It's clean-out-the-fridge Friday, and I woke up hungry today, after days of no appetite due to cold and seasonal allergies.  In my fridge and freezer I found eggs, 1/4 container of heavy cream, bit of bacon, basil on its last legs, shaved parmesan, and bit of chopped parseley. 

Thanks to my friend, Melissa Stewart, I have a new cookbook which showed me how to make real butter.  And speaking of real butter, the baked eggs recipe is adapted from the recipe on a great site called Use Real Butter.  Finally, strawberries are in the stores but NOT in season -- I've created a basil honey sauce to enliven them a bit. 

Baked Eggs

Ingredients:
1 tsp. unsalted butter, softened
Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp. fresh parsley, minced
2 eggs
2 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
Heat oven to 375°F.  Butter one large or two small ramekins.  Combine the cheese and herbs in a small bowl.  Crack eggs into a bowl or cup, taking care not to break the yolks.  Pour the two eggs into a large ramekin, then sprinkle bacon, cheese and parseley over the top.  Finish with a dash of salt and freshly ground pepper.  Bake the eggs for 10-15 minutes until the eggs have achieved desired doneness.

Homemade Butter

Put heavy cream into a mixer and whip on high until the butter starts to separate from the liquid.  Remove liquid, then take butter in your hands and pat it dry.  You can put back in mixer if you want to make flavored butters -- I added a bit of preserves to my batch. 


Honey Basil Syrup

Ingredients:
3 T honey
1/4 cup water
2 basil leaves, chiffonade

Instructions:
Place the honey, water and basil in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring
to combine. Bring mixture to a low boil and then reduce heat to simmer gently.  Strain syrup through a sieve to remove basil leaves.

Green tea has been cited to be beneficial when it comes to all kinds of disease, from heart disease to Alzheimer's, to many types of cancers. Read more on the benefits of green tea, at the World's Healthiest Foods website.
 
According to Dr. Oz, green tea has been shown to boost metabolism 12% by drinking just one cup; tangerine, with a chemical composition that increases sensitivity to insulin and stimulates genes that help to burn fat; and mint, a calorie-free flavor enhancer.

Well, regardless of whether these statements are true, this is darn tasty tea.
  

In a large pitcher, combine:
 
8 cups of brewed green tea
1 tangerine, sliced
A handful of mint leaves 
Honey to taste

 
Let the tea sit in the fridge overnight so all the flavors fuse together. Serve over ice. 

Ellie Krueger is FANTASTIC.  I've been making her breakfast cookies for years, and just made another batch, shown below.

I substitute dried cherries instead of the raisens.  Here's the recipe: 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/breakfast-cookies-recipe/index.html

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small squares
1 (8-ounce) bag grated extra-sharp 2% Cheddar cheese 
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon powdered ancho pepper

Instructions:
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients in food processor, and pulse until crumbly. Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Place dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet, and, using pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 1 inch squares. Sprinkle with kosher salt and bake for 25 minutes. Test for crispiness; crackers may take a few minutes more to finish crisping. Remove from oven when crisp and just starting to brown. Let cool and serve.

Oh, boy, you are going to want to put this into rotation!  It's a wonder the
roasted veggies even made it to the casserole, they were so yummo right out of the oven.

Ingredients:

A tray full of vegetables -- I used
      2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks
      2 cups butternut squash, cut into small cubes
      1 1/2 cups crinkle cut carrots
      3 small zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch coins

1 medium onion, halved and slivered
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and black pepper
Olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2  cups salsa/pico de gallo
2 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 2 big handfuls)
9-10 corn tortillas, halved
2 cups shredded cheese

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie  sheet.

Place vegetables, onion, and corn kernels onto cookie sheet.
Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the cumin and minced garlic over top. Add a  generous pinch or two of salt and black pepper, then use your hands to mix everything together. After everything is coated well, spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting.  Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

In a  small bowl, stir the cilantro into the salsa. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa into the  bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a handful of spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, and cheese.  Top with with a layer of tortillas, salsa, vegetables, and cheese. Cover with  aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until
cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Let it sit for 5 minutes and cut into squares. 

Serves 4 hungry people.