Comfort Foods and Indulgences

Gimme Some Sugar

chives I was methodically chopping chives into 1/4 inch batons to balance on top of the mini crabcakes I would soon serve. I was lost in thought about my 4 ½ year relationship that I had ended earlier that day. 4 ½ years. Sigh. I was thinking about the love and all the amazing moments we shared over that time. images (1)I have no regrets, only appreciation for the incredible man that Shannon is and an understanding that love sometimes changes into something else. I glanced down at the cutting board and realized I had cut enough chive batons to feed a sizeable army – which this crowd was not. I slid the greens into a bowl as one of the servers walked into the kitchen.

“Do you have sugar for the coffee and tea service?” the waiter asked the house manager of the apartment on the 33rd floor of the Ritz Carlton Residences where we were catering. The manager opened the ample pantry and started off-loading sweeteners to the side table. “We’ve got Splenda. We’ve got Equal. We’ve got Truvia. We’ve got Sweet and Low.”

A small herd of boxes – yellow, blue, green, and pink - collected on the table.

“We’ve got agave. We’ve got honey. We’ve got stevia. And we’ve got gluten free sugar.” We all stopped and looked at each other. “Gluten free sugar? Huh?” the waiter said. “I thought sugar WAS gluten free.” And he turned to me because, well, because I was the one in the chef jacket.

Homemade Tater Tots

potato.tatertot.tower_.jpg When I heard that my friend, Brigid was making “50″s junk food” I immediately went to a recipe I have been coveting for some time now; Homemade Tater Tots. I have read and re-read Saveur’s 100 issue and there are so many recipes that I want to try, modify, and taste. But it is these little golden nuggets of fried “potatoes” that I keep coming back to. Yes, these Tater Tots are indeed fried. And fried food is one of my guilty pleasures.

This is not a dish that I would regularly put on my dinner table, but it is a great treat and perfect for a crowd. This is also a dish that could be done in advance. All of us busy people, juggling everything from kids, work, volunteer committments, plus the perils of everyday life – having something pre-prepared and in the freezer is truly a wonderful thing.

There is simply nothing better than a homemade Tater Tot. I made mine with organic potatoes and whole wheat flour. With that said, could this be considered a healthy treat???

Leftover Ham and Havarti Sliders

Ham-and-Havarti-Sliders-on-Parmesan-and-Butter-Topped-Pretzel-Buns Remember I told you there was going to be lots of leftover ham from the gorgeous Carlton Farms Bone-In, Whole Holiday Ham we made yesterday? Well, I was right. And luckily the possibilities are endless when it comes to using using up leftover ham.

If I were you, I would start with making these Ham and Havarti Sliders on Parmesan-Butter Topped Pretzel Buns. There are NO words to describe how good these turned out. Do you see that cheese? It's epic.

You see, I have a new vice lately. It happens to be THIS exact cheese. I have been getting my stash at Costco. Every time I shop, I come home with more and more packages to get me through until the next Costco trip. The cheese has a decent shelf life but it's not even an issue since we are eating it faster than we can replace it. If you have never had Havarti, it is the creamiest, butteriest, most superior melty cheese you could imagine. The fact that I can now get it in deli slices has turned me into a Havarti fanatic. It is by far the ultimate grilled cheese-cheese. Does that make sense?

I knew this leftover ham and Havarti cheese were going to marry and bring peace and love into my kitchen. I was right. These little sliders were incredible. I have pure love for this cheese and I hope you can find some soon.

Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing

The greatest thing to come out of Buffalo, NY is their wings.

Buffalo wings are chicken wings and drummettes that are fried without breading and then coated in a vinegar based sauce typically comprised of melted butter and hot sauce. They're served with a cool, tangy blue cheese dressing for dipping and some crisp celery sticks.

Buffalo wings are the ideal party food guest: they get along well with others like pizza and nachos, and they're best buds with cold beer. So they've got to be part of your Super Bowl party line-up, even if you're making different wings like my Maple-Beer-Chili Chicken Wings (which you really, really should). They're too self-confident to be intimated by other wings at the party.

Cheesy Egg, Avocado and Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

Cheesy Egg Avocado and Bacon Breakfast Sandwich I have been making this sandwich again and again over the past two weeks and decided it's probably time to share them with all of you. Heck, just look at them...what's not to love?

Just this morning I shoved one into the hands of my oldest son as he was running out the door. Turns out it's perfect school bus food too. Lucky him. The ingredients are simple and you probably already have most of them at home.

My main inspiration for this recipe were my beautiful California avocados. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don't enjoy an avocado with one of my meals or as a snack. They truly are nature's butter and require nothing to make them an amazing and healthy treat. Avocados are one of the few fruits that provide good fats in our diet (3 g of mono and 0.5 g polyunsaturated fat per 1-oz. serving) and are heart healthy.

And don't be afraid to buy extra avocados and keep them in your fridge. I store mine in the crisper drawer and they keep for weeks. This means I always have a ripe avocado to use when I'm ready...which is daily. After you scramble your eggs, place them on top of your toasted bagels and sprinkle with shredded cheese. It will melt nicely on top of the hot eggs.

Comfort Foods and Indulgences