Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Sometimes you should just stay in bed....

Have you ever had one of them days where you wish you just stayed in bed? That was me this morning.... Jeff puts his glass of iced tea back in the refrigerator if he does not finish it all and while trying to fit something in the fridge, I managed to knock it over and spill it everywhere. About 10 minutes after that, while trying to eat lunch, instead of crunching down on the piece of apple, I bit my tongue instead... So after 20 minutes of waiting for it to stop bleeding, I was ready to just call it a day and go back to bed. Since it is Tuesday though, I had to get something together for Jeff to bring into the office for Wednesday treat day, so I cleared my head and went on with the rest of the day.

The recipe I picked out to make for him to bring in tomorrow is Chocolate Pretzel Cookies. I've been meaning to try out this cookie since I first went through the King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion. It is a simple ice box chocolate sugar cookie that is rolled into a long rope and then shaped into a pretzel. An egg white glaze is brushed over the top and a some coarse sugar crystals are sprinkled on. Baked until firm, these cookies held their shape well and have an intense chocolate taste from the dutch process cocoa. The coarse crystals not only add a sparkle, they bring a nice crunch on top.


I didn't have to worry much about tonight's dinner as it was put together yesterday. Strata Milano with Gorgonzola uses the bread I mentioned on Sunday's post. Sourdough bread is sliced, toasted, and then allowed to sit in a flavorful cheesy egg mixture overnight. Ricotta and gorgonzola bring a salty richness to the sour bread. Smoky bacon and rosemary flavor the plum tomatoes which are layered inside and on top of the crusty toasted bread. The bottom layer soaks up most of the egg mixture and softens a bit, while the top layer takes on a deep golden brown color and stays quite crisp. It looked kinda funky while it was being put together, but after it was baked I liked the unique appearance. This dish reminded me of the Bread Pudding Florentine we made some time ago.


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8 comments:

  1. s'kat3/01/2006 08:29:00 AM

    Yuck, I hate those kind of days. And yet you still managed to muddle through, and make two beautiful things, to boot!

    The strata looks really tasty! If I'd seen this yesterday, the men would have some killer poker-night food!

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  2. Barbara3/01/2006 03:57:00 PM

    Haven't we all had days like that? Whenever I get stressed out, or have a day like yours I wind up wanting to bake. Cookies, cake, bread, whatever. Something about baking helps soothe my ruffled feathers.

    Hope your tongue feels better.

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  3. MeBeth3/01/2006 05:03:00 PM

    That strata looks scrumptious - I'm sorry to hear about your dreadful day!

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  4. Patti3/01/2006 08:43:00 PM

    I hear ya on the awful days, seems like I have had quite a few of them lately.

    Those pretzel cookies look great!. I have that book, may be some cookies are in order here too!

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  5. Teresa3/02/2006 01:39:00 PM

    Wow, I admire your pluck. I probably would have crawled back into bed hehe. Those cookies sound scrumptious.

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  6. Joe3/02/2006 11:21:00 PM

    s'kat - Yeah, I hope I don't have many more this year either!

    Biscuit - Thanks, it is a little better today, but ugh it still hurts to eat!

    Mebeth - Thanks!

    Patti - You certainly can't go wrong with cookies!

    Teresa - I should have, but was too busy... I need a day to just stay in bed!

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  7. Amy3/04/2006 11:34:00 PM

    Ok, I just love strata and I adore gorgonzola. This sounds wonderful!

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  8. Joe3/06/2006 11:17:00 AM

    Thanks Amy - let me know if you try it!

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