Vacation, destination wedding, birthday party planning leaves no time for blogging, or cooking even, for that matter. But I'm back.
Now, to your regularly scheduled blog.
Let's see. I think I photographed what I made for dinner last night.
White Bean Burgers
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp oil
1 cup great northern beans
1/3 cup quick cooking oats
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Lawrys to taste
In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil for about 5 minutes or until soft, then set aside. In a large bowl, mash beans with a fork. Be sure to mash most of the beans until a paste forms, leaving some whole beans are okay. Add oats and seasonings to beans. Add onions and garlic to mixture. Mix until well combined. Allow mixture to rest in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, the mixture can be left overnight or up to 3 days. Divide bean mixture into 4 equal balls. With hands, shape mixture into patties about 3 inches around and 1/2 inch thick. To cook patties, bake in 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, turning once. Or, place 1 tsp oil in large skillet over medium heat. Place patties into pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn patties and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until patties are browned on both sides. Serve patties on hamburger buns with desired toppings.
I added a wedge of light Laughing Cow cheese to melt on top. Goooood. I had two 'burgers' and skipped the bun.
Today's breakfast needed to be substantial, because I have a big day ahead, trying to get my house together and the menu started for my daughter's 4th birthday part this Sunday. Of course, I've bitten off more than I can chew. And I'll probably have more food than my guests will be able to eat. I always overdo it....
Anyway, back to breakfast.
Ricotta pancakes. Which I have no recipe for, but could probably use one. Mine are simply a tub of ricotta, a couple tablespoons of flour, and some egg beaters. Today, I also added a few drops of orange extract, because I had some in the pantry.
They start out looking like pancakes, but never solidify properly.
Mine sort of look like scrambled eggs, in the end. But I do like their flavor. And, because my Mother-in-law grows figs, I happened to have, oh, about three thousand of them in my fridge. So I cooked them down, for a fruity topping.
This many figs:
Only makes this much topping:
I added a teaspoon of sugar, but probably shouldn't have. It was overly sweet. I'm batting a thousand today. And here, is how I made my bacon. In fact, I would never make bacon on the stovetop in a frying pan again, now that I've discovered this way to cook bacon to perfection.
The oven!
They lie flat, don't splatter, and cook evenly. Granted, this is turkey bacon, which isn't known for splattering. But it's still an easier option for me. Notice, I lie mine on a cooling sheet first, out of habit, for drainage. Wasn't necessary.
Finished plate:
I am FULL. :)
