As many of you know I heart brunch. It is by far my favorite meal. I love the tradition, I love mimosas, I love the leisurely conversation, I love feeling luxurious and like I should be doing something else, I love spending time with my friends and family over a good meal, I love breakfast food, and I love the amazing holiday memories that I have experienced over the years with brunch. Let's be real brunch can actually make any day a holiday in my opinion.



So, when I first saw this recipe for Mushroom Spinach Strata I have to admit I thought of Easter and making brunch for my family and friends, which is our usual tradition. And when we first got the "shelter in place" order we received the date of April 9th, giving us 3 days to get ramped up for our Easter celebrations. And I did a little happy dance inside.

However, as we all know our "shelter in place" orders have been extended and please know I completely support doing whatever we have to do to get through this difficult time as a country. My opinion from the beginning has been just stay home and do whatever it takes to get through this as fast as we can.

That being said, I saw a quote on social media today that summarized exactly how many of us are feeling in light of our uncertain circumstances. It said,"It's ok to grieve the loss of what you thought these next few months would bring. You don't have to bear it all with a smile on your face." And I love that! I have been trying so hard to be positive and keep my chin up and be in the present moment and find ways to make the best of it. Yet, it was amazing to see this and to give myself permission to grieve.

I know we are all grieving. Some of us are grieving for friends and family we have lost. Some of us are grieving for cancelled plans. Some of us are grieving for life plans/changes that have been placed on hold/delayed. Some of us are grieving the vision of where we hoped to be or what we hoped to be doing or who we hoped to be with. That being said, no judgment, it is ok to grieve, it is ok to feel disappointed, sad, angry, frustrated, confused, hurt, and exhausted.

And yes I could go into a positive diatribe about how we can come out of this stronger, better, more compassionate, more loving, etc, but right now just give yourself a moment to grieve....regardless of how big or small the loss you are mourning. Tomorrow we can work on being positive, rising from the ashes, picking ourselves up, and rebuilding. Today I mourn Easter brunch with my family and so I share the recipe I would have loved to make for them....but with the knowledge that I will be able to cook for them soon.

Ingredients:

4 oz. baguette (about a 9-inch piece), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced

4 oz. cremini mushrooms, trimmed and coarsely chopped (1-1/2 cups)

1 large clove garlic, minced

1 tsp. coarsely chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 oz. baby spinach (4 lightly packed cups)

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

3 oz. smoked Gouda, coarsely grated (about 3/4 cup)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F.

Spread the bread cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet and toast in the heating oven until dry and pale golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, garlic, thyme, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.

 Add the cheese and bread, toss until combined, and transfer to the skillet. Stir until all of the ingredients are distributed evenly and then press down on the mixture to flatten it a bit.

Bake, covered, for 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until set in the center, about 5 minutes more. Let cool briefly, slice, and serve.

Much love and cheers!!

So, I thought long and hard about whether or not I wanted my blog intro to be about the virus, the state of the world, or our current experience of being "sheltered in place." And I have decided that right now we are inundated with virus info, opinions, strategies, news, theories, and stats. And so I would like to say thank you to all of our "essential" folks who are keeping this great country alive, literally and figuratively, but continue reading if you actually want to read about some amazing food you can make while in quarantine or after.



Today I made Indonesian Style Chicken Curry. I found this recipe in a Fine Cooking magazine, and if you are anything like me, the first question that comes to mind is, what is Indonesian style curry? Right? Well when I googled it, the description that came up is that it is what occurs when Indian Curry and Thai Curry have a baby. I love food sex so of course I had to try it!  Ok, super cute description, right? But what exactly does that mean? The best way I can describe Indonesian style curry is that it is a very flavorful curry full of strong flavors, however there is no curry in this recipe. It honestly reminded me more of a Mexican mole style sauce. However, any which way you describe it, this was honestly one of the best recipes I have made in a long time. And you can make it in a slow cooker!! Winning!!

The chicken falls apart, the flavors are robust, but not too spicy. The vegetables are well cooked and when you sever this over rice it is a completely different level of comfort food. I could honestly live on this chicken curry, during quarantine or just in regular times, and that is saying something as I never make the same thing twice.

I did learn a few interesting facts about the word curry that I thought you might find interesting...because well we all have a lot of time for random facts. Soooo....

1. The exact spices that are included in curry is based on national, regional and cultural traditions. It can also be based on family traditions. So, since I grew up in an Italian family, I equate curry to the way we all feel about marinara sauce. Sure, there is a ton of recipes, but we all believe the sauce that our family makes is the best.

2. The word and dish originated from the southern state of India, which was originally spiced with actual curry leaves from a curry tree. Yup curry grows on trees!!

3. The spices that are included in a curry can be whole or ground, cooked or raw. and they may be added during different times in the cooking process. Curry lends itself to a lot of flexibility.

4. The most common spices found in curry include coriander, cumin and turmeric, which this recipe did not include turmeric...but two out of three isn't bad.

5. Curries can be dry or wet. This recipe was a wet curry. Don't worry I didn't say it was a moist curry...we are still ok.

I don't know if I am the only one who has had trouble finding protein right now during this chaotic times, but for some reasons I have been able to consistently find chicken thighs. And thankfully that is exactly what this recipe wants!! I have also had a hard time finding...well toilet paper...aren't we all...but also garlic (WTH) and yeast. When I did a Google search for yeast all I got was Monistat results...not exactly what I wanted to bake my bread with...just sayin.

So here is a list of the ingredients:



5 dried pasilla or New Mexico chiles, stemmed and seeded **yup here in California dried peppers are still easy to find so go snatch them up**

• 1 small shallot, quartered

• 
  
• 2 Tbs. thinly sliced lemongrass **I like to use the tube of lemongrass. It's easier to find, use, and it often stays fresh longer**
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 2 Tbs. sweet smoked paprika
• 1 Tbs. minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 Tbs. packed dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbs. sambal oelek **this is a garlic pepper sauce that you can find at most grocery stores**
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1-1/2 tsp. dried coriander
• Kosher salt
• 6 Tbs. lower-salt chicken broth
• 8 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3-1/4 lb.), skin removed **I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and since the bones were removed I used about 2 lbs and that worked perfectly**
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1/4 lb. waxy potatoes, such as Yukon Gold, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 3-1/2 cups)
• 1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2/3 cup thawed frozen peas