Baked Eggs in Tomatoes

Whenever I see a recipe on a blog or in a magazine, I will clip or print it and put it my recipe binder to try at a later date.  Often times though, I don't get around to making this recipes as quickly as I'd like.  As a result, my recipe binder gets overstuffed until I'm reminded to go digging through it again.  When Jen recently wrote about her Baked Egg in Tomato dish, I remembered clipping a similar recipe from Everyday Food over a year ago and I decided to finally give it a try!

First, I preheated the oven to 350 degrees while I gathered my ingredients.  I adapted the original recipe a bit based on the ingredients I had on hand and cut the recipe in half for two servings.

• 2 firm, large tomatoes
• Salt and ground pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh corn kernels
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons cilantro paste
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 shredded mozzarella cheese

While I lined a small baking dish with parchment paper, Bret stripped the fresh corn kernels from the cob.

Using a serrated knife, I gently cut the tops off the tomatoes.  With a spoon, we scooped out the inside of each tomato carefully to not cut through the outer flesh and skin of the tomatoes.  I also turned the tomatoes upside down to help drain some of the juices.

I whisked together the eggs, cilantro, mozzarella, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

I then put in about a quarter of the corn kernels into each tomato.

I divided the egg mixture into the two tomatoes and topped the egg mixture with the remaining corn.

Finally, I sprinkled the egg mixture with the grated Parmesan cheese.

The tomatoes went into the oven for about fifty minutes and then they were ready to serve!

This is a perfect summer brunch dish with the tomatoes and the fresh corn!  While this could be really eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, we ate ours at brunch with a small toasted bagel and a side of crispy bacon.

This made the perfect hearty Sunday brunch as we watched the rain and wind from Hurricane Irene. 

Strawberry-Raspberry Shortbread Cookies

As I mentioned previously, I flagged a lot of great recipes in the latest issue of Bon Appetit.  My baked flounder with tomatoes and cilantro was a big hit, so I decided to try my hand at another recipe from the magazine - Shortbread Cookies!

I followed the recipe pretty closely but made a few small changes of my own.

First, I pre-heated the oven to 400 degrees while I gathered the ingredients:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 10 1/2 tablesppons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons (about) strawberry-raspberry jam

I whisked together the flour, sugar and baking powder in a large bowl.

I cut in the butter until the flour mixture was coarse.

I whisked the egg and egg yolk in a separate bowl.

I poured the egg mixture into the coarse flour mixture and stirred until a crumbly shortbread cookie dough began to form.

I rolled two tablespoons of dough into a ball and lined the dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  I left about two inches of space in between the dough balls.

I used my index finger to make small indentations in the dough.

I fill the indentations with strawberry-raspberry jam.

The cookies went into the oven to bake for ten minutes before I allowed them to cool on the tray.

These shortbread cookies were so nutty and crumbly.  Bret couldn't stop raving about them since he love cookies made with whole wheat flour.  Plus, they made for a nice sweet snack during the weekend, while we anticipated Hurricane Irene.

I haven't done too much baking lately.  Tell me, what have you been baking lately?

Change of Plans: Homemade Pizza

After seeing so many yummy versions of grilled pizza on food blogs all summer long, I was really looking forward to trying my own version last night.  But when we got home, the weather was muggy and the anticipated storm brought out a strange amount of small flying bugs from the woods near our patio.  I was petrified of these bugs getting in our food so we decided to postpone making the pizza on the grill.  Since we already had all of the ingredients, we decided to make a more traditional indoor pizza instead.

We decided to make a sausage, banana pepper and mushroom pizza using the following ingredients:

• Pre-made pizza dough
• 1/2 cup roasted garlic pasta sauce
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced sausage
• 1/4 pickled banana peppers, drained
• 1/2 cup sliced bella mushrooms

I preheated the oven to 400 degrees.  Then, I stretched the dough out with my hands until it fit the size of a greased circular baking sheet.  I really need to invest in a pizza stone!  I brushed on a small drizzle of olive oil onto the dough before putting it in the oven to bake for about ten minutes.

While the pizza dough was baking, I sauteed the mushrooms with a tiny amount of  olive oil.  I stopped cooking the mushrooms when they were still firm because I didn't want to cook them all the way through.

When the dough was done partially baking, it smelled glorious!

We topped it with sauce, half the cheese, mushrooms, sausage, peppers and more cheese.  No matter how old you get, it is still really fun making pizza together and Bret was happy to help!

The pizza went in the over for another twelve minutes before it was ready to serve.

I don't want to brag but this pizza might have been the best homemade pizza we've made so far.  The crust was chewy, the pizza was crispy and the toppings were sweet and spicy. 

Hurricane Irene may have postponed our plans for grilled pizza, but the "change of plans" indoor pizza really hit the spot!

Baked Flounder with Tomatoes and Cilantro

When I flipped through my most recent issue of Bon Appetit, I immediately flagged a few recipes of interest.  One of those recipes was a recipe for a super healthy Baked Flounder with Tomatoes and Basil.  After indulging quite a bit in Boothbay last weekend, I thought this dish would be a perfect way to get us back on track with healthy eating.

First, I gathered my ingredients.  Of course, I adapted the recipe a little to make it my own:

• 1.5 pounds of very ripe tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• Lemon juice from one lemon
• 2 tablespoons of cilantro paste
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 8-ounce boneless flounder filets

I preheated the oven at 425 degrees as I did the practically nonexistent preparation for this dish.  I started by tossing the first five ingredients together in a roasting pan.  I spread the tomato mixture out in a single layer and then seasoned the tomatoes with salt and pepper.

The tomatoes baked for five minutes.  During this time, I opened up a bottle of malbec and poured myself a glass.  After all, the best way to cook is with a glass of wine!

After five minutes in the oven, I took the roasting pan out and topped the tomatoes with the flounder filets.

The roasting pan went back into the oven for another ten minutes and baked until the fish was nice and flaky.

This dish was so easy to make and the end result was super flavorful.  I spooned some more of the olive oil, garlic and lemon juice sauce onto the fish.  The sauce had such fantastic herb and citrus flavors and I ate every bite!

I have been having a real love affair with tomatoes lately.  Tell me, are you enjoying tomatoes as much as I am this summer?

Ebb Tide (Boothbay Harbor, Maine)

Besides the fact that one of Bret's best friends lives in Boothbay, Bret also likes to visit Boothbay to relive a lot of past memories.  During college, he spent one summer in Boothbay as a camp counselor during the day and waiting tables at night.  Bret claims that he worked a ridiculous amount that summer but that he also has some of the fondest memories of that summer.

As a result, there are some places that we have to visit every time we are in the area.  One of those places is a tiny restaurant called Ebb Tide.  Ebb Tide is tiny with small wooden booths where everyone squeezes in for some simple but delicious food.

Ebb Tide serves breakfast, lunch and dinner but we always try to stop in for breakfast whenever we can.  Although their pancakes were severely tempting, I opted for their standard two-egg dish, which comes with a breakfast meat and a bread.  I opted for two eggs over-medium with breakfast sausage and a griddled blueberry muffin.

Bret ordered the same dish but with crispy bacon and a biscuit.

This breakfast hit the spot, especially after we spent the night before catching up with Bret's college buddies over quite a few cocktails!  Best of all, each plate cost $5.95.  This is seriously a bargain for that much food!

Ebb Tide is located at 43 Commercial Street, Boothbay Harbor, Maine.

Weekend Re-cap: Boothbay, Maine

This past weekend, Bret and I headed up to Boothbay, Maine for Bret's mini-college reunion.  Bret and his friends graduated from Connecticut College ten years ago.  None of them made it to the official reunion this past June so they organized a weekend in Boothbay to celebrate.

This summer has flown by with a new job, packing, moving and lots of working!  I didn't realize how much I needed to get away until we were finally up in Maine.  We indulged in lots of beverages, enjoyed a vast amount of food, and spent an afternoon in Boothbay Harbor.  I also managed to squeeze in a massage for an hour that was seriously needed!

I stuck to my point and shoot camera this weekend while Bret took more serious photos.  Here are just a few photos of a wonderful weekend away!

Boothbay Harbor

McSeagull's

Cruising on the Harbor Princess

Connecticut College...Class of 2001!

Thanks to Alan and Tonya for doing a lot of the organizing and for putting us up at Fisherman's Wharf Inn!  We had a fantastic time and this past weekend was just what I needed!

Summer Vegetable Stacks

In addition to the wonderful basil and zucchini that my mom gave us, she also gave us some eggplants and summer squash from her garden.

Since we are going up to Boothbay this weekend, I wanted to find a way to incorporate all of these summer vegetables in one dish because I knew they wouldn't be in the best condition by the time we returned home.  I've recently seen a lot of zucchini lasagna dishes that use thin slices of zucchini in lieu of the pasta.  Using this as an inspiration, I decided to make baked summer vegetable stacks.

First, I started out by slicing the eggplants and summer squash lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices.  Bret tossed the vegetable slices in olive oil with salt and pepper, and then...you guessed it, threw them on the grill.  My fiance is obsessed with grilling!

While the vegetables were on the grill, I gathered the rest of my ingredients - Maplebrook Farm Mozzarella and Bove's Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce.  Both of these are made in Vermont as I'm always happy to support local New England food products.

Of course, I also had to use some crushed red pepper flakes too!

When the vegetables had some nice grill marks, I warmed the oven up to 400 degrees and began preparing my vegetable stacks in a roasting pan that I had prepared with baking spray.  I put down a layer of the grilled eggplant and summer squash and then added a layer of sliced mozzarella.

I then spooned on a layer of the pasta sauce.

The last step was to add the crushed red pepper flakes before doing another layer of vegetables, mozzarella, sauce and crushed red pepper flakes.  I sprinkled the entire dish with some grated Parmesan cheese and then put the pan in the oven.

The summer vegetable stacks baked for about ten minutes and then were broiled on low for another five minutes.

The end result was a ridiculously messy but ooey gooey delicious meal.

My summer vegetable stacks were a cross between lasagna and eggplant parmesan....and absolutely perfect!  I'm looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

I've been cooking a lot more this weekend but I'm definitely looking forward to take a weekend off with some friends in Maine!

Tell me, what are you looking forward to this weekend?