it and forget it" version.  It requires few ingredients and bakes in the oven allowing tired feet to rest while you wait.  This recipe is also free from added phosphates which are often found in store bought mixes.  High amount of phosphates in the blood can cause assorted calcium related issues in the blood, tissue, and bones which is a serious concerns for someone dealing with renal failure.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 1 tsp. powdered sugar
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 tsp. granulated sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. In a small sauce pot, combine strawberries and granular sugar and heat on medium low so that the berries begin to soften in there juices and come to a simmer.
3. Combine the eggs, milk, salt, and flour in a bowl and mix well
4. Heat the butter on the stove top in an oven proof skillet, moving it around trying to coat the pan evenly on all sides.
5. Pour the mixed ingredients into the pan and let cook without stiring for one minute.
6. Carefully transfer the skillet to the oven and bake without opening the door for 15 minutes (the dutch baby will start to rise)
7. After 15 minutes, turn the temperature down to 350 and bake for another 10 or so minutes until the top is well puffed and golden brown.
8. Carefully remove the dutch baby from the oven and dust it with powdered sugar and top with the stewed strawberries.

Something about the crackling sound the Dutch Baby makes when you add the fruit makes me giddy! Throw in the fact that the ingredients are simple, the cooking is low maintenance and it's free from cautionary additives makes this a win, regardless of kidney status. So, go make one and kick up your heels!  The Dutch Baby might quickly become your new breakfast standard.

5 Steps To A Better Breakfast Sandwich!

There are a few steps you can apply to greatly improve your breakfast game, especially in the sandwich department.  This one goes out to the restaurant I wont mention at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.  It was bad.  Real bad! And for the love of what should be an easy breakfast win for every kitchen everywhere, I am providing a few crucial steps to building better breakfast sandwiches.

1. Stop toasting the bread! Cover you bread, muffin, etc. with foil and heat it in the oven for a few minutes. It comes out warm and soft and steamy and all fresh baked like.  Toasting bread is for sandwiches that are exceptionally soft and creamy and in need of texture.  If you were scrambling your egg and just adding cheese or using bacon pate (is that a thing?) well, then toasting might be necessary.  It's all about the texture. And this rule applies to all sandwiches not just breakfast.  The texture profile is just as important as the flavor profile!
2.  Bake the bacon. It cooks more evenly and gives you more control over your ideal bacon crispness. No folding or cutting to fit it in your cast iron skillet. That's right! I am talking to you!! YOU know who you are...
3. When it comes to the eggs, keep them yokes runny! Does dipping sauce mean anything to you?!!!  A runny yoke is your breakfast sandwich au jus.  Sure, you can cook your yoke all the way through but when you do, you are changing the general moisture content of the sandwich.  A cooked yoke equals a drier sandwich so you might have to make some adjustments at Step 5.
4.  Keep the cheese traditional! This is not the place to pull out your world class stink.  A riff on an old classic still needs to hold up to classic expectations.  That means the cheese needs to melt!  Some cheeses just don't melt well and you really need the cheese to help hold this sucker together.  This is the glue that keeps every bite going into your mouth and not on your plate.  Do we need to discuss Feta right now?  I don't think so...
5. Lastly, you can glam up your breakfast sandwich with the extras. This is where you can add your signature touch and give your egg sandy some personality. The image above is pretty basic with avocado and hot sauce but this is where your plethora of condiments will shine.  Layer on some tomato slices and a little pesto or tapenade?  (Ugh... I can here you thinking Feta is a must for the Greek version but remember Step 4?!  Crumbly cheeses are a no! What you need is a white melty cheese.  Use Provolone and you get a mild cheese that won't distract from your Mediterranean flavor theme and does a good job holding your sandwich together).

Maybe I am too opinionated so feel free to shut me down here and tell me how you like yours.  I am open, I will listen, and I want to hear! What's your favorite combo?  What are your sandwich demands? Do you have a formula? Tell me, tell me!

Senior Pantry Staple: Oats

Steel Cut

The focus here is really on the oats that unfortunately cannot be seen in this picture because they are buried under a mountain of goody!  But fear not.  Below all this beautiful topping is a nutritious blob of health.  Trust me.  It’s ok that it’s not visible.  Oatmeal is like the naked body and all the fixings are what help make us presentable.  Yikes! And with that statement I hope not to diminish the value of the naked body.   Just like oatmeal, they are one in the same, a strong foundation to build upon.  The glory of oatmeal is its simplicity and that’s what makes it so special.  You can dress it up or down, incorporating your favorite items for a tailor made breakfast.

Tradition

Historically oats have been around since the BC era but really started to make their mark in the last 500 years.  500 Years?!  Yes, apparently so.  Oats came to the USA around 1600AD and relatively quickly positioned itself as a versatile crop for cereals, groundcover, feed grains and biomass.  Oats are basically a star of agriculture.  More good news for oats is that they remain relatively safe from the threat of GMO’s.  Oats as a crop don't compete economically with that of corn or soy in this country so politically the economic investment for such science is just not there.  I would call this a major win for “We the People” especially given this day in age.

Condition

The therapeutic properties of oats are many, showing positive impact on blood sugar stabilization, cholesterol, nerve inflammation, constipation and skin irritations.  What does that mean?  Well, if you are or are at-risk for Diabetes, heart disease, bowel disruptions, arthritis, fibromyalgia, or psoriasis then it might be wise to consider some oats!  The good news is that oats are a current over the counter food medicine that is proven to address many health ailments without a prescription.   I do not suggest going off any prescription drugs that you are already taking, but rather I encourage you to add oats to your diet (or bath!) so some of nature's finest can assist you in feeling better.

Nutrition

There is plenty of nutrition out there well beyond the layperson’s knowledge so, simply put, oats pack a major punch when it comes to fiber, B vitamins, and vitamin E.

Fiber - This is what makes oats a complex carbohydrate.  It contains both soluble and insoluble fiber which aids in the slow release of sugar to the blood stream stabilizing glucose, assists with trapping and flushing bad cholesterol (LDL) while helping absorb good cholesterol (HDL).  Add to it the fact that fiber serves as an intestinal scrub brush and you will be well on your way to bowel regularity.

B Vitamins- These are complex (nutrition nerds rejoice!).  What I mean by this is that B vitamins are plural, consisting as a group of water-soluble nutrients.   The important thing to note here is this water-soluble classification.  Unlike fat-soluble vitamins which are dissolved in the blood-stream and stored in the body for availability when needed, water-soluble vitamins are not. They dissolve in water and pass frequently with urine.  That means, we need to consume them often.  B Vitamins participate largely in cell regeneration helping to building genetic material and maintain nervous system function.  Think about all those pregnant ladies consuming Folic Acid.  Folate, Folacin and Folic Acid are all the same thing (see how complicated this gets?) and just one of the nutrients participating in the B vitamin team. 

Long story short is this cluster is a game changer for healthy growth.  Metabolizing B vitamins encourages healthy regeneration of our bodies both inside and out.  We can’t begin to understand the depth of nutritional science so rather than get too deep, it’s better just to trust that these vitamins are a must, doing a many great things.  And with consideration to the turn-over of healthy cells, nerves and otherwise, it seems a sensible bet to consider them a healing agent.  There is a reason that Nicolas Culpeper made a poultice of oats in 1652 to address the perils of leprosy.  Should we discuss DIY beauty treatments?  Later!  For now just know that oats are where it’s at.

Vitamin E- If you are looking for a workhorse, look no further.  Vitamin E is a compound of tocopherols and tocotrienols that together form a powerful antioxidant that helps fight crimes of cell oxidation.  With all the cellular regeneration I just mentioned with the B vitamins above, it’s a good thing Vitamin E comes along for the ride.  Additionally, the tocotrienols are said to inhibit cholesterol synthesis helping to lower blood cholesterol which is frequently used as an indicator for heart health. 

Go oats!