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2 days in a row I took a little trip to Paris. On my way for a haircut(which went badly) yesterday I had breakfast at Cafe La Gaule. I had the Parisienne omelet, ham, swiss and mushrooms with a side of home fries dusted in herb de provence and toasted brioche with an amazing jam. I had breakfast at 830a and did not eat again until 630p. Today on my way to Hendersonville to buy my groceries for next week I finally stopped by this new local restaurant Azalea Bistro in Saluda NC. A nice bit of sophistication in  this rural area! They tout a Low Country Parisian cuisine. So, I decided to have a little of both. I had the goat cheese tart and a crab cake. It was plated beautifully. The crab cake crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside it was served on a bed of arugula and the tart had a nice balsamic glaze drizzle. The perfect bite was some crispy crab cake a little of the peppery arugula and some of the creamy tart! The atmosphere is great and my service was impeccable.

I adore the egg bites from Starbucks. I did some online research and this is my adapted version. It is not the same, but damn close.

5 slices of bacon

8 small slices of cheese

1/2 cup of grated cheese

1/2 cup of cottage cheese

1/4 cup of cream

a splash of hot sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbls of Arrow roots or flour if you prefer

I cook the bacon in the oven at 400. I break each piece into 3 pieces.
Spray 8 jars with cooking spray. Put the sliced cheese in the bottom put 2 of the bacon pieces in on top of the cheese. Put the rest of the ingredients into a blender and blend on puree for 2 minutes. Divide puree equally into each jar. Cook in a Sous Vide at 170 for 1 hour. Remove from water and remove lids let rest 10 min. Run a butter knife around the jar and tap out onto a cutting board. If not eating right away, I put them in an airtight container in the fridge to reheat for breakfast all week.

Leftovers turned into dinner. Chicken enchilada quesadilla.

My recipe book and my library haul.

As you will see in my upcoming posts that my weeks menu will mostly be derived from these cookbooks. I make a recipe and if its a winner it makes its way into my book. It is organized into sections that make sense to me. Breakfast, appetizers, soups, salads, beef, chicken,pork,seafood,pasta,vegetable and dessert. Every so often I go through and cull recipes that I don’t use or have mastered and adapted and no longer need the original version.

I will not post recipes here that do no belong to me out of respect for the person who developed them. I will post where they come from for you to find them for yourself. I have things that I make that are my recipes, I will have to take the time to measure things and write it down as I make them. I make my Mom’s cornbread, but I use the bowl and baking dish that she taught me how to make it in. All eyeballed no measures except 1 egg. Thank you for joining me on this cooking journey! I hope that I share tips and recipes that will make your cooking journey easier.

My other half is not a big fan of this dish as dinner. I almost always make my favorite baked cheese when he is away. I grew up thinking that I was Irish Italian. My DNA says that I am Irish Scandinavian. I think there was an Italian in the wood pile! Well not too sophisticated, i just insulted someone. I love Italian food. I cube an Italian cheese, smoked mozzarella, provolone, or fontina. I add a splash of olive oil, some dry Italian herb blend, diced tomato and garlic. Broil until melted. When it comes out splash on some balsamic. Warm bread and its go time! Tonight I chose a nice sharp provolone and a balsamic glaze. Yum! Soul food Italian style.

My other half races vintage motorcycles. I am his pit chef. But, I can’t make all of the races. So, to make sure that he eats decent food I pack man friendly meal kits. 1 big bag with the name of the meal, with smaller bags to be poured together into the bag, shaken and put onto a plate to eat.

I came up with something that satisfies your sweet tooth, but gives you little guilt. I whisk whipped topping and curd together. It makes this silky, shiny goodness. Tonight I used lime curd and topped it with crushed ginger snaps and toasted coconut. I mostly use lemon curd and fresh fresh berries.

I love this recipe! Instead of the corn tortillas in a normal enchilada bake you use thin sliced zucchini. I sauteed onion,red pepper,and spinach. I added canned black beans,shredded precooked chicken,salsa,cilantro and cumin. I used my favorite store bought sauce. I layered it all together and baked at Betty Crocker 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

My computer and camera are no longer friends so I am behind times and playing catch up. This was Monday nights dinner.