Coconut Lemon Bars

The original recipe was from one of the issues of Food Network Magazine. It was for a classic lemon bar. I think I tabbed off nearly half of the recipe in that issue. I still had all that lemon juiceleeft from all those lemons I had received. So when I saw this in the magazine, I knew I had to make it. I prepared my ingredients. The only thing I didn't have was lemon zest. I had juiced all those lemons a while back and I threw out all the rinds. Had I known I needed some zest, I would have zested a few of a couple before throwing them out. So in place of the zest I added come coconut flakes into the filling instead. Give it another level of flavor. These are delicious tart treats.

Mmmm...coconut lemon flavor.

Makes 12-24 bar depending on how big you slice them.

Coconut Lemon Bars

crust:
vegetable oil or cooking spray
3/4 c unsalted butter - 1 1/2 sticks - cold cubed
2 c all purpose flour
1/4 c brown sugar - packed
1/4 c confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar) - plus extra for dusting
1/4 tsp salt

filling:
4 eggs
2 egg yolks
2 c granulated sugar
1/3 c all purpose flour
1 c coconut flakes
1 c fresh lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 350˚F

Grease a 9x13 - inch pan with the vegetable oil or cooking spray. Then line the pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides. Grease the foil as well.

In a food process, pulse the butter, flour, sugars and salt until it feels of a dough texture.  About a minute. If you don't have a food processor, mix and mash together with your hands until you get a doughy consistency.

Place the dough in the pan and press evenly, making sure there are no cracks. Place in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, roughly 25 minutes.

While the crust bakes, make the filling. Whisk together, the eggs, yolks, sugar and flour until a smooth consistency. Add the lemon juice and coconut flakes.

When the crust is finished, remove from oven. Turn the oven down to 300˚F. Pour the filling onto the warm crust and return the pan into the oven. Baked for another 30-35 minutes or until the filling has set.

Let the bars cool in the pan on a rack, then put in the fridge until it firms up -- 2 hours. When the filling has set, remove from the pan and slice. Dust with some additional powdered sugar.

Soupy-licious

A good friend and I had gone here after a long day of picking up equipment for a video he would be filming. We were starving by the end of the day and one a whim we drove down Lake Avenue in Pasadena one of the first things we see is Souplantion. It's a buffet-style place that serves up some delicious soups. I remember once have a pre-production meeting there once many years ago just for the heck of it.

You enter the place and one of the first things you see are two long aisle of salad. Well, both sides served the same thing. It's a way to keep the people flowing. You pick and choose from premade salads or create your own from a variety of mix-ins. You then reach the cashier and pay. Grab your utensils and cup for a drink.

Top clock wise: Asian Salad with vinaigrette and crispy noodles and wontons, Pasta, salad, Focaccia with cheese, Corn bread, (pickles and jalapeno pepper under the cornbread muffin) Fresh corn and some cucumber with tomato slices.

Then you hit the next section of the place. The Soups. They always have a rotations of soups every time.  On this night, there was chicken noodle, minestrone, old fashioned clam chowder, shrimp bisque, creamy tomato. There were three other ones that I totally forgot because my eyes immediately darted for the clam chowder, then to the shrimp bisque. What to choose...what to choose? Which one should I have first. I went for what was closest to me, which was the clam chowder.

Delicious Old Fashioned Clam Chowder with Oyster crackers underneath.

All the breads and pastas like the focaccia are found next to the soups. In the breads section you'd find a selection of muffins like cornbread, blueberry, chocolate, cranberry, oat.  Pastas were spaghetti, mac and cheese, and one other one that I didn't really see.

Of course I went back for some seconds. That the dangers of going to a place that serves buffet style. You'd be tempted to keep going back... and go back I did.

So for my slightly smaller second round, I went for some shrimp bisque, which I enjoyed a lot. Some good ol' fashioned creamy mac and cheese and a couple more pieces of focaccia. When I came here many times before I'd always buy a bakery bag and fill it with their blueberry muffin and chocolate muffins. It's that good that I'd want to take near half a dozen home. There's even an ice cream machine there. But I skipped that this time. I didn't want to push myself. I was tempted especially with the chocolate syrup conveniently place next to it. A funny thing about the location of the place. It's right next to an L.A. fitness. Ummm...yeah.

Egg in a Nest

Today's the last day to enter my B + B 1-year giveaway.  Click here, if you haven't entered yet.

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I've seen this several times around the blog-o-sphere. As it just so happens, I had gotten myself a brand spankin' new 6 1/2-inch cast iron skillet. I squealed with delight when it arrived at my door. The only thing I had to decide was what would be the first thing i cooked on it. I didn't care that it was a small pan, just as long as I have one, I am happy. My next purchase may be to get the larger size.

As I held the skillet in my hand, breakfast was on my mind. This happened at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. So an afternoon brunch it was. I cut out the centers of the bread with a cookie cutter. I used the bread discs, toasted them up and at them with some POM syrup. Anyway...I first toasted the bread in the oven to get them nice and crisp before cooking on the skillet. Then I prepared the skillet. Laid the bread flat and gently pour the egg right into the hole. Once the egg was cooked almost halfway I flipped and cooked the other side.  I mixed in a little shredded cheese into my nests.

Makes 4 nests

Egg in a Nest

4 slices of bread - 1-inch thick
4 eggs
salt
shredded cheese - optional
additional topping - optional


Cut out a 2-3 inch hole from the center of the bread slices. Toast them, toaster oven, or conventional oven.

Crack an egg into  small bowl and season witha  pinch of salt. You may light scramble or leave the egg as is. You may also mix in any mix-in at this time.

Heat up your skillet and lightly grease your skillet with cooking spray and on medium heat. When the pan is hot place the toast flat and pour in the egg. Cook for 2-3 minutes on one side and quickly flip the toast with a flat spatula and cook for another 2-3. Do this same procedure for each slice of toast.

Serve warm.

Crisp Cheesy Breadsticks

A little reminder if you haven't entered the B + B 1-year giveaway you've still got time.  Click here.

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I needed a way to jazz up some leftover sourdough bread. I wasn't in the mood for a sandwich and I wasn't in the mood to bake up anything that would keep me in the kitchen for way too long.  So I figured breadsticks were in order. These ones had a nice and toasty crust with a slightly soft center. It was a good balance of soft and crunchy.

I cut off the crusts. When I was a kid I wished bread would always come without the crust. But of course we all know it doesn't work that way. Brushed on some olive oil on both side and some garlic powder. The garlic powder is optional. Baked them for a food 10 minutes, then sprinkled ssome shredded parmesan cheese over them and baked them for another 5 minutes just until the cheese has melted through.  I had this with a side of some of the Bertolli Arrabiata sauce I had left.

These are great appetizers, too.

Makes 14 stick.

Crisp Cheesy Breadsticks
4 sliced sourdough - 1-inch thick
extra virgin olive oil
shredded parmesan cheese
garlic powder - optional

Preheat your oven to 400˚F

Cut the crusts off the the sliced of bread. Coat both sides with olive oil as well as spinkly a seasoning of the garlic powder. Cut the slices in 1-inch thick sticks and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 5-10 minutes until the surface as browned.  Give them a turn half way though for and spinkle some parmesan cheese on top. Baked for another 5 minutes.

Serve warm with a side of marinara sauce.

Baked Tilapia Enchiladas

There's still time to enter the B + B 1-year giveaway, if you haven't yet.  Click here.

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I remember reading a post over at The Adventures of Tavolini, where Lini mentioned having fish enchiladas one day. That got me thinking and I'm still slightly on my tortilla kick when I realized that enchiladas was something I hadn't made yet. I bought a some tilapia fillets for my enchiladas. you can also use cod, sole, or mahi mahi. Made some chunky pico de gallo where I added some leftover pineapple chunks sitting in the fridge. That was the only thing I stuffed into the tortillas along with the baked fish. For the red sauce I used some Bertolli Arriabata Tomato sauce.  Sprinkled a good amount of cheese on top and melted them.

Also as being a part of Foodbuzz's Tastemaker program, I was fortunate enough to have gotten to sample some of Bertolli's new sauces. I was surprised at the lovely box it came in. It was one those open flap type box, too. Which was really cool to open. Both sides of the flap had recipes which utilize one of the sauces. In the main compartment held two glass jars.

One was a Four Cheese Rosa Sauce. The other was an Arrabiata sauce, which was a spicy tomato and red pepper. I've mostly known the Bertolli brand for their variety of pastas, but I enjoyed this sauce quite a lot. I still have some left, so I may just have some straight up spaghetti. For the other sauce I'm thinking something along the lines of lobster once again. We'll see what I come up with.

Makes 6 enchiladas

Baked Tilapia Enchiladas

6 taco sized totillas
2-3 medium sized tilapia fillet
Seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika or you own choice)
3 c salsa
1-2 c Bertolli Spicy Tomato and pepper sauce
2 c shredded cheese - mexican blend - queso, jack cheese, cheddar

Preheat your oven to 400˚F

Liberally season the tilapia fillets with salt, pepper, and paprika or you choice of your favorite seasoning. Place the fillets on a lightly greased foil-linned baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Let the fish rest for at least 10 minutes after baking to let the juices redistribute.

Preheat your broiler.

Take a tortilla and place a nice piece of the tilapia on the side closest to you along with to tablespoons of salsa. Fold in the sides, then roll the tortilla like a burrito.

Place them in an oven safe shallow dish. Pour over the Tomato sauce over and sprinkle the cheese evenly. Put the dish into the broiler for 2-3 minutes just until the cheese has melted.

Serve warm.

Grilled Cheese with Tomato, Bell Pepper and Onion

A little reminder if you haven't entered the B + B 1-year giveaway you've still got time.  Click here. It's really cool prize, too.

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Another variation of the grilled cheese. Comfort food with a twist? I knew I wanted grilled cheese and tomato, but something said to me I need to add something else into the mix. How about some sauteed yellow bell pepper and onion? Sure. And that's what I did. The slight sweetness from bell pepper was a nice added flavor.

I feel like having grilled cheese again.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Grilled Cheese with Tomato, Bell Pepper and Onion

4 slices of bread - your choice
1 c shredded cheese - your choice
1 small tomato - 1/4-inch thick slices
1/2 medium onion - sliced
1 small to medium bell pepper - thin sliced and deseeded.
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive
1 Tbsp butter

Heat a pan with a small drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and butter. Saute the onion and bell pepper together until both are tender. Season with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.

To make a sandwich:
Spread a thin layer of butter on one side of each slice of bread.

Evenly place some of the cheese on the other side. Top with a couple slices of tomato followed but the bell pepper and tomato mixture. Top with more cheese and the other slice of butter bread. The sandwich should have buttered-side out.

Heat an ungreased skillet and cook both sides until the bread has browned and toasted. 3-5 minutes each side on medium heat.

Serve warm.

Note: If you've got a grill or press, cook for 4-5 minutes until bread is browned and toasted.

Bread + Butter turns 1!!!! (...with a little giveaway)

I did it!! A year ago today, I began this little blog as a way to share my recipes and ideas to just friends and anyone who is and was willing to read. I've been blogging way before this one, but it was mostly for my observations and film experience/interests on Misadventures of Little J. I still frequently writing on there every week. Have a look. Then one day in March, I decided on whim to start another blog. And in popped up Bread + Butter. Why the name? Because it's one of my favorite things to eat in the world. It's one of the first things they bring you at restaurants. And I'm sure it's two things that are in every household. The name can go two ways. Bread Plus Butter or Bread and Butter. I like both. It was really just a thing I thought I'd post maybe once or twice a week, if I was lucky. Now look at it. 376 posts later, it's grown into something I couldn't have imagined.

To kick off this little blogiversay I made a little cupcake doodle as seen above. It's chocolate with pink vanilla frosting. Yum. (That's my chocolate fix, since I gave it up for lent.) Or I can just show you a big coffee cake muffin I had while having my morning at a little shop the other day. :) That thing was twice the size of my fist!!!! But it was really delicious.

I need to give a shoutout to a few people. Eric at Eric Rivera's Cooking Blog, Tangled Noodle, doggybloggy at ChezWhat?, Oyster Culture at Oyster Food and Culture. You guys were one of the first commentors here and I can't thank you enough for sticking around.  It was almost like a "Julie & Julia" moment, when I had my first comments, except that they weren't from someone directly related to me. For you loyal readers and visitors here, in the most heartfelt way that I can through the interweb, I thank you all for being so awesome. You make this blog enjoyable to do every single day. Even though I haven't been able to reply to the comments as much these days, I do enjoy reading them and I do read all of them. I promise.

So in honor of this 1-year blogiversary, I'm having a giveaway. Ooooooo.... I wanted the prize to be something related to one of my favorite foods of all time. That would be...sushi!!! (Oh, I'm planning on doing a sushi week here on B + B, so keep an eye out.) The winner will receive this cool sushi book called Easy Sushi. It's filled with how-to's on how to make the various sushi rolls. Also to help you get started, I'm including a little sushi kit that has a rice paddle, bamboo rolling mat, and a little instruction booklet. I do love sushi!!

There are 4 ways you can enter.

1. Leave a comment simply stating what your favorite food is. 
2. Follow me on twitter, leave a separate comment.
3. Become a fan on Facebook, also leave a separate comment.
4. Subscribe via email or in a reader, again leave a separate comment.

That's it. Simple and easy peasy. You've got until Saturday, March 13, 2010. And by the grace of Random.org, a winner will be chosen. Or I may do it the old fashioned way, pick a piece of paper out of a bowl.  So have at it and comment away!! Now let's par-tay!!