Tag Archives: Bread

Easy, Big, Fat Garlic Knots

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I know we’re all supposed to be afraid of bread and carbs, but my god, sometimes you just need them. When it comes to eating your emotions, I swear no food makes me feel better than some good, starchy carbs. They fill me up with artificial comfort, and make my tummy happy. Maybe they don’’t make my thighs happy, but they sure do taste good.

That’s why, after a rough week, I knew I needed some carby goodness to take the edge off. You see, you have three options to lift your mood when things go sour: drink, do drugs, or eat. I don’t bother with either of the first two; they’re too expensive and render you incapable of controlling yourself. Instead, I turn to food when I’m down in the dumps. It’s inexpensive and won’t cause you half the bodily harm that alcohol and drugs do (assuming you don’t eat too much).

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Homemade Pesto Croutons

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A salad isn’t really a salad without croutons sprinkled over top. They add some crunch and textural contrast to an otherwise endless sea of leafy greens. However, store-bought croutons aren’t all that great. They’re hard little cubes of sawdust, sometimes coated in artificial butter and garlic or powdery cheese. They’re strangely tasty, yes, but in a Cheeto or Twinkie kind of way: not unpleasant, but riddled with artificial flavor.

Why degrade a fresh salad or homemade soup with dry hunks of preservative-coated bread? Give your meal the topper it deserves: Homemade Pesto Croutons. These addictive little devils are crispy-crunchy and loaded with flavor from a coating of garlicky basil pesto. They only require two simple ingredients and next-to-no time to make, but that little bit of extra effort yields the most delicious croutons you’ve ever had in your bread-munching life. I’m talking crunchtastic croutons, like the ones you’re used to from the store on steroids.  Their crisp exterior makes them hearty enough to stand up to your dressing, but their moister, softer insides are much less sawdusty and don’t require a glass of water to choke down.

Plus, you’re not limited to fake butter and garlic or even faker cheese when it comes to flavors; my croutons are dressed up in fresh, vibrant pesto, an easy 1-ingredient way to make your taste buds explode with pleasure. Fresh basil bursts through each bite with supportive hints of parmesan, pine nuts, and olive oil. These croutons are such a simple thing, but so delicious that you’ll find yourself craving them with or without a salad to put ‘em on. _DSC8398

A Few Tips Before You Get Cooking:

  1. You can switch up the bread flavor, but stick to good-quality bread from your grocery store’s bakery, and choose something sturdy and crusty. Soft, moist breads won’t hold up.
  2. Feel free to make the pesto homemade.
  3. These babies will last a while in an air-tight container.
  4. You must use at least day-old bread, or it won’t be dry enough. However, that makes this a great use for old bread you don’t want to go to waste!

Pesto Croutons
By The Smart Cookie Cook

Ingredients:

  • 1 loaf of day-old, good-quality Italian bread (not the thin stuff from the bread aisle; buy from bakery section)
  • 2 7-oz. containers of basil pesto (about 2 cups)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cube the bread into 1-inch cubes. Spread out in an even layer on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake until crunchy on the outside but not yet browned, about 10 minutes.
  2. Remove bread from oven and turn oven up to broil. Generously spread pesto onto all sides of each crouton. Return to oven and broil until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them; broiling takes things from done to burnt in a second.
  3. Let cool then serve over salad or munch on them for a snack._DSC8387

Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Ring

Very rarely is it acceptable to rip, tear, and/or obliterate your food. People expect you to use utensils (and your manners). You must be neat and civilized.

I scoff at such social norms. Why, you ask? Because there’s always a loophole. Take this Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Ring, for example. It laughs in the face of proper eating habits. You can use your hands to rip off little pieces or hearty hunks and chow down. No one will judge you for it. It is finger food at its finest. No utensils required.

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Party Bread

New Year’s Eve will be upon us in six short days. Now, ask yourself this questions: are you properly prepared to celebrate?

If you don’t have all the ingredients to make this Party Bread, then the answer is: no.

You see, I’ve been ringin’ in the New Year with this cheesy, buttery, heavenly bread for as long as I can remember, and I don’t think I could celebrate without it. It is so insanely good; we’re talking blow-your-mind-all-the-way-to-the-moon-and-back good. You won’t even be able to wrap your head around the utter deliciousness of this hot, cheesy bread.

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Cheesy Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl

Today, I had a revelation:

Soup is so much better in a bread bowl.

Now, let’s not get it twisted. This Cheesy Potato Soup is my favorite soup ever, and it’s incredible with or without the bread bowl. It is smooth, creamy, and oh so cheesy. You see, it’s not your typical potato soup. Most utilize cheddar cheese, which is a fine option, don’t get me wrong. However, my soup uses a combination of American & Sharp Cheddar. This is the key, my little cookies. That American cheese gives this an incredible cheesy flavor and creamy, smooth texture like nothing you’ve had in soup before. Plus, that little bit of cheddar gives you just the right amount of tang. Toss in some tender, buttery chunks of Yukon gold potatoes and a handful of scallions for a burst of flavor, and you’ve got the PERFECT potato soup. It’s one of those meals where you’ll go to test a spoonful and you’ll just smile and say, “That’s GOOD.”

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Sweet & Simple: Basil Garlic Bread

Garlic is a beautiful thing. It’s flavor is so fantastic and so powerful. And yet, garlic is also universally complimentary of a plethora of foods. That’s one brilliant bulb. But garlic is in danger, my little cookies. It’s being exploited, overworked, and depreciated. We use garlic all the time, but hardly give it its place in the spotlight that is deserves. Basically, we’ve been putting garlic in things just for the sake of putting it in. Don’t get me wrong, most dishes are bettered by the addition of garlic. But sometimes, we need to step back and remember why garlic is such a wonderful herb/vegetable/spice in the first place.

Garlic bread is a fabulous way to showcase that. I’m not talking about that crap you get in the frozen section of your grocery store; I’m talking about the stuff you make fresh at home that is practically just as easy as throwing some frozen slices onto a baking sheet and tossing it in the toaster. There are a few simple steps and an itty-bitty ingredient list. The results that this quick and easy recipe yields are unbelievably delicious and packing tons of garlic impact. You won’t believe how this simple homemade bread can be some of the best you’ve ever had. Olive garden breadsticks, step aside.

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The Hashy Sammy

As I once explained to you little cookies in my Roasted & Toasted Taters post, I have an obsession with all things potato. This infatuation has followed me since childhood, throughout adolescence, and continued into to my young-adulthood. You can probably guess then what my favorite breakfast food is: hashbrowns. Now, hashbrowns come in all shapes and sizes. There are shredded hashbrowns, not to be confused with homefries (which I also love), little tator tot-like hashbrowns, and the trusty hashbrown patty. I ate and loved them all.

On school mornings, my mom would fry up a hashbrown patty with melted cheddar cheese for me. On the weekends, I’d indulge in basically the same thing except with shredded hashbrowns. I was always looking for a new way to get my daily potato fix. The problem was that many people looked down upon making a meal out of potatoes alone, especially for breakfast. So I’d have bacon on the side or an egg, but it just didn’t do it for me. You have to eat a lot of hashbrowns to feel satisfied. Somewhere along the line, gears started to turn. An idea began to take shape in my head.

Breakfast sandwich.

Hashbrowns.

A HASHBROWN BREAKFAST SANDWICH.

Sounds crazy, right? That’s what everyone said. They said I could do it. But I did, my little cookies. I did. Continue reading →

Babci’s Zucchini Casserole

For all of you non-Polish folk, “Babci” means grandmother. My Babci is acutally my great-grandmother. But I’ve always called her Babci since that’s what my mother called her. It may not make much sense, but that’s how it’s always been.

Babci may have passed away when I was too young to remember her, but that hasn’t stopped her from being such a big part of my life. I feel like I know her so well. My family has told me many stories about her and, wow, what a woman she must’ve been.

She didn’t work outside the home, so she spent the majority of her time cooking things up in the kitchen. She was an excellent cook, living in a time where you didn’t measure or follow someone else’s recipe; you just cooked by feel. I still return to her fantastic rice pudding recipe every time a craving hits me. There’s nothing else like it.

I’m not a huge believer in the paranormal or anything like that, but sometimes I feel that there is a part of Babci alive in my own heart. I have all these attributes that make my parents say, “Where on Earth did you get that from?” I am creative and artsy. I love to cook. I’m obsessed with the holidays. Neither of my parents (or even my grandparents) possess traits like these. But you know who did? Babci.

It’s eerie how much we are alike. My mother tells me all the time how Babci would go all-out decorating her home for the holidays, especially Halloween (which is my favorite as well). I too am a holidayaholic. My home is festively decked out for every occasion thanks to me. I wish I could’ve known Babci during that time in her life. I wish our lives had overlapped more. I wish I could’ve soaked her in before she left this Earth.

If you’re wondering what this all has to do with zucchini casserole, well, I’m getting there. We have a collection of “recipes” left behind by my Babci, all of which are sublime. I say “recipes” because they’re not very formal. There are often measurements missing (sometimes whole ingredients) or vague instructions. I almost like it. It leaves it up to you to make it taste good so that they are always the best “whatever you’re making” (that rice pudding, for example). Zucchini Casserole, or, as it is originally know, Zucchini Hamburger Casserole, is a part of that recipe repertoire. Yes, you can make it with hamburger and I will show you how. That’s how it’s originally done. However, I left it out for a vegetarian version and it was so freakin delicious that you will never miss the meat.

My mom treated me to a story about how Babci would whip up gargantuan batches of Zucchini (Hamburger) Casserole so that she could share it with the family. She would call up my grandmother and her sisters, Babci’s daughters, and tell them to come pick up some casserole. It was always an exciting phone call. Everyone LOVED that stuff. They were more than willing to oblige and go pick it up.

So now, I am going to share this recipe with you. It’s very special and, as you can tell, has been in the family for a while. It’s so ridiculously easy that you will laugh when you eat it. You’ll laugh because it will be one of the best, most delicious things you have EVER put in your mouth, and it was so simple to make. It reminds you how complicated cooking has become. People didn’t complicate things in the olden days. They just made food taste good.

This is cheesy, hearty, and so wonderfully comforting. It has worked its way into my top favorite foods, which is no easy feat. Please make it. There’s bread, cheese, potatoes, zucchini, garlic, tomatoes sauce and more CHEESE. What more could you want? This casserole is perfection, period, end of story.

Thank you Babci.

A few tips before you get cooking:

  1. This is quick to put together, but requires an hour and a half of cooking time. Plan ahead!
  2. Make it with or without meat; it’s freakin delicious no matter what.
  3. Use a nice, sturdy bread.
  4. Like the others in Babci’s collection, this recipe had some holes. Never fear; I did my best to fill them for you.

Zucchini (Hamburger) Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 2 or 3 carrots (sliced thin)
  • 2 large yukon gold potatoes (sliced tin)
  • 1 onion (sliced thin)
  • 8 cups sliced zucchini (sliced thick)
  • 2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
  • 5 slices of bread, cubed
  • 1/2 pound velveeta cheese, cubed
  • 3/4 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
  • oregano, to taste
  • parsley, to taste
  • kosher salt, to taste
  • 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • Optional: 1 pound ground beef

Vegetarian Directions:

  1. Cook carrots, potatoes, onions, and zucchini with tomato sauce in a large pot over medium heat. Immediately add the oregano, parsley, salt, and garlic. When the mixture starts to bubble, reduce to low heat. Cover and cook for 45 min.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Turn off heat. Add velveeta to pot and stir until melted. Gently stir in bread.
  4. Pour mixture into a greased casserole dish and bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of cheddar cheese on to (depending on how cheesy you like it). Return to oven for five minutes, or until cheese is melted and slightly browned and the casserole is hot and bubbling. You could also pop it under the broiler instead.
  5. Scoop a big hunk onto plate and serve!

    vegetarian-style!

Meat-Eater Directions:

  1. Brown the beef in a pot. Add the carrots, potatoes, onion, zucchini, tomato sauce, oregano, garlic, parsley, and salt. When the mixture begins to bubble, reduce to low heat. Cover and cook for 45 min.
  2. Follow steps 2-5 above in Vegetarian Directions!

meat-eater style! (also sans cheese)

A delicious, comforting, heavenly recipe passed down to the next generation. You’re always in our hearts (and stomachs), Babci!

Sweet & Simple: The Classic Egg in Bread

This dish has many names.

Egg in a basket. Egg in a hole. Egg in a window.

Or, as I was raised calling it, The Egg in Bread.

It’s really just as simple as it sounds: an egg cooked in the middle of a slice of bread. You use only four ingredients (all of which I guarantee you have on hand), it cooks up in about five minutes, and just about any level of cookpert (cook expert) can handle it.

Now, when it comes to breakfast foods, there’s some good stuff out there. Pancakes are awesome (waffles too), French toast is delicious, breakfast bakes and skillets aren’t bad either, and there are all kinds of tantalizing breakfast pastries. However, these can all be pretty complex, mulit-step dishes to make, even if you’re using some kind of boxed mix. The funny thing is, The Egg in Bread (or whatever you chose to call it) holds its own among all of these fancy breakfast veterans. Despite its absurdly simple preparation and its microscopic list of ingredients, The Egg in Bread is completely eggtastic.

There are three things that make such a simple dish so delightful: basic salt and pepper seasoning, bread, and a generous amount of butter. The bread allows for starchy comfort while the salt, pepper, and butter give this the most basic but delicious flavor. There are no complex workings going on here, just the good stuff that always works. That’s what I call sweet and simple.

My mother used to whip these up for me all the time when I was a kid. I’m sure you could say the same. I’ve found they never stop tasting good as you get older and they always hold that same comfort. They’re so quick and easy and satisfying that they make a perfect breakfast. Fry one up and remember the good ol’ days. Or, if you’ve never had one before, give it a go and be pleasantly surprised.

Things to Note:

  • I strongly recommend spreading some extra butter on the top while the Egg in Bread’s still nice and hot. The butter will melt and make it extra decadent!
  • One of the things you’ll really love about this breakfast is that, when you cut the egg, you’ll get all kinds of gooey goodness to dip the bread in! However, if you’re NOT a fan of runny eggs (I’m not either), just be sure to break the yolk and cook it until it’s completely done. Then, there’s no runny yolk to worry about.

All You Need Is:

  • 1 slice of bread, any kind you have on hand (I use the soft, thin slices you buy in a loaf at the grocery store by the bagels & English muffins)
  • 1 egg
  • kosher salt
  • pepper

To Serve It Up:

  1. Bring a frying pan to medium heat on the stove. Melt a generous slab of butter in it.
  2. Punch a hole in the middle of the bread with your hands. Throw out the piece you punched out. Or, if you’re feeling fancy, use a small cookie cutter to cut out the hole.
  3. Once the butter is completely melted, place the bread in the skillet. Immediately crack egg into the hole in the bread.
  4. Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Cook until bottom is golden brown. Flip bread and sprinkle with more salt & pepper. Cook other side until equally browned and egg is cooked to your liking.
  5. Remove from heat, slice it up and enjoy!

See? How ridiculously fast and simple was that? You can have one of these babies any time. You know you’ll have the necessary ingredients and you know it certainly won’t take long. Plus, you only dirty one pan! You don’t always have to whip up pancakes from scratch to have an awesome breakfast. Sometimes, you can keep it sweet & simple.

Quadruple Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese is the creme de la creme of all American comfort foods. Gooey melted cheese warms you from the inside out while golden-brown buttered bread is there to keep you company. The best part is how easy they are to make. You don’t have to be an expert chef to fry one up; anybody can do it! There really is no wonder why everyone loves a good grilled cheese. I mean, it’s bread and cheese together in one happy marriage. This sandwich is simple, classic, and comforting.

If you’re anything like me, your childhood is dotted with memories of mom or dad whipping up one of these cheesy babies at lunchtime. Chances are, your sandwich was as reliable as mine, consisting of that soft white bread your family used for everything, a slap of butter on each slice, and classic American cheese sandwiched in between. Sometimes, there would be a pickle or chips to round out the meal. And, on chillier days, you might receive a warm bowl of soup for dipping purposes. Such a simple sandwich it was, but so good!

I don’t know about you, but my love for grilled cheese sandwiches hasn’t dwindled in the slightest since I’ve grown up. I’m still guilty of ordering one every time I go to a Friendly’s or craving one when I’m having a bad day. The only difference now that I’m older is that I’ve been exposed to new things. All kinds of grilled cheese-related doors have opened. For example, I know there are more kinds of cheeses that you can stuff in a sandwich besides American. And I also know that if you use some good quality bread then you can really take this classic to a whole different level.

The Quadruple Grilled Cheese is a love child of mine. I wanted to pick a symphony of cheeses to work together harmoniously, as well as some soft, but sturdy bread to hold up to all that. This is the sandwich that resulted:

  • I selected Sharp Cheddar cheese for it’s, well, sharp flavor, Fontina for it’s softness and super awesome meltability (yeah, it’s a word), and Montery Jack for it’s mildness that would hold everyone together (and it’s not half bad as far as meltability goes either).
  • You’re wondering where the fourth cheese comes in to play. After all, this is a QUADRUPLE grilled cheese. Well keep your pants on; I’m getting there. You see, this last cheese is a bit of a secret. He’s got a quiet cameo role in this cheese-filled blockbuster. We’re going to take grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it on the outside of the buttered bread slices so you get a beautiful golden brown crust and a little salty kick in every bite.
  • For the bread, I selected a Neo Tuscan loaf from my grocery store’s bakery. It’s sturdy and crusty on the outside but nice and soft on the inside with a very mild flavor. This is ideal. You don’t want a dried out crusty bread for this sandwich or you’ll be choking on it with every bite. You also don’t want something with an intense flavor that’s going to compete with the flavor of the cheese. This is a kicked-up version of the classic, so we don’t want to go too crazy here!

Cheese lovers, this is a sandwich for you. Your tummy will be so grateful to you when you eat this. It may be far from low-calorie, but it just makes you feel so darn good. And sometimes, that’s all that counts.

A few tips before you get cooking:

  1. Buy good quality bread. That stuff in the plastic wrapping by the bagels and english muffins in your supermarket just isn’t going to cut it. Good quality bread makes all the difference here. You can either purchase it at your local bakery or pick up a fresh loaf from your grocery store’s bakery.
  2. Try to buy the bread the day you’re going to make the sandwiches. That way, it’s as fresh as possible. If there’s no way you can do that, then make sure to wrap the bread tightly with cling wrap then seal in an air tight plastic bag until you’re ready to use it.
  3. Fontina cheese can be found in your grocery store’s specialty cheese section.
  4. Be generous with the cheese and butter.
  5. Assemble all the sandwiches before you start cooking one. That way, you can focus you’re attention on grilling them to perfection.
  6. As I instructed in the recipe below, you should have a warm oven ready so you can keep the finished sandwiches warm while you finish cooking the others.
  7. This sandwich is just BEGGING to be dipped in some tomato soup. Just sayin’…
  8. If you’re not one of those soup-in-the-summer people, than check back tomorrow for the perfect grilled summer vegetables to serve along side instead!

Quadruple Grilled Cheese

Recipe by Colleen Bierstine

Makes 3 sandwiches

Ingredients:

  • 1 ½ cups Sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 ½ cups Fontina cheese, shredded
  • 1 ½ cups Montery Jack cheese, shredded
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 loaf soft, fresh bread (such as Neo Tuscan or Italian)
  • Butter spread (such as Country Crock)

Directions:

1)      Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2)      If using a Panini press, preheat the press. If using a stovetop griddle or frying pan, place pan on stove and bring to medium heat.

3)      Meanwhile, cut the bread into 6 slices about ¾ of an inch thick. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Sprinkle the buttered sides with Parmesan cheese.

4)      On a cutting board or baking sheet, lay 3 slices of bread buttered side down. Sprinkle a handful of each cheese (except for the parmesan) on all three bread slices. Top with remaining three bread slices, buttered side up.

5)      For Panini press: cook sandwiches one at a time on low heat until the cheese begins to melt. Then, turn the heat up to high and cook until bread is golden brown. When a sandwich is done, place it on the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while the other sandwiches are cooking. For griddle/stovetop: cook sandwiches one or two at a time (depending on the size of your pan/griddle) on medium heat. When the bottom of the bread begins to brown, carefully flip the sandwich. When both sides are golden brown and cheese is melted, transfer the sandwich to the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven while the other sandwiches cook.

6)      Slice ‘em up and serve ‘em up!

Melted to perfection.


Give these babies a try, and you’ll be in grilled cheese heaven. It’s melty, warm, crusty, cheesy and just plain good. This recipe might give Mom’s tried and true sandwich a run for it’s money.