Breakfast Phyllo Cups and Jury Duty, AAGGHH

  Well, in waking up this morning remembering the fact that I had been summoned for jury duty for this Monday, I figured I was not going to have enough time to cook our usual breakfast. Which for us usually consists of eggs over easy on toast with bacon or sausages. So lately I have been seeing alot of phyllo cup recipes on the cooking shows that I watch each week and knowing I had some stashed in the freezer decided to embark on a breakfast version. Am I glad I did. These can be frozen and reheated in the toaster oven for a quick on the go breakfast. Which I am going to need in the morning since I am unaccustomed to being out the door at the crack of dawn lately.

Assemble your ingredients and layer 6 sheets of phyllo dough with a spritz of canola cooking spray in between each layer. The next time I make these I will use the melted butter method instead of the cooking oil spray (I saw Sandra Lee use the cooking oil spray and Giada used the butter method).

Form cups by creating 6 squares from the phyllo dough and push into 6 of the muffin tins. Bake as directed on the package.

In the meantime, while your phyllo is baking, brown some breakfast sausage in a skillet. Set aside.

Fill the baked phyllo cups by layering the sausage and or smokod salmon, green onion and cheese.

Next, add your scambled egg mixture to the cups. Bake at 350 degrees until eggs set and cheese melts.

              

Salmon and Feta

Sausage and Cheddar

                                     

Breakfast for the week. Lets just hope I don't have to be juror on a high profile case ; D .

This is definately a make again recipe. It can be made with a large variety of ingredients to suit your individual taste. They can be frozen and simply warmed through in the oven or a toaster oven for a quick and ready to go breakfast.

Ingredients

6 sheets phyllo dough
butter or cooking spray
6 eggs
2 green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup ground sausage
3 slices smoked salmon
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt
pepper


Directions

Layer phyllo dough by laying out 1 sheet at a time and spraying each sheet with cooking spray in between each layer. Cut in half lengthwise and then cut each half into thirds. Mold into 6 large muffin tins. Bake for approximately 15 minuted or until golden brown. Set aside. Slice green onions. Set aside.

Brown sausage. set aside. Scramble eggs with the heavy crean, cayenne, salt and pepper. Layer 3 of the cups with the sausage and 3 with the smoked salmon. Top with the green onion and the cheeses. Feta for the salmon and cheddar for the sausage. Pour the egg mixture over the top to fill cups and top with more of the cheeses. Bake again for approximately 20-25 minutes or until the eggs have set.

Makes 6 servings.

Michael and Carla

Tried and True Chicken Saltimbocca

  This was the first time trying Chicken Saltimbocca for us and it is going to be a true favorite from now on. Staying true to the recipe we did use the frozen version as recommended by this recipe for Giada DiLaurentiis' Chicken Saltimbocca , and we have to agree with the ratings (400+) for this recipe, that the next time it would be even better with freshly sauteed spinach. I am sure the frozen version was simply for a matter of time convenience. However that being said, it was a fabulous, quick 30 minute meal and I think I can spare the extra few minutes for the fresh spinach to be sauteed. Moist and juicy, simple to make, I have to give it a 5 star review.
  We have made, purchased from a little Italian deli, and ordered many variations of stuffed chicken breasts and this has to be the best EVER. Examples of what could be done with this for variation are expansive if you have a little bit of imagination, and are endless as listed in the many reviews. I think the un-complex amount of ingredients in this recipe are what makes each ingredient shine through on its own. I DO recommend that you stick with the 'lower sodium chicken broth' as recommended as the parmesan is salty and the lemon only accentuates this. I felt like I was in a perfect little mom and pop Italian restaurant that had been making this dish all their life. We will be having this again and again. I do agree with the reviews that Giada never disappoints. I have none of her cookbooks as of yet, but will be scouring the shelves of my nearest bookstores for all of them after this.

The star of the show!

The other players.

The assembly.

Roll, secure and brown on all sides. Remove to warm platter and cover with foil.

Prepare your sauce.

Return chicken to sauce, cover and simmer 8 to 10 minutes. Remove chicken and simmer the cooking liquid to reduce, about 5 minutes.

Beautifully plated. Served over simple pappardelle with sauce drizzled over the sliced chicken.

Ingredients

6 (3-ounce) chicken cutlets, pounded to evenly flatten

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 paper-thin slices prosciutto
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Directions

Place the chicken cutlets flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Lay 1 slice of prosciutto atop each chicken cutlet.
Squeeze the frozen spinach to remove the excess water. Season the spinach with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, toss the spinach with 1 tablespoon of oil to coat.
Arrange an even, thin layer of spinach atop the prosciutto slices. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over each. Beginning at the short tapered end, roll up each chicken cutlet as for a jellyroll. Secure with a toothpick.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Add the chicken broth and lemon juice, and scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium. Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Simmer the cooking liquid over high heat until it is reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes. Season the cooking liquid with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove toothpicks from the chicken. Drizzle the reduced cooking liquid over the chicken and serve immediately.





  This recipe was very easy to configure to the exact amount of servings needed. I paired it down for 2. Not rocket science folks. This is one dish I don't think I will ever get tired of making and devouring.
Michael and Carla

Hoisin Glazed Salmon

This is such a quick, easy, and delicious glaze. I combined together several of the ingredients found in many different recipes. Some of the recipes left out one or more of the ingredients. So flavorful is this glaze that I will be using this on other fish such as halibut and even on shrimp.

Glazy, crispy, umami goodness.

Ingredients

2 lbs. piece of salmon, center cut with skin on
¼ cup Hoisin sauce
2 Tbs. light brown sugar
2 Tbs. orange juice
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. grated ginger
1 medium garlic clove, grated
1 tsp. Coleman’s dry mustard
1 tsp. sesame oil

Whisk all of the ingredients together, with the exception of the salmon and set into the refridgerator to marry for about 1 hour. When ready to start your dinner, get your sides starting in advance. This is a really quick cooking recipe. Heat a grill pan or even better a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and start with skin side down. Baste salmon with half of the glaze and cook for approximately 5 minutes. Do not move salmon around or peek, let it sear to form a good crust. Flip and at this point the skin will be easy to remove from the flesh if you prefer. Baste again with remaining glaze, searing again for about 3-5 minutes.

  In the past I have made hoisin glazed ribs or pork roasts like the ones served at Chinese restaurants but never knew what else to use it on. If you have other ideas for using hoisin sauce, please pass them on. I would love to hear your take on using this wonderful condiment.

  I do want to apologize to all of you who frequent my blog for not being here again the last two weeks. I know you've heard it before; Life happens. First my brother came home from Dubai and we spent some time catching up, then helping him for several days, move some of his belongings from one home to his newly remodeled home. It was really great seeing him again. We can't wait for him to come home to stay! Then secondly I decided I was going to come down with a really nasty winter cold. So now I am back in the swing of LIFE. I can finally get out of the bed and move around without the ax I felt like I had sticking in the side of my temple. Carla

  

Thank you again for your dedication and kindness.

Michael and Carla