Eggs Italiano!

A month into Spring, we've hit a snow record in Chicago. :-( This breakfast made my morning, filling my kitchen with the smell of piping hot garlic, tomato and herbs. 

This recipe for Baked Eggs with Tomato-Parmesan Sauce reminded me of a Sicilian Omelette they serve at Chris's Pancake House on The Hill in St. Louis. My dear friend, Amy, took me there many years ago. They make a traditional omelette but add their Italian flare with provel cheese, marinara sauce and Italian sausage. Oh so delish!

I always find myself craving tomatoes, perhaps because my husband isn't a fan of them. I cut the recipe down by a fourth, and made one serving for myself. I went a little overboard with the tomato sauce, so my finished product doesn't look anything like the beautiful photo in Everyday Food, but it tasted great!

The only thing that would have made it better is if Amy was here to eat it with me! :)

Spring Has Sprung!

I've been on a blogging hiatus, sidetracked by March Madness, and in a winter rut making some nondescript food. I've been wishing the Chicago weather would turn around. This weekend my wish finally came true!

I'm DONE with the winter recipes. Today I made two recipes from the SPRING section of my Everyday Food cookbook from Martha Stewart Living. There were days I thought I might not ever make it to the spring recipes! Alas, the 80 degree weather has given me the spring in my step I've been yearning for.

To start off, I made Potato Leek Soup. I typically serve it hot, but you can also serve it cold.

Brian loves potato soup, but I don't typically like all of the carbs. This recipe is unique because it only calls for ONE potato. What makes it so good are all of the fresh leeks, and the cream, of course. I had never bought a leek in my life until I started making this soup a few years ago. They are so good, and taste kind of like an onion or cucumber, but smell like a green onion.

I watched The Barefoot Contessa make a roasted potato leek soup earlier this week. It looked wonderful, but it had about 5 more ingredients than this one and took 45 more minutes longer to make. Like most potato soups, it also called for lots of potatoes. Sometimes it's worth all the extra ingredients and time, but I prefer great taste and simplicity.

As a main course, I made Chicken Cobb Salad. I used a Turkey Cobb Salad recipe but substituted chicken. This was the first time I've made this recipe and it was really good! Most importantly, it was simple. I also substituted grape tomatoes for plum, and turkey bacon for regular bacon. It was so flavorful, definitely something I will make again.

Now I'm ready to get my grill on, and hope this nice weather holds!