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Spicy Peach and Cucumber Salsa

Byrd doesn’t know she’s a posh poodle. When her ears are all askew and she’s running through the apartment with a half-decapitated stuffed hedgehog in her mouth, posh is the last thing that comes to mind. She’s a rough and tumble fetchin’ machine, and in case you couldn’t tell, she is finally recovered enough from her knee surgery to play again! We couldn’t be more thrilled.

Though she’s not posh, Byrd does eat posh food of mommy’s choosing. In a roundabout way, I have her to thank for this Spicy Peach and Cucumber Salsa recipe. I was at the local organic grocery store last week picking up a bag of her select kibble when I noticed a bowl of this surprising salsa sitting out to sample. I usually pass up samples, but the unexpected combination of peaches and cucumbers caught my eye, so I took a small nibble.

Suddenly, it was the 4th of July all over again — fireworks in my mouth! Spicy chipotle; refreshing cucumbers; succulent peaches all mingled on a cayenne-pepper laced blue corn chip. There were so many experiences in each bite: tangy, sweet, hot, acidic, cool, juicy. I’d heard of mango salsa, pineapple salsa, but this salsa was a revelation for me. A delicious, tasty, yummy revelation. So much so that I thought about it the whole way home.

The next day after my Jazzercise class (are you still laughing about that?!), I drove back to the organic grocery determined to find the recipe’s creator. And find him I did! Michael works at the grocery and is quite the home chef himself. After spending months in Mexico, he now lives in North Carolina and has his own garden plot replete with tomatoes. He was kind enough to share his recipe, and I scrawled it down on the back of an old grocery list.

My aunt and uncle recently visited from Missouri (hello, Show Me State readers!) and I served them this salsa before a delicious cookout on a balmy day. Mine wasn’t as spectacular as Michael’s, but it was still a success. This is really one of those recipes where you have to add a little, taste a little, add a little more. Fiddle with it until it suits your taste, and then let it sit in the fridge for a half hour or so and meld. I’ll keep practicing until mine is as fantastic as the original!

Also, a note about chips. I tried this salsa on Garden of Eatin’ Red Hot Blues, and I can’t recommend them enough. This is not a sponsored endorsement (though I will accept as many free bags of these chips as they feel like sending me — are you out there, Garden of Eatin’?), just good ol’ fashioned personal opinion. These organic blue corn chips are coated in a fine speckle of cayenne pepper and were the perfect complement to the cool sweetness of the salsa. If you’re not a fan of heat, Garden of Eatin’ also makes a regular blue corn chip that I’m sure is fantastic as well. And everyone likes eating blue chips, right?

I know at first you might have some salsa skepticism — peach and cucumber is definitely an unusual combination — but give this recipe a try. One tiny bite of this salsa inspired a day of obsessive googling and a half-hour drive just to get the recipe. It must be good. And Michael, if you’re reading this, make sure to drop me an email or comment to let me know you saw the post — in true Julie fashion, I’ve lost your email address!

Spicy Peach and Cucumber Salsa


Recipe by: Michael
Yields: 3 cups of salsa

Ingredients:
1-1.5 cups diced, unpeeled cucumber (about 1-2)*
2-2.5 cups diced, peeled, pitted peaches (about 3-4)
1/4-1/2 can of chipotle peppers, diced (depending on your heat tolerance)**
2 tablespoons chopped mint
3 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons peach preserves

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Season salsa to taste with salt. Prepare up to 2 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate until serving. Stir to blend before serving.

*I recommend doing an even finer dice on your cucumber and peach than I did, for texture’s sake.
**Chipotle chiles come canned in adobo. Make sure to wear gloves while chopping and not to touch your face or eyes.

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Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Creamy Coleslaw, and Summer Bean Salsa

Yesterday was a special day on Willow Bird Baking — my one year blogiversary! Considering a given blog post can take upwards of 10 hours to produce including baking, photographing, and writing, this blog now represents over 500 hours of my crazy kitchen capers! I’m humbled by how much WBB has grown, from 450 views in June of 2009 to an average of 65,000+ views per month in April and May of this year. Your readership means so much to me, and I want to sincerely thank you for joining me on this fun, tasty adventure. But as excited as I am about my blogiversary, there is something much, much more important to tell you about today!

My daddy! Tomorrow is Father’s Day and I’ve been holding on to one of my Dad’s special recipes to share with you in honor of the occasion. We’re a family of barbecue lovers. We love it all — from pulled pork sandwiches at Charlotte’s annual Mallard Creek Barbecue to sticky ribs at Gastonia’s Hillbilly’s Barbecue. But my favorite pulled pork sandwich comes right off my dad’s grill!

The grillmaster up there uses a fantastic barbecue rub on a big pork butt, and cooks it all day until it’s fork tender. We shred it onto buns for juicy, fresh pulled pork sandwiches! I top mine with a heaping spoonful of my mom’s creamy coleslaw — it’s got the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the slightly-sweet pork rub, and the whole sandwich just melts in your mouth. When accompanied by a side of fresh, bright bean salsa (sort of like a tangy pico de gallo), this is a fantastic summer meal.

Besides the fact that he can create amazing dinners at the grill, there’s a lot I want to tell you about my dad this Father’s Day! There’s really no way to describe what my dad means to me, but in typical Willow Bird fashion, I’ve decided to give it my best shot with a list. I love my dad because:

1. When I was a little girl, he’d sing songs to me. From “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” to “Julie, Do You Love Me?” he always had a song to make me smile. I always thought he had made the latter song up himself, and was surprised to learn otherwise as an adult! Who would’ve thought there’d be a song ready-made with my name in it?

2. He has always worked so hard for our family. He’s often worked 3 jobs at once to provide for us, without ever complaining about the stress. He currently works 2 jobs.

Best Barbecue Rub


Recipe By: Chris Schlesinger

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar (or use splenda for low-carb BBQ)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or use brown sugar substitute for low-carb BBQ)
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons black pepper
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder

Directions:
Mix together. To use, rub into meat and let sit overnight (or as long as possible) before grilling.

3. His incredible kindness inspires everyone he meets. I once walked into his workplace, where he is a manager. Someone heard me ask for him and took the time to come over and say, “Are you Rick’s daughter? He is a great man” — as if I didn’t already know!

4. He got me ready for school when I was little. Every morning he would blow-dry my hair, comb it into a (sometimes lopsided) ponytail, and place a big bow in it.

5. In addition to getting me ready for school, he took us to school every morning for over a decade. We listened to country music in the car. We didn’t have a ton of extra money, but every day he’d give me my lunch money and 35 cents extra. When school let out, I’d walk across the street and use my 35 cents to buy a cherry coke at the Bi-Lo. I’d sit and drink my soda waiting for him to pick my sisters up and then come to get me.

Creamy Coleslaw


Recipe by: Mom
Yields: about 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 head cabbage, shredded with food processor
1 onion, shredded with food processor
1 carrot, shredded with food processor
6 tablespoons sugar (or splenda)
4 tablespoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
dash cayenne pepper
1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise to taste

Directions:

Put cabbage, carrot, and onion through food processor. Mix sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and coat slaw in it well (slaw will lose volume as it sits, so this will be enough dressing). Refrigerate and add 1-2 tablespoons of Hellman’s mayonnaise when ready to serve, if desired. Can add green pepper or other items to change it up.

6. When my mom went back to college in the ’80s, Dad would periodically pile us in the car and, to my great joy, take us to McDonald’s!

7. Speaking of food, Dad and I share the same food favorites. He introduced me to all sorts of Charlotte culinary wonders: the Chicken Box, Price’s Chicken Coop, Town ‘n Country, the late great Coffee Cup, and the aforementioned Hillbilly’s Barbecue. He’s one of the only people in my family (other than me) who doesn’t wince at the thought of getting a juicy grilled hot dog from a gas station.

8. He has always showered love on us in acts of service. He used to bring me lunch each Friday when I worked across the street from him. He files my taxes for me. He’s always available to listen and assess weird car noises or change my oil.

9. When he worked third shift, I would fall asleep in bed next to my mom. Every night he would pick me up and carry me to my bed. Even when my sleeping quarters moved downstairs, he’d dutifully pick me up and carry me down!

10. He was so courageous throughout his battle with cancer — even though I wanted to support him, he often supported me and the rest of our family and tried to assuage our fear.

Summer Bean Salsa


Recipe By: Jeannie and my mom

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup green onions, chopped
2 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 can jalapeño peppers, chopped
Italian salad dressing, to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together, cover, and refrigerate for a day. Serve with tortilla chips.

And most importantly . . .

11. He is a man of God who taught me about Jesus. One day when I was a little girl riding in his old red car, he asked me if I wanted to pray and ask Jesus to be my Savior. I told him I did, and he helped me pray to receive Christ. A decade later, I would come downstairs early in the morning to find him in his big reading glasses reading the Bible with his breakfast.

I truly wish everyone could have a dad like mine. Many people around Father’s Day say that they have the best dad in the world, but of course, I think mine takes the cake (or maybe the pulled pork sandwich). Dad, you mean so much to me. Thank you for all you do and for who you are! I love you!

Readers, tell me about your dads!


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Santa Fe Breakfast Bake

Mike and I love eating Sunday brunch together after church while watching nerdy television shows (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, anyone?). Typically by Sunday, though, I’ve already cooked up a storm (a hurricane!) and don’t feel like cooking anything else. This means “brunch” for Mike may consist of some prepackaged Indian food from the grocery store. But every now and then, I have to change it up.

Making him a fresh meal for brunch is so rewarding. Imagine expecting your girlfriend to walk in with a reheated, vacuum-sealed pouch o’ chickpeas. Now imagine her sauntering in with a steaming hot plate of freshly-made brunch instead. I get lots of brownie points! Or in this case, egg points.

I saw this Santa Fe Breakfast Bake recipe a few days ago and was immediately enamored with how convenient it was. You throw everything together the night before and then just pop it in the oven in the morning. Talk about a stress-free breakfast! Besides the convenience, it seemed very similar to the Mexican Lasagna Mike and I both love — except now in breakfasty form!

I wanted a bit more “oomph,” so I added some sausage and corn to my version. The result was a lovely brunch that Mike had three huge helpings of! The golden cheese on top, spicy sausage, and hearty black beans and corn were a stick-to-your-ribs, comforting combination.

The only downside is that the casserole (as is common with egg casseroles in my experience) was a bit soupy in the bottom of the dish. I ladled out the “soup” into my first serving and after that the casserole had a nice texture. It was even great upon reheating, as Mike found out when he devoured the leftovers!

We served this with a big spoonful of salsa and sour cream. It’d also be delicious with some sliced avocado. If you love Tex-Mexy breakfasts and brunches like huevos rancheros and migas, I’m betting you’ll love this casserole too! Enjoy!

Santa Fe Breakfast Bake


Recipe by: Adapted from Summer in the Country
Yields: About 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 pound pork sausage
1 cup salsa
1 cup canned black beans, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
8 corn or flour tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
1 cup shredded mexican-style cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
2 egg whites, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:
Brown sausage and drain, discarding grease. Combine salsa, sausage, beans, and corn; set aside. Place one-third of tortilla strips in a lightly greased 11×7 baking dish. Top with 1/3 cup cheese and one cup salsa mixture. Repeat layering with one-third of tortilla strips, 1/3 cup cheese and remaining salsa mixture, ending with remaining tortilla strips. Whisk together remaining ingredients except green onions. Pour egg mixture over tortilla strips; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover with foil and chill overnight.

In the morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove dish from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. Keep covered and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover, and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until lightly golden. Top with green onions and serve with salsa, sour cream, and avocado slices as desired.


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Baked Eggs with Salsa and Toast Points

I promised you in my previous post on Eggs in a French Toast Basket that another tasty breakfast was coming, and here it is! This recipe is as simple as sippin’ iced tea, and also happens to be one of my favorite morning treats. In only 15 minutes, you can be sitting down to a fresh-out-of-the-oven breakfast. Do I sound like a commercial? Good. I meant to.

There are actually tons of variations on baked eggs. My version is simplified from the Williams-Sonoma recipe for Baked Eggs with Tomatoes and Cream to include the things I normally have on hand: salsa, cheese, and sometimes cream. Oh, and eggs. Cage-free eggs, that is, which I firmly believe are worth the dollar extra — even during my financially lean times. Happy chickens make me feel better while I’m scooping up warm yolk with my toast.

Speaking of sopping things up with toast, toast points are so simple to make, and are a terrific accompaniment to this dish. Buttery, toasted triangles make the perfect little sponges for traces of salsa and egg left in your ramekin. However, if you’re on a lower-carb diet, omitting the toast makes this a completely low-carb treat!

Now, you can make this dish fancier for a weekend breakfast. If you have the time and want to mix up some homemade salsa (like the delicious recipe below, compliments of my Aunt Jo Anne), indulge yourself. If you’d rather keep it simple and go the store-bought route, I’m infatuated with the Tex-Mexy On the Border salsa. Don’t hate until you try it; it’s fantastic — can’t believe it’s from a jar!

Aunt Jo Anne’s Homemade Salsa


Recipe by: Jo Anne Ruble
Yields: A lot (how’s that for scientific?) — you can half it if you’re just using it for baked eggs here and there.

Ingredients:
2 cans tomato sauce
1 large banana pepper, seeded and split
2 jalapeno peppers (or to taste), seeded and split
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
cilantro
1 large onion, quartered

Directions:
Blacken 3 peppers in saute pan sprayed with Pam or rubbed with olive oil (Beware! When seeding peppers, use gloves and wash hands immediately. Do not rub your eyes or face. You may want to have a window open for ventilation, because they may make you cough.)

Put tomato sauce into blender along with the rest of the ingredients, dropping in peppers as they blacken. Pulse until combined, but leave a little chunky if desired. Add salt as needed to taste. My mom uses quite a bit of cilantro, so go wild! Store covered in refrigerator.

If you want to bake your own fresh bread for toast points, go for it. If you want to add fancy ingredients here and there (bacon or pancetta? artisan cheese?), I fully support you. But just know that even on those busy weekday mornings, you can throw together some of your favorite jarred salsa, eggs, and cheese and have a few moments of blissful breakfast.

Baked Eggs with Salsa and Toast Points


Recipe by: Adapted heavily from Williams-Sonoma
Yields: 2 3-in. ramekins, or 2 servings

Ingredients:
6-8 tablespoons of your favorite salsa (I use On the Border Salsa)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons heavy cream (optional — I leave this out if I don’t have it on hand)
sprinkle of cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
fresh cilantro
bread for toast points (1-2 slices)
1 tablespoon melted butter for toasting

Optional accompaniments: avocado, sour cream

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter two ramekins (or spray with nonstick cooking spray).

Toast bread: Trim crusts if desired. Brush bread with butter on both sides and toast on a baking sheet in the oven for 1-2 minutes per side.Melt tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and toast bread, 1-2 minutes per side. Allow to cool slightly. NOTE: I actually usually toast my bread in the skillet, but I think the oven is a more reliable way to get a nice golden brown all over. And, you know, you’ve got it heated up for your eggs anyway!

Spoon 3-4 tablespoons salsa into each buttered ramekin (enough to cover the bottom). Break one egg over the salsa in each ramekin. Drizzle each egg with 1 teaspoon cream. Salt and pepper. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake until the egg whites are opaque and the yolks have firm edges and are soft in the center, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle each ramekin with cheddar cheese and return to the oven just to melt, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with torn fresh cilantro. Serve with toast points, avocado, sour cream, etc. as desired.


Happy morning!


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Eggs in a French Toast Basket

This is the first of two quick, easy, delectable breakfasts that I hope you’ll add to your menu for the coming weekend. Remember how I’m trying to avoid kitchen waste? This recipe dawned on me while driving to church last Sunday, and I didn’t have to buy a single thing to make it. An overabundance of eggs and some gifted honey wheat bread were a perfect breakfast foundation, to which I only added a few spices and things I had camping out in the fridge. Et voilà: Eggs in a French Toast Basket.

Or Moon Eggs, or Cowboy Eggs, or Camp Eggs, or any of the other weirdo names Wikipedia suggests are used for this concoction. Anyway, this is not your average version of this recipe. Toast is great and all, but as I was driving, I was thinking, Wouldn’t it be nice to spruce up the toast a bit? Maybe with that fantastic Alton Brown French toast recipe?

Oh, and it was nice — very nice! Mike and I love this crisp French toast recipe, and the included egg really bumped it up a notch. There is a slight issue; namely, French toast needs longer to cook overall than the egg, so the egg did get more done than usual (the yolk wasn’t hard, but wasn’t nice and gooey either). This is just one of those recipes where you fiddle with the timing after you cook your first slice to see how things go. For instance, you might start the French toast and wait a minute or so before adding the egg to achieve a softer yolk.

Nevertheless, Mike and I were over the moon (over the moon eggs, perhaps?) for this breakfast (or brunch, really, or maybe even lunch, since we ate ours after noon!). The sweet, rich French toast and the savory, salty egg were an out-of-this-world combination when hosed down with a bit of butter and some maple syrup.


Don’t forget the bacon.

If you haven’t let yourself sit back and enjoy a nice breakfast lately, here’s your inspiration! Happy breakfasting!

Eggs in a French Toast Basket


Recipe By: Willow Bird Baking, using Alton Brown‘s French toast as a basis.
Yields: 8 pieces; about 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche or challah bread (I used homemade honey wheat bread I received as a gift)
4 tablespoons butter
8 eggs for the baskets (I only used 4 eggs and made the other pieces plain French toast)

Directions:
In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, 3 eggs, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut a hole out of each bread slice using a cookie cutter. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan, breaking an egg into each slice’s hole. Carefully salt and pepper just the egg. Cook approximately 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, until the bread is golden brown on the bottom. Carefully flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes on the remaining side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for a few minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.

P.S. Byrd Update: Byrd is doing well. I’ve been icing her little knees and keeping up with her pain medication, which she hates. She’ll get her stitches out on Tuesday, June 1, but still can’t run or play until July. Difficult for such a rambunctious critter. Thank you so much for your support!


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