christmas omelette

mood: intransigent
listening to: frank sinatra :: young at heart/in the wee small hours of the morning

merry christmas to all and what better way to celebrate the season than with... a christmas omelette! there is nothing "christmasy" about this recipe other than it's got greens and reds in it, but i did make this on christmas morning and it was delicious. who doesn't like a good omelette! it's simple and easy to make. i wanted to put more things into this, but it would've ended up more like a quiche so i had to dial it back just a bit.

Ingredients:
1 can of egg of substitute (or 2 eggs)
1/2 green pepper, diced
1/4 onion, diced
1/4 ham steak
pinch of paprika
pinch of ground coriander
provolone cheese
salsa
wheat bread
margarine

Preparation:
- mix egg substitute with pepper, onion, ham, paprika and coriander
- grease a nonstick pan and pour mixture in over medium-high heat
- raise edges occasionally as egg cooks
- when egg mixture remains slightly runny on top, put in provolone cheese and fold over
- make toast with butter
- when cheese starts to run slightly, serve on top of bread and cover with salsa

happy holidays!

roasted red pepper bisque

mood: satiated
listening to: isis :: hall of the dead/ghost key

it's cold outside and what's better on a cold afternoon or evening than soup! i've been feeling inspired to find a soup to make for the past 2 weeks, but nothing sounded intriguing. i didn't want to make something that you could pour out of a campbell's can, but also didn't want to make something that would take forever and a day... i mean, come on... it's soup! i came across this recipe and realized the alteration opportunities that i had to make this even more magnificent. the original called for chicken broth, which i've never found to be that tasty, so i substituted tomato paste and heavy whipping cream. this one is easy for all y'all that are being blanketed by snow.

Ingredients:
2 16 oz. jars of roasted red peppers
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
2 large garlic cloves
ginger
salt
dried basil
dried oregano
cumin ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Preparation:
- drain red peppers and put in food processor or blender
- blend until smooth, add in garlic and ginger
- in a large saucepan, mix red pepper mixture with tomato paste and heavy whipping cream
- add in salt, pepper, basil and oregano to taste

if you want to add in shrimp or other vegetables, you can add them in here and serve it with some french bread

eggplant parmesan

mood: feisty
listening to: greymachine :: wolf at the door/sweatshop

tis the season for me to be a slacker... and a slacker is what i've been. i've actually made a few dishes here and there, but they haven't quite been up to snuff and therefore, the long delay between posts. finally, i feel somewhat comfortable in posting this as it took a few iterations for me to get it right, but it's at a place that i feel like i can share this. jenn hoyt, here's a veggie dish finally!

Ingredients: 2 eggplants, peeled and sliced italian breadcrumbs 2 eggs 1 tbsp white horseradish balsamic vinegar 4 garlic cloves, minced salt yellow pepper, sliced green pepper, sliced 4 green onions, sliced	ginger black peppercorn fennel seed canola oil dried basil dried oregano 2 cans, plain spaghetti sauce mozzarella cheese parmesan cheese cheddar cheese

Preparation:
- preheat oven to 350°
- peel and slice eggplant; dip eggplant slices in egg and into italian breadcrumbs
- bake slices for 5-10 minutes or until light brown
- in a sauce pan, heat canola oil
- add garlic, ginger, fennel and peppercorns
- stir in green onion and yellow and green peppers
- add in white horseradish, balsamic vinegar and salt to taste
- stir in spaghetti sauce, basil and oregano
- heat mixture until slightly bubbling
- grease a casserole pan and put layer of spaghetti mixture on bottom of pan
- place layer of baked eggplant slices on top
- coat with mixture of parmesan, mozzarella and cheddar cheese
- repeat spaghetti sauce, eggplant and cheese until all ingredients are used
- cover with foil and heat in oven for 40-45 minutes

serve with a nice salad and bread and you're good to go