Savory oatmeal guest post - Dairy Foods

I'm back home, yay! The meetings and presentation in Florida went well but I'm glad to be home to my hubby and kitty. I missed them!

I am back to work on Wednesday but I have Thursday and Friday off. I don't have much planned for those two, glorious days off. Just hanging out at home, catching up on little things, relaxing.

Please head over to check out my guest post on From China Village blog. Emily was sweet to invite me to post while she is on a vacation. I whipped up a savory southwestern oatmeal and it was quite tasty.

I will be back to my regular posting schedule on Thursday and Friday!

Baby brunch - Dairy Foods

When you get to be a certain age...around your upper twenties/lower thirties things start to change a bit in your friend group. Bellies get bigger and babies start attending brunch dates. It means that mimosas don't flow quite as freely as they used to, but the new brunch guests sure are cute.

Last Sunday, a group of my girlfriends and I got together to have brunch with new mom, Natasha.  Remember the gorgeous blessingway I posted about a few weeks ago?  Well little Mr. Jude showed his lovely face recently and we were meeting him for the first time.

Mama Natasha is relaxed and happy.  Baby Jude is precious.  Daddy Keith is a dream dad.  It was all so wonderful to see. 
 And of course we couldn't gather without a proper meal. Brunch is a fave of ours these days and we had a delicious menu.

Spring salad with a tangy lemon vinaigrette
Fresh fruit salad with mint
French toast baked in honey-pecan sauce (recipe below)
Some super sinful dessert that I did not have a piece of (pictured above)
Mimosas

This baked french toast was made by Shannon.  It was incredible and super indulgent...which meant I only could eat one piece (Weight Watchers!), but I could have eaten at least three more. 
Sorry for the blurry photo.  Apparently I was too eager to eat to get a proper focus.
Jude in his vintage, refurbished crib. 

French toast baked in honey-pecan sauce (recipe from Intercourses, An Aprodisiac cookbook...yeah, seriously!)

Ingredients

4 eggs, beaten
¾ cup half-and-half
½ tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 thick slices French bread
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ chopped pecans

Preparation

Combine the eggs, half-and-half, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in a small bowl. Pour half the mixture into a baking dish. Place the bread in the pan and top with the other half of egg mixture. Refrigerate, covered, overnight.

Melt the butter in a 9x13-inch baking dish and stir in the brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, and pecans. Add the soaked bread slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until puffed and brown. Serve immediately.

Avocado toast - Dairy Foods

Ever since I saw these avocado toasts on my friend and fellow food-blogger's website, With Style and Grace, I knew I had to make them. Avocado toast was the best breakfast I could have asked for the morning after hosting a dinner party.

Confession time; I am kind of a slob in the kitchen. I aspire to be one of those people who cleans as they cook but I'm just not and probably never will be. Erik jokes around and says that if I ever had my own cooking show it would be called "Jenna's Kitchen Chaos".  I tend to multi-tast to the max and somehow end of using just about every pan and cooking utensil I own and they all end of strewn on my countertops, stove, overflowing in the sink, etc.  You get the picture.

So when I woke up on Saturday morning and went into the kitchen, it was a huge disaster. And I was hungry but all my pots/pans/dishes were dirty. There was no way I was getting to the stove to scramble up eggs.

The beauty of these toasts is that you only need a knife or spoon and a toaster (plus bread and a ripe avocado, of course). Even in my disaster of a kitchen I was able to make (and enjoy!) this breakfast.

It was yummy. So yummy that I made a second one. I think avocado toast may be a favorite new breakfast (or snack). I may try it with a fried egg on top next time.


Avocado toast

Ingredients

1/2 ripe avocado
1 slice bread, toasted
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Toast bread.  Slice avocado in half, remove the pit.  Scoop out avocado with a spoon and spread it on the toast.  You can also slice it so it has a chunkier texture.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
Thanks to Lisa of With Style and Grace for the inspiration!  Be sure to check out her blog for delicious recipes and beautiful food photography.

Despite the huge mess I made in the kitchen, my spring dinner party was a complete success.  The menu I planned was not too time-consuming and everything turned out delicious (especially the pasta and buttermilk pudding cake).  Most importantly, we had a great time.  Stay tuned for photos and recipes from the party!

Mixed berry Irish scones - Dairy Foods

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I have a tasty recipe to share you with today that comes all the way from Ireland! Emily of blog From China Village and from Dublin, reached out to collaborate on a post in honor of today.

Caveat, I don't have much experience making scones. I've only made them once or twice before. Scones can be tricky because (as Emily warned) if you work the dough too much the scones may become a bit too dense. Despite the warning, I overworked the dough, damn, and I also think I removed them from the oven a bit too soon in fear of them becoming too hard. The scones themselves taste really great, but I missed the mark on the texture for sure. 

As told by Emily:

"The scone recipe is not a green recipe, and there's no Guinness involved, but it's probably one of the most truly Irish recipes I've found - as in real Irish people really make and love to eat them!

Before I moved to Ireland a few years ago, I was not a fan of scones at all. I found them hard and bland and they always reminded me of hockey pucks. But true Irish scones are light and fluffy, best served warm out of the oven. The standard scones over here have raisins, but most coffee shops or cafes have this yummy "Mixed Berry" version. This recipe is adapted from the famous Avoca Cafe - the coziest place to get lunch or tea and a scone in Dublin.

I often munch on these scones plain for an afternoon snack, but they make an absolutely decadent dessert if you serve them with runny, oozy jam and fresh whipped cream. The scones themselves aren't too sweet, so they're perfect when the jam soaks in a little. The top is crispy, but the inside is flaky and soft. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea - the perfect afternoon treat to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!

Mixed Berry Irish Scones (adapted from Avoca Cafe )

Ingredients

4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup caster sugar (caster sugar is just fine sugar. You can grind granulated sugar in a food processor or coffee grinder. Kind of in between granulated and confectioner's sugar.)
1 stick cold butter, diced
1 egg, lightly beaten
50 mls heavy cream
200 mls whole milk
1 and 1/2 - 2 cups mixed berries (cranberries, blackberries, blueberries and/or strawberries - my mix has redcurrants and blackcurrants but those will probably be less common in America)

1 egg plus 2 tbsp water, lightly beaten for egg wash
1/4 cup caster sugar for dusting

Preparation

Sift the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Add the cold butter and work together with your fingers until it turns to the consistency of bread crumbs. Add in the mixed berries and toss to incorporate. Add in the egg, cream and enough milk to moisten. Work together with your hands until you have a soft dough - don't work too long or you'll end up with hockey pucks! Roll out on a floured surface until it's about 2 inches thick (2 inches should give you tall, fluffy scones). Use a round cookie cutter (scones are only round over here!) to cut out the scones and transfer to a greased or lined cookie sheet. Brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle generously with caster sugar, which will give them a crunchy top!

Bake at 350 F for about 25 minutes, until they're golden brown on the top.

Oozy Jam

1/2 cup of your favorite jam, the chunkier the better
2 tbsp apple juice
In a saucepan, heat the jam and apple juice over low heat until it thins.

Cut the warm scones in half (of course, you can zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds if they've cooled or you're eating them a day or two later!), spoon a generous amount of jam sauce onto each half and drop a dollop of fresh cream (just barely sweetened) onto each half. And don't forget that cup of tea - not authentically Irish without the tea!"

I also whipped up some cream using 1/2 cup of heaving whipping cream, 1 teaspoon sugar and a splash of vanilla.

I would love to give these a try again when berries are fresh from the Farmer's Market, especially beautiful currants.  Thanks so much to Emily for the scone recipe and have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!

Steel-cut oatmeal with milk and berries - Dairy Foods

When it comes to breakfast, I've always been a bacon-eggs-hashbrowns kind of gal. Even when I'm on Weight Watchers I get creative so I can still eat a savory breakfast. But last weekend my sister and I hung out for breakfast and she was "craving oatmeal". I obliged her but secretly was wondering "who the hell craves oatmeal"?! Well, I'm glad she did because I am now converted into a full on oatmeal-lover.

Planning for the breakfast, I poured over the foodie blog world finding tons of awesome recipes.  When I realized that oatmeal doesn't have to be simply oats boiled in water and topped with some milk and sugar, I became pretty excited, actually.  Kat and I settled on a recipe from Food and Wine that included Greek yogurt, steel-cut oats, fresh fruit...and then tweaked it a bit.

Steel-cut oatmeal with milk and berries (recipe adapted from Food and Wine)

Ingredients

2 cups water
2 cups soy milk or skim milk
1 cup steel-cut oats
1 cup fresh berries
1 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
4 teaspoons brown sugar

Directions

1.In a medium saucepan, bring the water and soy milk to a boil. Add the oats, cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes, until the oats are tender. Uncover and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the oatmeal is creamy, about 3 minutes. Spoon the oatmeal into bowls and top with the berries, yogurt and 1 teaspoon brown sugar.

Makes 4 servings.

I also found this 28-day oatmeal project on Tastespotting which included savory types.  Savory oatmeal?! Awesome.  That's on my list next.  I'm thinking of a bacon, tomato, white cheddar and fried egg kind.  How yummy does that sound? Stay tuned.

So tell me please...what is your favorite oatmeal combo? Have you tried a savory kind?  Please comment and share!

And thanks to my sweet sis for a fun Saturday!

Doughnut holes with raspberry jam - Dairy Foods

{Photo and recipe credit: Food and Wine}

The new year is almost here which usually means one thing for me...time to get back to being healthy. I am on and off Weight Watchers throughout the year which seems to work for me but I tend to slack off big time around the holidays and then get pretty serious around the beginning of the year.

So what's with the doughnuts? Well, since there are just a few days left before the year is over I am heading to the kitchen to make some of the items that will definitely be off limits while on Weight Watchers...things like fried doughnuts.

What are your New Year's resolutions?  

Caramel pull-apart biscuits - Dairy Foods

My mom made caramel pull-apart biscuits a lot when I was growing up.  It had been about ten years since I had this treat until last wekend when she made it for a brunch celebrating my younger sister's birthday.  They were as sticky, sweet and delicious as I remembered.  We ate each and every piece.  YUM. 

Caramel pull-apart biscuits

2 tubes Pillsbury biscuits (20 total biscuits)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter
2 tablespoons water
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Generously grease a bundt cake pan.  In a small saucepan, heat the butter, water and brown sugar until melted.

Separate the biscuits and cut each into four pieces.  Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl. Dredge the biscuit pieces in the cinnamon sugar mixture and then put the biscuits into the bundt pan, spread around evenly.  Pour the caramel mixture (the butter, water and brown sugar) over the biscuits. 

Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand for 3 minutes then invert onto a serving plate.

Cheddar-herb bread - Dairy Foods

What better way to spend a cold, icy Sunday then inside the warmth of your kitchen baking bread? I found this recipe while perusing the web for ideas for the handmade gift post I wrote last Friday. As soon as I found it I knew what would be baking in my oven over the weekend. 

This recipe is very easy and the bread comes out moist, savory, rustic.  You can smell the dried herbs as they bake into the bread.  I ate the bread with a simple salad with champagne vinaigrett and a poached egg.  Maybe I shouldn't admit it but this was my first time ever poaching an egg.  It turned out perfectly.

Cheddar-herb bread (recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. dried cilantro or parsley
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter (cold)
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8x4x2-inch loaf pan. Mix the first six ingredients (flour through salt) in a bowl.

With a pastry blender (I just use my hands), cut in 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cheddar cheese. In a bowl combine 3/4 cup milk and 1 egg, slightly beaten. Add to crumb mixture all at once. Stir quickly with a fork to moisten. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn loaf out onto wire rack; cool completely. Makes 12 servings.





This was such an amazing breakfast and so simple.  I would eat it everyday.  I'd love to hear of any cooking adventures you had over the weekend, please comment and share!

Happy Monday!

Spinach puff pastry quiche - Dairy Foods

I am pretty much obsessed with quiche and tarts. This spinach puff pastry quiche was nothing short of delicious. Quiche is so versatile. Once you have a good egg/milk/cream ratio down you can pretty much subsitute the filling with anything. I love that this recipe called for puff pastry. It is so easy to just take out of the freezer, thaw for 45 minutes, roll out and place into the pie dish. So flaky, buttery, yummy.

A quiche baking in my oven usually means I am preparing brunch for my honey or some friends. Brunch is one of my favorite meals. Mimosas, bloody mary's, freshly baked banana bread, eggs, bacon. It just doesn't get much better.

This quiche is vegetarian, easy and full of flavor. The most time consuming part is making sure you drain the spinach well so it doesn't make your crust soggy.  I served the quiche with a simple leafy green salad with a champagne vinaigrette. 

Spinach puff pastry quiche (recipe adapted from Epicurious)

Ingredients

1/2 17 1/4-ounce package (1 sheet) frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 cup half and half
3 eggs
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed drained
1/2 cup grated cheddar
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll puff pastry to 11-inch square. Transfer to 9-inch diameter glass pie plate. Trim edges. Beat cream cheese in medium bowl until smooth. Gradually beat in half and half and eggs. Mix in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Below are links to all the tarts/quiche recipes I've tried over the past year or so:

Zucchini and goat cheese tarts
Bacon, onion and parsley tart
Chorizo, onion and onion quiche
Mushroom shallot quiche
Tomato, basil and mozzarella quiche

Do you have a favorite quiche recipe?  I'd love to hear it!

Happy Tuesday!

Homemade baked doughnuts - Dairy Foods

I made my first attempt at homemade baked doughnuts on Saturday and am very happy with the way they turned out. I baked them, not necessarily because I was looking for a healthier alternative but because it was easier. I haven't had the best of luck frying, I always struggle with getting the temperature of the oil just right and it's a bit of a messy process.

I've had doughnuts on my mind since I wrote this doughnut post last week (by the way, is the spelling "donut" or "doughnut"? I've seen it both ways...whatever). I did some research and settled on a delicious-looking recipe from 101 Cookbooks.

Homemade doughnuts are a pretty major time committment.  You first prepare the dough and then let it rise for an hour.  Then you punch down the dough and roll it out to 1/2 inch thickness.  Some recipes call for a doughnut cutter but I used a round glass and shot glass to cut the large and small holes.  After you've cut the doughnut shape you have to let them rise for another 45 minutes.  There is a lot of downtime with this recipe which meant I had a pretty lazy Saturday; consumed a ton of the Cooking Channel, hung out with my kitty and played around on my new iPad (it is quite obvious I don't have children yet). 
Baked doughnuts (recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups warm milk, 95 to 105 degrees (divided)

1 packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
5 cups all-purpose flour
A pinch or two of nutmeg, freshly grated
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Cinnamon sugar topping

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preparation

Place 1/3 cup of the warm milk in the bowl of an electric mixer. Stir in the yeast and set aside for five minutes or so. Be sure your milk isn't too hot or it will kill the yeast. Stir the butter and sugar into the remaining cup of warm milk and add it to the yeast mixture. With a fork, stir in the eggs, flour, nutmeg, and salt - just until the flour is incorporated. With the dough hook attachment of your mixer beat the dough for a few minutes at medium speed. This is where you are going to need to make adjustments - if your dough is overly sticky, add flour a few tablespoons at a time. Too dry? Add more milk a bit at a time. You want the dough to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl and eventually become supple and smooth. Turn it out onto a floured counter-top, knead a few times (the dough should be barely sticky), and shape into a ball.

Transfer the dough to a buttered (or oiled) bowl, cover, put in a warm place (I turn on the oven at this point and set the bowl on top), and let rise for an hour or until the dough has roughly doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and roll it out 1/2-inch thick on your floured countertop. Most people (like myself) don't have a doughnut cutter, instead I use a 2-3 inch cookie cutter to stamp out circles. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet and stamp out the smaller inner circles using a smaller cutter. If you cut the inner holes out any earlier, they become distorted when you attempt to move them. Cover with a clean cloth and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms are just golden, 8 to 10 minutes - start checking around 8. While the doughnuts are baking, place the butter in a medium bowl. Place the sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl.

Remove the doughnuts from the oven and let cool for just a minute or two. Dip each one in the melted butter and a quick toss in the sugar bowl. Eat immediately if not sooner.

Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen medium doughnuts.

These doughnuts are really good and best served straight out of the oven, still warm and with a glass of milk or coffee.  They taste different than fried doughnuts so if you are expecting that, don't attempt this recipe.  Baked doughnuts are a bit denser and breadier (yes I just made up that word...) but delicious in a different way.  I got a thumbs-up from my sister who loves all sweets. 
I made a cinnamon sugar topping from the recipe above and also tried a glaze from a recipe on The Pioneer Woman. The sprinkles were a nice touch.

Glaze (recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients

3 cups Powdered Sugar
½ teaspoons Salt
½ teaspoons Vanilla
½ cups Cold Water Or Milk (I used milk)

Preparation

1. Mix all glaze ingredients in a bowl until completely smooth.

2. One by one, dip doughnuts into the glaze until halfway submerged. (Note: completely submerge doughnut holes, then remove with slotted spoon.)

4. Remove from glaze, then turn right side up on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (to catch dripping glaze.)

5. Serve warm if possible, or room temperature.





I'm not very good at taking pictures of each step when I'm baking in the kitchen but this is what the doughuts look like after I cut them and prior to them rising for 45 minutes. 

Homemade doughnuts take a lot of time and effort but there is something so special about creating one from scratch.  I would definitely make these again and serve them for a brunch or even dessert.  The doughnut holes are especially tasty little bites and would be perfect to be served with skewers with different dipping sauces; chocolate, jam, butterscotch, etc.  That would be especially fun for a children's party.  

Happy Monday!

Donut Tuesday - Dairy Foods

{Country Living}

It's Tuesday so why not obsess about donuts? They have been on my to-bake (fry?) list for quite some time now.  I think I'll give them a try this weekend, which will be interesting since I'm on Weight Watchers.  Did I mention my husband and I are going on a cruise in early December? 

{Country Living}

{Cannelle Et Vanille and Country Living}

{Tartelette and My Baking Addiction}

Have you ever made a homemade donut?  Do you have a favorite donut recipe?  Please comment and share!

Pumpkin spice muffins with cream cheese frosting - Dairy Foods

I had a lovely Sunday morning baking these pumpkin spice muffins, sipping coffee, and catching up on some blog reading while the sun streamed through my kitchen windows.  We had a spectacular fall day in MN, the kind of day that when you are outside you just want to stand still with your eyes closed, face toward the sun.  I'm not exaggerating, it was really that great of a day.

The muffins filled my kitchen with a warm, cozy smells and I was thrilled to be baking and not be rushed for time.  It's been so long since I've had a weekend day thad didn't consist of running from place to place, you know how it is...

These muffins are lovely, plain and simple.  They become amazing when topped with cream cheese frosting.  The muffins themselves are not that sweet but one important lesson I have learned from baking a lot of muffins is that you will never regret sprinkling sugar on top before placing them into the oven.
I found these adorable orange heart toppers at Target, they came mixed with brown spinkles for only $1.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins (recipe adapted from Fine Cooking)

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
3 cups pumpkin purée (canned is fine)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 lb. (16 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted
1-1/4 lb. (4-1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. ground cinnamon
3 Tbs. ground ginger
Pinch cloves

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sour cream, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, sugar, and butter. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring until just mixed. Gently fold in the raisins. Grease and flour a muffin tin (or line it with muffin papers, preferably foil). Scoop about 1/2 cup batter into each tin so that the curve of the batter is even with the rim of the cup. (Refrigerate any extra batter in an airtight container for up to a week.)

Bake the muffins in the middle of the oven until firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into them comes out clean, 30 to 35 min. Remove the muffins from the tin when they're cool enough to handle.  Frost with cream cheese frosting (I piped using a large star tip)

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients

¼ cups Softened Butter
4 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
½ pounds Powdered Sugar
½ teaspoons Vanilla

Mix all ingredients on high until soft and whipped. Spread onto completely cooled muffins, or place into a large pastry bag with a large star tip and go crazy! Store in the fridge, as icing will soften at room temperature.

It's hard to tell but these muffins were topped with a small piece of crystalized ginger.  There is ground ginger in the muffins so I thought it would be a nice play on ingredients. 


I am going to make more of an effort to cook/bake and post more recipes on Eat Drink Pretty.  If you have favorite recipes to share (especially anything fall-inspired) I would love for you to email the recipe, eatdrinkpretty {at} gmail {dot} com.

Thanks so much for stopping by Eat Drink Pretty today!!!

Banana-chocolate chip muffins - Dairy Foods

If you have the day off today you may want to take an extra few minutes (well, more like 45 minutes) to bake these perfect banana-chocolate chip muffins.  They are indulgent but not too sweet.  If you are anything like me you took this long, holiday weekend to eat pretty much everything in sight.  Why not continue that for just one more day with a delicious, chocolately homemade muffin?

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins (adapted from Epicurious)

Ingredients

•1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
•2/3 cup sugar
•1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/4 teaspoon salt
•1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large)
•1 large egg
•1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
•1/4 cup milk
•3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with foil muffin liners. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Mix mashed bananas, egg, melted butter and milk in medium bowl. Stir banana mixture into dry ingredients just until blended (do not overmix). Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake muffins until tops are pale golden and tester inserted into center comes out with some melted chocolate attached but no crumbs, about 32 minutes. Transfer muffins to rack; cool.

Enjoy the last day of the long weekend!

Zucchini and goat cheese tarts - Dairy Foods

I have been a bit obsessed with quiche and tarts lately. In just four days I have made a crab quiche, tomato, basil and mozzarella quiche and zucchini and goat cheese tarts. Savory tarts are my absolute favorite. And mini tarts are great because you can pick them up and eat them with your hands and they would make a wonderful appetizer for any party.



This zucchini and goat cheese tart was supposed to be made on Sunday as one of the items on the brunch buffet for my sister's Breakfast at Tiffany's bridal shower. But...I ran out of time and only served one quiche (the tomato, basil and mozzarella quiche) which was a hit so it was fine. The shower was a huge success; all the details looked quite lovely, the weather was sunny and warm and my sister (the bride-to-be) had a beautiful smile on her face the entire time. The shower may be featured on another blog soon so I am waiting until then to post it on Eat Drink Pretty.



Zucchini and goat cheese tarts (loosely adapted from Food Network)

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds medium zucchini or a mixture of summer squashes
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped, about 1 cup
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 cups half-and-half
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks
Freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces young goat cheese, such as Montrachet.
2 ounces grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese, about 1/2 cup
1 sheet refrigerated pie dough/crust (such as Pillsbury)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Shred the squash on the large holes of a box grater, into a colander. Sprinkle with a heaping tablespoon salt and toss well. Place in the sink and drain for 15 minutes. Rinse and the squeeze firmly, by the handful, to remove excess water. Set aside.

Add 2 tablespoons oil, the onions and garlic and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cook over medium-high heat, until onions are start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in parsley and dill. Remove from heat, cool slightly.

Whisk half-and-half, eggs and yolks in large glass measuring cup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Press store-bought pie dough into tartlet molds (or a 9-10 inch tart pan or small mason jars) Layered the zucchini, goat cheese, swiss and top with the egg mixture (be sure to only add a small amount of egg mixture or it will overflow when baking).

The tartlets baked for about 30 minutes and the quiche in jars take about 45 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before serving.



The tartlets were my favorite. Yum. But the quiche in a jar is quite cute and would be perfect to pack for a picnic. You can just screw the lid on, or cover it with foil and pop it in your picnic basket.


Do you have a favorite quiche or savory tart recipe to share? Please email to eatdrinkpretty@gmail.com.

Breakfast buffet via The Sweetest Occasion - Dairy Foods

As a foodie and lover of all things pretty I just had to post this gorgeous breakfast buffet table that was created for The Sweetest Occasion blog. The inspiration for this photo shoot designed by Dandelion and Grey was a laid back, brunch-style reception. If I was getting married all over again I'd love to have a brunch instead of formal sit down dinner. Champagne, bloody mary's, quiche, homemade scones...the possibilities are endless. Head over to The Sweetest Occasion to read all the details.

All the lovely photos were taken by Olive Juice Photography and the paper goods were by Dapper Paper.


















This inspires me to pack a picnic and sit on a blanket on a sunny, summer day. This weekend perhaps?

Do you have any fun foodie photos to share? I'd love to see them, send to eatdrinkpretty{at}gmail.com.