Hummingbird Cupcakes

I used this Hummingbird Cake recipe from Joy of Baking, and turned it into a cupcake. I made a few changes:

Substitute 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour for whole-wheat
No pecans in the frosting
Pineapple tidbits instead of crushed (because J got the wrong can from the store!)
Made 21 cupcakes instead of 2 round cakes

Healthy, moist, and delicious! What a great recipe.

Pink Pickles!

Anyone who's been to a Korean BBQ all-you-can-eat bonanza knows of those delicious little pickled radishes. I love them so much that I found a recipe online and made some myself. It's very easy, and though they're not pickles in the sense that they have a lengthy shelf-life, they probably won't last that long anyway. You'll have eaten them all.

3 bunches of radishes, washed and trimmed
1 c. of white vinegar
1 c. of warm water
1/2 c. of sugar
1 tsp. salt

Cut the radishes however you like - I quartered mine. Then place the cut radishes into two large mason jars. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt until everything is dissolved. Pour the mixture into each jar until the radished are covered. Screw the lids on the jars, and store in the refrigerator for several days until the red skins have bled out and turned everything pink! They should keep for about two weeks in the fridge.

You can also use an Asian radish, also known as a Daikon. They are much larger. The Daikon is what is actually used for the KBBQ side dish.

Blog: The Quest for Local Meat

Easter is coming up - and that means eggs, ham, lamb, chocolate, pascha, sauerkraut ... gosh this list goes on. I've taken on the delightful task of having J's immediate family over for Easter dinner. I am very excited! I love entertaining. I also want to make extra-sure J's family loves me to bits, so I had to plan the perfect menu. I decided on some of my favourites: bone-in leg of lamb roast, cold-smoked ham, mashed tubers, veggies, and some kind of pie (I have requests for apple and pumpkin) ...

Now, I grew up in the Big City, and relatively recently moved out to a lovely spot in rural Ontario. Not recently enough to be a "newbie," but enough to still not quite have the inside scoop on local farm products. Where on earth am I going to be able to buy some lamb from "the farm gate"? And even more head-scratching was my cold-smoked ham conundrum: How am I supposed to purchase a cold-smoked ham if all of the butchers I phoned don't even know what it is?! (Apparently they are more familiar with the term "smoked country ham" as I found out later.)

I spent days scouring lists of pork- and sheep-farms in my area. Not that there were many, but it was difficult to get phone numbers. What would a person do in my situation years ago, when they didn't have the glorious internet at their fingertips? I whittled my list down to a few in the area, and I got to phoning. The pork farmers only sold fresh meat, and none of them could tell me of a local smokehouse operation. The sheep farmers were all sold out of meat, except for two: Fairdale Farms, which was just too far a drive for me. However the owner, Kim, was very kind and helpful. She had just recently started her farm a few years ago, and was starting to advertise her organically-grown, all-natural lamb, beef, and chicken. Do call her if you are in the Orillia area, she just did a fresh lamb slaughter.

The other farm was one much closer, and I was referred to her by a good friend. She had the perfect bone-in leg of lamb: 6.5 lbs, organic, natural, frozen. Naturally, I decided that would be the lamb roast for me. Then my darling Dad went out and kindly bought me a lamb roast elsewhere - so I'll be cooking that one for Easter. But, at least now I know where to go when I need a piece of lamb, or half, or whole.

I then tap-a-typed in "cold smoked ham Ontario" into my trusty Google toolbar, and found a forum pointing me to The Trading Post in Port Perry. It's a longer drive than I had hoped, but it's worth it for the spectacular $2.99/lb price. And apparently, the ham is so good that they sell it year round. Hmmm. I had been there before, and was impressed by the size of the place. They have all kinds of neat preserves, meats, spices, and so on. They also take care to only sell very local, organic, free-run, natural meats. So I phoned in an order for a 10-pounder, and now all I have to do is wait!

While I was getting the meat ordeal sorted out, I was running desperately out of honey. You see, I put a spoonful into every cup of peppermint tea I drink - and I drink it often. My last tub was from the Giant Tiger, and I was pretty impressed that it wasn't imported from New Zealand or something - it was a modestly-distanced Quebec honey. But I know that bees can thrive just about anywhere - including the Big City - and produce lovely honey. So I called a friend and she referred me to a guy literally just down the road. He sold me a pint of his spectacular honey for $4, and showed me his bee hives, chickens, geese, emus, Highland steers, ducks, and Huskies. He then told me to call him a few days in advance if I ever needed chicken and duck eggs.

All in all, I think I'm doing a pretty good job sourcing out local farm products. Maybe one day, just maybe, I might never have to go to the grocery store again ...

Honey Glazed Pork Tenderloin

My dad gave me a lovely little pork tenderloin the other day. I wasn't sure how I would season it. I'm not a big fan of pork, so I wanted a marinade strong enough in flavour to help me "overcome" the pork thing. On the other hand, J loves pork (and just about any other meat in existence), so I had to make something that would delight his palette as well. This is what I came up with. Adapted from a Canadian Living recipe. Serves four.

A tenderloin is a long, skinny, and (as the name implies) tender cut of meat from an area between the animal's rump and ribs. For those of you who are scientifically inclined, Wikipedia states that "the tenderloin refers to the psoas major muscle anterior to the transverse processes of the lumbar vertebrae, near the kidneys." Since it is the least-used muscle in the animal's body, it is the most tender. It literally melts in your mouth. You might even be able to cut it with a butterknife after it's cooked. If you're counting pennies, watch your local grocery flyers, and scoop up a few of these when they're on sale. They keep in the freezer very well.

2 pork tenderloins
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
1 - 2 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger, to taste
1 - 2 Tbsp. fresh minced garlic, to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a large Ziplock baggie. (Alternatively, mix marinade ingredients in a small bowl separate from the pork, and use two-thirds to marinate the pork and save the other third for serving.) Marinade the tenderloins in the fridge for at least half an hour, and up to a day.

Preheat a flame- or electric-grill to medium-high heat. Place marinated tenderloins on the grill - save the marinade juices for basting. Grill for at least ten minutes per side, or until desired doneness is reached. Baste tenderloins for the first few minutes of cooking. When tenderloins are done to your desire, remove them from the grill, place them on a cutting board, and tent them with foil. Let the meat sit for 5 minutes to calm down before slicing the tenderloin in thin, 1/2-inch slices. Serve with skin-on mashed potatoes and steamed asparagus (and the extra marinade you might have set aside).

I wanted to speed up my cooking time because I was using an indoor electric non-stick grill. So I "butterflied" my tenderloin - that is, I sliced it along its entire length, about halfway through, and opened it up, thus making it flatter. It quickened my cooking time, and it was just as juicy, tender, and delicious! Plus, the marinade settled into the "V" formed by butterflying it - and made it extra saucy. Drool.

Easy Yummy Lentils

This makes a wonderful side dish for an Indian dinner night. It can be vegan - just substitute syrup, sugar, or agave nectar for the honey! My friend and I just ate these for dinner tonight. I couldn't get enough of them! What got me going was the addition of salt and honey - otherwise this would have been quite plain. The spices and oil combine to make a delicious pasty coating! This dish serves four.

1 c. dry lentils
4 c. water
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. sea salt (we used Celtic salt)
1 Tbsp. honey
2 cloves garlic, minced

Bring water and lentils to a rapid boil in a saucepan or medium pot, and boil these for 10 minutes. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for an additional 15 - 20 minutes. Drain lentils. Over low heat, stir in oil and spices. Simmer for a few minutes, and stir in the honey. Stir in the minced garlic and simmer for another few minutes. That's it! Serve this dish over rice, or on its own, to accompany your favourite Indian meal.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Isobel requested this one! This is a dead easy recipe. I can't really take credit for it, and I'm not sure who can, as it is on the label of just about every peanut butter jar you buy. It's almost stupefying in its simplicity - there's no flour, no soda, no added oil ... just pure goodness. If happiness took on cookie form, this would be it.

1 c. peanut butter (crunchy or smooth, your choice)
1 c. granulated sugar
1 egg
Optional: 1/2 package chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Arrange a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie pan. Stir first three ingredients together until they are well-combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto the parchment paper, and flatten with the tines of a fork. Bake for 6 - 8 minutes, and don't overbake! These cookies are by far at their best when chewy.

Adventures in Curry

I have never been a huge fan of curry. This is probably because I've always been served a pungent, strong, spicy dish that always seemed to overpower the main ingredients. I went to a dinner at the CN Tower last year for a prix-fixe experience. They offered a salmon curry dish, and I loved it simply because it was so mild, and the curry flavour was subtle.

Recently I've been hearing a lot about the health benefits of curry (thank you Dr. Oz!) - specifically turmeric. Can you say anti-cancer?! Just take a look at this. So I went to my local Bulk Barn and grabbed some spices. They have a pre-made curry powder, as well as the individual components of curry (cumin, coriander, turmeric). I took the pre-made powder, because I assumed it'd be a good jumping off point for someone who has never made a curry before!

The few times that I have truly enjoyed a curry dish, coconut milk has always been an ingredient. So I snatched a can of coconut milk, and I felt I was all ready to make my very first curry dinner! I had some chicken thighs that were on special, arranged them in a casserole dish, dumped in a can of diced potatoes and some frozen veggies. Then I made my curry sauce.

Now, I've been sick for the past number of days - heavy chest congestion. Just simmering the curry sauce cleared me up! I couldn't believe it. I heated up some oil, grated in a bunch of garlic, and that started the aromatic wonder that helped my congestion. Then I added ginger and about a tablespoon of curry powder. Pow! Right in the kisser. At this point my eyes were burning. It felt good. Simmer, simmer. Dumped in the coconut milk, and some chicken broth. Simmer, simmer. By then the house was filled with the aroma of this wonder spice. I poured the sauce over the chicken in the casserole, and baked the dish for an hour and a half in a 375 F oven. In the meantime, I cooked up some rice.

And you know what? For all that pungent smell, the curry was so mild, so subtle, I could hardly taste it! It was still very pleasant. If it were too strong, however, I don't think I would ever have made a second attempt at this "curry" business. But wouldn't you know it, I can't wait to try again, and to reap the benefits of adding turmeric to my diet.

Burgers and Whole Wheat Buns

Since we have discovered that making your own burgers not only tastes better, but is less expensive and more fun than buying frozen ones, we haven't ever bought a "store" burger. Most people's complaints about homemade burgers is that they are too thick, or that they end up turning into baseball-shaped hunks of meat on the grill. I will tell you how to avoid that!

I am also including a recipe for whole wheat burger buns. They are delicious! Make sure you make these buns a few hours in advance; they need at least 1.5 hours to rise. Bun recipe adapted from Canadian Living.

These two recipes will make enough burgers and buns to feed a crowd, and they're also easy to freeze. Separate hamburger patties with waxed paper and throw them in a Ziplock baggie, and freeze. Put cooled buns in an old bread bag or a Ziplock bag and freeze them as well.

Hamburgers:
2.5 - 3 lb. lean ground beef
3 eggs
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. onion powder
4 - 5 large cloves garlic, minced
Optional: 1 small onion, pureed
2 - 3 portobello caps, pureed

In a very large bowl, mix all of these ingredients together extremely well. Use your hands - it's more thorough. This recipe is very cohesive, yielding a burger patty consistency that you can really flatten out. The idea is to use lots of eggs and bread crumbs, and to make any additions very finely minced or pureed. Large chunks of diced onion or mushroom will literally act as "separators" and prevent the patty from sticking together. So grab a handful of your mixture, and make it as flat and as round as you prefer. Yields about 12 - 15 patties.

Cook on a griddle or skillet over medium heat until desired doneness. Or, flame-grill on your barbeque on medium heat. Everyone has a way of cooking their burgers - I prefer them flipped once only, done medium-rare.

Buns:
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 c. warm water (slightly warmer than room temp)
2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (one envelope)
1 c. milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 c. whole wheat bread flour
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour (approx)
Sesame seeds

In a large bowl, dissolve 1 tsp. of the sugar in the water. Sprinkle the yeast over top and let sit until frothy, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining sugar, milk, salt and butter in a saucepan just until the butter is melted. Remove from heat and let it stand until lukewarm. Add this to the yeast mixture.

Using an electric mixer, add the whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth. Using a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the all-purpose flour until you have a stiff dough. Turn this out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough ball in a greased bowl, turning the dough once to coat completely with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm, draught-free area until doubled in size, about 60 - 90 minutes.

Punch down the dough, turn onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a log and cut into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a ball, pinching the bottoms and smoothing the tops until you have a bun-shaped ball. Place on a greased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover and let them rise in a warm, draught-free place for 30 - 60 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Bake in a 400 F oven for 20 - 25 minutes, on the centre rack or higher, until golden brown and buns sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. My last batch turned out crunchy on the bottom because I placed them on a lower rack level. Let buns cool on a rack, and enjoy them with your homemade hamburgers! Yields 16 buns.

Leftover Pie Crust Tarts

I got a great idea as I was making an apple pie, and was wondering what to do with the large amounts of crust that I inevitably had to cut off the sides of the pie. I puzzle-pieced the leftover scraps together in the cups of a muffin tin, and filled each mini-shell with a mixture of frozen fruit, sugar, and cornstarch.

Pictured is raspberry - fill the shell full with frozen raspberries, and add a tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of cornstarch per shell. Bake at 425 F for about 15 minutes, stirring each tart at the 10 minute mark (or when the fruit is no longer frozen) to mix in the sugar and cornstarch.

Vanaema's Sauerkraut

My grandmother (vanaema in Estonian) told me, verbally, how she makes her sauerkraut. I'm not sure if I remembered it in its entirety, and I just kind of made what I thought she said. It turned out great and I make it this way all the time. It's a hard one to screw up, though. *Edit: I talked to her the other day and she told me that I had it all wrong! Oops. I'm still not going to change it because this is how I make it!*

This sauerkraut is rather sweet. It's certainly not the kind of 'kraut you get from the jar! Try different ways of sweetening this recipe - brown sugar, white sugar, maple syrup, or apples.

1 head of green cabbage, shredded or julienned
1 jar of naturally fermented sauerkraut (not wine-fermented!)
1 large vidalia or sweet onion, chopped
2 - 3 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
Optional: 1/2 lb. bacon, ham, or pork, chopped

Mix all ingredients together in a large pot with a lid. Place in the oven at about 300 F for 4 - 5 hours, stirring occasionally. The sauerkraut will turn golden brown, smell a little sour and a little sweet, and you'll get awesome chewy bits where the mixture has been baking up against the side of the pot. It will have caramelised nicely because of the sugar and apples, and the cabbage will be oh-so-tender.

You can also make this in your slow cooker, on HIGH for 6 hours or LOW for 10 hours. Enjoy!

Perfect Pancakes

This is my own recipe. It is better than Bisquick, I promise! Plus it's very easy, never chewy, always fluffy - the perfect pancake! The purpose of the spelt or buckwheat flour is to prevent the pancakes from going chewy if you happen to stir the batter too much. Spelt and buckwheat have very little gluten, and gluten is what is responsible for the chewiness of bread. You can use any gluten-free flour in place of the spelt or buckwheat in this recipe.

Preheat a non-stick griddle to medium heat. Make sure your griddle is completely heated before you pour your pancakes.

Combine in a large bowl:
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 c. spelt or buckwheat flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder

Combine in a large measuring glass:
2 eggs, whisked
2 c. milk + 2 tsp. vinegar (or just use buttermilk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 Tbsp. oil

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, and mix with a fork until just combined (but not if there are still large lumps of dry flour throughout the batter - stir the batter till the bigger lumps have broken up). Spray the griddle with oil, and pour 1/4 cup portions of pancake batter onto the hot griddle. Fry them until you see lots of bubbles surfacing on top and are a deep golden brown, and then flip them over. Cook the other side until it is also a deep golden brown. Serve the pancakes immediately with butter, syrup, jam, or whatever tickles your fancy. They can also be kept warm on a stoneware plate in the oven set on the coolest temperature.

I like to make large batches of pancakes. This recipe yields about 20 - 25 pancakes. Halve the recipe if you desire. I like to eat the morning's cold pancakes for lunch with cheese and lunchmeat on them, popped in the microwave for a few seconds. Not sure why. I just like them that way.

Whole Wheat Yogourt Bread

This is a bread machine recipe. It is straight out of the little book that came with my bread machine (West Bend brand)! And it is wonderful. The proportion of whole wheat to regular bread flour is greater than half-and-half, so you must use a "Whole Wheat" setting on your bread machine, if it exists. If you don't have that setting, feel free to reduce the amount of whole wheat flour and increase the amount of bread flour till you get a 1:1 ratio.

Please remember that bread-making is a science, even when you leave all of the work to the machine. Always remember to measure your ingredients perfectly, and don't leave anything out. Be exact. Don't add less sugar, the yeast feeds on it. Don't add less salt, it prevents the yeast from going out of control. Don't add more yeast, or your loaf might fall. Just stick to the recipe, folks, and you'll have a perfect loaf of bread!

Yields a 1.5 pound loaf.

1 c. water, 80 degrees F (a little warmer than room-temperature)
1/2 c. plain non-fat yogourt (also warm)
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 1/3 c. bread flour
2 c. whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. dry milk (I leave this ingredient out completely, because it is very hard to find, and the bread still turns out perfectly)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. active dry yeast OR 1 1/2 tsp. quick rise yeast

Add all of the ingredients into your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Set it, forget it, and enjoy it when the machine beeps! Yum!

Tuna Melt Pasta

I'm not a tuna fan. At all. But J sure is, and he loves my tuna melts! So, I adapted my typical tuna melt on toast recipe into a quick and easy pasta dish.

1/2 bag of your favourite pasta
2 c. fresh or frozen raw vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, asparagus, peppers ... the sky is the limit)

3 Tbsp. butter or cooking oil
2 - 3 cloves of fresh grated or minced garlic
1/2 lb. peeled shrimp, tails off
1 tsp. each garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, sea salt, fresh black pepper
3 Tbsp. flour
1 c. milk
1/4 c. white wine
1/2 c. beef broth
Dash of worcestershire sauce
1 - 2 tins flaked tuna, drained (go by how tuna-y you want your sauce)
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese


You will need a large pot for your pasta, and a large non-stick skillet for your sauce. Boil the pasta water with some salt and olive oil. The salt gives flavour, and the olive oil prevents the pastas from sticking together when you pour it outinto your colander. When the water starts to boil, is also when you should begin making your sauce. It is very quick.

Throw your pasta and your vegetables into the boiling pot. When pasta is al dente, drain.

While pasta is boiling, heat up/melt your butter or oil in the skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic for a few seconds, then throw in the shrimp and cook them (if they are already cooked, and not frozen, add them with the tuna later on). Coat the sauteing shrimp in the powders, salt and pepper, then whisk in the flour until it is completely incorporated into the fat.

Whisk in milk, wine, worcestershire, and broth. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, and whisk until it is thick. Taste it at this point and make sure your sauce is tasty enough - add more spices if you like. Stir in your can(s) of tuna (and shrimp if they are cooked and room-temperature), and simmer until it is heated through. Whisk in the cheeses (feel free to use different types of cheese than those listed) until they are melted, and sauce is nice and gooey!

Serve this creamy sauce over the pasta and vegetables, nice and hot. There you have it: quick, easy, and cheap comfort food!

Blog: It's Been Awhile!

Yikes! I haven't posted since December! Happy New Year everyone! I had a lovely Christmas and a quiet New Years. I did end up making a batch of chocolate chip cookies for our five year old niece, but J ate them all before she could have any. The best gift I received was a bread machine from my parents! And you can bet the money you got in that Christmas card from your Auntie that I've been using it. A lot.

I have also been very busy doing non-culinary things, the main one being painting J's brother's new house. And a big house it is - I've been at it for nine days total, and I'm still not done the first two levels. I've also been refinishing furniture. No, I won't refinish that harvest table you've had for ages. It's not a fun task - the only reason why I'm refinishing my furniture is a pride-of-ownership thing. And a sense of "Hey, I bought it for 85 bucks, may as well sand it down a little." It's a lovely little solid knotty pine dry sink; not an antique or anything, but it looks awesome in my living room.

Without further ado, I'll post a couple more heart-warming recipes to share with all of you!

Trina's Leftover Turkey Casserole (and Carcass Broth)

The extended family went home, the kids got all the things they ever wanted for Christmas, everyone's had a busy (but fun) holiday. The only thing is, you've got half a turkey still kicking around in the fridge. Carve it up, save all of the meat you possibly can, and make some stock out of the carcass. Here's how:

- Put the carcass in the biggest pot you own. Cover it with water, add salt and pepper to taste, slice up half an onion into fat rings, and find some raw carrots, and throw those in the pot, too.
- Bring contents of your pot to the boil, and reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for a couple of hours. No need to stir, or even monitor it, really. Go watch a movie and your stock will be done cooking.
- Get some 2L pop bottles or glass mason jars or juice bottles washed and ready. Grab a funnel.
- Strain the stock from the pot through a sieve into another (very large) bowl. Get a cup with a spout and handle, and pour the strained stock into your cleaned bottles.
- You will have a lot of meat "bits" leftover in your sieve. Feed those bits to the cat - he'll love you for it!
- Freeze the plastic bottles, glass doesn't do too well in the freezer. Use the stock in soups, gravies, or anywhere that plain water seems a little, well, boring. For example, boil your rice in broth instead of water!

Why do we make stock out of the carcass? Because the bones, more specifically the marrow in the bones, hold a tonne of flavour. When boiled for a long time, the flavour is imparted into the water, and you have a delicious, savoury broth!

Now that you've made the most of your old turkey bones, it's time to make a delicious casserole out of all that meat. Casserole dishes come in all shapes and sizes, and so do families, and let's face it - how much turkey meat you have leftover can greatly vary as well. So I won't put measurements in. Just eyeball everything. It's only a casserole!

Layer bottom-to-top:
- Turkey, cut into pieces - choose your favourite type of meat, light or dark, or both.
- Pour enough leftover gravy over the turkey to make the bottom layer very moist.
- Splash this bottom layer with Worcestershire sauce for some zip.
- Sprinkle a bit of red or white wine here for more flavour!
- Sprinkle mushrooms, sliced, over the turkey.
- Then add diced carrots, celery, green beans, broccoli (hey - anything that needs to be used up)!
- At this point, you may choose to stir the veggies, gravy, and turkey together. Or not. It's up to you!
- Leftover mashed potatoes, turnips, or yams make a good addition here. They should be pre-cooked.
- Top all of this with leftover dressing/stuffing.**
- Now, the piece de resistance, smother the top of the casserole in cheese! I like a mixture of Gruyere (for its strong taste), Mozzarella (for the gooiness), and more Parmesan (for crunch).

** Now, I don't like stuffing, so I make a bread-topping that's just as tasty. Cut a few slices of bread into cubes, place in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and red wine vinegar (just enough to lightly coat the bread cubes). Whisk an egg with a tablespoon of water and coat the bread cubes with it. Sprinkle generously with parmesan cheese, dried sage, rosemary, freshly ground pepper, onion and garlic powders, mustard powder, sea salt, and mix all together. Place this mixture evenly over the top of the casserole.

Place your casserole in the oven, covered with its lid if it has one, or covered loosely with tin foil at 375 F until everything is bubbling and hot. Remove the lid or tin foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes to brown the top. Remove from oven and let the dish sit out for about 15 minutes to make it easier to cut and lift out of your dish. Serve hot, with a crisp Caesar salad on the side.

I hope my casual style of writing here has given you the feeling that the recipe itself is extremely casual. It is not baking, so the measurements need not be precise. Just season everything to taste, and don't forget the cheese on top! It's the best part.