Extra Schmaltz!

 Well it's been a mere 5 years, two children, and a pandemic since I posted! Part of what has been stopping me (other than life itself) is that I tried to create a standalone blog at extraschmaltz.com instead of Blogger, but I haven't been able to figure out how to get the technology working like I want it to. The Blogger site lacks the features I want, but at least we know how to use it. Alas... Anyway, here is a true family classic that we have somehow never posted: savory egg kugel. It was a staple growing up vegetarian--protein, fat, and carbs. Easy, fast, and filling. 1 bag wide egg noodles 6 eggs 1/2 stick butter, melted salt and pepper Boil the noodles in well salted water. Beat the eggs and melted butter together. Drain the noodles and let them cool a bit before you mix in the eggs so that they don't immediately cook. Stir the egg mixture into the noodles and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray and dump the mixture into...

 This is the style of rice pudding that mom would make us growing up. It's a great way to use that small bit of leftover rice that's too little for fried rice or whatever. It's also really, really easy to make. The secret for maximum deliciousness is to err on the side of using less rice, or to add a bit more milk and egg to compensate if you add a bit too much rice.  It's all about that cross-section of custard on top and dense sweet rice on the bottom. Ingredients 1-1.5 c. cooked white rice, but less is better 2 c. milk, or increase if you have more rice 2/3 c. sugar (part brown sugar makes it extra tasty) 1/4 c. raisins or to taste 5 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/4 tsp. cinnamon (honestly I just shake and eyeball this)  Preparation Grease an casserole dish. Preheat oven to 350.  Beat the eggs in a big bowl, then add literally everything else and whomp thoroughly.  Pour into the casserole dish, and cook probably about an hour or longer - it takes more tim...

I think I like leftover potatoes better than the first time they come around, and this is one reason why. This makes a hearty, easy meal that feeds a crowd, and even keeps vegetarians happy. It's great hot, but also good cold as a late-night snack (sort of the 17th century Taco Bell). You can get fancy and make it from raw potatoes (I recommend waxy ones like Yukon Gold), but slice them thin and allow plenty of time for them to cook through. ~2 c. cold leftover potatoes, sliced 1/2 white onion, sliced 3 Tbsp. olive oil 6-8 eggs 1 Tsp paprika (smoked paprika is extra tasty in this) 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. pepper Optional: other leftovers Heat a large nonstick pan with the olive oil. Add the onions and cook 1-2 minutes. Add the potato slices in a single layer, and cook on medium-low until the edges start to crisp. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and add the salt, pepper, and paprika. TIP: taste the eggs to see if the salt is right--don't fear the reaper. Dump the ho...

These should really be called dinosaur eggs! These are a beautiful and simple accompaniment to a meal. They can be stored for several days. Make them with Congee to add some protein if you are feeling under the weather. Looks beautiful after 1.5 hrs simmering! They would have been darker if I let them steep overnight. Eggs with delicious congee . Perfect when you need something comforting and easy to digest. This is a simple recipe but it takes time. Scale up as needed for more eggs. 6 eggs 2 Tbsp. of black tea leaves(I used pu-erh) 1/4 c. light soy sauce 2 pieces star anise 1 small stick Vietnamese cinnamon 2 Tbsp. brown sugar Plenty of water First pre-cook the eggs: Place eggs in saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then put the lid on turn the heat off. Let sit, covered, for 11 minutes if eggs were room temperature or 13 minutes if they were cold. This will make PERFECT hard boiled eggs with pure yellow yolks (no green!) Cool the eggs in cold w...

This recipe is from Great Cookies by Carole Walters. The results are light, delectable, and wheat-free. Great for after a heavy meal when you want a touch of sweetness, and perfect for Passover. Preheat oven to 275°, with racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Meringues 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into pieces 4 large egg whites at room temp 1/8 tsp. salt 1 c. superfine sugar, divided 1/2 tsp. vanilla For the meringues, chop the unsweetened chocolate in the food processor until fine. I found putting the chocolate in the freezer for 15 minutes helped keep it cool. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and beat at medium until frothy. Add the salt, increase the speed, and beat until it forms firm peaks. Add 2/3 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time. Add the vanilla and beat 1 minute more until it forms stiff peaks. Fold in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar in four additions, then fold in the chopped chocolate. Form 'quenel...

Note: Alex had titled this "Toad-in-the-Hole", which refers to another dish entirely. Discussion is in the comments. This is a fun recipe (technique really) that I picked up from Melanie. She also calls it "Bullseyes" - it has a ton of names - Wikipedia lists it as "Eggs in the basket" among many, many others. You could do it with any kind of bread (a personal favorite is corn bread, then put some salsa on top). It's also quite popular with kids. One crazy variation I see online is to use waffles. Instructional Pictures! With ham and Swiss cheese melted on top in the toaster oven. Ingredients: Eggs Bread (in slices) S&P Take some pieces of bread, butter both sides, and cut holes in the center (you can use a glass or cookie-cutter to do this). On medium-high heat, cook the bread for a minute or so, then crack an egg into the center. You can sprinkle on some salt and pepper at this point. When it looks cooked enough to f...

So I was making omelets the other day, and I was thinking it might be fun to have a list of interesting omelet fillings, for those days when you want to try something new. Since I can't figure out how to let us all edit this post, we should add more ideas in the comments. Tomatoes with Browned Garlic, Mozzarella, Parmesan and Basil: Dice tomatoes, garlic, and optionally green onions. Brown garlic in olive oil, add green onions briefly, then add tomatoes - remove from heat, but keep stirring. Add the mix to the omelets with mozzarella, Parmesan and fresh basil leaves. Mushrooms in Wine, with Basil and Rosemary: Cut mushrooms into small chunks (I liked to leave them a little chunky). Brown in lots of butter (again, optional green onions), salt, add white wine. Cook down. Add basil and rosemary to the eggs. You could do this with or without cheese. I think I used Parmesan, cause that's what I had. Za3tar: Mix za3tar spice mix with olive oil until it makes a liquidy paste, then ad...

A standard of Tex-Mex cuisine, migas are a great way to use up old, stale corn tortillas. The ingredients are mostly up to you, but this is sort of the standard: Old corn tortillas, cut into squares Onion, minced Bell peppers, diced (this is optional, but I like it) Jalapenos (if you don't like this too hot, use pickled jalapenos, they're not normally too hot) Tomatoes or chunky salsa Cilantro Eggs Cheese (cheddar, pepper jack,whatever) Saute tortillas in some oil until they get a bit more transparent (they're gonna get cooked a lot more, so don't overdo it too much), then add onions and cook until halfway to transparent, then add peppers. I like to add some of the cilantro here. When everything's pretty well cooked, add tomatoes or salsa, cook for a bit. Eggs should be beaten with s&p, cilantro and some milk if possible. Pour eggs over everything, stir, and towards then end add cheese. I like to brown the whole mass a bit. Serve with lots of salsa on top. Tradi...

This is not a real recipe per se - just sort of a meal idea, and you can add and subtract as you like. I bet it'd be really good with a bit of meat (chorizo), and I didn't have any cheese on hand, which would definitely make it better. Note also that you need either a metal skillet that's oven friendly, or you can try to pour things into a baking pan in the last step. Anyway, it's a Magidow classic: 1 can black beans 1/4-1/2 Bell pepper, minced 1/4-1/2 Onion, minced Jalapeno peppers to taste, minced Garlic, minced 3-4 eggs Cilantro Spices Preheat oven to 400. Saute peppers, onion and garlic with butter or oil on a low flame, preferably in an oven friendly skillet. While it's cooking, mince up some cilantro, toss it into the eggs, and beat. You could also add some cheese to the eggs as well. Add the beans, and whatever spices you want (cumin, chili powder, etc), cooking to reduce extra liquid if necessary. Remove from heat, pour the beaten eggs over the w...

Alex requested this recipe, which was a fun opportunity to look at my Jr. High School-era handwriting on the recipe card. I learned to make pannekoeken in Home Ec. in 7th grade (surely that class has since been eliminated or at least renamed) . It is like a large popover or a very eggy panckake that's baked, and is typically served for breakfast. The whole thing puffs up when you bake it and then the edges fall inwards. One example of a pannekoeken. They puff up higher if you preheat the pan and butter good 'n' hot, but this was the first batch and I was impatient. Preheat oven to 45o. Coat a circular baking dish (ideally one with high sides) with melted butter. Combine: 1/2 c. flour 1/2 c. milk 2 eggs Beat until smooth. Pour the batter into the buttered pan and sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 15 minutes, until it puffs up and browns on the edges. Serve as quickly as possible, because it will fall as it cools. I like to serve it with maple syrup, but it i...

This is the 2nd half of the spareribs I braised before . I prepared them jerk style, but sorta half assed so while they still turned out delicious, they did not spirit my palate away to the Caribbean. The jerk marinade was about 1 part cider vinegar, 1 part water, half a lime's juice, a bunch of chopped scallions, and a bit each of thyme, allspice, cumin, and coriander. I blended this with a bullion cube for good measure and a couple tablespoons of brown sugar. It probably would have worked if I had properly marinated the meat, but I didn't do it until about 10 minutes before prep so there was minimal penetration of the flavor into the meat. I compensated by basted it as it barbecued. Using Lil's tried and true method of dividing the coals with a big foil roasting pan, I slow cooked the meat for about 2.5 hours, basting it with the sauce and turning it every 30 or so. What you see above is the result, with a pronounced smoke ring into the meat. It was delicious. Here is the...

This might just be the perfect weeknight meal. Have you ever thought to yourself, "wouldn't it be awesome if there was a combination of scrambled eggs and macaroni and cheese that also contained ham and only took about half an hour to make?" Then this is the recipe for you! It's incredibly simple and deeply satisfying. Make this and a simple vegetable side and you'll be full for hours and possibly even ready to run a marathon. My version is fairly close to the original Italian style, but with more locally available ingredients. Instead of pancetta I used diced ham, and instead of romano cheese I used sharp white cheddar. Some recipes complicate things by adding peas or parsley, but really it's supposed to just be noodles, eggs, cheese, black pepper, and a little ham (you could even use leftover roast fowl instead). I'm an overachiever, so I made my pasta from scratch, but this is still totally delicious with boxed noodles. TIP: You must remember to reserv...