Sunday, April 21, 2013

Let's talk about work.

Recently I was talking to a good friend & mentor about hard work. Since moving to Wilmington, I have noticed that this town very much has a beach mentality. Its a laid-back place & people tend to spend lots of time relaxing & hanging out with friends. Obviously, this mentality meshes well with my personality, but I'm learning some things about that. Rest is important, no doubt, & we take weekends seriously when it comes to relaxing & enjoying time together as well as with friends. But you know what else is important? Work. Yep, I said it. Working hard is important & we were made to do it. 

Sometimes, I get in this self-pity rut where I look at Instagram & Facebook & see some of my friends posting beach pictures etc & it makes me jealous that I'm stuck in an office & they are relaxing on the beach. I often brainstorm ways to find a job where walking on the beach & playing in the ocean is part of your job (let me know if you find one.. I'm in). But, the truth is, we were made to work AND play hard. Since working in pediatrics, I have done a lot of observing of children these days & parenting styles. One thing that I have noticed is that parents have become weak & tend to coddle their kids more. We have started to cultivate this idea of entitlement. Children (and adults) today feel entitled to things. Even more so, many feel entitled to things & expect them without any hard work. 

Call me old school, but lets get back to the old days where both men, woman & children worked hard. I want our children to grow up knowing & appreciating hard work. Of course I want them to play & enjoy life & we absolutely will; but the value of hard work is dwindling these days. Lets bring back old values & remind each other that we are all called to work hard. I don't want to live a lazy life (think of all the things you'd be missing out on!). So here's to years of getting our hands dirty, getting sweaty and working hard!

Monday, April 1, 2013

Sun-dried Tomato & Egg Casserole




Brunch has become by far my favorite meal these days. I can't lie that I find myself day dreaming about lazy weekend mornings that begin with brunch. Theres not much better than good food, friends and a mimosa!

On Easter, we hosted a brunch for a few friends. It was sort of a last minute decision, but it turned out to be a classy occasion. I pulled out a cookbook we got as a wedding present & began searching through for something hearty and scrumptious. I came across a sausage & egg casserole with sun-dried tomatoes. Since we were having a few vegetarian friends over, I altered the recipe a bit. It was a huge hit &  my only regret is that I didn't take any pictures of the finished product. 

Now don't think that I just left out the sausage completely. Oh no, that would just be wrong. Instead of putting it in the casserole, I decided to cook the sausages and finish them off with a cider-honey glaze. Not to call the vegetarians out, but it smelled so good that they too "had" to try a bite! [recipe to come later]

Sun-dried tomato & egg casserole

1/2 c. onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 c. mushrooms, chopped
4 T. parsley, chopped

5 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 c. half and half
1 c. whipping cream
2 c. grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9 x 13 casserole dish (can use a smaller dish if you'd like a thicker casserole). Sauté onions and garlic. Add sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and 2 T. parsley after 2-3 min. Spread this mixture on the bottom of the casserole dish.

Combine eggs, half & half, cream, salt & 1 1/2 c. cheese. Pour mixture into casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and parsley. Bake until golden brown. To test, insert a knife & if it comes out clean, its ready. It took about 30 min in my oven. 

Pair it with some glazed sausage, apricot croissants, fruit salad & mixed greens & thats what I would call a good brunch!