Egg Foo Yung

I never had Egg Foo Yung before moving to the northeast. Maybe it's just a thing here, part of the super Americanized Chinese cuisine that a lot of people love.

I personally like more authentic Asian dishes, which is what you're more likely to get out west because I've never seen this dish on a menu in any Chinatown anywhere. But there is something to be said for this sub-genre as well. Americanized dishes do have their place, and they're obviously popular for a reason. Either the native dishes themselves don't have appealing flavors or those ingredients are hard to come by. That's my best guess, at least. Maybe there's some other reason for it - I'd certainly love to find out. Perhaps that's a great idea for another post: how foods become Americanized.

But I digress. This dish is really flavorful. Helped along not just by the savory sauce but by the blend and composition of the Egg Foo Yung itself. For those with nostalgic memories of Chinese egg dishes, this is for you. Enjoy!

Baked Penne Marinara

Sometimes simple is best. Sometimes it's outright the greatest thing ever. Sometimes it just blows your socks off. Simple is as simple does.

So in keeping with this simple theme, I won't bore you too much with the details of this amazing dish. Suffice it to say, the melding (and melting) together of pasta, homemade pasta sauce, ground beef, and homemade mozzarella is truly one of the best comfort foods ever. Reminds you of your childhood a bit, doesn't it?

Pair with a salad or a side of veggies and your favorite red wine. Now that's comfort. Enjoy!

Spent Grain Chocolate Breadless Bread Pudding (Muffins)

It's a confusing title, I know. But it's so very accurate! They might be called muffins in another life, yet the way they turn out with their soft, moist inside and their firm outside is more reminiscent of a bread pudding cup.

Except they're breadless bread pudding cups.

Oh, and to make it even more absolutely, flabbergastingly, astonishingly delicious, these puppies (cuppies?) are made with a heaping healthy helping of spent grain left over from brewing a wonderful batch of an oatmeal stout. If you're out of spent grain, try oats and/or any other hearty grain you have.

Enjoy!

Spent Grain Chocolate Breadless Bread Pudding (Muffins)

Yield: 12
Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup spent grain, wet
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Cooking Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, eggs, milk, and then spent grain.
3. In a separate bowl, mix all remaining ingredients.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mix until just combined, and pour into a lined muffin or loaf pan.
5. Bake 30 minutes for muffins, 50 for a loaf.

Chicken Crumbed Mac n Cheese

A childhood love born anew by the sophisticated tastes of an adult.

It's simple. It's basic. It's comforting. Mac n Cheese.

But this aint no mac n cheese like your mother made out of a box. This is deluxe. Next time you're in the mood for some of that comfort food from back when you were a tyke, consider this spiced-up edition. It'll have you asking "Why haven't I been making it like this all along?"

Mac n Cheese seems to be kind of a thing in New England (and maybe the Bay Area too), but this recipe was first thought up in the dry desert of Las Vegas. At least that's where I had it first. Full credit for this goes to my awesome cousin. Enjoy!

Spent Grain Bread

Love bread? (Heck yeah!) Love a really hearty bread? (You know it!)

Love beer? (Are you kidding me!) Homebrew? (I've dabbled.)

Want to use those spent grains instead of just throwing them out? I mean you could feed them to livestock or grow mushrooms or even make a kind of spent grain granola. But forget that! Let's make the best damn homemade bread ever with it!

Homemade bread. Is there anything more wholesome? Is there anything that gives you such a feeling of accomplishment? And it feeds you for days!

One of the most important things is to make sure you have enough yeast and that it's still alive. And let the dough rise and double completely - even if it takes 4 hours. This will make for a lighter, airier bread. Enjoy!

Spent Grain Bread

Yield: 2 loaves
Ingredients

• 3 cups spent grain, wet
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 3-5 cups flour (as needed)
• dash salt

Cooking Directions

1. Proof yeast in mixture of water and sugar (make a starter) for 45 minutes to one hour.
2. Put spent grain in large mixer bowl and add salt. Mix in starter, and start adding flour one cup at a time to start.
3. Keep adding flour until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky (very important).
4. Place dough in a large bowl, cover with a clean towel, and let rise until doubled. Then punch down dough.
5. Form into a round or oblong loaf and place on cookie sheet with a thin layer of corn meal under the loaf.
6. Allow loaf to double in size, bake in 375 F oven 50 to 60 minutes until browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
7. Let cool before cutting.
8. Another option is to separate the dough into two loaves after it is smooth and no longer sticky. It can be baked in bread pans more easily this way.