Panera Bread's Spinach Artichoke Baked Egg Souffle

this particular dish i got though a blog, http://tasteofhomecooking.blogspot.com/2012/10/recipe-swap-panera-breads-spinach.html 


it's was quite simple to make.  i did not use red pepper.  instead i cooked the onion, artichoke hearts and spinach in butter.  i put the cheeses together (asiago, cheddar and parmesan).  i rubbed butter on the inside of the ramekins instead of cooking spray.  

i did what the recipe instructed. 

 

Creamed Spinach

with the left over bechamel sauce i made creamed spinach.  i add to the bechamel sauce, about 1/2 cup heavy cream, 2 crushed garlic cloves, salt, pepper, nutmeg and parmesan cheese.  when the cream sauce was done, i removed the garlic in put in the spinach.

Hamburgers from Scratch

tonight i'm made fresh hamburger.

i have a meat grinder so i might as well make good use of it.  i've ground meats before but not but not recently.

in my recipe i use 1 lb chuck to a a 1/4 lb sirloin.  you'll want fat from the chuck but the sirloin gives it texture and is less fatty.

i freeze the cleaned meat grinder at least 1 hour prior.  before that i cut the meat into chunks and then freeze to for about 15 min.  you want the beef nice and cold but not frozen.  i do this to eliminate as much bacteria as possible.

start by grinding the meat.  simple!

i add some parsley, salt, and pepper in the already ground meat.  enjoy!

Béchamel Sauce

i made béchamel sauce this evening to put on the stuffed peppers.

my recipe:

1-2 tbsp of butter
2-3 tbsp of flour
1 -2 cups of milk
1/4 cup (about) of cheese.  i chose swiss.

melt the butter, put the flour and make a roux.  on a low flame put the milk in and stir briskly.  when that mixes, place the cheese in and mix good.  that's béchamel!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9chamel_sauce

Chocolate Mousse

this morning i made chocolate mousse for a special friend of mine.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_34754_RECIPE-PRINT-FULL-PAGE-FORMATTER,00.html

Customizable bread bowl breakfast

mike is hungry so i made him breakfast.  you can put a variety of fixings in this but i chose to use cheddar cheese and bacon.  i cooked the bacon separately and broke it up and diced the cheese.  then i buttered the inside of the bowl.  i stuffed the bowl with bacon and cheddar and the egg on top.  then i baked it.

http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/breakfastbrunch/customizable-bread-bowl-breakfast/

Coq au Vin

my parents are coming over this weekend  for dinner.  this evening is the preparation of coq au vin.  chicken legs and thighs (attached) are submersed in  red wine, carrots, onion, celery, garlic and bouquet garni.

these are the steps to making Coq au Vin.

 saute chicken in olive oil.

 brown the vegetables.

and the bacon.

and the mushrooms.

add in the pearl onions.

and there you have it!

Coq au Vin actually doesn't smell good at first but as it develops it becomes more fragrant.  i added 1 tbsp of dark unsweetend cocoa powder.

http://www.matchingfoodandwine.com/news/recipes/20101105/

Enjoy the post!