Incredible Edible Eggs

via Eat Live Run. 

I've been on a big egg kick lately. Scrambled, soft-boiled, poached—you name it, I want it. They're just so easy to make and comforting in their warm gooeyness, not to mention cheap and fairly healthy. These are my current favorite eggy dishes, plus a few I really want to try.

 via Oh Joy!

via No Recipes.

via Lingered Upon.

via A Cozy Kitchen.

comida.

I took Todd to Barsa for his birthday a few weeks ago, and we had a leisurely meal of Spanish-style tapas and cocktails that had us remembering our trip to Spain a few years ago. Since then I've been feeling super wanderlusty — and watching lots of Rick Steves — so I decided to take it out in the kitchen. I made patatas bravas, gambas al ajillo, flan de fresas, and a salad made with local beets. Sounds fancy, but it was all super simple — and super delicioso.

popcorn.

One of my favorite stories my mom told us as kids was about when the field of popcorn behind their house caught on fire, and all of the kernels exploded into white fluffiness. I still don't know if it was true or not, but it was a funny story nonetheless.

I've been reading about how unhealthy microwave popcorn is — and we don't have a microwave, anyway — so I decided to try my hand at stovetop popcorn. I couldn't believe how simple it was. All you do is heat some oil in a pot, throw in some kernels, cover it, and watch the magic unfold (here's the recipe I used). I'm still working on getting the texture just right (tips?), but it's one of my favorite new snacks.

thanksgiving.

I'll probably kick myself for saying this years down the road, but I can't wait to host my own Thanksgiving dinner. I love the six-hour trek home to Virginia — either to Todd's house or mine — but I look forward to having everyone come to me. I like to think I'll go all out, Martha Stewart-style, with fancy place settings and floral arrangements. Or maybe I'll just carry on the family tradition of keeping it simple with endless turkey, taters, green bean casserole, giblet gravy, and pies. Who's hungry? 

 

via. 

fall party.

I've been thinking about entertaining a lot this week in anticipation of our housewarming party. We should have our first truly fall-like weather of the season, and I can't wait to open the windows, light up some pumpkin candles, and cook up a big pot of chili. In addition to that, here are a few other recipes I plan to make:

This Harvest Moon Punch looks delicious and lethal — it has moonshine and Applejack in it. Plus regular and sparkling cider. Yes, you can buy moonshine in S.C.

This Artichoke and Cheese Tart looks yummy — and surprisingly easy to make.

S'More Brownies. 'Nuff said.

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Dip. Obviously I'm not going for healthy here.

millions of peaches.

I went home to Virginia for Labor Day weekend and had a relaxing time with my family catching up, eating too much, and chasing my four nephews around. I came home with some great antiques for the shop, some plants, and a big box of peaches to experiment with. I'm writing an article on canning, so I'm thinking of trying this recipe, along with these:

peach and tomato salad with avocado, red onion, chile flakes and cilantro. 

 cinnamon toast with peaches and mascarpone.

peach salsa.

grilled peaches with ricotta 

(I'm making Todd grill me one right now, at 10 p.m., because that picture is so drool-worthy.)

Do you have any favorite peach recipes?

speaking of sugar.

Stormy weather puts me in a baking mood, and in case you haven't heard, we're experiencing a bit of that here on the east coast. Luckily, we haven't experienced too much severe weather in Charleston yet, even though Irene is currently spinning a little too close to comfort.

I made sugar cookies last night. Despite being a close second to chocolate chip in my book, I've never actually tried to make them. Silly me. This recipe was ridiculously easy. And delicious. I would be gorging on them now if my stupid dog hadn't eaten all of the leftovers. Oh well, guess I'll have to bake some more, but tonight I'm trying my hand at chicken pot pie, another first. I'll let you know how it goes.