Classic Vegetable Cuts

We all know the importance of making precise cuts to get a product that is the same shape and size.  Chef Robert Irvine yells that to everyone in every kitchen he walks in on "Restaurant Impossible."  I would think, "What's wrong with these people?  They've been cooking professionally for years!  He just showed them exactly what a julienne is... what's the problem?"  Now I know.

After peeling, squaring, slicing, and dicing 10 potatoes yesterday, I had this uneven mess and a large container overflowing with scraps.  These, my friends, are the classic vegetable cuts that I will be using throughout my career (excluding the large rectangles you see to the upper left).  There are a few others, but these were the ones on my practical exam I had to take after about a half hour or so of practice.

I think the next step for me is a gargantuan bag of potatoes, a cutting board, a ruler, and a big box of Kleenexes (for tears... I would use bandages for bleeding digits).

Scrambled Eggs

What do you do when you wake up hungry, open your fridge, and only find bits and pieces of things - not quite enough to make a real "meal."  I used to get in my car and drive to a fast food place and pick up something, but not anymore.  Money is too scarce and quality food is easy to achieve at home if you can just take the time to make a careful assessment of your pantry and refrigerator.
Yesterday, I opened my fridge to find those unwanted bits and pieces.  Leftovers from breakfasts' past that did not seem to coincide with a delicious future.  These items were doomed to waste if not used quickly, and when I consider this sad alternative I wince as my wallet bleeds.  I pulled the few remaining pieces of Canadian bacon from the pack, a small hunk of Christmas ham from a bowl, some shredded cheese from a bulk bag I purchased for sausage balls, the remaining cream I did not use to make fudge, and the last four eggs.  Quiche was my first instinct, but the only pie crust I had on hand was in the form of a frozen, and slightly freezer burned (wince), ball in the back of the freezer.  Frittata?  A possibility, but it never feels like a real meal.  Omelet then.  No.  Too easy.
In considering the plethora of options before me, I made scrambled eggs.  These weren't ordinary scrambled eggs.  You know... the large chunks of eggs your mom served to you and later taught you to cook as she yelled, "Don't stir them, they'll stick!  Wait a few minutes until the firm up!" Ok, maybe your experience wasn't at all like that, but that's how I learned to make chunky, somewhat homogeneous eggs when I was a teenager.
These eggs were stirred almost constantly creating a silky smooth, completely homogeneous, deliciously creamy, scrambled egg.  Once my eggs were nearly cooked through, I added some of the Christmas ham that I had diced, and the remaining shredded cheese.  It's funny just how comforting the less than chic duo of ham and cheddar work together, but the results are always outstanding.

Adventures (sorta) with a Deep Fryer

Every year I get kitchen equipment and tools for the holidays... which I love!  This year I received a digital deep fryer with a large rectangular basket.  The possibilities seemed endless as I gazed at my new toy, and (feeling slightly overwhelmed) I asked my family for requests to break in my new addition.  Their requests:  cheese sticks and fried Oreos.
I made a typical grocery list for the week and added pre-made, frozen cheese sticks (yes, I know I can make them much better by hand) and Oreos to the list, and picked up a giant bottle of vegetable oil.  As I worked on our entree I heated up the fryer and dropped a few cheese sticks in.  Within a couple of minutes we had perfectly crispy cheese sticks.  I rolled my eyes over the lack of gourmet touch and slight lazy approach I took to this dish, but my husband was amazed and said, "These are so much better than the ones I've made in the oven!"  At least I got that request out of the way.
After dinner, to the delight of my eight year old son, I grabbed a cup and made a simple funnel cake batter.  I used two forks to toss an Oreo in the batter, and carefully dropped it in the fryer.  A minute later I flipped it to reveal a puffy, golden brown doughnut-esque dessert.  Within another minute I had this carnival style confectionery draining on a paper plate lined with paper towels and sprinkled it with a little powdered sugar.  I ended up having to fry up half the pack before everyone was satisfied.
I'm sure I will be able to come up with some amazing foods in my deep fryer without having to give it the shame of carnival and Applebee's fare, but I had a lot of fun breaking it in, and even more fun watching smiles grow on the faces of the people I love most.

Challah.....

There is a holiday tradition I have wanted to start with my family for years, but it has always managed to be interrupted.  You see, when I was growing up, my family had "dinner" together around noon.  Waiting for hours to take your first bite, then eating a heavy meal of ham and mashed potatoes so early in the day made me feel lethargic and sometimes slightly disoriented.  So, I have always wanted to replace that idea with a lighter brunch served a little earlier.
This year I got to work on Christmas eve.  I made sausage ball dough, made a custard for french toast, and even made a homemade loaf of challah. I am a cheater.  I own a bread machine, and utilized the dough function to create this beautifully sweet, moist, eggy dough, but I kneaded it myself and braided it as well.  Then I sliced it up to dry out overnight.
We had a delightful Christmas brunch of delicious challah french toast, cheesy sausage balls, crispy bacon, and wonderful little bite-sized fritata cups.  We weren't so stuffed we couldn't move, but we remained satiated until the big family dinner was served.  When I finally did sit down to our large, overindulgent dinner, I only ate one plate compared to everyone else's two or three, because I wasn't starving.
Not only was our Christmas brunch delicious and satisfying, it was heartwarming too.  That's what I call good eats.