Fancy and Simple

Yesterday as I was meant to be working diligently on my reports while on a planning period I let my mind wander (those of you who are teachers or work full-time probably have this happen from time to time too... shoot I'm sure it happens to everyone!).  Anyway, I began to think about what in the world I was going to make for dinner.  I looked at my pinterest board and didn't feel inspired (this is now a rare thing) and I certainly wasn't inspired to order in or to go to the grocery store for additional ingredients.  So I went to one of those recipe finder sites and plugged in the fact that I had asparagus, fresh green beans, cheese and the like in my fridge.  Several cool recipes popped up but the picture for one amazed me and as I read the simple recipe, I felt inspired.  Of course I made lots of little tweaks but what came out of the oven was beautiful and TASTY!! 

What you need:
Fresh green beans (or not)
Asparagus (or not)
eggs
fresh parmesan cheese
fresh or grated mozzarella cheese
butter
salt
pepper
garlic

I used both the beans and the asparagus but you don't have to.  You can use one or the other really.  I boiled some salted water (I used sea salt) and let the veggies hang out in it for about 4 or 5 minutes and then I strained them.

Then I plopped the veggies into my square pyrex dish, cut a little butter into squares and put that over the veggies as well as some of both kinds of cheese (you can use as little or as much cheese as you like).  Then I added salt, pepper and a little garlic to taste. 

The next step involves melting some butter and putting the eggs (one or two per person) in it to fry a little.  Once the whites set enough for you to move the eggs, then gently move them and place them on top of your veggies. Drizzle any remaining butter over the whole thing and sprinkle some more cheesy goodness on the top before popping the whole thing into the oven for 5 minutes or so at 375/220 degrees.  If you want the yolks on the eggs hard, then bake it a little longer.  I like mine runny so out it came at about 5 or 6 minutes. 

 In the pan...

On my plate...

It was such a simply dish, so tasty and it looks a little fancy.  If I had small gratin dishes for the oven I would have used those as they would have been easier for serving.  With a little rustic bread on the side it is the perfect quick throw together.

Gooey, Gluten-Free Brownies

Okay... I cheated a little in the sense that I used a brownie mix that is imported to Turkey from Germany but I don't know if I've ever had a better mix (even the gooey, gluten laden ones can't match up).  So forgive me.  Once I mixed the batter, I threw in about a cup full of dark chocolate chips for good chocolatey measure and then I spooned part of the mixture into greased muffin tins.  I cut up a Bounty bar into bit sized pieces and stuffed one bit in the middle of each brown cup and baked as directed to on the box.  I don't know if the chocolate bar made it more gooey or what but they were delicious!!!! So get creative with your brownies, people!  It's well worth it.

Iced Coffee Goodness

So I haven't blogged much lately but it's because I haven't cooked much lately and what I have made I've found on www.pinterest.com, which is a GREAT site.  The recipe I'm sharing with you today is from there but I just HAD to make sure that all my readers saw this... it's so easy, so delicious and fun.

All you do is freeze some of your leftover coffee into ice cubes... I think it'd be fun to use flavoured coffees too but since I didn't have any I stuck to some great west coast grinds I brought to Turkey with me this past summer. 

Once they are frozen throw them into a glass of sweetened (if you like) milk.  I don't drink regular milk anymore so I used almond milk for mine and a little maple syrup to sweeten with.  Super delicious. 

Happy sipping!