Category Archives: Eggscetera

Rise & Shine Puddin’

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Ok so I have special place in my heart for bread pudding. It was my paternal grandfather’s favorite dessert. So I feel as if I am doing the family a disservice if its on a menu at a restaurant and I don’t order it. Having said that, this is a dessert that can either be amazeballs or really really crappy. I just don’t get it to be honest, however since that is the case I have always been afraid to make it in fear of the fact that I will end up making the crappy version (or that I should have gone to culinary school because I don’t know what the freak “place in a water bath” means? I mean don’t all baths have water? Whatever, I digress). Alas, I came across a recipe that not only seemed easy enough for a home cook to make, but also seemed fool proof at not sucking. I tried it out and just loved it. So much so, that I served it for brunch & looked like a culinary wizard (you know one that bathes their food & such).

Have at it and comment below. Jess and I just don’t have enough reading to do…so write us something! STAT.

  • 7-8* slices day-old bread (I am lazy and didn’t wanna have to buy raisins and cinnamon per the recipe’s instructions so I just used Pepperidge farm raisin cinnamon swirl bread. Best short cut ever, I’m a genius!)                                                  
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted                                                                     
  • 4 eggs, beaten      
  • 2 cups of half & half                            
  • 1/2 cup (white or brown) sugar (original calls for 3/4 cup & that was way too sweet for brunch, but if making as a dessert you can always increase the sugar, but again I left it at 1/2 cup).                                             
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped (candied or regular) walnuts (optional since I know some of y’all have nut allergies)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If using, sprinkle with the nuts now. In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped. Top should look golden brown.

* the bread quantity varies only because I don’t know how custardy or solid you like your bread pudding. Everyone’s preference differs, so just eye ball it.

Happy Eating, XO.

Bougie Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

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One unusually chipper morning, I thought I’d be a little overzealous and make a fancy breakfast/brunch. I had tried these lemon ricotta pancakes in a cafe when visiting Sonia in Philly and have wanted to put my own twist on them ever since.  I have to say, they did not disappoint! They’re amazingly refreshing, and made for an awesome brunch.

  • 2 cup blackberries (or raspberries/mixed berries)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 3 eggs – separate the yolks and egg whites
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp unsalted melted butter
  • 1 zested lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the compote, cook the berries and maple syrup over medium heat until they start to get soft and saucy-like. (Around 3 minutes).

For the melt-in-your-mouth pancakes, whisk together the ricotta, flour, yolks, sugar, butter, lemon zest, and vanilla. Unfortunately, at this point you have to dirty another bowl (personally, I hate doing that). In another bowl beat the egg whites on high until foamy and fold in to the other mixture. Heat your griddle/pan to medium heat, and get to makin’ some pancakes!

When the pancakes are done, pour on a little compote and syrup (tastes good AND looks good). And Don’t forget your mimosa!

lemon ricotta pancakes

Happy Eating, XO

Healthy Green Shake

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After the weekend we just had, we’re in need of some serious detox recipes. Honestly. I never want to see another vodka martini, lemon drop, or 7&7 again. Seeing the rough state I was in (don’t judge. I’m sure we’ve all been there) I had some high hopes for this delicious green concoction and it didn’t disappoint.

  • A handful of fresh spinach
  • 1 chopped granny smith apple
  • 1 cup of frozen pineapple

Mix it all together in your blender until smooth. That’s it!

When it comes to these shakes, I like to play around with different ingredients. I tend to stick with a green veggie (spinach, kale, etc.) and pair it with a citrusy fruit to counteract the bitterness of the veggies. If you have a combo you’ve tried and love, send it our way or tweet us @damn_delish! We’d love to hear what your favorites are.

Green detox shake

Happy Eating, XO.

Hot apple pie crepes

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Apple pie for breakfast? Sign me up! These cozy apple pie crepes are a must-have for those of us with a sweet-tooth. They’re easy to throw together on a cold morning and make the house smell heavenly.

I got the original crepe recipe from my home girl Betty Crocker, but I put my own spin on the pumpkin crepe. Either works deliciously with the apples.

Crepes

  • 2 eggs beaten
  • 1 1/2 cups milk
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tbsp cooking oil (I actually used vegetable oil and they came out just as great)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Throw all of them together and mix until it’s a thick liquid-y texture. Bring a 6 inch skillet to medium heat, spray a little Pam and pour a thin layer of the crepe mix in. When the edge of the crepe doesn’t look so liquid-y you can flip it over. Bring each side to a golden brown and you’re done!

For the pumpkin version, add 1/4 cup canned pumpkin, a dash of nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice, and 2 dashes of cinnamon. (I played with how much of each spice to put in so feel free to put your own spin on it.)

Apple pie filling

  • 3-5 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cubed into little bite size pieces 
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix it all together and let it sit for 10-20 minutes. (This is pretty important because the first time I made these, I didn’t do this and the apples came out too dry. They need time to soak in the spices and get a little juicy.) Pour the apples in to a skillet on medium heat. Let them sit and get a little brown on the outside. When they’re done, wrap them up in a crepe and serve.

To spruce it up a bit, feel free to add some powdered sugar on top of them. If you want to serve them as a dessert, you could try adding some vanilla ice cream inside the crepe with the hot apples. (I mean, you could do this for breakfast too. No judgement here!)

apple crepe

So Very Quiche-ey

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Ok some real talk. Anyone can scramble an egg. Poaching an egg, I’ll leave to the professionals. So what is a way to prepare an egg easily, but with an impressive twist? Quiche! Also a quiche is a fab vehicle to toss in any vegetables, meat, cheese, etc. that you may need to clean out of your fridge. Some of them even have fancy pants names like “Quiche Lorraine”. Below is my easy & yum quiche recipe.

Use a store bought 9 inch pie shell…no one has time to make that from scratch. Less groceries folks! Note a package usually has two pie sheets in it. See Apple Galette recipe on what to do with the other.

The other ingredients are

  • 5 eggs
  • 1.25 cups of half & half
  • 1 teaspoon dried (or 1 tablespoon fresh) parsley
  • Pinch of salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese and 2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese (fontina works well too because it’s a cheese that gets very melty and gooey-those are the technical terms for what it’s known for).

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and the half & half. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Then place the shredded cheese at the bottom of the (prebaked for 5 min and cooled) pie shell. Pour egg mixture over the cheese and bake for 15 min. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and leave in the oven for another 40 min. Allow to set for 10 min before serving. To check for done-ness (another technical term obviously) the crust should be golden and the knife you stick in the middle of the quiche should come out clean, not gooey or liquidy (it’s a baking trick that applies here as well).

Note: You can serve as a brunch item with a side of breakfast meat or berries or a frisee salad. So filling and comforting, yet chic.

 

Quiche

Happy eating, XO.