Happy Valentines Day

We made some egg toast this morning, but modified for Valentines day. Often, tv chefs use this as a way to make eggs interesting for children, which makes me laugh, because I didn't know children were afraid of eggs (clearly, we are in trouble if this is the case....). I told A. I would have loved this as a kid, just ask my mom about us demanding Mickey Mouse shaped sandwiches. A. looked up, laughed, and said he wasn't so sure that I should be speaking in past tense. True, very true.

Easy Heart Shaped Eggs:
Spray the pan with Pam, Lay a piece of bread in the pan, and let it toast on the stove. Next, flip it once it browned. Cut a hole with a cookie cutter, like our heart shaped one, and feel free to butter and jam the interior heart. Next, crack an egg into the heart shaped hole, and let it cook inside. Once the egg is fried, flip for good measure. Serve with fruit.

SNOW-brunch

When dealing with a pregnant lady, it is important to understand the necessity of a full brunch. We started this pregnancy with weekly visits to the Arlington legend Bob and Edith's-- the only place that would satiate my morning sickness, and where we had our first dates eight years ago. Although I miss getting teased by the waiters for my appetite, as well as reading through baby name books in a booth with A, we now do brunch every weekend at home. The standards have not changed. I don't cook brunch, I have to give A. full credit here. Although it takes a team of people to drag him out of bed, he is the chef, and I am just the line cook in the morning. Today, a Wednesday, we got to have a special brunch because of the third blizzard this winter.


Being snowed in this week, we have handled it beautifully. We did not have a single lazy day. Avoiding cabin fever forced us to do projects around the house that have been put off since we moved in four years ago. We painted a china cabinet, rehung pictures, reupholstered a chair, tore down the laundry room storage cabinets, and re-organized every closet, drawer, and cabinet. The nursery is ready, hospital bag packed, and my grading is well on its way. However, once I finish grading, we might be in trouble...

So the electricity might go out....

Because I sometimes cook as if we were a house of 10, I prepared for the snowstorm as any sane person in a commune would, I made a giant batch of Barley stew. Edible cold, this stuff is packed with all the nutrients you would need if a snowpocolypse comes your way. Plus, it is made of regular pantry ingredients. When cooking this, keep in mind that I make enough to eat, have for lunch, and still store the leftovers in the freezer.

Ingredients

• 2 tb of olive oil
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 cups of barley
• 3 box containers of veggie broth, low sodium
• 2 cans of garbanzo beans
• 1 package of frozen spinach
• 1 can of diced tomatoes (the larger size)
• 1-2 tb of herbs de provence
• 2 bay leaves

1. Saute the onions in olive oil in your stockpot, until they are translucent.
2. Add the rest of your ingredients
3. Let simmer on low for at least one hour, and stir occasionally.
4. Serve with Romano on top, if you like.

I know. Very complicated. If you want this to be less stew-like and more meal-like, let the mixture continue to simmer until the barley absorbs all the liquid. That is what I did this time, and it will be easy to defrost later. I portion this off into small containers for work because it is a fast, but filling, meal, and teachers don't get lunchtime.

For your Mardi Gras....

I don't know why I feel the need to cook the appropriate meal on a matching holiday, but I do. As you previously read, Bastille day must have mussels and Mardi Gras must have a fried catfish sandwich. Because I was speaking at a conference, we finally went to New Orleans last year and tested out po'boys left and right. The other day, we made my version of a po'boy sandwich with tilapia, and it was even better than my pre-trip stabs at it. The first step is changing from catfish to tilapia, accompanied by allowing myself to be generous with seasoning. Tilapia is a sustainable fish, and like catfish it is very low in mercury. It stays together better than catfish, so it made it ideal for a better sandwich. We often use it for tacos as well.

To save time, I am not going to write this out in a long traditional recipe format, but just explain the basic breading method. Using two plates, dredge the fish through egg-whites, and then next, a breadcrumb mixture. I prefer to add cajun spices into the mixture to give it some flavor, be generous with the spice. Probably the only positive thing a nutty college roommate showed me that added to my cooking life, Tony Chachere's creole spice is a great thing to add to bread crumbs or even french fries. Next, put oil in your pan, probably 2-3 tb of canola, which is not a traditional frying oil, but is healthier. I never measure, but just try and cover the bottom of the pan so the fish won't stick. Place several pieces of tilapia to cover the pan. It will only take a few minutes to cook the fish, and flip once. Do not move around your fishies a bunch of times, or continuously flip. This may make us feel like a better chef, but you are actually ruining the fish.

Serve on a bun with Romaine lettuce and Roma Tomatoes sliced, as these are the best tomatoes at the grocery store in the winter. Now, this particular time, we realized we were out of mayonaise, so I couldn't make the dressing. So, instead, we put a little ranch dressing on top. Although A. thinks I shouldn't tell you about our substitution, it really wasn't that bad...