OUT WEST: Food & Lifestyle

Breakfast

Mushroom Tarragon Strata

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French tarragon transforms this Mushroom Tarragon Strata into an elegant breakfast dish with rustic bread, leafy kale, bacon and parmesan.

Breakfast is Served

What do I like most about a breakfast strata? Breakfast strata can be made with whatever you have in your fridge. Whether you want to use up a few vegetable odds and ends, maybe some leftover ham or that last piece of cheese. These are all perfect ingredients to pair with day old French bread to make a delicious strata.

Whenever I have leftover French bread, you know I’m going to turn it into some kind of strata….and with the Covid baking frenzy, we’ve made our fair share of bread around here. Mushroom Tarragon Strata starts with crusty old French bread torn into large cubes. They don’t have to be perfect, in fact, I like a little bit of size difference for added texture.

Next, I like to render bacon lardons and use the leftover bacon fat a.k.a grease to sauté my sliced mushrooms, onions, garlic and kale. These ingredients need just a quick sauté before they are combined with the other strata ingredients. Once they are lightly cooked and cooled, they get folded into the egg mixture with the addition of grated parmesan cheese and French tarragon. Toss together with the torn bread cubes and place in a prepared baking dish. At this point, you could refrigerate for use the next morning or bake until egg is firm and bread is golden brown.

French tarragon transforms this Mushroom Tarragon Strata into an elegant breakfast dish with rustic bread, leafy kale, bacon and parmesan.
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Mushroom Tarragon Strata

French tarragon transforms this Mushroom Tarragon Strata into an elegant breakfast dish with rustic bread, leafy kale, bacon and parmesan.
Course Breakfast, Side Dish
Cuisine Breakfast, Farm to Table
Keyword brunch, Make Ahead Breakfast
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 4 strips thick cut bacon cut into lardons
  • 1/4 yellow onion halved, then sliced thinly
  • 1 mounded cup mushrooms sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic about 1 Tbsp. minced
  • 1 cup kale torn
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • 1 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp. French tarragon chopped

Instructions

  • Butter an oven safe casserole dish. I like using a 9×9 square dish.
  • Place bacon lardons in a medium pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon in cooked through. Remove bacon and set aside, leaving fat in the pan.
  • Sauté the onion, mushrooms and garlic in the bacon fat until just softened about 3 minutes.
  • Add kale to the pan and stir to combine. This remaining heat from the pan with soften the kale just enough. Add bacon back to pan, then remove pan from heat and let cool.
  • In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cream and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Combine bread cubes, sautéed vegetables, egg mixture, parmesan cheese and tarragon.
  • Place evenly into prepared baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until eggs are firm and bread is toasty.

Related Recipes:

  • Savory roasted broccolini
  • Golden browned red potato gratin with warm and spicy Serrano peppers

Farmer’s Market Frittata

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Fresh, seasonal baby potatoes, kale, cherry tomatoes and basil combine with farm fresh eggs, country smoked ham and cheese to create this Farmer’s Market Frittata that’s ready in just 15 minutes.

Farmer's Market Frittata with seasonal vegetables, eggs and cheese

Support Your Local Farmers

So…you’re at your local Farmer’s Market and you pick up all of these beautiful vegetables, maybe some fresh cheese and meats, but you’re not sure exactly what to do with them all.

Make a Farmer’s Market Frittata, of course. Frittatas are the perfect way to showcase whatever ingredients you have on hand and the best thing is they only take about 15 minutes to pull together.

Tender baby potatoes are sliced thinly and sauteed with garlic and olive oil until just tender, then combined with diced country smoked ham, fresh kale, halved cherry tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese. This gets folded together with whisked farm fresh eggs and a splash of cream, then baked for just 10 minutes in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. Top with fresh torn basil.

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Farmer’s Market Frittata

Fresh, seasonal baby potatoes, kale, cherry tomatoes and basil combine with farm fresh eggs, country smoked ham and cheese to create this Farmer's Market Frittata that's ready in just 15 minutes.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Breakfast
Keyword Easy Breakfast, Egg Dishes, Farmer’s Market Meal
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • 1/2 cup baby potatoes sliced thin, such as Fingerling, Yukon or Red
  • 1 large garlic clove minced
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup country ham diced
  • 1/2 cup kale rough chopped
  • 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1 cup cheese grated, such as sharp cheddar
  • 1 tbsp fresh basil chiffonade cut or torn

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  • Whisk eggs, heavy cream, salt and pepper together in a bowl.
  • Saute potatoes and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until tender.
  • Combine ham, kale, tomatoes, cheese and half the basil with egg mixture.
  • Fold potato mixture in with egg mixture and pour into a oiled 12 inch cast iron skillet.
  • Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until just firm and no longer jiggles.
  • Top with remaining fresh basil and serve.

Find a Local Farmer’s Market

Most larger cities have a local Farmer’s Market that’s advertised in a variety of places like social media, banners and local flyers, but you can also search the internet and find local Farmer’s Markets in your state such as wafarmersmarket.org for my home state of Washington.

They often rotate days that they are open. For instance, Everett, WA has their Farmer’s Market on Sundays and Lake Stevens, WA is on a Wednesday. This makes it easier to find one based on your schedule.

Similar Recipes:

  • Savory roasted broccolini
    Savory make ahead dish using leftover bread, roasted broccolini, caramelized onion and white cheddar
  • Rich, buttery Dungeness crab and poblano peppers baked into an all butter crust
  • Roasted poblano, spicy chorizo with melty Jack cheese

Campfire Recipes & Tips

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Step up your camping game with these easy to make gourmet-ish Campfire Recipes & Tips perfect for your weekend getaway in the woods.

Make ahead Muffuletta sandwich
Make ahead Muffuletta sandwich with layers of meat and pickled vegetables

Make Ahead Food

TIP # 1 Prep Your Food Before You Leave

Want a stress free camping trip? Make what you can before you leave, like this Muffuletta Sandwich, which is better the next day anyways. Crusty French bread layered with thin sliced ham, Italian dry salami, smokey provolone cheese, roasted red peppers, pepperoncini and green olive tapenade gets wrapped up tight overnight for the perfect camp sandwich.

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5 from 2 votes

Muffuletta Sandwich

Make ahead sandwich layered with meats, cheese, olive tapenade, roasted red peppers and sliced pepperoncini
Course Main Course
Cuisine Burgers, Sandwiches, Pizza
Keyword Camping Recipes, Make Ahead Sandwich
Prep Time 10 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 large loaf Crusty French bread split
  • 6-8 tbsp Green olive tapenade
  • 1/4 lb Provolone cheese with natural smoke flavor
  • 1/4 lb Good deli ham thin sliced
  • 1/4 lb Italian dry salami thin sliced
  • 6-8 Jarred roasted red peppers in oil
  • 6-8 Pepperoncini thin sliced

Instructions

  • Scoop out part of the inside of French bread halves and discard.
  • Spread green olive tapenade on each French bread half.
  • Place a layer of deli ham and a layer of Italian dry salami on each French bread half.
  • Place roasted red peppers and pepperoncini on one French bread half and cover with other French bread half to complete the sandwich.
  • Wrap tightly in Saran wrap,then in Ziplock and place in cooler at least over night or until ready to eat up to 3 days.

Bring Fresh Vegetables

TIP # 2 Pick Up Some Fresh Vegetables & Fruits Along The Way

You’re driving down that perfect country road, passing local farm stands, so why not pick up some fresh vegetables and fruits to add to your meal plan. You can transform any standard campfire meal with the addition of some fresh seasonal finds from the locals. Steamed Asparagus with Charred Lemon & Bacon is a quick campfire side that looks and feels gourmet.

  • Place asparagus in cast iron pan and cover with water.
  • Steam over fire until just tender.
  • While steaming, cook bacon in another pan and place cut lemons on edge of pan to sear in bacon grease.
  • Drain water from asparagus, add bacon and squeeze of lemon.
Steamed asparagus with bacon and charred lemon
Steamed Asparagus with Bacon and Charred Lemon

Bacon, bacon, BACON

TIP # 3 Bacon Doubles as Grease for Cooking Your Food

We all know that bacon makes everything better, right? I like to use bacon grease to cook my campfire meals. It not only saves room from not having to pack butter or oil, but adds a lot of flavor to your food. And if you freeze your packs of bacon before you head out on your getaway, they also double as ice packs in the cooler. It’s really a WIN WIN situation.

You see that Ziplock bag floating in the hot campfire water? That’s the easiest, no-mess way of cooking scrambled eggs while camping.

  • Before you head out, just crack your eggs in Ziplock bags, add a dash of cream and place in your cooler.
  • Keep it to about 6 eggs per large Ziplock bag for evenness of cooking.
  • When you’re ready to make breakfast, bring a pot of water to a low boil and drop in the Ziplock bag.
  • Make sure the bag doesn’t touch the edge of the hot pot by placing a rubber band around the top and cinching together.
Ziplock campfire scrambled eggs
Scrambled Eggs, Smokey Bacon and Baby Potatoes with Tortillas

Let Your Drinks do the Work

TIP # 4 Bring Boxed Wine to Use In Your Cooking

Boxed wine has come a long way. I always take a box of red wine with me on camping trips. Not only is it good for drinking, but it works well as a marinade for beef like these Beef Short Ribs with Rosemary & Cherry.

And…Remember that farm stand you stopped at on the way? I hope you grabbed some cherries because they pair perfectly with red wine.

  • Pop a few cherries in a Ziplock with your beef short ribs
  • Add a plash to 1/2 cup boxed red wine
  • Got leftover BBQ sauce packets from the drive thru? Throw those in the Ziplock too or hot sauce packets from Taco Bell
  • A little salt and pepper, then let it all sit while you make the fire.
Cherry, red wine and rosemary short ribs
Rainier Cherry, Red Wine & Rosemary Beef Short Ribs

Use Magnesium to start your fire

A fun and easy way to start a fire is by using magnesium. This little block is very powerful and heats to 4000 degrees F. making it a very quick way to start a fire without a lot of effort. All it takes is a block of magnesium and a pocket knife.

Shaved magnesium to start your campfire
  • Layer campfire wood either alternating cross ways or teepee style
  • Use small pieces of kindling to ensure the fire will catch
  • Layer in a few pieces of paper
  • Shave off some magnesium onto the paper
  • Ignite using a spark tool or lighter
Use magnesium to light your campfire

Roasted Broccolini Strata

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Savory Roasted Broccolini Strata with bacon, caramelized onion and white cheddar is a make ahead dish perfect for brunch.

Roasted Broccolini Strata

Savory Strata – Packed with Veggies

Roasted broccolini adds a savory nutty flavor to this make ahead strata. Combined with sharp white cheddar, sweet caramelized onions and smoky bacon for super easy one dish recipe that looks fancy on your brunch table.

The best two things about this Roasted Broccolini Strata are the custard soaked pieces of bread that add SO MUCH TEXTURE because the corners get all crunchy from the oven…..AND the fact that this is not only a one dish recipe, but also make ahead. So, the next day all you do is pop it right in the oven and just like that – No MESS No WORK just simple Deliciousness.

Savory roasted broccolini
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Roasted Broccolini Strata

Savory Roasted Broccolini Strata with bacon, caramelized onion and white cheddar is a make ahead dish perfect for brunch.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine Breakfast
Keyword Baked Egg Dish, Brunch Ideas
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

Roasted Broccolini

  • 1 bunch broccolini
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 pinch salt

Strata

  • 4 strips bacon
  • 1 sweet onion halved then sliced
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper
  • 3-4 cups stale french bread cubed
  • 1 cup sharp white cheddar grated
  • 1 cup Monterrey jack cheese grated

Instructions

Roasted Broccolini

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Cut off ends of broccolini stalks, then lengthwise in half.
  • Place broccolini on sheet pan, making sure to spread out evenly. If you crowd broccolini on pan, it will steam and you want roasted.
  • Drizzle broccolini with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
  • Roast in oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until easily pierced with fork, but still firm.
  • Remove from oven and rough chop, leaving some large pieces for that rustic look.

Strata

  • Butter a casserole dish or cast iron pan.
  • Brown the bacon strips in a large pan over medium heat. Remove bacon and rough chop.
  • Saute onion in the same pan you cooked the bacon in, over medium high heat, using the bacon fat to caramelize the onions until just tender.
  • Beat eggs and heavy cream together in a bowl. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
  • Combine cubed bread, onion, bacon, roasted broccolini and cheeses together. Place in prepared casserole dish or cast iron pan (I like to arrange a few broccolini pieces artistically on top).
  • Pour egg mixture over bread mixture in prepared pan.
  • Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.
  • When ready to eat, preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until starting to brown. NOTE: If using a cast iron pan, you may need to reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes or so.

Options:

  • Make it vegetarian – Just omit the bacon
  • Can’t find broccolini? Use broccolli instead
  • Try a variety of cheeses, like provolone

If you like this, you’ll love:

  • Roasted poblano pepper, spicy chorizo and melty jack cheese plus bread and eggs for a winning combo that’s so easy to make.
  • Golden browned red potato gratin with warm and spicy Serrano peppers
    Golden browned red potato gratin with warm and spicy Serrano peppers
  • Rich, buttery Dungeness crab and poblano peppers baked into an all butter crust

Rustic Banana Bread

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Rustic Banana Bread is a simple recipe made with noticeable pieces of banana, topped with a caramelized slice of banana and toasted walnuts.

Rustic Banana Bread is a simple recipe made with noticeable pieces of banana, topped with a caramelized slice of banana and toasted walnuts.

This recipe celebrates the BANANA in banana bread and you know what that means…it’s a super moist Rustic Banana Bread because you get a banana in every bite. You definitely won’t have to wonder what kind of bread you are eating with this recipe.

We’ve all had them…a bunch of bananas that we leave sitting on the counter in hopes that they will make it to our mouth as a healthy snack. And then they turn brown. Sometimes too quick and we’re left with few options to save them. Sometimes I pop peeled bananas in a Ziploc in the freezer and save for smoothies. Most of the time, I make banana bread.

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Rustic Banana Bread

A simple recipe packed with banana in every bite and topped with a slice of caramelized banana and toasted walnuts.
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Bread, Dessert
Keyword Banana Bread
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 4 ripe bananas (1 reserved)
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Grease 1 regular loaf pan or 2 mini loaf pans
  • Combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, unsalted butter, light brown sugar, eggs and sour cream using a stand mixer or blend well by hand.
  • Add 3 of the ripe bananas by tearing off 1 inch portions. Fold into batter.
  • Pour batter into loaf pan / pans. Slice remaining banana lengthwise in half and place on top of batter. Add chopped walnuts to top.
    Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Rustic Banana Bread is a very simple classic recipe that adds large chunks of banana to the batter and is topped with even more banana and chopped walnuts. Once baked, the slice of banana and chopped walnuts gets a really nice browned caramelized top.