Easy Fried Egg Sandwiches with Radicchio

Sometimes dinnertime sneaks up on me.

Especially when we have a late lunch, like today!

(We went to Umami Burgur in Studio City. I wish I had taken a picture! I dug both my truffle burger and the swan taxidermy on the wall.)

So here's one of my favorite meals to fix on the quick!

You'll need:

-Eggs

-Bacon

-Radicchio, or another bitter lettuce

-French or sourdough bread

-Grainy or Dijon mustard

-Red wine Vinegar

-Olive Oil

-Butter

Begin by slapping a few slabs of bacon in a pan over medium. Being a bacon lover, I wish I had made a few more slices!

Begin to prep your Radicchio - slice it and remove to a bowl.

 Make a simple vinaigrette by whisking together equal parts of olive oil and red wine vinager with about a tablespoon of grainy mustard (or dijon). Season with pepper.

 Pour over the radicchio and toss to coat. The bitter lettuce and bright vinaigrette really cut through the salty bacony eggy part in a beautiful way.

Butter the tops of the bread slices and toast under the broiler until golden.

 Once the bacon is crisp, remove to a paper towel and crack your eggs into the grease, seasoning with salt and pepper.

 Don't forget to take your bread out! I've burnt alot of bread this way...

 When the eggs are done, layer them on the non-toasted side of the bread with the bacon and radicchio.

Yum! Cheese is also an option. I meant to put a slice of aged swiss on top of the bacon, but I forgot until the sandwiches were already built. Whoops!

Heaven on my toast!

Sometimes, I need something indulgent.
Sometimes, I need something creamy.
Sometimes, I need to make something that seems fancy.

If you sometimes need these things too, then have I got the answer for you.

Ricotta.

Now, don't get me wrong - I've never really been a huge fan of ricotta cheese. I'll eat the heck out of some good lasagna, but I've never been one to use ricotta as a spread, and have certainly never been tempted to eat it with a spoon.

But that has changed, my friends.

With this recipe. Thank you, smitten kitchen.

Apparently, making simple cheeses in an apartment is not only doable, but easy-peasy.

I just heated up some milk and cream til it boiled, added a little lemon juice, then poured it into my straining contraption.

(Technically, you're supposed to use a strainer and a few layers of cheesecloth, but I don't have either, so I used a mixing bowl, a dish towel, and a lot of clothespins. It worked beautifully.)

After about two hours of straining, I found myself with a heavenly cloud of something that resembled a richer, creamier version of the ricotta I was used to - more delicate in flavor, and somewhat reminiscent of creme fraiche or a stiff whipped cream, but with more body.

I immediately made a few french bread toasts and smeared them with the cheese, then drizzled on some honey and some freshly ground black pepper for a little kick. Colton should feel very honored that I ignored my greedy thoughts and shared with him.

 

Finally, for dinner, I decided to make stuffed pasta shells. I made a stewed tomato-meat sauce, and mixed the ricotta with some grated parmesan and basil which I stuffed inside the shells, then baked with the sauce until everything was hot and gooey.

My goodness!!!!! Easily the best pasta dish I've ever made.

(Good for the heart, not so good for the thighs. Not that I care right now.)

Do yourself and your family a favor... head on over to smitten kitchen and see what she's got cooking.

Food Stuffs

One of the things that has surprised me most about being married is -

The Difficulty of Keeping the House Running!

Well, I knew that I would have trouble with keeping things tidy,
mainly because I hate keeping things tidy.

I'm still working on that.

But I love to cook, so I thought I would knock it out of the park.

I'm still working on that, too. I've been working off of a $100 per week grocery budget, and so I think it's best to plan the full week of meals and buy all the groceries at the same time so I don't go over. The hardest part is trying to be creative with what I cook but also be Colton-friendly. (That means hearty meals - no girl food!)

My new best friends - the lovely ladies at the Big Girls Small Kitchen blog. Yay! They make planning alot easier, because there are so many yummy recipes that are fun and sort-of fancy, but low key as far as ingredients and time. Last night I made pesto to mix up with fettuccine, potatoes, and green beans. I also made their homemade ginger ale as a treat for our nightly viewing of The Office. Here's the recipe if you want to try it! But I might recommend using club soda instead of sparkling water if you like your ginger ale more on the fizzy side, and less on the sparkling water side. (sparkling water. Blech!)

The other day I had a cooking crisis. Colton got home from work at four. "I'm hungry! I'm hungry!" "Okay, Mister, let's see here..."

I opened the fridge. Nothing. And dinner was in the crock pot and wouldn't be ready for another three hours.

"Hmm. Ummm."

What is a girl to do? Make something up!

I scrounged around for anything we had. I found: Three pieces of bread. Four slices of bacon. Two eggs. Shredded Cheese. Perfect!

So I invented a new Davie family classic. The Kelly Double Decker Breakfast Sandwich Surprise!

It's delicious. Generously butter one side of two of the slices of bread. Fry up however much bacon you have, and two eggs. (I like mine fully cooked, no runny yolk!) Layer everything up, and use the cheese like glue so your sandwich doesn't fall apart - bread with the butter side down, a little cheese, fried egg, bacon, a little cheese, unbuttered bread, a little cheese, fried egg, bacon, a little cheese, bread with the buttered side up. Smoosh it a little. Stick it in the pan and brown on both sides.

Happy Husband! I wish I had taken a picture. It was a masterpiece.