My Madison Bistro

I love eggs, but I tend to appreciate them for what they can do, rather than for how they taste.

They are just so darn versatile! In baking, eggs are used as a binder, they are used to provide structure, they are used to make sauces and custards, they are used as a thickening agent…the list goes on. On the savory side, they can be scrambled, fried, poached, soft-boiled, hard-boiled, and they can be cooked as a serving vehicle for vegetables and cheese (don’t you just love omelets and frittatas?).

Nutritionally speaking, they are darn near perfect: some protein, fat, and just a touch of carbohydrate rolled into a neat little package. Even better, eggs are extremely economical, even when you spend a little more to buy eggs that come from humanely raised, pastured chickens. (If you can’t tell what kind of eggs are at your grocery store, check out a farmers’ market – I often buy eggs from a local Amish family.) Personally, I wish I could stomach eating eggs every day for breakfast, but I’ve yet to recover after a year-long low-carb stint several years ago.

However, I do still find eggs to be a wonderful addition to any brunch menu, as well as being a quick dinner on those nights when you’re exhausted. This basic quiche recipe is a favorite of mine; you can mix up the vegetables and cheese based on what’s in season (or just in your fridge), and because there’s no crust to worry about, it’s perfect for those who can’t tolerate grains. It’s simple to make, can feed a crowd or just one, with leftovers to boot.

Continue reading “Crustless Quiche”

Tags: bell pepper, eggs, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini

The worst feeling is knowing exactly what you want but being unable to find it anywhere. This calamity has happened to me a few times over the past decade of my life, the most recent case involving a search for dinnerware. I could have drawn you a sketch of what I wanted the plates, bowls, and mugs to look like. But no, I could not find my vision anywhere.

Instead, I now have four sets of dishes.

Over the past few months, I’ve felt that familiar stirring of wanting a change, only this time, my blog was the target. Again, I could envision exactly what I wanted, but I didn’t have the budget or patience to hire someone to design and code it for me. Reading some of the horror stories out there certainly didn’t help.

Continue reading “My Madison Bistro Gets a Makeover”

Tags: Thesis

Everyone!

Everyone who commented about their favorite dessert receives a copy of my Bistro Treats ebook. It’s given me some great ideas for desserts to post about in the near future: cheesecake and some sort of apple pie should be appearing soon. And someday, someday a pineapple upside down cake will be on the menu.

Apples have already made their way to our local farmers’ markets, and the experimenting has begun. If I hadn’t been in such a foul mood last week after a failed batch of caramel – you all would be seeing an apple dessert this week. Oh well, in due time. Lesson learned: sometimes, it’s just best to go with what works. I’ve tried two new recipes for caramel over the past month, and both failed, but the worst failure by far was the first: the caramel burned my saucepan beyond recognition, and my home smelled of burned sugar for three days. Caramel and I have always gotten along so well, so it was a bit difficult at first to accept that I’d royally screwed up!

But there was a silver lining – that pan wasn’t in such great shape anymore anyway, so now I’m forced to get a new one.

Tags: apples, caramel, cheesecake

Fragrant and sweet, local melon is hands-down one of my favorite things about summer. So when I arrived at the farmers’ market this weekend and was greeted by the perfume of melon, it was difficult to contain my excitement.

I could tell by the aroma that this melon wouldn’t last long; I could tell it was ripe, but it was almost bordering on overripe. In other words, it was perfect at that moment. To extend its life just a bit, I decided to turn it into a salad by adding the strawberries I picked up from the market, and some blueberries I had in the fridge. The mint came from my own garden, and the rest? Well, the rest of the salad simply came together by looking through my cupboards and fridge.

Continue reading “Simple Fruit Salad”

Tags: blueberries, melon, mint, strawberries