Breakfast Treats

The holidays are still with it and with them, long lazy breakfasts with the family. what better to celebrate this time together with a fun and tasty breakfast dish. Savory or sweet, it's a nice relaxed way to gather with the family.

Melissa Clark knows this and featured tasty breakfast dishes in her Christmas Day A Good Appetite Column  in The New York Times Wednesday Food section. These recipes are perfect for any winter weekend or for a New Year's brunch. There are savory and sweet along with a side that could even see its' way to dessert with a light supper. What is great about all of them is that they're simple enough to put together, especially if you're still fuzzy minded from the night before. The one that intrigues me the most is her take on oatmeal. She turns it into an oatmeal lace cookie with six tablespoons of butter sauteing the oats. Cardamon and cinnamon are added for spice  and then water, heavy cream and salt. This luscious combination is then baked for forty minutes. There's some stirring and more butter (!) is dotted on before baking for another fifteen to twenty minutes.You could serve it with more cream (yes!) and crunchy sugar. Guaranteed, there will not be any leftovers.

Another show stopper is a savory Dutch baby. Usually these giant popovers are sweet, being made with apples and cinnamon. Ms. Clark goes the savory route here. Bacon and Camembert flavor it , a perfect combination. There's also chives and Parmesan for more flavor boost.Many home chefs may have reservations about making the Dutch baby, because it's all about the puffy presentation. Yet it's an easy make with this savory pancake being baked in a skillet. Another savory dish, that could even work for lunch.It's baked eggs with creme fraiche and smoked salmon. It's the classic  two baked eggs in buttered rameklns with the cooked creme fraiche poured over them. The creme fraiche is cooked first with shallots for flavor. Smoked salmon and dill tops off each cup. With these savory dishes Ms. Clark offers a sweet-salty side of broiled grapefruit with flaky  sea salt and brown sugar. This is an easy cook,It's just sliced grapefruit sprinkled with brown sugar along with being drizzled with melted butter and honey. After a quick broil, serve with flaky sea salt. This would be a nice end to light lunch or dinner too.

Breakfasts during this holiday time should be rich and flavorful. It doesn't matter if they're savory or sweet, as long as they're delicious. Try making one or two for family and friends.

Holiday Dinners Light

Holidays meals, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas can be lavish and sumptuous affairs with enough food to feed an army. Yet what happens when there's only three or four for dinner? Or two? A lavish meal can seem wasteful. Then it's time for holiday meal light.

A whole turkey would be too much for three or four people. Even one as tiny as an eight pound one can be too much and can lead to a week of leftovers.  Think one half turkey breast which is three pounds and will satisfy diners nicely.  Cooking time is also cut in half - anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour as opposed to the two or three hours for the entire bird. For Christmas you could roast a half ham or even ham steaks if you have one or two people over. Many home chefs love a standing rib roast for a holiday meal yet it would be like a huge feast for just four people. A London broil would be better . You can still serve it with gravy  - and even better Yorkshire pudding to sop up the juices.It'll also be good the day after in sandwiches or on toast with hot gravy. Seafood lovers always want a briny buffet for their Christmas Day or New Year's Eve dinners. You can still have this even if it's just the two of you. Think the smallest one  such as a one pounder.It's an easy boil or cook and quite filling.  You'll only need one side really if you serve it. Open the meal with a small sized ring of shrimp cocktail that you can easily buy at your fish market or even grocery store.

One thing about having an intimate holiday dinner is that you don't have to go crazy with the sides. Mash potatoes can still be served. You'll only need about a pound and a half of Yukon Golds to create a small pot. Another idea is having baked ones which is a nice change up from mashed. Add small bowls of different toppings - such as melted butter, sour cream, shredded cheddar and bacon along with chive and different spices. You can also do the same with sweet potatoes. If you're mashing them , then use only two or two and a half. If it's individual ones , have little ramekins of melted butter along with cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on. Of course the holiday meal would be nothing without stuffing. You could go the easy route and use Stovetop Stuffing which is great for a dinner party of four. A regular stuffing could be made but be prepared for a lot of it to be left over (great if you're planning on creating take home parcels). As for green sides,  buy bags of Brussels sprouts and broccoli. These steam bags provide enough for three to four people. They're perfect - easy to cook and no cleanup along with no to little leftovers. They can also be served hot or cold as a fun non-traditional salad.

A small holiday dinner can still be lavish in taste.It's just buying and cooking smaller version of the main course and halving the sides. It just the right amount of food for the right amount of people.

Going Back To The Outback

Outback Steakhouse is one of those chain restaurants that guarantees good fun and good food. it does live up to its' promise and proved to be entertaining. What was the big surprise is that it also promises healthy food. Who knew that the place that offers the Blooming Onion could offer blooming nutritious. ? It was  time to go back to the restaurant from Down Under.

There was a twenty year gap between this visit and my last to Outback Steakhouse. It still had the long wait (nearly half an hour) even at nine PM  - although it was a Saturday night, the most popular time to go. A new generations of servers were on hand to sing Happy Birthday to other diners as well as to eagerly wait. The decor is still the same, with those many nooks and booths that give semi privacy. The menu is as big as ever. Yes, there still is the Blooming Onion which has always been there and not going anywhere,despite protests from nutritionists and health nuts. There are still steaks and the only thing that sort of rings Aussie is the New Zealand lamb. Surprisingly the restaurant is all American , originating out of Tampa, Florida in 1988. It was created by Bob Basham, Chris T.Sullivan,, Trudy Cooper and Tim Gannon. Chris T. Smith went on to create other  popular chain restaurants, Carrabba's Grill,Fleming's Steakhouse and Wine Bar, Bonefish Grill and Cheeseburger In Paradise. Outback is a fun place, whether for a date or a family night out. Happily they've changed their menu to reflect the push for healthier foods.There a smaller version of the Blooming Onion along with meals that are under six hundred calories. There are also more nutritious sides to choose from.

How is the food? Still good. I did have qualms going there however after seeing the 600 calorie meals, felt better. They start you off with a warm loaf of sweet brown bread and butter which is a nice opener. My group and I ordered the Bloomin Petals a smaller version of the onion.It was still a
 copious pile of deep fried batter dipped "petals" served with a spicy chipotle sauce, a bit oily to eat so late but crunchy and delicious. I liked the fact that there as a choice of soup and salad with the  meal and opted for the bowl of French onion soup (to be honest I would have just preferred this, given the late hour).It was rich with a good beef stock and perfect amount of cheese. Outback is first and foremost a steak house and there was a multitude of cuts to choose from. I went with the most healthiest the smallest cut of sirloin with a side of mixed veggies.. The meat was just the right size and cooked to a tender and juicy medium. The mix of broccoli and carrots was a bit plain but that was remedied with a ramekin of butter. Their burger was equally good, dense  and juicy. Dessert was a huge wedge of their six layer chocolate cake served with ramekins of whipped cream and raspberry coulis. The crumb was suitably moist and the icing fudgy, made a bit more palatable with the tangy fruit sauce.

Will there be another gap between this visit and my next visit to the Outback Steakhouse. No, I was impressed with the quality and flavor as well as many healthy and nutritious choices.It's definitely on my must visit again list.

A New Spin On Leftovers

Most Americans have about half an eaten turkey along with a ton of sides and gravy left in their fridges. Leftovers are tasty. After all it's the reheating that gives most foods that extra oomph. However for people who find those extra morsels boring there is a solution.They can be creative with them.

There are million recipes for leftover turkey. A turkey tetrazzini is classic as is just a turkey sandwich. These are yummy but predictable. A newer spin would be creating a turkey salad incorporating yesterday's leftover salad (or new greens for a fresher bite). You can turn your rolls into croutons and add them for crunch. Also melt down the cranberry sauce and create a vinaigrette with it. Another turn on the classic is creating a sandwich with turkey sandwiched in between two stuffing squares and doused with leftover gravy.

What about those sides? Mashed potatoes are the easiest because you can do a lot with them. One of the tastiest is potato croquettes. Mix the leftover mash with breadcrumbs, eggs and parsley, roll into balls and fry. For added crunch coat them in breadcrumbs before frying. If you cooked just plain green beans and caulilfower then combine what's left into a salad. You canalso use the stuffing to create mini pot pies. Put turkey, gravy and veggies in little ramekins or crocks. Cover with the leftover stuffing and bake for a few minutes in a toaster oven. It's a great meal after a day of touch football or early X-Mas shopping.

Leftovers don't have to boring. Turn yesterday's dinner into interesting gourmet treats that are flavorful and unique. You won't have anything left by Sunday!