Tuna Burgers

carrot / onion / 1 raw egg / 1 can drained tuna / half cup breadcrumbs / 2 tbsp mayo / 1 tsp olive oil

mix, mash, fry, eat.

mixin' it up

frying patties

yum.

Stuffed Pumpkins... oh yes!

Angela's after-dinner statement pretty much said it all, "I wish we had more pumpkins!"

In the fall, Angela and I heard an NPR piece talking about stuffed pumpkins. It seemed like a strange yet delicious idea - cheese, bacon, and other goodies baked inside a pumpkin? The idea sat on our culinary back burner, and our decorative pumpkins sat on the mantle. Looking quite strange during Christmas and then downright out of place in January, they were plucked from the mantle and carted off to the kitchen.

The process was simple and yields an astoundingly tasty dinner: Carve the tops off of a pumpkin, clean out the guts, pack with stuffing, and bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees. For the full recipe check out this NPR article  - Sweet or Savory: Stuff, Bake and Devour a Pumpkin.

from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table

Carve out top

remove innards

season inside and stuff with goodies

add mixture

bake

stare

devour!

Crispy Pepper and Parmesan Pork Cutlets

Uh OH! I think I just found another recipe to add to my top five... Crispy Pepper and Parmesan Pork Cutlets from our new America's Test Kitchen: 30-Minute Suppers. Easy dish:

Set up three stations - (#1) 1/2 cup flour, (#2) 2 eggs beaten, and (#3) 1 cup Panko bread crumbs, 1 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Rinse and pat dry your 6 thin boneless pork chops. Put 1/4 cup olive oil and an additional 2 teaspoons of pepper on medium heat. Lastly, drag the chops through the four, egg, and Panko - then in to the pan. Three minutes on each side! Let drip onto a paper towel, clean out the pan, and repeat for second batch. Crispy yet juicy... and next time I'll remember to season the meat. Doh.

after and before

dredging stations

Angela supplied the sides: mashed potato and Brussels sprouts

Ham and Swiss Mini Quiches

Tonight's dinner was Ham and Swiss Mini Quiches from our new America's Test Kitchen: 30-Minute Suppers. This quiche is unique in that the crust is not made from pastry dough, but by flattening slices of plain old white bread. Bake the bread for about 10 minutes in a muffin tin, add egg mixture, and bake again for 15 minutes. Voila, mini quiches. Next time, I'll probably grease my pan more thoroughly. It almost took as long to get the quiches out as it did to make them! Tasty.

flattened slices of bread in the muffin tin

adding ham and cheese

adding the egg mixture

ready for the oven

Ham and Cheese Mini Quiches

Perfect Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars sounded like a great Christmas gift for my grandma and her sister - both love lemon. Angela found a great recipe in Cook's Illustrated and we spent a few Christmas Eve hours baking "Perfect Lemon Bars."

grating butter for the crust

ready for the oven

dusted with confectioner sugar

What Egg is This?

Fried a few eggs this morning, and one came out funny. What do ya'll think this egg looks like?

Mirliton Festival 2010

The 21st annual Mirliton Festival, hosted by the Bywater Neighborhood Association, took place this weekend. A block from our house we enjoyed the sounds of two great bands: Gal Holiday and the Honky Tonk Revue, and Hurray for the Riff Raff. As we listened to tunes, we feasted on Stuffed Mirliton (via Jack Dempsey's) and Maque Choux Mirliton (via The Country Club) - both delicious!

Stuffed Mirliton from Jack Dempsey's

Maque Choux Mirliton from The Country Club

Alynda Lee Segarra and Horray for the Riff Raff