eggs

Jelly Roll Cake

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Delicious Holiday Foods: Jelly Roll Cake! Sweetness never tasted so good. The best part about this classic cake recipe is the filling can be whatever flavor you wish it to be. I used all-natural Red-Cherry Swiss Preserves for a fruit flavor resulting in a gourmet experience. It created an international glimpse of Switzerland without setting foot on an airplane.

JELLY ROLL CAKE

Ingredients:

3 eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup almonds, sliced

2/3 cup jelly or jam, any flavor

Powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease and line a 10″x15″ jelly roll pan. Beat eggs until thick and lemon-colored, about 5 minutes. Gradually add sugar, water, and almond extract. Mix thoroughly. Add flour, baking powder, and salt until well blended and no lumps remain. Pour into pan and sprinkle with almonds. Bake 12-15 minutes. Loosen cake from pan and invert onto a tea towel generously sprinkled with powdered sugar. While cake is hot, roll up. Refrigerate one hour. Unroll cake and top with jelly or jam, spreading to edges. Roll up cake again, sprinkle with powdered sugar, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate two more hours before serving.

French Silk Pie

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Delicious Holiday Foods: French Silk Pie! If you’re a chocolate lover…and I suspect that you are, join me on this decadent chocolate trail of passion. The charismatic power of chocolate may be a mystery to every man out there, but serve up a taste of this incredible creamy silk and others will follow! French Silk Pie has become my Signature Dessert; it’s that legendary!

FRENCH SILK PIE

Ingredients for Crust:

1/4 cup butter, melted

25 vanilla wafers, crushed

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Instructions for Crust:

Preheat oven to 300°. Combine butter, wafers, and pecans until crumbly. Reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish. Press remaining crumb mixture into an 8-9″ pie plate. Bake 15 minutes. Let cool.

Ingredients for Filling:

3/4 cup butter, melted

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 tablespoons oil

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions for Filling:

For best results, use a food processor to get the luscious results. Cream together butter and sugar. Add cocoa powder and oil. Blend well. THIS NEXT STEP IS CRITICAL. Add one egg and beat for 4 minutes. Add the second egg and beat for 4 minutes. Add the third egg and beat for 4 minutes. Finally add the teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat 30 seconds. Pour the filling into the crust. Garnish with reserve crumb mixture. Chill before serving.

Watercress Spinach Salad In A Jar

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Palatable Possibilities: Watercress Spinach Salad in a Jar! My heart beats a little faster whenever I come across a bunch of watercress at the fresh marketplace. I know immediately that I will pair it with baby spinach because they work well together. Its slightly peppery taste is an amazing balance to the mild sweetness of spinach leaves. By portioning salads in a jar, they keep a couple days in the refrigerator, as long as the dressing is added later, when served. Not only is the salad appealing, it comes across as pure genius. Mmm Mmm Good.

WATERCRESS SPINACH SALAD IN A JAR

Ingredients:

3/4 cup watercress leaves

1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

1/2 red onion, sliced

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced

1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced

4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

4 pint-size jars, with lids

Caesar dressing, prepared

Instructions:

Layer each jar beginning with watercress and spinach leaves. Carefully place sliced eggs along the inside. Add layers of sliced red onions, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms. Finish with crumbled bacon on top. Twist the lid to seal each jar. Refrigerate salads until ready to serve. To serve, empty contents of jar onto a plate or bowl. Add bottled Caesar dressing, per taste.

X-Treme Everything Deviled Eggs

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Waste Not, Want Not: X-treme Everything Deviled Eggs! When it comes to deviled eggs, you hear a plethora of descriptions ranging from “world’s best” to “million dollar” to “dangerously good” deviled eggs. But here’s the catch: Everyone has a different number of taste buds. They extend beyond your tongue to include the roof of your mouth as well as the inner cheeks and throat. What you find appealing may not interest me in the least. Here’s a good example. Everything But Bagel Seasoning contains garlic, onion, poppy seeds, and sesame seeds. While it may make your heart flutter sprinkled all over a freshly baked bagel, it may sound completely gross mixed in a deviled egg. On the other hand, when I topped the deviled egg with a clump of newly grown alfalfa sprouts, my taste buds did something similar to a TikTok dance. Just saying.

X-TREME EVERYTHING DEVILED EGGS

Ingredients:

6 hard-boiled eggs

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature

1 tablespoon Everything But Bagel Seasoning

Alfalfa sprouts, for garnish

Instructions:

Peel the prepared hard-boiled eggs. Slice in half horizontally. Carefully remove the solid yolks and transfer to a small bowl. Place the egg whites on a serving platter. Using a fork, mash the egg yolks into a fine crumble. Add mayonnaise and softened cream cheese. Mix until smooth and creamy. Fold in Everything But Bagel Seasoning. Spoon the yolk filling into the egg whites. Sprinkle more seasoning on top, if desired. Garnish deviled eggs with a crown of fresh alfalfa sprouts.

Ultimate Turkey Hash

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Waste Not, Want Not: Ultimate Turkey Hash! There’s something about eating a forkful of savory potatoes for breakfast. And if watching your carbs is a thing, your body has a better chance of burning carbs in the morning. At least that’s what my husband tells me. I tend to look more at portion-control and fat content. Then again, I also put a lot of value in metabolism, genetics, and good ole nutrition. No matter how you serve it up, in the end it’s nothing more than a turkey shoot.

ULTIMATE TURKEY HASH

Ingredients:

1 potato, washed with skin on

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup green pepper, chopped

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic and herb seasoning blend

1/2 cup seasoned turkey, shredded

2 eggs

Instructions:

Wash potato, pierce with a knife, and microwave on High for 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into chunks. Warm olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add green peppers and diced onions. Sauté 5 minutes, or until soft. Add potatoes. Sprinkle with seasonings. Cook until potatoes turn golden brown. Add shredded turkey. Heat through. Make two wells. Spray centers with nonstick oil. Drop an egg into each well. Cover pan for one minute. Reduce heat to low. Check eggs. Cover one minute longer or cook until eggs are set. Serve immediately.

Urban Grilled Egg Salad Sammie

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Enjoyable Eats: Urban Grilled Egg Salad Sammie! Making dietary changes, however slight, can move the needle in a positive direction without sacrificing taste. Organic multigrain bread with flax seed and quinoa provides a nice crunch, whether toasted with butter, grilled in an iron skillet, or eaten plain with sliced tomatoes. Sometimes things need to be experienced to be believed. Because I had a bowl of hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator, I thought….hey, I wonder how an egg salad sandwich would taste if it was warmed like a grilled cheese sandwich? Long story, short. Curiosity can create new meals. Perhaps you may wonder enough to find out for yourself.

URBAN GRILLED EGG SALAD SAMMIE

Ingredients:

6 hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon red onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon jalapeño pickle juice

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

4 slices organic quinoa multigrain bread

Instructions:

In a bowl, combine hard boiled eggs and red onion with mayonnaise. Mix well. Sprinkle in parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and black pepper. Stir until blended. Add Dijon mustard and jalapeño pickle juice. Stir well. Butter one side of each slice of quinoa bread. Warm an iron skillet over medium heat. Place 2 slices of bread, butter side down, into skillet. Divide egg salad between sandwiches. Top with remaining 2 slices of bread, butter side up. Carefully turn the sandwiches over when the bottoms are golden, after 3-4 minutes. When the underside is golden, transfer sandwiches to a plate. Serve with a dill pickle spear.

Quiche From the Hen House

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Enjoyable Eats: Quiche From the Hen House! Certain foods are like time-travel. Take quiche, for instance. Elsewhere it’s no big deal, popular even. But in America, guys couldn’t stand it back in the ‘80s. Too sissy. Never mind that it was economical and the ingredients were pretty much on hand when the grocery budget was stretched to the max. But then came bacon, and everything changed. Suddenly quiche was raised to the level of deep dish pizza.

QUICHE FROM THE HEN HOUSE

Ingredients:

1 prepared pie crust

1 broccoli crown, cut into bite-size pieces

1/3 sweet onion, chopped

3 eggs

1 cup light cream

1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a pie plate with nonstick oil. Place prepared pie crust in the pie plate. Crimp edges. Sprinkle 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese over bottom. Set aside. In a microwave-safe covered dish, steam broccoli for 2 minutes; drain. Set aside. Place chopped onion in a microwave-safe dish. Cook 2 minutes on High setting. Set aside. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, light cream, seasoned salt, and black pepper. Arrange broccoli pieces and chopped onion in the pie crust. Pour egg mixture over the vegetables. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes. Quiche is done when center is set and a knife inserted comes out clean. Serve warm.

First Watch in Estero, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: First Watch in Estero, Florida! You can always tell breakfast is going to be good when you know the workers get up with the chickens, which means the crack of dawn. The oven heats up for freshly-baked pastries, the cage-free eggs get whipped for super-light lemon ricotta pancakes, and the smell of hardwood smoked bacon stimulates the appetite as succulent fruits and garden vegetables are chopped, sliced, or diced for the menu of the day. But that’s not all. Smell that coffee. Once you place the order, an aromatic pot of steaming coffee is set before you to drain at your leisure. This is how to enjoy the morning cuppa joe. As you can imagine, word has gotten out, so sometimes there’s a wait. No worries, it takes that long to decide what to choose. Besides, this is Florida and the weather brings a healthy disposition.

Caffé Milano in Naples, Florida

Dining Outside the Home: Caffé Milano in Naples, Florida! First impressions go a long way in my book. From the moment you choose an outdoor table along Fifth Avenue, the server greets you with marinated mixed olives from Italy and homemade ciabatta bread slices. If you’re Italian, you know how important bread is at a meal. Sink your teeth into the earthy goodness and make a mental note to buy a loaf to take home for later. Caffè Milano pretty much serves food all day long. Since I was there for a brunch-style meal, the natural choice that day was Eggs Benedict. Just so you know, the Hollandaise is ah-mazing! Relax and enjoy the activity along the boulevard. You may see luxury import cars to high fashion statements made by those strolling by, so appreciate the perfect vantage point for delicious food and current activity.