Lazy Sunday Recipes

It's been awhile since we've been able to just spend a Sunday at home doing absolutely nothing. Today, since it's raining, J's spending the day looking up internet deals on random objects and gloating that he hasn't lost any money on the stock market this week. I, on the other hand, am cooking up a storm and clearing out some pantry clutter.

Chocolate espresso cookies, recipe courtesy of 101 Cookbooks. These are really lovely. I changed the recipe a bit because I don't like the grittiness of chocolate covered espresso beans. I used a very finely ground espresso from Victrola Coffee in Seattle, which lends a deep flavor but no grit to the cookie. I used half a cup of toasted chopped walnuts and chopped up the chocolate chips a little, so my cookies are a little flatter than the original. They are fudgey, gooey, and quite a treat. I'm refraining from eating too much because I fear the straight shots of espresso powder will keep me up all night!



For breakfast, we had what I call a waffled sandwich. A slice of ham, a slice of cheddar, and two slices of wheat toast get pressed in a waffle iron to make a really fun breakfast sandwich. It's cheaper than getting a panini press and you don't have to watch over it like you do a stovetop grilled sandwich.


Lunch was a spin on colcannon. Here's a simple recipe:

• 3 medium potatoes
• 1/2 large onion (or one medium/small onion), thinly sliced
• 1/4 cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2-4 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• salt
• pepper

Boil the potatoes until they are cooked through, then remove them from the water and let them cool a bit. Use the water to boil the onions an cabbage until quite soft. Meanwhile, sautee the bacon until it's crispy, then drain. Put the potatoes through a ricer, or peel and mash them lightly. Drain the cabbage and onions well, pressing a little of the liquid out of them. Combine the cabbage, onions, green onions, bacon, potatoes, and butter in a bowl and fold gently to mix. Don't over mix or your potatoes might become gummy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Alternatively, you can add shredded cheddar, some or all of the bacon fat (cut back on the salt if you do this), chives, a quarter cup of heavy cream, more butter, or use olive oil instead of butter. The possibilities are endless!