Watership Down Kitchen

Eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs! It wonderful and terrifying to raise chickens and have them all start laying, Eight eggs a day! I am giving them away to friends, family, neighbors and even my students and still have more than enough for my baking and cooking. I just used the nearly orange yolks in my Mocha Pudding and have to use up the whites. I am still unpacking so my tube pan for Angel Food cake is packed away in a box down cellar. I decided to instead make an Angel Food Cake loaf in an ungreased loaf pan. I scaled my traditional recipe down for size and made sure to thoroughly cool the cake upside down to encourage maximum fluffiness. Major success!  Top this with whipped cream, fresh fruit, a drizzle of custard, jam or plain- whatever floats you boat. Enjoy! Ingredients: 6 egg whites 3/4 teaspoon cream of tarter 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon almond extract 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup cake flour, sifted to remove lumps Metho

I love vanilla and chocolate pudding, but sometimes I crave something a little fancier. Well, fancier tasting but just as easy to make! Mocha pudding- add in a pinch of espresso powder, cocoa powder and white chocolate and you have a crowd pleasing dessert warm or cold. I am awash with eggs at the moment (8 a day!) and this is one recipe that helps me use up my eggs is a super decadent way. Next recipe I tell you how to make use of the whites! Enjoy! Ingredients: 2 cups of whole milk 1/2 cup light cream 1/3 cup sugar 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 1 teaspoon expresso powder 1/8 cup chopped white chocolate 1 vanilla bean (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract) 3 egg yolks pinch salt 1 tablespoon butter Method: Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan. If using, split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrap out the seeds with the back of a knife. Add the seeds and pod to the cream and milk mixture. Bring

Sometimes I want to indulge in cheese and potatoes and meat.  So I do! When I need creamy and salty and easy all combined into one pan, I turn to my cheesy scalloped potatoes recipe and I add kielbasa (aka the best sausage there there, period, except for maybe chorizo, breakfast sausage, salami, italian sweet sausage, italian spicy sausage, pepperoni….. ok, all sausage is incredible. Ground meats and spices stuffed into a casing? Yasssss please). This is the meal to turn to when you need to celebrate or commiserate; when you land the gig or flub the call back, when you get a new student or no one returns your emails, when you win the competition or the you don’t even place, when times are good or times are bad- this is the meal that will reward you or soothe you. Pair it with your favorite glass of wine and you have a meal that will warm your soul. Ingredients: 1 pound sliced kielbasa 1/4 cup butter 1 large sweet onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup f

Shrimp Spaghetti and Peas Is there anything better than shrimp with buttery pasta? Yes! Add some peas and you can see yourself this dish as a practical health food. Perfectly seasoned with garlic, cayenne and lemon juice, this is a pasta dish you might find yourself picking at from the pan with your second glass of wine. Not that I speak from experience, of course. I HIGHLY recommend buying shrimp with the shells on. Yes, a bit more work to remove them, but they add so so so much flavor to a dish. Here, we saute them to extract on the briny, shrimp flavor we can. Strain them out, add the shrimp and you will have the MOST flavorful white wine butter sauce you can imagine. Depth of flavor, hear we come! Now if you’ll excuse me, I need seconds. Ingredients: 1 pound shrimp, 41-60 count 1/3 stick butter 1/4 cup wine 2 tablespoons butter 1 minced garlic clove cayenne pepper and salt to taste parmesan cheese 1/2 pound spaghetti 4 ounces frozen peas

Summertime, or in this case, late spring, means endless grilling and endless burgers. And though I dearly love a beef hamburger, my heart and my palate cannot eat them time after time. I like to intersperse my medium rare burgers with healthier black bean burgers, and for a fun twist, fish burgers. Most of the time when I think of a fish burger, I picture a breaded fillet. I wanted to make something that felt more like a true burger and less like a sandwich. The fish is “ground” (read: processed) like hamburger meat, formed into a patty and grilled over a charcoal flame. The final twist is the spicy thai curry paste married with the thai peanut sauce and quick pickled veggies; pairs perfectly with cod and is a definite change from the typical hamburger toppings and flavors.  Enjoy! Ingredients: 1 pound cod fillet, roughly chopped 4 scallions, diced 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup thai red curry paste freshly cracked black pepper, to taste 2 teaspoons sa

Black bean burgers are amazing things. Cheap as can be to make, healthy and delicious; they satisfy the “I need a burger” craving perfectly. If you have a food processor, these come together in a jiffy. Otherwise, you will just want to work the beans with a masher and you will have larger chunks of vegetables.  I love the addition of the salty, tangy feta here. Feel free to tweak the spices; I like this level of earthy heat from the cumin and coriander but not too much spice from the chili powder. Those of you that like fire might want to double that amount! I enjoy these most grilled outdoors, but you can bake them in a 400 degree oven, flipping halfway through. The smoke of a charcoal grill adds to the flavor and appeal, though. Enjoy with your favorite libation and happy almost summer! Ingredients: 2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained (14 ounces each) 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 1 green bell pepper, diced 1 small sweet onion, diced 3 garlic cl

Sunday mornings are my brunch morning. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, but I rarely have the time or desire to eat something big in the morning. On Sundays, however, I get all my chores done and am raring to go for something lovely by 11 o’clock. This particular Sunday was sandwiched in between attending multiple musicals starring my students and performing in my own show.  I wanted something delicious, but quick. I had made delicious biscuits earlier in the week that had turned into hockey pucks. Savory bread pudding it is! With my perennial favorite add-ins of ham, broccoli and cheese. As I had two biscuits left, this recipe serves 2. However, it can be easily doubled. Enjoy! Ingredients: 2 stale biscuits, chopped 2 eggs, beaten 1/4 cup milk 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/4 chopped broccoli 2 slices deli ham, diced 1 slice smoked gouda, diced salt and pepper to taste Method: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 ramekins and set

I am off to rehearsal tonight for The Magic Flute. Today is overcast and cold, I have a bunch of voice students to teach, I just finished ballet, and then I will be out late singing my brains out for the chorus rehearsal. I need something filling, something comforting, something warming.  So obviously carbs- but what kind? I want it fast, so bread is a no. I want it savory, so no to waffles, muffins, pancakes, etc. I only want to put butter on it, so pasta is out. Solution? Drop biscuit. Dead simple to make and baked in about 25 minutes.  But wait; I want flavor and biscuits are mostly flavor carriers. I can add the cheddar cheese I have in the fridge but what can put it over the top?… Cayenne pepper! A beautiful, warm heat, perfect for this chilly day.  This biscuit is absolute perfection; fluffy, tender, spicy, cheesy, crispy on the exterior- truly heaven on a plate. Enjoy! Ingredients: 1 stick butter, grated into the dry ingredients 1 1/2 cups flour 1/2