Italian Scramble

November 24, 2011 by 5 Comments

Italian Scramble

Infused with salty prosciutto, sautéed vegetables and served with a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan cheese, our Italian Scramble elevates simple scrambled eggs to a whole new level of deliciousness.

One of the best things about having a day off from work is that we have time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast as a family. Time spent together, whether reading the paper or chatting about the events in our lives, is always made more pleasurable by dishing up something a little extra special to eat. Our Italian Scramble fits the bill, elevating simple scrambled eggs to a whole new level with bright, savory flavors that make our taste buds dance with joy. Infused with bits of salty prosciutto, sautéed vegetables and served with a sprinkling of fresh Parmesan cheese, this dish is also a great addition to a brunch with friends. Serve with homemade Buttermilk Biscuits and fresh jam (our Pineapple Jam is shown here) to round out the meal.

PREP: 5 minutes
COOK: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 12 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 slices prosciutto, diced
  • Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat a stainless-steel pan over medium-high heat, add oil. When oil shimmers, add onion and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, sauté for an additional 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn the garlic, as it should not cook until golden. Reduce heat to low and remove pan from heat.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and pepper until light and frothy. Set aside.
  3. Place pan over low heat, add butter and swirl until melted. Pour egg mixture into the pan, and stir gently to mix vegetables. When eggs begin to congeal on bottom of pan, sprinkle prosciutto over top. Using a heat-resistant rubber spatula, slowly drag eggs toward center of pan until eggs cook through and all liquid is gone, about 5 minutes.
  4. Serve eggs immediately. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top, as desired.

TIPS: For variety, add fresh rosemary and thyme to egg mixture when prosciutto is added. For a slightly stronger flavor, sprinkle grated Pecorino Romano cheese over instead of Parmesan.

YIELDS: 6 servings

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Filed under Breakfast, Food, Italian cuisine, Main Dishes Tagged with , , , , , , , , , ,

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

October 13, 2011 by Leave a comment

Sausage Gravy and Biscuits

Our Sausage Gravy and Biscuits is a big, delicious breakfast guaranteed to satisfy a man-sized appetite.

Whenever we go out to eat for breakfast, whether it is to Cracker Barrel or an intimate mom and pop restaurant, Jathan loves a hearty meal of flaky biscuits smothered in sausage gravy. There’s just something warm and comforting about it. Growing up in the South, he dined on his share of this dish, but it wasn’t until we took a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming that I experienced the best version of this meal I’d ever had. The biscuits were huge, the gravy meaty, perfectly seasoned and amazingly delicious. So here is our spin on this classic breakfast that never fails to satisfy a man-sized appetite.

COOK: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pound ground sage-seasoned pork sausage
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups half-and-half or milk
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 recipe Buttermilk Biscuits

DIRECTIONS

  1. Brown sausage in a large heavy skillet, stirring until it crumbles. Drain sausage on paper towels, reserving 1/2 cup drippings in skillet.
  2. Whisk flour into sausage drippings until smooth. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes or until browned.
  3. Stir in sausage. Gradually add half-and-half, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly. Stir in salt and pepper. Serve gravy over split buttermilk biscuits.

YIELDS: 3 cups gravy, about 6 servings

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Filed under Breakfast, Food, Main Dishes, Southern Cuisine Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Perfect Fried Eggs

October 5, 2011 by Leave a comment

Perfect Fried Eggs

With our simple cooking method, burnt or undercooked eggs are a thing of the past.

A friend praised my culinary prowess the other day and then lamenting her own inadequacies in the kitchen said, “I can’t even fry an egg.” I understood how she felt because we all have to start somewhere, and if someone grows up in a home with a parent who can’t cook, or who doesn’t take the time to teach them how to cook, they’re not going to know the basics of how to prepare even the simplest meals. Or you could be like me where as a child, I recall that my mom tried to teach me how to flip an egg, but no matter how hard I tried, I always made a mess. So I simply resorted to making scrambled eggs my specialty. Now, however, I’ve learned a simple method for making the perfect fried egg and best of all, there is no flipping required!

PREP: 2 minutes
COOK: 3 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat a small frying pan on medium heat. Add butter and swirl it around the pan to coat.
  2. Add egg to pan. Pour water onto pan surface, not onto the egg, then cover and cook for about 3 minutes, or until egg white is cooked through and the yolk has reached desired consistency. Adding water to the cooking process creates steam that cooks the top of the egg.
  3. Transfer fried egg to plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.

TIPS: Crack egg into a small bowl before adding it to the pan. This makes retrieving pieces of shell easier and avoids burning tender fingertips. Also, if you need to prepare more than one egg, just be sure to adjust your butter and water measurements accordingly.

YIELDS: 1 serving

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Filed under Breakfast, Cooking Basics, Food Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

Buttermilk Biscuits

October 4, 2011 by 2 Comments

Buttermilk Biscuits

Using only three ingredients, our Buttermilk Biscuits deliver big, buttery, flaky flavor your family will love.

As a very young child, my family lived for a time in West Virginia. Among the many dear friends we made there, “Petch” and Wilma McClung were two of our favorites. An older couple with no children of their own, they adopted my parents as their kids and my sister and me as their grandchildren. They lived in a small white farmhouse on several acres of land where they had a garden, raised livestock and kept chickens. Whenever we’d visit, Wilma would use her own fresh ingredients to prepare some of the best meals I’ve ever tasted, including “cat heads with cow salve” as “Petch” called biscuits with butter. So it is no wonder that I have always associated big, flaky biscuits with the taste of home. Great with nearly any meal, our buttermilk biscuits will remind you of the ones your own loved ones used to make. Using only three ingredients, our recipe is simple, delicious and keeps the tradition of fresh baked goods alive for a new generation.

PREP: 5 minutes
COOK: 14 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/3 cup butter, cut into pieces
  • 2 cups self-rising soft wheat flour (we tested with White Lily)
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • Butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

  1. Cut 1/3 cup of butter into flour with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly; add buttermilk, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened.
  2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead 3 or 4 times. Pat or roll dough to 3/4-inch thickness; cut with a 2 1/2-inch round cutter, and place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
  3. Bake at 425°F for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter.

YIELDS: 6 to 8 biscuits

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment. All rights reserved.

Filed under Baking, Breads, Breakfast, Food Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Banana Crunch Muffins

August 9, 2011 by 1 Comment

Banana Crunch Muffins

Our Banana Crunch Muffins are jam packed with real fruit flavor. But it is our homemade granola, walnuts and coconut that give it that tempting crunchy goodness.

We always seem to have bananas hanging around in various stages of ripeness. When they’re almost blackened, but still somewhat firm, it is the perfect time to make this brunch favorite. Topped with a crunchy simple granola and packed with tasty, healthy goodies like coconut and fruit, our Banana Crunch Muffins are a portable treat perfect for the kiddies to grab on their way out the door so they still get a bit of breakfast, even if they are running a little behind schedule.

PREP: 20 minutes
COOK: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 1/2 pound unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup skim milk
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 bananas)
  • 1 cup medium-diced ripe bananas (1 banana)
  • 1 cup small-diced walnuts
  • 1 cup simple granola
  • 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • Dried banana chips, granola, or shredded coconut (optional)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. Linen 18 large muffin cups with silicone muffin cups (or paper liners if you prefer). Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the melted butter and blend. Combine the eggs, milk, vanilla and mashed bananas; add mixture to the flour-and-butter mixture. Scrape the bowl and blend well. Don’t overmix.
  3. Fold the diced bananas, walnuts, simple granola, and coconut into the batter. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups (or paper liners), filling each one to the top. Top each muffin with remaining granola, banana chips or coconut, if desired. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool slightly, remove from the pan, and serve.

YIELDS: 18 large muffins

© 2011 Jadeworks Entertainment

Filed under Baking, Breads, Breakfast, Food Tagged with , , , , , , ,

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