Sausage Bread - The Gift that Keeps on Giving

If you ever find yourself presented with a gift of sausage bread, as we were recently, you are very lucky. Sausage bread is a savory, dense bread with sausage, cheese and some spices all rolled up into an eggy dough. The first couple of days we just enjoyed a slice of it for breakfast or lunch. It's the type of food that blurs the line between breakfast and lunch or maybe it is so good that I was just looking for an excuse to eat it any chance I got.

By the end of the week I was ready to be more adventurous with the bread. The ah ha moment came on Saturday morning when my husband and I were sitting around debating whether to have something savory or sweet for our regular Saturday morning breakfast. We will make french toast using the sausage bread.


Sausage bread french toast is prepared just like you would regular french toast only it is so much more. Pour some maple syrup on top and you have solved to the age old savory/sweet breakfast dilemma. You don't even need a side of bacon with it. During my euphoria upon tasting this concoction, I convinced myself that this was the next big thing to hit the New York brunch scene.




Our second a-ha moment with the sausage bread came a day later while making a tomato soup with garlic croutons from the Red Cat cookbook. Instead of the regular day old bread the recipe called for for making the croutons, we used the sausage bread.


The result was delicious. Eating the last crouton the next day with the soup for lunch, I felt a pang of sadness realizing there would be no more sausage bread to come home to that evening.

I Dreamed I Ate a Marshmallow, and When I Woke Up, My Pillow Was Gone!

I've always been curious about marshmallows. I mean, they're sticky and sweet, but not too heavy, they're spongy, Marshmallow Fluff is super awesome, and Phish Food is delicious ice cream. But what the heck is one? How does sugar, and whatever else, plus some ground up hooves, turn into one?

Or, my strong feelings about marshmallows might just be because what's a better childhood memory that coming in from the snow to a piping mug of hot cocoa and marshmallows?

Last week we had a semi-snow day from work. Might as well recreate some childhood memories, no? But, unfortunately, I was out of packets of Swiss Miss hot chocolate with mini marshmallows, so I'd have to make do.

But really, it's crazy: somehow you mix together gelatin and water,

Heat sugar, corn syrup, and water to 240 degrees,

Beat it all together for a while, adding in some vanilla at the end, and turn it into a pan,

Let it sit for several hours, then cut them up,

And before you know, you've got a very tasty marshmallow in your hot cocoa.

We haven't made pizza in a while

We haven't made pizza in a while, and yesterday seemed as good a day as any.

To start, my wonderful wife made one wonderful pie. Inspired by the Dirty Brutto at Baba Louie's Pizza in Great Barrington, MA, there's pesto and roasted red potatoes and roasted garlic and parmiggiano. We added some fresh mozzarella as well. Check out the upskirt and the hole structure.












Then, good old tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and some hot genoa salami. Ok, but I should have left it in the oven a minute or two more. The potato pie was by far the star tonight.

Happy Belated Oscar Night

Since there's a lot of snow outside, I figured I might as well update the blog. Don't worry, if you work with me, I did this between the hours of 9 and 12 when our opening was delayed and the office was closed, not afterwards when I was working from home for the rest of the day.

To cut to the point - I wasn't so into Hugh Jackman hosting the Oscars. I enjoyed the beginning, but otherwise, like everyone else, i was confused by the musical medleys and disappointed that Mickey Rourke didn't get to give an acceptance speech that would have been more memorable than most.

Some of you know we like to have some fun around Oscar time. We all have fond memories of Reese's With-a-Spoon and Cake Gyllenhall, but each new year brings new nominees and new bad food/Oscar puns.

This year we decided to start with a light and fresh Kate Winslettuce salad (with thanks to Karen and Paige on this one).

Then, we couldn't decide what to call the lamb burgers - The Curious Case of Benjamin Mutton? Meryl Sheep? Waltz with Baa-Sheared?


And the ham and cheese sandwiches -- The Rye-stler with Mickey Pork and Marisa Tomeito? The Pork Knight? Ham Hathaway? Or Ham on Rye-r?

Some Pineapple Cruz for a palate cleanser.

And then, wash it all down with a Guinness Milkshake (Stoubt? MILKshakes? Malts with Bashir?)


Of course, our thanks to the fine folks behind Sean Penne with Marisa Tomeito Sauce, Yumdog Millionaires,
and Dark Chocolate Knight Cookies and Peanut Gabriel Cheesecake.