Easter. Done and Over

I know, I know, Easter is almost a week past and here I am blogging about it.

Food, my first love. Yes I am a skinny fat girl. give me a cake I'll eat the whole thing. Easter Sunday we had 9 people to serve. How to make it easy? Let me tell you; Egg strata, Creme Brulee French toast, Roasted fingerling breakfast potatoes, dill hollandaise, fruit salad, and tangerine mimosas....

Doesn't really sound easy? Lucky for me the egg strata something my mom always makes for her work brunches. Day old bread (I used challah that I dried out in the oven.) Veggies of choice and if you love meat add some it's not really my preference. I used spring veggies like asparagus, squash and mushrooms. I sauteed them up nice and golden, asparagus stayed crisp still because it is cooked longer in the oven. All you do is layer them in between the bread. I did mine just on top. Then you fill with egg mixture. Soak over night, top with cheese and bake for an hour.

Creme Brulee french toast you make a caramel sauce with butter and brown sugar layer thick slices of bread on top; i think challah is the most rich yummy option and then cover with beaten eggs, milk, and cinnamon until the next morning. Secret to success bake it all off in the morning. have everything prepped the night before.

The next morning i leisurely crawled out of bed, preheated the oven and cut up some fruit. Pineapple, strawberries and the best mango I've had in a long time. I used fingerling potatoes for the breakfast potatoes. To "kick them up a notch" as Emeril would say I added some gar am masala, onions, bell pepper, and of salt and pepper to taste. The main dishes went into the oven. The egg strata took a little more then an hour and the french toast takes just under.

The final touches strawberry sauce for the french toast and dill hollandaise for the strata. I was worried about the hollandaise, my immersion blender has been out of commission so I had to do it the old fashioned way; over a double boiler. It came out better then the immersion blender and everyone got to beat the eggs. Great way to get everyone involved. Ta-DA breakfast was served, and no one went home hungry!

Doing it Like Dana

Spring is in the air. Finally this short cold winter will be over... I just like the fact I can get home from work and walk the dogs.

I am at the point in my life where I need to step my game up. 26 years old and dying for a job that makes my brain work and use my creativity. I taught a healthy eating class two days a week this past month for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. What an experience. Every question asked was why do we have to do it healthy? Did you read anything about the Healthy Eating Class before you signed up? WHAT IS WRONG WITH HEALTHY? Broaden your horizons and learn how to eat food that is good for you. Have you ever heard the saying "you are what you eat." ?

I taught Cheesecake in my after school High School class. Ms. Vera had the all but 1 oven filled with oven spray. Five cheesecakes in 1 smoky oven led to disaster. Extra long cooking time and no time to set ended up in runny take home cheesecakes. But after you let them cool and firm up so yummy! (Made from scratch fruit topping masked the burnt oil taste that the oven left lingering on the top layer of these cakes)

Today I am experimenting with foods from the Bulk aisle. Lentils, dried fruits, nuts, Israeli cous-cous, fresh produce, and some dried herbs. I am also trying to come up with sugar, dairy and oil alternatives. The oil will be the hardest challenge and I may have to cave. Whatever is the best out of my 5 or 6 experiments will be what I demo on Sunday at Pearl St. Whole Foods; 3-6 pm. Just call me demo girl.

Off to the kitchen to start small chopping, nice cubing, maybe a julienne or two? Knife skills at my finest :)

Goals. Dreams. Aspirations.

Whew. Another holiday season is over and a new year has begun!!!! I baked cookies galore. I mailed cookies galore to people like grandpa, family gift exchange, and etc. They were chocolate peppermint cookies, my favorite gourmet chocolate thumbprint cookies AKA, Steve's Favorite Cookie, and molasses gingery cookies....

I am starting to teach 3 days a week. 2 days to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders and one day to an after school high school program.

The 3rd,4th, and 5th graders is a healthy eating program. My menu is as follows; Day 1 Breakfast: Buckwheat Pancakes with maple syrup and fresh fruit and green smoothies to drink while making. Day 2: Vegetarian Sloppy Joe's with Whole Wheat Buns and Baked Sweet Potato Fries. Day 3: Kale Chips, Granola, and Hummus with Fresh Veggies.... Day 4 will be up to them!

I am so freaking excited teaching kids about healthier good food.... You've got to start somewhere. The thought of going back to school for a bachelors to be able to be a Home-EC teacher and possibly my own personal cooking school. Good food is what I love and saving the world is really what I want to do, so why not start with the young...

The Holidays are all about good food and company, appreciate what you have. The new year is to learn how to be better than you were in the last.

I want to cook more better for you food. Leave out so much processed stuff. I want to educate myself on Colorado and build a green house. Let the planning and educating begin. Big dreams start with a lot of work.