Cream Cheese and Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Nothing can set the mood for a great day off better than a delicious breakfast.  This morning I decided to make stuffed french toast.  I added a layer of fresh strawberries to lighten things up a bit (and to make a dent in the 5 lb supply I impulsively bought this week).  This recipe comes together in a snap but has enough sophistication to be a great choice for Mother's Day brunch.  The filling is sweet enough that no syrup is necessary, but a sprinkle of powdered sugar really sets the whole thing off. 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Spring was imitating summer this week with temperatures in the 90's.  When people started showing up to court and daisy dukes I knew it was officially OK to make my favorite summer fruit pie.  Strawberry Rhubarb pie is a perfect blend of sweet and tart.  It's nearly criminal not to enjoy your first slice hot, messy, and topped with a spoonful of vanilla ice cream which is exactly what we did last night.  It doesn't hurt that the filling is the exact vibrant pink color my inner 7 year old wants to wear every day.  The best part of all is that the filling is so darn simple you'll be putting the pie in the oven in no time flat.

Cloverleaf Rolls

There's nothing quite like a soft yeasty roll straight from the oven to remind you that sometimes the simple pleasures are the best.  Our hectic schedules rarely allow most of us to enjoy bread straight from the oven more than a couple times a year.  When you do decide the occasion warrants fresh rolls, it'd be a real pity not to give these a chance.  These rolls are easy to put together (though it's a bit time consuming to measure out 72 little balls of dough) and freeze wonderfully.  They're a perfect complement to any holiday meal or any non-holiday meal you'd like to make feel a little special.

Easter Deviled Eggs

Growing up my family wasn't very religious but we always made sure to celebrate Easter.  On the Saturday before Easter my mom and I would decorate what felt like dozens of eggs.  A few eggs wound up in our Easter baskets, but most ended up being used for the deviled eggs we would eat at Easter dinner.  Though I've (mostly) outgrown any interest in decorating eggs, deviled eggs still haven't lost their luster.

If you do a google search for deviled eggs you'll quickly find out that people have put nearly everything from sweet relish to jalapenos in the filling.  While I don't doubt that many of them are quite delicious, they're not what I think of when I think of deviled eggs.  These deviled eggs are like the ones my mom (and I have reason to suspect, your mom) made.  The filling is a smooth and creamy mix of mustard, vinegar, mayo and yolk.. just the way I like 'em.

Brioche Buns, Barbeque, and Birthdays

Today is the 35th anniversary of the man of the house's birth.  In honor of the occasion, his brother and sister-in-law are coming up to the farmhouse from NC for the weekend.  In celebration of his birthday and his brother's visit, the man of the house is smoking a pork shoulder for pulled pork tonight.  When we were at the store getting supplies for the weekend I, ambitiously, suggested that rather than buying the buns I would make them at home.

Last summer I read this article and saw this post but at the time I had never made a loaf of bread and didn't see myself starting anytime soon.  When I got into making bread I avoided brioche doughs fearing their slack, sticky texture and lamenting my lack of stand mixer with dough hook attachment.  Now that I've made them I realize what a sissy I was and I can't believe it took me until now to make them.  The buns are light, chewy, and perfectly plump unlike the flat, limp burger buns you get so often at the supermarket.  Whatever you do, don't make the same mistake I did and wait nearly a year to make these buns.

Pasta Carbonara

I had a trial yesterday that ran into the evening and by the time the man of the house and I finally got home and got around to attending to dinner we were both famished.  Though we had plenty of staples on hand there wasn't much other than a frozen pizza that could be ready in under half an hour.  There also wasn't a whole lot of energy left to come up with a creative dinner.  When I looked into the fridge I saw Parmesan cheese, bacon and eggs and finally it dawned on me to prepare a simple and hearty Pasta Carbonara.  From idea to the first bite barely 20 minutes elapsed. 

I used Emeril's recipe and halved it because there were only two of us for dinner, but this could easily be scaled up or down to feed a few or a crowd.  The recipe posted below will serve four (or more) hungry adults.