Comfort Foods and Indulgences

How is it we crave food we've never even tasted?  I've never been to Chicago and I've never eaten one of their hot dogs, but I knew I had to have one. 

There are many hot dog purists out there and lots of opinions on how hot dogs should be served and constructed.  I say, if you like it, then that's the way to serve it. 

People love to connect over simple foods like this and who doesn't love a hot dog at the ball park during the summertime?

I had to try a Chicago-style dog because I wanted to taste the sweetness of the relish with the sourness of the peppers and the sprinkle of celery salt that is supposed to bring all the flavors together.  So yesterday we braved the cold and the snow and fired up the grill.

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.

Daddies, avert your eyes, because this is what your family will be serving you in bed on Sunday morning (Father's Day).  However, it's so good, the kids might help you eat it all.  And Mom, it's so easy to make, the kids can take all the credit...they will love that.

A few months ago, I didn't even know what Biscoff spread was. I kept seeing it everywhere in the blogs and finally I could no longer resist, I just had to try it.  Honestly, I wish I hadn't. It's so addicting, sweet and good...it can only be described as crack.

My favorite way to eat it....with a spoon.  If you are on a diet, I strongly suggest not bringing this into your home.  It will call to you, as it does me, from the cupboard with its creepy siren song....ugh. It always wins. I give in. Every. Single. Time.

I already fed this French toast to my husband and after one bite he looked at me and said, "Good grief, this is dangerous."

American bison are an important part of the prairie ecosystem and after a decline almost to extinction around the end of the 19th century, today there are many ranchers working hard to bring them back. I enjoy cooking and eating bison (sometimes referred to as buffalo).

The brands I've tried thus far have all been grass fed, lean, raised in a more sustainable manner and well, delicious. You may be able to find ground bison at your supermarket and it's pretty easy to use in recipes that call for ground beef. Bison steaks however are another story.

Because most bison is grass fed, it's leaner, like grass fed beef. Considered a highly nutrient dense food, it's lower in calories, fat and cholesterol than even chicken, it has 40% more protein than beef and is high in iron, omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E. Without rich marbling, it needs more tender loving care. Wild Idea Buffalo recently sent me some samples of their products.