Family Chow Hall

I have to post this because I have been REALLY enjoying these for breakfast lately — it’s my own crazy invention, which I call the Taco Egg or Egg Taco.

I love eggs for breakfast, they give me the protein I need to start my day off right. Naturally good, I normally just have a scrambled egg, sometimes with mushrooms and cheese, and a slice of buttered toast.

A couple of weeks ago, I had bought a package of corn tortillas for a Mexican recipe and for some crazy reason, I decided to try one with my morning incredible, edible egg.

Can anyone say YUM, YUM?! I loved it immediately and have been enjoying one about three mornings a week for a couple of weeks now… I just HAVE to share this with you:

The Taco Egg
makes 1

1 egg
1 T. milk
salt and pepper
cumin
Mexican seasoning - mine is labeled Pinto Bean seasoning but I use it for lots of different stuff such as this
one slice of American cheese OR a little shredded cheddar
1 corn tortilla
1 t. cooking oil
1 t. butter

Start by beating the egg with the milk and seasonings, set aside. How much flavor you want is all up to you! If you’re brave and like it hot - add some cayenne pepper and a little jalapeno or green chilis. Set the egg mixture aside. (Basically, if you haven’t figured it out, you’re making a scrambled egg.)

Next, heat the oil in the skillet and fry the tortilla until it is somewhat crispy. You’re not going to achieved the store-bought-taco-shell level of crispiness, but it’s not what we’re going for, anyway. When it’s been crisped on both sides, move to a plate and put the cheese on one side of it.

Back to the skillet, add the butter and once it melts, the egg. Fry and scramble. When done, place this on top of the cheese side of the tortilla. Fold and Eat. Yum!

It’s hard for me to believe that I have not posted this recipe before. This is one of our favorite side dishes, although I don’t make it all that often.

Full of flavor and slightly crispy, this recipe resembles steak fries, but is made in the oven using olive oil and garlic. You can let these potatoes cook while you do the other dinner preparations. Or, if those preparations are already done, read a book, watch a little TV, smooch the spouse, or whatever floats your boat.

Roasted Redskin Potatoes
serves 4-6

5 medium sized redskin potatoes
3-4 T. olive oil
2 t. minced garlic
1 t. black pepper
1 t. salt
1/2 t. rosemary
grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Scrub the potatoes but leave the skins on. Cut into wedges, as if for steak fries. By the way, a redskin potato has a more smooth, creamy texture than most white potatoes, which tend to be either fluffy or mealy. My brother used to argue and argue about which potatoes were better, until my mother eventually had to hide the peelings from him. She claimed there was no difference. Sorry, Mom, they are different. For this purpose, you want the red ones.

So… back to the spuds, after cutting into wedges, place them in a shallow baking dish. I prefer my baking stone — a shallow roaster which looks like a pizza stone with sides. A glass baking dish will do, but the stone keeps them from burning if you forget to take them out, plus it allows them to crisp up a bit.

Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and rosemary on the redskins. In a small bowl or coffee mug, combine the oil and garlic. Warm this up in the microwave, allowing the garlic flavor to really soak into the oil. Then drizzle over the potatoes and toss to coat, using a little more or less olive oil as needed.

After that, simply roast the potatoes for 20-25 minutes at 425. They will be sizzling hot and you will have some crispy ones and some softer ones.

I served this with roast beef last night, but it goes with a myriad of dishes, all types of meats and green vegetables.

Strolling merrily through my favorite warehouse club, I spotted a box of Gnocchi and knew I was destined to try something new with it. Never before had I made or eaten Gnocchi, but it was clear that I would be doing both very soon. I picked up the box and added it to my overflowing cart, the wheels of my kitchen-creative mind already turning.

For several days I pondered what to do with the little potato pasta dumplings. I read the recipes on the box. I considered incorporating them into other recipes I use. All the while, my kids were asking “When are you making the Gnocchi, Mom, when?” I waved them away - knowing I wasn’t ready yet.

On the sixth day, I was formulating a plan and knew it was time to put it into action. Sometimes, it’s best to begin cooking and let a dish evolve as I prepare it. This is what happened with the gnocchi. I decided to start with something like Italian Wedding Soup and see where it went from there.

Here’s the final result, which we liked a whole bunch (except for my 3 year old, who decided upon sight that he was only going to eat it if forced, which is exactly what happened.) Please note that if you don’t feel like searching for or trying gnocchi, any pasta could be used and you would still have a great-tasting meal.

Meatballs and Gnocchi
serves 8

1 lb. pork sausage
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs
salt and pepper
cooking oil, about 1 T.

With clean hands and strong stomach, mix the sausage, egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a bowl until well combined. Heat the oil in a skillet and proceed to make tiny meatballs and fry them until browned. Next, place them on a cookie sheet or shallow glass pan and put them in the oven for 30 minutes at 350. By then they should be cooked completely through - (wouldn’t hurt to check one or two of them.)

Gnocchi
salted water

In a large stockpot, bring the water to a boil and follow the directions on the box for making the gnocchi. Mine said to boil 3-4 minutes and they would float when ready. Drain. Return to the stockpot.

2 cans chicken broth
1 c. chopped frozen spinach
1 c. prepared alfredo sauce

Dump all of this into the pot with the Gnocchi. Add the meatballs. Heat thoroughly.

Serve! — Some garlic bread, breadsticks, or focaccia would be great with this.

By the way, a week later I tried this with ground beef instead of the sausage meatballs and it was good, but not as great as with the sausage.