My mom is coming to visit and I wanted to have something delicious for her to enjoy. It’s summertime so I wanted it to be somewhat light and savory. The answer: Quiche. Instead of the traditional quiche Lorraine, I went for ricotta, corn, and leek. The result is sublime. 

Ricotta, Corn, and Leek Quiche

Prep time 10 minutes, Cook time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 leek, rinsed, halved, and sliced
• 1 cup corn (If using frozen, make sure to thaw. I used leftover cooked corn on the cob from the other night. I just had to slice the kernels off the cob)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
•  1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
• 9-inch deep frozen pie crust (Please follow baking instructions. The crust I used didn’t need to be baked prior to being filled.)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. 

In a sauté pan, melt better and add leeks and corn. Cook until tender, approximately 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. 

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Next add ricotta, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and parsley. Stir to combine. Mix in cooled leeks and corn. 

Pour mixture into the pie crust.  

  
Place in preheated oven and cook for approximately 45 minutes. Bake until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool to set prior to serving. 

  
 Weekend breakfast is an opportunity to experiment. It’s also a time to realize your time limits. I awoke wanting quiche, but I didn’t want to take the time to make a pie crust nor did I want to go to the store to purchase one. Solution: breakfast casserole. For those who want something savory, but not in the mood or not able to use a pie crust. 

This relatively simple dish will satisfy your breakfast cravings. And it will still impress your family and friends. 

Breakfast Sausage, Leek, and Asparagus Casserole

Serves 4-6

Prep time 8-10 minutes, Cook time 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

• .75 pounds of chicken breakfast sausage
• 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, rinsed, halved, and thinly sliced
• 8 stalks of asparagus, chopped (I used asparagus with a diameter smaller than a dime. If you have thicker stalks, use less)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 8 eggs
• 1/4 heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 baking pan. I use olive oil spray. 

Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Pour in olive oil. Add breakfast sausage and cook until browned on all sides, approximately 8-10 minutes. Remove sausage and place on a cutting board. Let cool for a few minutes prior to slicing into bite-sized circles. 

Place butter in sauté pan and lower heat to medium-low. Add in leek and asparagus and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Put in garlic and cook for an additional minute. Mix in sliced sausage and remove from heat. 

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy whipping cream, cheese, dill, salt, and pepper. 

Pour mixture into greased baking pan. Add the sausage mixture and stir to combine. (No one likes a casserole where the ingredients aren’t evenly distributed.)

  
Place in oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, until eggs are firm and cooked through. 

  

 
The photo above looks plain, but that’s misleading. This soup is elegant and delicious. You’ll find yourself with an empty bowl before you realize it. 

I picked up 4 beautiful, large artichokes the other day and wanted to make a soup. Having never made artichoke soup before, I searched the Internet for inspiration and helpful tips. I came across a recipe with detailed instructions at SimplyRecipes. It was especially helpful in showing how to trim an artichoke. Of course, I made a few adjustments. 

Artichoke Soup

Prep time 25 minutes, Cook time 90 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 large artichokes, trimmed to use only hearts (save leaves to steam and snack with an aioli)
• 4 tablespoons of butter, cut into 4 pieces
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, cleaned and chopped
• 1/2 cup diced shallots
• 8 oz. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced 
• 10 cups of chicken stock
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley 
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream

Directions

Prep your artichoke hearts. Remove all the leaves and cut out the thistle choke (remove those fuzzy hairs) in the center. You can leave 1-2 inches of the stem. Make sure to trim off any remaining tough outside skin. Chop your artichoke hearts into quarter-inch pieces. (Please note: the hearts brown quickly so prep accordingly.)

Over medium heat, melt butter in a large stockpot. Mix in the artichoke hearts, garlic, leek, and shallots. Cook until tender, approximately 3-4 minutes. Add the potatoes, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, parsley, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for 10 minutes. Then, lower heat and simmer, uncovered for an hour. 

When the hour is up, remove the bay leaf. Use a stick blender and purée the soup. Let cool for 10-15 minutes. Stir in the cream and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve and enjoy. 

This light and smooth soup is perfect for summer! It’s also a crowd-pleaser in my house. 

     

 
Over the weekend, I was in Monterey and I may have been a little too excited at all the farm stands. I picked up a boatload of avocados. I couldn’t resist. I love avocados. I love them plain. I love them in salsa. And I even love them in guacamole. But, I wanted to try something different. Three words… Avocado Potato Salad. Who says side dishes have to shy away from the spotlight? 

Avocado Potato Salad

Serves 3-4

Prep time 8-10 minutes, Cook time 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 
• 3 tablespoons Apple cider vinegar 
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 green onions, medium diced
• 2 strips of cooked bacon, chopped (optional)
• 1 large Hass avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Directions

Put potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan, cover with water, and place over high heat. Bring water to a boil and cook potatoes until fork tender, approximately 15 minutes. 

In the mean time, mix together mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. 

When potatoes are cooked, drain and then toss potatoes, bacon, and green onions into the dressing to combine. Gently fold in avocado. 

Cover with Saran Wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight prior to serving. 

This side dish will leave your friends and family begging for more. Trust me. 

 
 

 
The sun came out in the Sunset neighborhood just enough today to give me the itch to grill. It’s June so my grill needs to get to work. Nothing says summertime like cooking outdoors. And while meat is usually my grilling subject of choice, I do like a meaty portobello mushroom on occasion. Filling and easily filled, the portobello mushroom is a versatile fungi. 

Grilled Portabello Mushrooms

Prep time 8-10 minutes, Cook time 8-10 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 Portabello mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup sweet onions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 10-12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2-3 ounces of Cambozola cheese
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Prep your mushrooms by removing any stems and the gills. To remove the gills, gently scoop out with a spoon. Place on a plate with the cap side down so you can easily fill the area in which you just removed the gills. 

In a sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Next, mix in garlic and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are warmed through and the skins begin to blister, approximately 3 minutes. Pour in 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes. 

Spoon tomato mixture into mushroom caps. Then, place small pieces of Cambozola cheese all over the tomato mixture. Drizzle remaining olive oil and balsamic vinegar over your stuffed mushrooms. 

  
Preheat your grill. I have a gas grill so I’m able to utilize a temperature gauge. I like the heat to be between 400 and 425 F. Place mushrooms on the heated grill and cook for 8-10 minutes. They are ready when the cheese is melted and bubbly and the cap is tender. 

Serve immediately with a big leafy salad or a nice steak or even both. 

 
The weekend needs a little sugar to start off right. And since it’s the weekend, there’s time in the morning to whip up some blueberry muffins. I try to live by the mantra that “fresh is best,” but life happens. I use frozen blueberries for this batch, but use fresh ones if you have them. The trick to using frozen blueberries is to keep them in the freezer until you need to fold them in. Thawed blueberries turn the batter purple, which is completely fine if you like the color purple. 

Blueberry Muffins

Prep time, 10 minutes, Cook time 20-23 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (topping)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups of muffin pan. (I use olive oil spray)

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, mix together beaten egg, milk, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Pour wet mix into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups with batter. In a small bowl, mix together sugar and cinnamon for your topping. Sprinkle topping on filled muffin cups. (You’ll have a little extra cinnamon sugar topping that you can save to use later. I like to indulge and add a little to my cup of coffee. It’s a treat!)

Put muffin pan in preheated oven and cook for 20-23 minutes, or until done. (Use a toothpick to test for whether or not it’s baked. Stick toothpick in the middle of the muffin. If it comes to clean, they are done.)

Let cool for approximately 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy! Now, that’s how to start the weekend!

  

  

 Today, my sister-in-law and I ventured to Japantown for some food and fun. As self-proclaimed “paper” addicts, we had a great time looking at the variety of stationery stores filled with notebooks, cards, and pens. All of this shopping made us hungry. We decided to give Osakaya a try since they have a $13.95 lunch special. 

We both opted for the Number 2: Ramen and a California roll. And we also splurged and ordered the edamame. 

  
The edamame was lightly salted and slightly addictive. The ramen had a flavorful broth and was served piping hot, which helped lift me out of the foggy SF day.  And the California roll had ripe avocado and good texture. All and all, it was a decent lunch. Was it the best ramen I’ve ever tasted? No. But, it was tasty and worthy of being a lunch special. I’d go back. It’s all about trying new things!

  

  

 
Have I mentioned I love pasta? I believe I have. I think pasta gets a bad rep for being “heavy.”  There are so many great pasta dishes that are light and delicious.

 Eggplant was on sale at my local market and I couldn’t resist whipping up some fantastic pasta. Eggplant is easy to prepare. Just use a fork to stick it a few times, place it on a baking sheet, pop it into a 350 degree F oven for about an hour, let cool for 15-20 minutes, slice in half, and scoop out flesh. I admit it’s a few steps, but it’s not complicated and it adds complexity to your pasta. 

Linguine with Eggplant, Red Pepper, and Tomato

Serves 2-3

Prep time 8-10 minutes, Cook time 90 minutes

Ingredients 

• 1 eggplant (approximately 1 to 1.5 pounds)
• 1/2 pound of linguine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (1/2 cup)
• Half a red pepper, diced (1/3 cup)
• 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil 
• Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Using a fork, prick the eggplant several times. Place on a baking sheet and put in your preheated oven to bake for approximately 1 hour. Set aside and let cool, 15-20 minutes. 

In the mean time, bring a pot of water to boil. Add a pinch of salt and linguine to your pot and cook pasta to al dente, approximately 10-12 minutes. Drain pasta but make sure to reserve 1/4 cup of cooked pasta water. 

In a sauté pan, pour in olive oil and set heat to medium. Add onions and red peppers and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, mix in garlic and cook for an additional minute. Pour in diced tomatoes and basil. Cook for 8-10 minutes, allowing liquid to reduce. While this is cooking, cut your cooled eggplant in half and scoop out flesh. When the liquid is reduced in your pan, add the eggplant. Mix together, add salt and pepper to taste, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until eggplant is heated through. 

  
In a serving bowl, add linguine, 1/4 cup of reserved water, and the contents of your sauté pan. Toss to coat. Serve and enjoy!