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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun! [Read more...]
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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
My daughter found a copy of The Redwall Cookbook at the library and has been working her way through it. One of our favorites so far is called “Savoury Squirrel Bakes” (don’t panic—there’s no squirrel in them): mashed potato balls mixed together with eggs and cheese, then rolled in bread crumbs and baked for about 20 minutes. She made them once with limited bread crumbs.
The next time, with plentiful bread crumbs.
A delightful side dish that we highly recommend.
The Redwall series features animal characters, so all of the recipes are vegetarian dishes made from wholesome ingredients. I hope my daughter continues this culinary experiment.
Savoury Squirrel Bakes
Source: The Redwall Cookbook.
Preheat oven to 375. Instructions said to mix together potatoes, cheese, butter, chives (if you used them), and salt & pepper. If mixture is too loose, add a little flour. Then roll into a log, cut into 1-inch slices, and roll those slices into balls. My daughter didn’t bother with rolling it into a log and slicing; instead, she just grabbed bits of it straight from the bowl and formed into balls. The balls were about the size of an extra-large egg, maybe a little bigger. Beat the egg in a bowl and roll the ball in the egg and then in a bowl of bread crumbs. Place on a baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.
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Photos by Ann Kroeker. All rights reserved.
Note: Affiliate link included.
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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
I spotted a Styrofoam tray of Belgian endives while passing through the Trader Joe’s fresh vegetable section—two endives were the standard white and green; one was edged in red.
Remembering my sister-in-law’s “chicon” salad from Belgium, I decided to chop these up and throw something together myself. A quick search led to a French recipe recommending chopping the endives into rings, adding bits of apple, mixing in some nuts (I used walnuts), and then tossing with a Dijon mustard vinaigrette:
I think it would be good with raisins, as well. Another experiment might be to swap the vinaigrette for a light mayonnaise and lemon mixture. I like the flexibility, and though the photo didn’t turn out very nice, the color of the endives is visually appealing.
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Photos by Ann Kroeker. All rights reserved.
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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
Last week, the Belgian Wonder and I celebrated our anniversary. We started the day with brunch at a nice restaurant.
The Belgian Wonder ordered a Croque Madame.
I ordered an omelet (a spinach, mushroom, tomato, feta and avocado omelet, in case you’re curious). Forgot to get a good photo.
But I do have a photo for the dessert we shared: a crepe filled with berries and chocolate ganache.
A splurge.
To celebrate…us.
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Photos by Ann Kroeker. All rights reserved.
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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
I found instructions for making Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes here. It sounded simple and healthy, requiring only four ingredients:
Intrigued by the simplicity, I decided to give them a whirl. Literally. I whirled them together in the blender and poured the mixture onto the griddle.
They turned out a little flatter than our usual pancakes, but what an outstanding option for people seeking a gluten-free, high-protein breakfast alternative!
They were quick to make, tasty, and filling.
Here’s the recipe in one place, but it really is that simple:
Oatmeal Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Whir together the ingredients in a blender and pour onto a hot griddle coated with cooking spray. Top with your favorite pancake toppings and enjoy!
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Photo credit: Photos by Ann Kroeker. All rights reserved.
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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
Romano’s Macaroni Grill sent me an e-mail alert that my favorite item, Butternut Asiago Tortellaci—considered a winter dish—was about to be plucked from the menu in favor of more springtime dishes. 
Butternut Asiago Tortellaci: four-cheese stuffed pasta, roasted butternut squash, crispy prosciutto, truffle cream, and pumpkin seeds.
I’d only had it once, but after one bite realized I loved it more than life itself. And now they were telling me I only had until mid-February, and then, no more.
[insert primal scream]
So I pleaded with the Belgian Wonder to get me there before it disappears. He sensed desperation, so one evening this past week, we headed to the restaurant for a splurge, a treat, a final taste of winter: soft cheeses wrapped in thin, delicate pasta…sweet cubes of butternut squash…salty strips of prosciutto fried crisp…the unexpected nutty crunch of the pumpkin seeds.
[insert satisfied sigh]
Already I can’t find it on their website.
I only wish I’d recommended it earlier, so everyone could have had a bite, before it’s gone.
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Photo credit: Photos by Ann Kroeker. All rights reserved.
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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
One of our daughters enjoyed her first Egg McMuffin a few weeks ago and loved it. She asked if we could try making knock-offs, so we worked together to create homemade breakfast sandwiches.
The Belgian Wonder fried up some turkey bacon as I hunted for some kind of gadget to contain the eggs. I found a heart-shaped pancake form.
Cute, eh?
Tip: coat the gadget thoroughly with nonstick spray.
The Belgian Wonder set the heart-egg on his English muffin and pointed. “Photo op?” My daughter ran for her camera and snapped some shots. She had to work fast, though, because he was eager to add the bacon while the egg was still warm.
And the cheese, too, so it would melt.
There you have it: homemade breakfast sandwiches.
We’re lovin’ it.
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Photo credit: Photos by Sophie Marie. All rights reserved.
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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
Not long ago, some friends and I had brunch at Bloomington’s Scholars Inn. We sat on an enclosed porch surrounded by windows, basking in the richness of friendship, conversation, and food.
I ordered “Eggs Michelle”: smoked salmon, asparagus, and a poached egg arranged on a toasted English muffin and covered with Béarnaise sauce.
Big wooden letters tacked above the windows spelled out, “Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever. Aristophanes c. 450 – 385.”
From where I was sitting, the main words I could see were “say something clever.”
We relaxed as shafts of morning light warmed our sweaters and hair, and the few times I glanced at those words, I thought how freeing it is to sit with friends so trusted, so close, so safe, that any urge to be clever flows not from a need to amuse or entertain, but from the ease and delight of simply hearing each other laugh.
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Photo credit: Photos by Ann Kroeker. All rights reserved.
(smaller button below)
For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
After picking up a package of Swai at a reduced price, I bought these parchment bags on manager’s special at Kroger.
Then I hunted around for an interesting recipe and pinned “Sun-dried Tomato Tilapia in a Bag” to my “Food: Recipes, Ideas” Pinterest board.
I would rank it a strong 10 on the Fish Main Dish scale, and my husband agreed. (Note: the kids acted like I fed them a plate of monkey brains or something equally distasteful and disconcerting, but they are funny about fish, so their opinion doesn’t count.)
Spray the parchment bag lightly with cooking spray.
Spread out a bed of spinach.
Next time I’ll add spinach for a more lush bed.
Add sliced or diced peppers peppers.
Then, shredded carrots.
The recipe said to drizzle a little vinaigrette on the vegetables, so I used some Ken’s that I had in the fridge.
If I had it to do over again, I don’t think I would have drizzled it on the vegetables, because the recipe says to put some vinaigrette on the fish, as well. I think I’ll just squirt some over the fish, let some of it drip down onto the vegetables, and leave it at that.
Sprinkle the fish with all-purpose seasoning.
Spoon some sun-dried tomatoes onto the fish.
Finally, fold down the tops of the bags and squeeze them, crimping tightly shut. Place bags on a cookie sheet and stick in the oven for 20 minutes or so.
Remove from the oven, open bag carefully, check for doneness (fish is flaky and white throughout). We lifted the fish from the bags to serve on plates, but the bag could be placed directly on the plate so that people can eat from the bag.
Any way you dish it up, the result? Delicious flavor combination that adds interest to a light white fish.
I highly recommend…for grownups and other fish lovers.
Sun-dried Tomato Tilapia (or White Fish) in a Bag
Cooking fish in a parchment bag results in a moist, flaky fish. This dish is great not only because it’s light but because it is simple to put together.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Layering the bag:
Sealing the bag:
Cooking:
*Chef’s Tip:
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Photo credit: Photos by Ann Kroeker. All rights reserved.
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For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the broccoli button to paste at the top of your post. It ties us together visually. Then fill in the boxes of this linky tool to join the fun!
Contrary to what this photo may suggest, the Kroekers do not serve sauteed dog food over noodles.
It was after dark by the time we dished this beef stroganoff onto our plates, and we were eating by candlelight; so, I couldn’t get an appealing snapshot. But trust me: this simple dish turned out great.
I had already browned some ground beef that was sitting in the fridge, awaiting its assignment. We’d eaten Mexican the night before, and I wasn’t in the mood for spaghetti with red sauce.
A short Internet search turned up this recipe, which I modified slightly based on what I had available. The following is my version:
Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
This got high marks from family members who rated it in the 8-10 range on a scale of 1 to 10. I’ll definitely make it again.
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Photo credit: Unappealing food photo by Ann Kroeker. All rights reserved.
Blogger: Pursuing a Christ-centered, creative, curious, slightly quirky, slow-down life and sharing it with you, post after post. (Home of Food on Fridays).
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