Comfort Foods and Indulgences

There are some things in life that are so commonplace, you just assume that no matter where you live, they'll be there. Like supermarkets, gas stations, McDonald's, and pizza dough.

Every weekend of my life in Rhode Island, I went to Crugnale's Bakery to pick up 3 lbs. of pizza dough for $1. Like eggs and milk, it was a staple in our house.

Rhode Island – the state with the highest percentage of Italian-Americans – has an extraordinarily high number of bakeries, all of which sell pizza dough.

Imagine my shock when we moved to North Carolina and discovered that not only were there no Italian bakeries to be found, but people didn't even know what I meant when I asked for pizza dough.

I searched markets, delis, and bakeries:

Me: "Excuse me, do you sell pizza dough?"

Guy: "We don't sell pizza, Ma'm."

This was our breakfast Sunday morning.  Aren't they cute?  They were very, very good.  It's the whole egg and the toast combo all together in one nice package.

These are so easy to make and wouldn't they be splendid on a brunch buffet table?  The best part, you can easily make two, ten, a hundred, whatever your needs are at the moment. 

I think there are a lot of variations you could do nicely with this recipe, such as, swap out the Parmesan cheese with grated Gruyere or crumbled blue cheese to give a different taste.  Use feta and substitute oregano for the other herbs for a Greek flavor.

I used sourdough but I think this would also be nice with onion or brioche rolls as long as they are sturdy.

Any way you put these together, they will be great.

Chicken Tortilla Soup is a great choice during the winter months – hearty and packed with flavor with just enough heat to warm you on the coldest days. Using a store bought rotisserie chicken makes it quick to make, so it’s great for a weeknight meal.

On a recent trip to Mexico City, I discovered Epazote, a pungent herb that is commonly used in Mexico, especially in the Yucatán. The herb has a slightly tangy, almost lemony flavor, and is somewhat reminiscent of oregano. It is used both for flavor and supposedly for its ability to reduce the flatulence associated with bean dishes.

I’ve included it in this recipe, and have also started adding it to my chili recipe, but it’s very hard to find in the US, so feel free to omit. (You can find it online at the Spice House)

I subscribe to a lot of magazines, probably at least fifty. I love reading publications about cooking, wine and design. I am never without a large pile of them on the coffee table.

In many magazines this month, I kept seeing this recipe on an advertisement page for Daisy Sour Cream. It was haunting me. Of course my eyes gravitated and fixated on the words "bacon", "dip" and "warm" every time I came to a page with this recipe printed on it. Not only was it haunting me, it was calling to me. However, I know I've said it here before, I believe "dip" should be it's own food group, and I can rarely pass one up, but the list of ingredients included bacon bits, something I don't normally buy. So I kept looking away.

Then it happened, I found bacon bits in my pantry. I do not even remember buying them. I went digging through the magazines in the recycle bin to find this recipe and now all is right with the world. What a mouthful of bacon in every bite. What could be better.

This is one of those "deadly dips" that can be polished off before you even know what happened. Don't ask me how I know that. Gah!