Ladies & Babies Sunday Brunch

As we get older, it gets more and more difficult to make time to get together with friends.  Too many hurdles get in the way such as work and babies.   I was very happy that my very adorably pregnant friend, Lesley scheduled a brunch at her house.  I always look forward to time with my girls.  It's a rare luxury these days but it makes that time more special when we do get together. 

There was a nice spread of bagels, cream cheese, proscuitto, salami, smoked gouda, fruit, lemonade and other homemade goodies. In an effort to be healthy, I made a crustless spinach quiche.   I realized this is the first time we haven't had alcohol on the menu.  I'm amazed that I didn't bring or ask where the sangria or the champagne was.  Is something wrong with me?  Did I have an actual classy adult moment?  Oh well.  Once in a while won't hurt.  However,  I don't think the alcohol was missed much because we were entertained by the long lost girl talk and the babies chewing on our necklaces when they weren't crawling around our feet.   Overall, it was a great afternoon with the ladies and babies.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

1 pkg frozen spinach, thawed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried minced onion flakes
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
6 eggs or 3 individual egg beaters containers
1 1/2 c + 2 tbsp mozzarella, shredded
1/4 c. feta cheese, crumbled

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Saute spinach, garlic, onion flakes, red pepper flakes until heated through, about 5-7 minutes.   Add salt and pepper.  Taste and add more seasoning to your liking.   Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.

Stir together eggs, 1 1/2 c mozzarella, feta in a medium bowl.  Stir in the spinach mixture.  Pour into the prepared pie plate.  Sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.    Great for breakfast or a healthy dinner.

Update on the Fly

I've been very busy my friends.  That dang thing called life has had me in a bear hug for over a month.  I've slowly gotten away and have made the time to cook up tasty treats to share with you.  I promise I'm working on providing you new delicious photos and easy recipes soon.   I also have something exciting coming up in a couple of weeks.  I'll share more details when it's time. Stay tuned! 

In the meantime, I'd love to hear from you.  Let me know what you are cooking or what you'd love to see me make.

Email me anytime:chrystal@thevandorens.com

Tasty Saturday

Happy weekend!  Today, my sneaky husband wanted to surprise me for lunch and drove us to a place nearby we've been wanting to try out for a while.   We've both read and heard great reviews and wanted to see if it lived up to the hype.   Let me tell you that this place is a MUST if you're in the Plano, TX area.  I wanted to provide our feedback and photos.  Don't judge by the amount of food we consumed.  It was for you my friends.  All for you!  

Their method of cooking is low and slow and they use fresh ingredients which you can definitely taste.   Daily specials offer items not featured on the everyday menu along with a fresh new pie flavor everyday.  Since it was a beautiful day, we sat on the comfortable patio which they refer to as "the porch".  Very fitting.   The only hindrance on the perfection of the patio was the busy tollway about 50 yards or so away. 

Everyone, this is Whiskey Cake.   Whiskey Cake, meet everyone!  I'm sure you both will get along just great. 

Beverages and Beginnings. . .
For our drink of choice, I had the tasty whiskey sour and Chris had the mint julep.   Both were very refreshing and gave just the right amount of kick.  For an appetizer, we ordered the fried green tomatoes with a flavorful but light remoulade dipping sauce.   The tomatoes were so fresh and perfect!  They had the right amount of tanginess.

Whiskey Sour

Fried Green Tomatoes w/Remoulade Dipping Sauce

Munching and Lunching. . .
It was a tough decision to make for me.  Not that there were too many choices but everything sounded so good.  I wanted to order one of each item on the menu.  Thanks to the daily specials I was able to make up my mind on a brunch item.  (Note to self:  Must schedule brunch here with girlfriends ASAP.)   I chose the Pulled Pork Benedict.  This dish is layered with tender pulled pork, perfectly poached egg, fresh micro greens drizzled with a light green chili hollandaise sauce all over a freshly homemade biscuit split in half.   I took my time with this and savored each bite.  I absolutely loved it!  I see a re-creation of this dish at home in my near future. 

Chris has been on a Bahn Mi kick lately.  He's on a mission to discover a perfect version of this Asian sandwich in our area. As soon as he saw the BBQ Bahn Mi on the menu, he zoned in and made his mind up quickly.  He said the bread was perfect. It looked amazing!  They served this on craft paper with a couple of thickly sliced homemade pickles.  The pickles were crunchy and had a hint of spice but so delicious.

Pulled Pork Benedict

BBQ Bahn Mi

Happy Endings. . .
Now we're down to the dessert and happy ending to our amazing meal.  I didn't want this experience to end.  The dessert options were minimal which is good.  I don't like having too many to choose from.  We were torn between the infamous whiskey cake or the pie of the day.  When the waitress mentioned that the coconut cream pie was made this morning, I was in.  Chris isn't a fan of coconut so he said he may have a bite or two.   Puh-lease!  He took one bite and didn't stop there.  That says a lot!  The custard didn't have that artificial flavor you taste in most.   They drizzled honey or amaretto over the top that added a nice sweet touch.  (That is still out for debate. We were too busy stuffing our faces to ask the waitress to confirm and settle the argument.)  Needless to say, we didn't have a problem devouring this gem of a dessert.   Hungry?   You're welcome.

Coconut Cream Pie

Meatball Pasta Bake

I love to cook and bake.  But I still always look for motivation to get me in the kitchen.   Especially after a long day or even long week at work.  I definitely need to be in that certain mood to make a blog-worthy dinner happen sometimes.   Cooking can be time-consuming and then turn into a chore if you don't have fun or make new recipes regularly.   However,  if I have company over for a small party or just to watch trashy tv shows that definitely helps to get me super excited to whip up something for dinner.   Whether it be a new dish I've wanted to try or a trusty standby that I'm dying to share, you can count on me to put all my effort into it.   This is a perfect dish if you have guests or if you want lunch and dinner for an extra day or two.  

If you make your own pasta sauce, you know it tastes so much better the longer it cooks or has time to mingle with all the ingredients.  If you have the time to prep this a day in advance, it tastes much much better.   If not, don't let that discourage you from trying this recipe out.  It's still tasty either way!   

Meatball Pasta Bake

SAUCE
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 lb pancetta or bacon, chopped
2 - 14oz cans tomatoes, diced (Italian Style) with the liquid
1 tsp oregano or Italian seasoning
1/4 c parsley, chopped
1 lb tube pasta such as penne or rigatoni
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
1 c ricotta
1/3 c parmesan cheese, grated, plus 1/4 c for the top

MEATBALLS
1 thick slice Italian type bread, crusts removed
1/4 c milk
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp parsley, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil

Make the meatballs first, soak the bread in the milk until the milk has been absorbed.  Squeeze the bread dry and crumble into a bowl, together with the sausage, garlic, egg, parmesan and parsley.  Mix well and season with salt and pepper.  Roll into small balls with wet hands.  Heat a oil to a large frying pan over high heat.  Add the meatballs and brown them on all sides, shaking the pan regularly so they brown evenly.  Remove meatballs from pan and set them aside. They won't be completely cooked but that is okay as they will simmer with the sauce and finish cooking.

Combine the oil, garlic and pancetta into the same frying pan and cook over medium-high heat until pancetta or bacon browns, about 5-7 minutes.  Add tomatoes, oregano and parsley.  Bring to a boil, then add meatballs to sauce and simmer over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.   Taste test the sauce.  Add salt and pepper as needed.

At this point you can store the sauce in a sealed container in the fridge overnight until you need.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Cook the pasta per the directions on the package.  Drain, reserving a 1/4 c of the cooking liquid.  Combine the pasta in a large bowl with the tomato sauce and meatballs, mozzarella, ricotta and 1/4 c of the parmesan.  Add enough of the cooking liquid to moisten everything.

Transfer to a large greased baking dish, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan and bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden and cheeses are bubbly.  Serves 6-8.