Thursday and Food

I woke up on Thursday at 6:30 AM. Now, normally, I kinda ease into morning on my days off, but I can't today. I have a 9:00 AM dental appointment.

So, I shaved and showered and got dressed. I called Lu to wish her a happy birthday, but just got the machine.

I left for the dentist. The cleaning went fine, but part of a filling had fallen out (again) so I have another appointment in a couple of weeks. The funny part of this is this very same dentist is the guy who put that filling in!

On the way back home, I stopped at the market for some half and half.

Before going home, I stopped and washed the car at the quarter carwash to get the salt and crud off it. With all the remaining snow melting, it seemed silly, but it looked bad!

Back home, I towel-dried the car and then emptied the dishwasher. I put my soup on to warm up for lunch.

I ran some errands after 1:00 PM. When I got back home, I decided a nap would be nice. Once again, that didn't work. My nap-maker must be broke!

About 6:00 PM I started on two dinners: tonight's and tomorrow's.

Background story on Friday's dinner: Years and years ago, my wife and I (Lu) took the weekend off and went down to Amish country in Indiana to spend a night in a "bed and breakfast". It was our first bed and breakfast, so we had no idea what to expect. Well, there was an immediate problem. Amish are forbidden to work or get paid on a Sunday. So, we ended up staying on a Mennonite farm. Mennonites are similar to Amish, but they can use cars, machinery and electricity. They still dress like Amish, though, lol!

Also, having stayed at several bed and breakfasts since that time (some with hot tubs for the guests, etc.) this was rather primitive. We basically rented out one of their bedrooms. But we didn't know that then and did have a great time!

We went to the Amish gatherings and flea markets, drove past their churches and buggies and sat on the farm's wide porch, visiting with our older hosts. On Sunday morning, the wife (still dressed in their "uniform") served an egg dish that was fantastic. I assumed it was an Amish/Mennonite dish I would never taste again.

Flash forward until 2010! I was half-watching an Every Day Italian show where Giada made damn near the same dish! She called it a "strata."

I searched her recipe and found that, given my reduced hours (and pay) it would be a little pricey to reproduce. Hers involved imported Italian prosciutto and smoked gouda. So, acknowledging my new reality, I searched the web to see if I could find a lower-cost version. Turns out there were hundreds! Who knew?

Note: I did ask Carla if she ever made a strata and she said, "Of course!" Hmmm... Like nobody was gonna tell me this?

So, since this needs to refrigerate overnight, I started on it first. Note: I adjusted this slightly to accommodate my smaller baking dish. I took my crusty French bread loaf and cut off six thick slices. I cut those into 1-inch cubes and put them in my biggest bowl. I added the four strips of bacon (after crumbling them) I'd browned up a few days ago, about 1 1/2 cups of sharp cheddar cheese and one cup of chopped button mushrooms.

In another bowl, I whisked eight eggs. To that I added two cups of half and half. I whisked in a touch of salt, fresh ground pepper and a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. I mixed the dry ingredients with the wet ones, put that in my baking dish, covered it with cling wrap and set it in the fridge for the night.

Now onto tonight's dinner! I thought I'd do something both delicious and decadent. So, I took the fresh asparagus I'd bought on impulse at Kroger's (99 cents and kept in water ever since) and snapped one of them to determine the point where I have to trim them. Okay, so here's the first sign that cheaper isn't necessarily better. I had to cut off about half of each stem (Westborn asparagus is maybe three times more expensive, but you only lose an inch or two).

Now most recipes for roasted asparagus call for three ingredients: Asparagus, olive oil, and salt. I don't remember anymore if this was another recipe I saw or just me, but I like to add minced garlic. So, I did. I put them on a foil lined cookie sheet (for easier cleanup), tossed them about and put them in the 400 degree F. preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile I heated two inches of water with a teaspoon of vinegar in a small sauce pan. When it got up to a roiling boil, I turned it down to simmer. I broke an egg into a small glass dish and slid it into the simmering water. I poached the egg for 4 1/2 minutes, and then removed it with a slotted spoon. I put it on a saucer and trimmed the edges with the side of the spoon.

The asparagus was done and plated, so I just put the poached egg on top. Brilliant concept! When you cut into it, the poached egg yolk makes a marvelous sauce for the asparagus. It should have been excellent, but...

Not only were the asparagus stems woody, but the tips were stringy. Damn! Well, its almost spring here in Michigan and the asparagus should be coming in all over (and going down in price). I will definitely duplicate this one when I get better product.

I watched TV until 10:30 PM and then went to bed.