Egg (Ostrich egg!)

I am SO SORRY it has taken me so long to update this, call me a bad blogger if you will but I TRY!
So a few Wednesdays ago I was given my newest secret ingredient for IL which was Eggs. I started planning and when it came time to grocery shop Dallas told me he would be providing the eggs, about 2 dozen or so.
To my surprise, THIS is what he showed up with

A freakin' ostrich egg.

This egg was HUGE. The shell felt like shiny plaster and it was heavy. Cracking the shell took a few tries, I think I ended up just taking a hammer to it and clearing the small eggshell bits out before breaking the soft tissue under the hard shell. Either way, it was complicated.

Ha, still in my work clothes.




Finally...


It looked just like a ginormous chicken egg inside. I mixed in some heavy cream in with my eggs. I like cream in eggs, don't know why, you don't have to do this.


Anyways, on to cookin'.

Dish 1
Italian egg roll
You will need:
Egg
Puff pastry
Salami
Cheese - I used parmesan and ricotta
Balsamic vinegar

Set out your puff pastry to thaw. It takes about 45 mins
When it is soft, unroll it, coat with EVOO and sprinkle with some cheese.

These pictures all came out dark and yellow tinted :\

Next
Scramble some eggs with some more cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Don't scramble them all the way, keep them a little runny.


While your eggs cook find a second to cover your pastry dough with a layer of sliced salami.

Sprinkle with cheese - I used ricotta

When the eggs are done, cover the salami and roll up.



Bake in the oven at 400 untill puffy and done looking --- technical I know.

Meanwhile
Reduce some balsamic vinegar for a drizzle. This takes 5-10 minutes.
If you don't want to do this, they sell balsamic drizzle sauce sometimes in the grocery store :)

When your roll is done, remove from oven and drizzle with balsamic glaze, cut and serve!



Veggie Quiche
You will need:
Pie crust - I got the cheap frozen kind from the grocery store.
Eggs
Spinach
Onion
Mushrooms
Cheese

I had no idea making quiche was so easy! And it tastes impressive.

Start by throwing some chopped onions in a pan with some EVOO and mushrooms - stir often


When the onion is soft lower heat and add a handful of spinach leaves on top to wilt.


Wait about 2 minutes and put veggies in frozen pie crust and fill with a beaten egg. Throw a little salt and pepper on top and some cheese and put in them oven at 400 to bake

Takes maybe 10ish minutes. Check to see eggs are solid and cooked, remove, cool and serve!

(I made 2 because of the amazing amount of egg I had!)

After 2 quiches and an egg roll I had enough left over for 4 bowls of scrambled eggs.
My troops were full and ready to complete their battle

Cream Cheese

A week ago after cooking dinner for my husband's friends who come over for a weekly game of Flames of War, it was suggested I make a game of this night too. Dallas has named it "Iron Lydia" and is now in charge of unveiling my secret ingredient. I get the ingredient a week before so I can start planning and grocery shop the night before.
I do a little research and then plan dishes, I don't read from any pre-written (to my knowledge) recipes. I read quick how-to's and then I wing it!
Wednesday was my first IL battle ever: Cream Cheese! This is what I came up with!

The Menu: Dirty dipp appetizer, cream and goat cheese stuffed shells, chocolate cream cheese w honey puff pastry roll.
Prep: Prepare your cook aparatas!

You'll need a whole lot of cream cheese! Dallas brought 4 sticks and I used all of them. I set them on my back porch where it was warm to soften them up! Also if you plan on making this dessert set out our frozen puff pastry dough so it thaws.


Appetizer "Dirty Dipp" (Okay, I lied this was a pre-fabbed recipe that I got from Beer Burbon BBQ fest last year)
1 stick cream cheese mixed with about 1 cup sour cream (or greek yogurt!) I never measure when I cook, I just "eyeballit"
Mix sour cream and cream cheese until you have a dip like consistency. I spiced mine up with "Dirt" that I bought last year from the BBBBQ fest. You can use whatever you like! Garlic, old bay, chili powder, whatever!
Serve immediately with chips.

Cream & Goat Cheese Stuffed Shells
You'll need: (I was cooking for 6, so you can cut this in half for depending on your troop size)
Jumbo shells
2 sticks cream cheese
2 containers goat cheese crumbles
2 jars whatever type of sauce you like. I used:


Step 1
Bring large pot of water, 2 table spoons EVOO and dash of salt to a boil.


MEANWHILE!
Start preparing dessert.
You'll need:
Thawed puff pastry dough. You buy this in the frozen dessert section at a grocery store. Probably near frozen pie crust!
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 (about?) cup sugar. Taste test for sweetness :)

Microwave your already soft cream cheese for about 15 seconds. You want it just hot enough to melt the mini choco chips.
Stir choco chips and sugar into your warm cream cheese until blended. Drizzle some honey onto the mixture.

Test for sweetness. The honey will make it taste a little tart, but don't worry, it won't taste that way once baked. If you desire, add more sugar. I added in some more chocolate chips once cooled too, so they would melt while baking.

Set aside for later!

Back to your boiling water!
Add in your jumbo shells, cook until Al Dente

Strain, coat with EVOO to prevent sticking, and set somewhere cool.

You dont want them to burn your hands while you're stuffing them with cheese!

While your shells are cooling, preheat your oven to 400
Begin mixing your cream in goat cheese. In a bowel mix your GC crumbles into the cream cheese.

Coat the bottom of a pan with your tomato sauce and begin stuffing your shells.

*It's important to have a layer of sauce at the bottom of the pan so your shells don't get hard while baking*
Line up stuffed shells in sauced pan until it's full! 1 layer only, and no over lapping! You want them to all cook evenly.
Cover shells with sauce

Place in oven and bake for 10-15 mins.

MEANWHILE!
While your shells are baking, get your dessert ready so you can pop it in the oven as soon as you take the shells out.
Spread chocolate cream cheese mixture on your puff pastry

Roll up! (In hind sight I should have rolled it up evenly, like a pumpkin roll or pin wheel and not started at the corner.)



Be ready to put desert in oven as soon as you take the shells out. Bake about 10-15 mins until dough looks flaky and very light brown. Remove, and let cool.

When time is up for your shells, remove from oven, serve, and enjoy!




*I forgot to snap some pics of dessert coming out of the oven, the only one I got was of Dallas enjoying!



That's brings my cream cheese battle report to a close. Thanks to the troops for helping with the dishes after their battle at at Sidi Bou Zid.