Eggs in a Sausage Nest

Eggs in a Nest

Needed something around for Monte to snack on. I'd seen this idea online without details. After seeing lots of other recipes that sounded good from the same book . . . I ordered it - Eat Like a Dinosaur. Though I don't just eat Paleo, I'd eat anything someone classified as Paleo. I've not tried anything else from the book, nor really read anything. Thumbing through ... I like the looks. So that's all I can say about it.

We get pastured meat from our raw milk dairy (can't ever eat meat from stores again - so spoiled!) - beef, pork and occasional chickens. The eggs are from our own chickens - so spoiled there too, especially since they eat a special feed that has no corn or soybeans, thus no GMO, but higher quality grains, lentils, peas and herbs, and of coarse all the household chicken scraps including fermented stuff (like old bread, soaked cereal, crepes, kefir grains, ginger from brewing ginger ale . . .). 

EGGS IN A SAUSAGE NEST

1/2 lb quality breakfast sausage (pastured animal best)
12 eggs
2 Tb olive oil

That's the book's ingredients. Use a soup spoon to get about a tablespoon of the sausage meat. I used my hand to start spreading thin, then finished pressing into muffin tin filling it up the sides. Next time I'm not using the silicone fillers you see pictured - they are too small and the egg goes over making a mess of the tin. Nice idea. I need bigger silicone muffin thingys - I think I'll just get a silicone muffin "pan".

You'll notice in the cooked nests that the sausage shrunk way down. So next time, with bigger muffin holes, I'll press the sausage up the sides higher. Anyway, crack the egg into the sausage nest. Sprinkle with seasoning. I used salt and pepper. Then drizzle on a bit of olive oil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes - to your liking. Let rest about 5 minutes. Use table knife to help release the nests if you didn't use silicone. And oh ... if you don't use silicone you should grease your tins.

Monte likes them!

Chile Rellenos Casserole

Chile Rellenos Casserole with Grass-Fed Beef

For starters, I had to google chili vs chile, cuz I've always written 'chili', as does my Mom. I think of 'Chile' as the country. And then there's the Red Hot Chili Peppers band. So what's the verdict? The Spanish word is 'chile'. 'Chili' is the American version, having gotten started from Chili con Carne.

Back to my Mom . . . she's made Chile Rellenos Casserole for years. It's thee best! I put it in my cookbook. Tho I have all her ingredients right, my instructions are too vague. But I'm going to mess you up some more in this post cuz I still didn't follow her instructions, which I recently asked for again.

We have company. I made the rellenos for supper, along with what our company always request and call, "Killer guacamole". But I wanted to add our great grass-fed ground beef. I googled chile rellenos and after 6 google pages . . . they were all made with milk and flour! I knew my mom used chicken broth and masa harina for the thickening. So I returned to her recipe and added the beef. I'll tell you her recipe, and too, tell you what I did, changing it.

My Mom's Chile Rellenos Casserole Ingredients

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1 27oz can whole green chilies
1lb grated cheese - like a mix, but moreso jack - I used pepper jack
7 large eggs
1 cup chicken broth
5 Tb Masa Harina
4 Tb parmesan
1/2 Tb baking powder
3/4 tsp salt

The chilies are opened out and make up 3 layers in a 9x13 baking dish with grated cheese between. Then the rest of the ingredients are mixed together and poured over the top. Bake until set, about 30-45 minutes.

Marinara Sauce
Simmered and put on top last 10-15 minutes of baking-
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion and garlic clove sauted in some olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp oregano

Browning grd beef and onion

NOW, what did I do? I started browning 1 lb of ground beef and added 1 onion chopped, eventually adding several minced garlic (I always add more than any recipe calls for!!!).

Now I don't use canned chilies. That would sure be darned easy!!!! But oh the taste . . . and the fragrance of the vehicle every late summer . . . when I get a bushel of chilies and have them roasted. Once home, I freeze about 3 chilies per little baggy - that's about the equivalent of 4oz of chilies. And don't remove the blackened skins. I remove those as I use them. So for this recipe? I had to slip the blackened skins and too the seeds of seven baggies of chilies!

Roasted Anaheim Chilies I freeze every Fall - removing skins and seeds

And then I start the layering of chilies and cheese. I added half of the browned meat in the middle layer. Then added a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of chicken broth to the 1/2 of beef left in the pan to start cooking down to add at the end. I added 2 Tb of the masa to this mixture as well as my mom's suggested spices . . . Except I don't usually have marjoram, so added extra oregano (I find them rather similar).

Bottom layer of green chilies

Added 1/4-1/3 of the grated pepper jack cheese

Another chile and cheese layer with browned grd beef and onion

Added can of diced tomatoes to 1/2 of left beef mixture to cook down

Third layer of chilies and cheese. Added last of grd beef with tomato mixture to the top and more cheese

Whisked together eggs, 3 Tb Masa, 1 Cup chicken broth, salt and baking powder and poured over the rellenos layers

I added my Mom's parmesan cheese suggestion to the very top.

We had this heated up for lunch today and it was even better!

I have made my own fresh Masa. If requested, I could post the recipe. It's a soaking of corn kernels in pickling lime water all day or night, and then ground fine. It's usually left fresh for corn tortillas and tamales. I've not tried drying it. I just freeze it in small useful portions. If you've ever had fresh corn tortillas from fresh masa . . . to die for!!!!!!

Shared with: Frugally Sustainable, Food Renegade, Make Your Own Monday, Holistic Squid, Works for Me Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Thank Your Body Thursday, Tasty Traditions, Traditional Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Real Food Wednesdays, Simple Lives Thursday, The Homestead Barnhop, Clever Chick Barn Hop

Beef and Bean Wedges ... or Pizza?

I just did a post on how to cook grass-fed beef. It is a different animal! The ground beef is AWESOME. Though a drier meat without the fat developed from feed lot grains (all genetically modified unless organic beef), the ground beef can be used in all recipes. For hamburgers I hate to adulterate too much since the beef flavor is exceptional, but they are drier, so I've started adding a few tablespoons of melted butter (organic or pastured) to a pound of meat.

Beef and Bean ... Pizza?

Last night I made up a recipe we liked. It's a keeper and a very easy quick meal.

BEEF AND BEAN WEDGES
1# of ground beef
1 15oz can of spiced beans (I used Annie's refried beans with green chilies)
1/2 cup Masa Harina
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
Juice from 1 lime

Mix this together well, spread and press flat and even on a pizza pan 12-14". Bake at 375 degrees 15-20 minutes till beef no longer is pink. Sprinkle on 1/4#, about 1 cup, of pepper jack cheese and bake another few minutes. I wanted it to brown a bit, so broiled it. Then add some chopped green onion and tomatoes and serve. We ate it with a salad.


A recipe I found that gave me the idea probably used regular beans. When it suggested 'spiced', I thought of the refried beans I keep stocked for quick bean tostadas. The recipe also used a cup of a cornbread mix. I don't keep mixes in my pantry since I cook from scratch. So what to use . . . Sticking with the Mexican theme of the beans I decided on the Masa Harina. I suppose you could use cornmeal. Most mixes also include some flour and baking powder, and of coarse shortening. I bet fresh or frozen corn could be good too (tho it'll give off some liquid, maybe requiring a bit longer cooking. A dollop of homemade yogurt could be good on top when serving.

Shared at: Dandelion House, Six Sisters Stuff, Frugally Sustainable, Food Renegade, Simple Lives Thursday, Tasty Traditions, Real Food Wednesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Traditional Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, Monday Mania

Sourdough Crepes

Once done I flip the sourdough crepe onto a plate

I like calendar days that contain stories and meal suggestions. For many years I've made crepes on Fat Tuesday/ Mardi Gras. My blog post on Mardi Gras into Lent is here. My crepe recipe is here. This year I made sourdough crepes.



Actually, since I found this crepe recipe (I bought the A to Z Sourdough eBook) I'm making them quite often. Sometimes for breakfast with unsweetened grated coconut, homemade yogurt, fruit and maple syrup. Sometimes for lunch or supper with leftovers of meats and veggies. These crepes can even be fried crisp like chips - use for nachos!



Before I jump into the recipe I have to start from the beginning, a very good place to start. My sourdough starter is made from rye flour. I used to have a starter I made from potatoes and wheat flour (it might have used a bit of yeast at the beginning, I don't remember) from an Alaska Sourdough book. When I bought Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions book in the early 2000's I started my rye starter. I use this starter for everything including the sourdough pancake recipe I got from the Alaskan book. My starter how-to along with the Sourdough pancakes I've made for years is here.

Starter in jar and crepe ingredients

SOURDOUGH CREPES

1 C sourdough starter

3 Tb butter or oil

3 eggs

pinch of salt



I usually start with melting the butter in a 2C Pyrex mixing bowl, then mix in the eggs and starter. I use a silicone whip, keeping it in to periodically stir while making the crepes.

Pour a few Tablespoons batter and tilt pan to spread batter

Crepe ready to flip, this one looks a bit thicker than I usually make them

Have a very well seasoned smaller cast iron skillet preheated. First add a bit of oil and swish it around by tilting the pan. Then add a few tablespoons of batter depending on what size pan you're using - mine is an 8" (and sometimes I'll use a 6" pan). Wait till the crepe develops little bubbles all over, then with spatula quickly flip it over. It doesn't need to cook on this side for long, like just a few seconds and then flip out onto a plate. The crepes can stack till you're done with all the batter. This amount will make about 10 crepes.



I've put leftover crepes in a zip-close bag and frozen. It works great. No need to put waxed paper between.



Happy crepe-ing. Sharing of crepe filling ideas could be numerous, so how about you? what have you tried, and what's your favorite?

BLT Soup

BLT Soup

BLT sandwiches have always been a favorite of mine since I was a kid. And oh do I look forward to them come summer with fresh grown tomatoes!!!!! Well, the other night I craved this soup, and I had some tomatoes needing to get cooked.

BLT SOUP

4 slices thick bacon, or maybe 6 if regular bacon

You can fry this till crisp and crumble it back into the soup. But I typically cut the bacon into my soup pot with 1 Tb butter and let it start cooking while I chop

1 onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped (my favorite is a poblano)

1 large stalk of celery, finely chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1-2 tomatoes, chopped (I used 3 smaller sized)

After the bacon was getting close to being cooked I'd start adding in the chopped ingredients one at a time. So I'd let the onion and pepper cook awhile with the bacon before adding the rest. Then add -

1 Qt chicken broth (mine is always homemade, as I'm always cooking up chicken and then the bones further). Simmer for about 10 minutes. With the bacon, I never add salt and pepper, but you do your own taste test.



Just before serving add some chopped romaine lettuce. You can add 1/2 C cream. I typically slice the lettuce (any kinds, including arugula, kale and spinach - whatever I've got handy) and put a helping in each soup bowl and pour the soup over, then serve with a dollop of homemade yogurt. That way, since we'll have it as a leftover, we'll add fresh lettuce the next time we eat it.



You could top it with some croutons.

Sauerkraut Stew

Sauerkraut, cauliflower, kale and kielbasa

Sauerkraut, potatoes, and kielbasa sausage has always been a family favorite food combination. Sometimes I'll saute up kielbasa cut in 1/2" slices to brown a bit and then add thin sliced onions and cabbage from our garden, kinda creating a fresh sauerkraut. This alone is great. I'll often add some chicken broth and thicken a bit. This is great over mashed potatoes. Sometimes instead of onions I'll use leeks - love leeks! Lately I'm adding kale and cauliflower. So that's what's pictured here.



Proportions?

1# sliced kielbasa, saute till golden.

Add:

1 thin sliced onion or chopped leak (make sure you cut the leek in half vertically and wash out all the dirt before chopping, and I like to use most of the green part too) - cook till they color.

Chopped kale, about 2 C - 4 large leaves (mine is frozen from last year's garden)

1/2 # cauliflower (mine is frozen from my garden)

Then add:

2 C sauerkraut, rinsed (I look for lowest sodium - usually fresh in refrigerator section)

2-4 C chicken broth, depending on how soupy you like it. I'll use the 4 cups broth if I add some potatoes.

Salt and pepper to taste - with the sauerkraut I never salt, unless adding potatoes needs extra flavoring.

We like to serve it with a dollop of homemade yogurt or sour cream.

"Cocolate Pudding"

OK . . . This may sound totally weird . . .

But it's actually pretty good! I need to credit Mitra Ray from her Juice Plus email for the recipe. I'm making the recipe smaller for just one or two servings.

"CHOCOLATE PUDDING"

1 avacado

1/8 C unsweet cocoa

1/4 C agave nectar or maple syrup

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

(water, coconut milk, rice milk ... to thin it if needed)

Blend this till creamy.

Garnish with fresh fruit.

Salmon, or Tuna, or Crab Cakes

Monte made salmon patties for supper. He often cooks fish patties for a quick meal. For years I've made tuna patties (it's in my cookbook) - very simple:



Simple tuna patties (or other canned fish)

6 oz can tuna

1 egg

some grated onion

season with dried parsley or herbs of your choice

Drop by large spoonful into heated oiled skillet

Cook on both sides till browned and done - about 4-6 minutes



Monte likes to add a bit of bread crumbs and mayonnaise to the above, using canned salmon. Here's what Monte did last night -

SALMON (CRAB) CAKES

2 6oz cans wild salmon

4 green onions, chopped fine

2 Tb bread crumbs (I always have these in a ziplock in the freezer from my homemade bread)

About 1 Tb fresh herbs like cilantro, basil, parsley, dill

Since we didn't have any Old Bay Seasoning - use 1 1/2 tsp - I googled the ingredients and sat them all on the counter and Monte took bits of each, grinding in the mortar&pestle: bay leaves, celery seeds, mustard seeds, paprika, pepper, nutmeg, cloves, red pepper flakes, and cardamom, and salt

1 egg

1/4 C mayonnaise

Mix this all together well and form into 4 flat, round, patties about 3" across. This time he lightly covered them with 1/4 C flour and browned them in olive oil in the skillet. This time too, he finished cooking them in the oven rather in the skillet - he was afraid the flour would burn.



Then he made a sauce which he's calling -

MONTE'S MOUNTAIN RANCH DRESSING

1/2 C mayo

1/2 C sour cream

1/2 lime squeezed to taste

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp minced cilantro

1/2 tsp ground chipotle seeds

1/2 tsp dill



The fresh herbs are in my greenhouse. When I buy fresh herbs from the grocery store I cut a bit off the bottom of the bunch and put them in a glass of water, leaving them on the counter. Like basil often turns brown in the refrigerator - they'll last awhile this way. If not using soon, freeze herbs in ice cubes.



After eating the above sauce, Monte's convinced it's close to a salad dressing he's raved about for years from Texas Red's in Red River, New Mexico - he did geology there right before we got married. So we had his sauce with the fish patties and on our salad.

Crustless Quiche (can add zucchini/green chillies ...)

Mistress Karey,

somewhat contrary,

how does your garden grow?



I've been harvesting zucchini and beans primarily. Next week will be the broccoli. I planted more salady type seeds all over in gaps - next to the greenhouse too. It's a southern exposure and a warmer mini-climate than the rest of my gardens. I had a cold frame there that kept us in greens thru most of the winter. I'm making a pvc pipe protection for that space now. It's a raised bed lined with rocks and I think I'll put water bottles in it for further warmth.

Elk are bugling. We've had a bear visitor. It's cooling off. Supposed to go down to 36 degrees tonight. We've got guests again. Three men. One, Monte's long time partner in geology, Stan from AZ, gets the guest room. Two new acquaintances from California say they want to sleep in the bunk house! We'll see ... I'm waiting on going out to eat - they want to treat me. Tomorrow I cook.



I'm a MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers) Mentor Mom - been one for almost ten years now. The new year has begun. I brought an egg dish I somewhat created. I had to take a small bit to taste and see if it was good ... it's a keeper. What I added was a grated zucchini and chopped roasted green chilies.



I always get a bushel of green anahiem chilies roasted about this time of year. LOVE that smell in the vehicle! I bag up 3 chilies per sandwich bag and put about 8 of those sandwich bags in a gallon ziplock bag for the freezer. The 3 chilies are the equivalent of a 4oz can of chilies. I don't remove the blackened skins till I'm ready to use the chilies, and then chop or use them whole.

Crustless Quiche

1/2 C butter, melted (could probably use oil)

1/2 C flour (I've used whole wheat, spelt, or even masa)

1 C milk

6 lg eggs

1 pint ricotta cheese

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt



Mix all this together and pour over 1# grated cheese (like jack - I typically have colby-jack) in greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake 45-60 minutes at 350 degrees.



Like I said, I put a grated zucchini and 4 oz chopped green chilies in the greased dish, and then put in the grated cheese. I left out a cup of the cheese to sprinkle on top. Pour the egg mixture over the cheese, mix it around a bit. Top with the extra cheese and bake.



I'm betting all kinds of things could be added to this dish. Like you could use cottage cheese instead of ricotta. Cumin could be added, and maybe cilantro. Or go a more Italian route with basil and zucchini and tomato and some parmesan cheese on top. Alone as is it's a great brunch dish!



This Velveteen House is turning moreso into a retreat center for science, with me on call for cooking. I often get paid in some way. I like it. Young adults are less frequent now that Dawson's living by school.

Monte's Tortilla Egg Sandwich

It's hot outside, which is unusual for our neck-of-the-woods. Lots of people are leaving Denver (supposed to be 100 tomorrow - we're always 10 degrees cooler) for the mountains for the weekend! I've been sitting out on our back deck at the umbrella table reading, drinking iced tea I sweeten with a few drops of Agave Nectar, which has a low glycemic index in comparison to sugar!. Until supper, Monte and me usually eat separate. Sometimes he goes directly into his office upon waking ... since he works at home, he's coming and going around the house and eating at varying times than me. While I was resetting the sprinkler for the veggie garden, he brought his creation out for me to take a bite of ... and proceeded to email Travis and Sarah and me his recipe, with a picture of the seasoning he used taken with his iPhone. So I just made it for my lunch and took a picture.



From the guests we had the other night we've got leftover flour tortillas. I think we primarily stay Costco members for their uncooked flour tortillas. I know ... some of you will say, "but you grind your own flour and make everything from scratch with it!". If I'm going to make tortillas from scratch, I'll do corn tortillas. We use these for our many guest meals and Tostada Egg (in my cookbook and I'll post here someday). So many high school and college kids end up around here (I have posts from my old blog called "Velveteen House" [-click that phrase if you want to read it]), especially over school breaks, I never know who might have spent the night till mid morning. And I often do Tostada Eggs when they're around - they like them, cut in wedges, dipped in salsa. And an easy on-the-go meal to grab.

TORTILLA EGG SANDWICH

-Heat small skillet for cooking one egg.

-Fold cooked flour tortilla and toast in toaster (watch closely).

-As Monte said, "break egg yoke and shape to fit half of a tortilla."

-Sprinkle on Chef Prudhommes' Magic Italian Seasoning (I get this from Costco too).

-Flip egg till desired doneness

-Spread a bit of mayo inside toasted tortilla

-Slip egg inside.

-Enjoy!



I did. Along with an avacado half with fresh sqeezed lime juice.



You'll see in the picture a fork. I didn't need the fork - cuz of course we pick it up to eat. But it reminded me of the many times we've had Norwegians here for geology meetings. Unless they copy us, they'd eat it with a fork and knife as they also do with sandwiches, and everything. Monte and me have gotten used to keeping our fork in our left hand for eating along with a knife in the right hand, as do Europeans.

Macaroni & Cheese (with Chiles)

Birthdays and Mac & Cheese

Today is Monte's birthday, but he's not here, he's somewhere in Nevada with some geologists planning April's field trip. So Dawson and me had the traditional Birthday meal. Since Dawson's usually gone for school and socialization, I do cook something we can share together when he's around.

I did a variation of Macaroni and Cheese and it was good. Growing up, home cooked macaroni and cheese was always my birthday meal choice. Whenever you ask Monte what he wants for supper, he'll always say, "Vegetables". That's always first in his thoughts. That's why he's so healthy!

I don't know where the recipe came from, cuz I usually write a source, but the 3x5 card is vague and titled Macaroni & Cheese with Chiles.

2 c dry macaroni (I used penne)

1/4 c butter

3 Tb Masa Harina or flour

1 tsp salt (I'm going to use less next time)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp pepper

3 c milk

1/3 c grated onion (just fine chop)

4 oz diced green chilies

3 c jack cheese (I used colby-jack)

Cook the pasta till almost tender. I melted the butter in a 4c pyrex measuring bowl in the microwave and then added in the masa and seasoning, then added some powdered milk, and poured in 3 cups of the water the pasta cooked in. Microwave it to thicken - this is a 'white sauce'.

In a 2 1/2 qt casserole dish layer the pasta, onion, chilies, and cheese. Then pour over the white sauce, kinda mixing it a bit to make sure it pours thru to the bottom. 

Top with 1/2 c crushed tortilla chips and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

It's a keeper and I know Monte will like it.