A Foodie Aghast: Tales from the Cafeteria

The Foodie's on a weekend-long research binge (hip-hip-hooray!), and as such must stock up on sustenance early in the day in order to lock herself in her room and work.  Maybe I should have just hit the salad bar...

Today, I decided I would get one of the enormous egg scrambles from the cafeteria...I can never finish it in one sitting anyway, and it's cafeteria food, so it can't taste much worse re-microwaved than "fresh."  It's pretty basic, scrambled eggs (thoroughly cooked. Thoroughly.), hash browns, cheese.  I added sausage to it today because, well, why not?  I was starving.

My appetite was diminished slightly as I stood waiting to collect my food and go.  I had a clear view of the kitchen with it's flat-top griddle.  A mound of hash browns was sizzling merrily away, along with a little pile of chopped sausage patty.  All that was left was the eggs.  The line cook took out a tub and ladled (ladled!) one scoop, two scoops of oil onto the griddle!  He ladled oil!  I could feel my circulatory system crying out, 'Don't do it!!'  And then came the eggs.  A generous scoop and a half.  Nearly the same volume quantity as the oil.  Gulp.

I'm not quite sure what I was really expecting.  It's the cafeteria.  It's hash browns and eggs, not exactly health food as it is.  But golly, readers...

I don't think I can ever bring myself to order it again, although it is full of flavor (likely due to copious amounts of salt and cheeses).  I just did away with (read: ate) the leftovers a moment ago.  And now I'm going to go drink 2 gallons of water and eat some fruit.

Just to make myself feel better.

~AF

There's Something About Millie's

Lazy Sunday mornings are the best.  And they're better with pancakes.  (Find me one gluten-eating human being that will tell you otherwise.  I dare ya.)  They're almost utopian when the pancakes are from Millie's Pancake Shoppe in Addison.

You know a restaurant is doing something right when people are willing to stand in line and wait a half hour or more to get a table.  Did I mention this is just a pancake place?

It's only been around forever.  Okay, maybe not forever.  But it's been in the same spot in an Addison strip mall since 1959.  Millie's is enduring, and it always seems to be busy.  Now, that could be because I only ever go there on weekends.  But it's a good sign for a restaurant to be that packed (at least, I think it is).

It's a place my grandparents love.  It's a place my parents and my aunts love.  And it's a place that I love.  They don't play music in the restaurant (at least I don't think so...I've never noticed it).  The only soundtrack seems to be the clatter of silverware on ceramic plates and the chatter of contented diners that want to stick around for just one more cup of coffee and finish their conversations.

The menu is very down-home and no-frills.  They serve regular buttermilk pancakes, waffles, potato pancakes.  There's nothing with a gimmicky name, no whipped-cream-and-frosting-covered pancake stacks...Sunday's special was biscuits and gravy.  There's a seasonal pumpkin pancake special, but that's about as crazy as things get at Millie's.

Every time I go, I resolve to try something new (the menu, though full of staples, is extensive).  I never ever do.

I always get potato pancakes, either with bacon or country ham (depends on how healthy I'm feeling. I'm biased toward the bacon though).  They're moist inside, golden outside, lightly flavored with onion and just light enough that I can pretty much clean the plate (even though I regret it every time...but they're just that tasty).

The ten thousand dollar question? Sour cream or applesauce.  The irrefutable answer? Both!  How could I ever choose?  That's like asking me to choose between Jane Austen and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as my favorite British author.  Can't do it.

To return to the subject of food, I also drink coffee.  A lot of coffee...the cups are small (or at least that's how I justify it).  The coffee's strong, perfect alongside any breakfast staple.  I may have had (gulp) four cups last time?  I lost count.  The last cup was purely an excuse to stay and keep the conversation going.  I'm telling you, people just want to stay and talk.

Go for the food.  Stay for the conversation.  The check?  No, I'd rather have another refill, thanks.  And by the way, how have you been?

~AF

A Tasty Egg Casserole for the Weekend

Now, readers, I may have been slacking off a little lately, but just because I haven't been posting doesn't mean I haven't been hard at work gathering material to share with you.

On the weekend, I like to cook.  Actually, I like to cook any time, but especially the weekend.  It shouldn't make a difference since I'm on summer vacation right now, but I digress.

I like to cook on the weekend!  And this weekend, I raided the veggie crisper and came up with something I just had to share.

We've all been there.  The last two or three eggs in the carton are about to pass the "best by" date, and the veggies are nearing the point where you're not quite sure if they should be consumed.  Fear not!  This will solve your problems.

With an array of veggies that complement each other and enough eggs to turn them into a casserole, you too can have a delicious breakfast to share with your mom (and then reheat the next morning for breakfast again, but we'll get to that later!).

Basic Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

•  4-5 mini sweet peppers (or 1 medium-sized red or yellow bell pepper)
• 1/2 medium Vidalia sweet onion
• 3 medium-sized button mushrooms
• ~1/3 c. sweet cherry or grape tomatoes
• 3 large eggs
• 3 Tsp. 2% milk
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/3 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Fresh-cracked black pepper
• Salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Butter (to grease the casserole dish)

Instructions:

1. Prep your veggies:  Chop the onion into a 1/4 inch dice.  Cut the peppers into small strips.  Slice the mushrooms.  Halve or quarter the tomatoes, depending on the size.  If all of your veggies are prepped ahead of time, you won't need to rush back and forth trying to get everything ready for the pan.  Also preheat your oven (or in my case toaster oven) to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Put a couple tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a saute pan over medium heat.  Add in the diced onion and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
3. Once the onion has had a chance to cook, add in the sliced pepper.  Add just a pinch of salt to draw the moisture out and help it to cook.  (If you want to speed up the cooking process, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to generate steam and put a lid on it.  Let the veggies steam a few minutes, then let them cook uncovered for a bit to let the water evaporate.)
4. Once the peppers are softened and the onions and peppers are starting to brown just a bit, add in the mushrooms.  After the mushrooms soften and shrink up a little, toss in the tomatoes, stir a bit, and shut off the heat.  You want them to remain plump and juicy in the casserole.  The veggies will rest a while in the pan while you prep the eggs and casserole dish.
5. In a small bowl, crack the three eggs.  Add in the milk, along with a pinch of salt, a few twists of ground pepper, and the dried thyme.  Beat the eggs vigorously with a fork until the yolk and white are well-blended.  (If you want to use more or fewer eggs, it's fine.  You should add as many tablespoons of milk as the number of eggs that you use.  If you use four eggs, use four tablespoons of milk, and so on.)
6. Here's where my recipe differs from most.  Grease the casserole dish with butter.  Put the veggies in the dish first, then sprinkle the cheese on top of them.  Pour the egg mixture over the veggies and cheese, and gently stir until everything is well-dispersed.
7. Place the casserole in the preheated oven.  The eggs will cook at 375 for about 20 minutes.  Stir the whole mix after the 5-minute mark and the 10-minute mark.  This will make the casserole fluffy.  But after that stop mixing.  The casserole develops a nice souffle-like puff as it finishes cooking (thanks to the milk we added, along with some residual water from the veggies).
8. You know it's time to take the casserole out when the middle is set.  You can gently part the eggs in the middle of the dish with a fork and just make sure there's not any liquid egg remaining.
9. Allow the dish to rest for about five minutes after it is removed from the oven.  Tent it with foil (loosely cover it up) so the top stays nice and warm.  You can serve it with some extra cheddar for on top.  Serves 4.

Here's some important stuff to note:

Use milk and not water for a creamier casserole.  Substitute water and it'll be much puffier, but not as smooth.  Plus, I think the milk gives it a nice flavor.

You can use just about any vegetables that go together.  Just remember, aromatics like onions and garlic cook first.  Don't leave garlic by itself in the pan for too long because it'll burn, and burnt garlic tastes yucky.  'Yucky, you say?'  Yes, yucky.  Don't burn it.  Veggies that contain more water take less time to cook and should be added toward the end of cooking so they don't become mush.  And never steam watery veggies.  Never.  They are soggy enough already.  These veggies include mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes.  Greens like spinach and kale can wait to go in until the end.  And peppers and eggs are a match made in heaven.  I recommend using peppers.

Don't use a mild cheese if you're going to bake it in!  The flavor will just disappear into the eggs, and you'll be left panicking and asking yourself if you forgot to add the cheese.  Sharp or extra-sharp cheddar go so well with eggs...use them!

Do not be afraid to add salt.  Say it with me.  Don't be afraid to add salt.  Eggs love salt.  Plus they'll taste like Spackle if you skip the seasoning.  That's Spackle, not spaetzle.  One is a delicious German food, the other is, well, drywall putty.  Not that I know what Spackle tastes like, but I would imagine it would be something like unseasoned eggs.  Get it? Got it? Good.

Thyme is super-traditional with eggs, especially in French cuisine.  And it's tasty.  But you could use any herbs you like with your eggs.  Except maybe mint.  But I'm not a big fan of mint anyway, so use it if you'd like.

Unless you have high cholesterol anyway, please don't be afraid of using eggs.  They contain lots of protein and important nutrients and stuff.  Plus they're much tastier than that fake-egg-in-a-carton stuff.  (I've just used the word "stuff" twice...well, now three times.  The journalist in me is having a temper tantrum...but you're picking up what I'm laying down, right?)

When you go to reheat any leftovers, add a teaspoon of milk to the top of your serving before you microwave or bake it.  This will keep it moist and delicious, instead of making it the consistency of a kitchen sponge.  Preferable?  Yes, indeedy.

Enjoy your breakfast, and try to share it!  Eggs are good for you, but not if you eat the whole casserole.  Plus, your parent/significant other/kid/whoever's eating with you will really appreciate the fact that you cooked for them!  (Because you were cooking for them, right?  Wink, wink?)

Happy Cooking!

~AF

A Recipe I'm Stealing: Comfort-Food Breakfast...in a Croissant Crust

Panera has lots of good food at a great price point.  It's not exactly five-star dining, but it's great on a Saturday afternoon if you just want some soup or a sandwich...or on a Monday morning in December while you're waiting for Lacey the Kitchen Dog (pictures to come) to finish getting her hair cut.

The breakfast selection at Panera has always been expansive.  They have bagels, muffins, scones, cookies, brownies, bear claws...the list goes on and on.  But an item that showed up sometime within the past couple of years has blown every other breakfast item out of the water.

The breakfast egg souffle is hands-down one of my favorite breakfasty things ever.  It's creamy and fluffy in the middle, and the crust of the souffle is essentially made of buttery, flaky croissant dough.  There are a couple different varieties, like four cheese and spinach-bacon.  I tried the spinach-bacon for the first time a couple weeks ago, and I think it may have just beat out the four cheese as my favorite flavor.

Hmm...suddenly I have a taste for coffee.