Sherri, Author at Splash of Sherri

An Egg Sandwich that is Simple, and Absolutely Delicious!

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Sherri

No matter how you put it together, an egg sandwich is simple and absolutely delicious. It’s a whole meal in one neatly wrapped package. I’ve been enjoying egg sandwiches for a long time – since high school in fact. In those days it was an English muffin with an egg in one hand, and books in the other as I ran out the door to school. I think handheld meals are the best way to enjoy a healthy breakfast when pressed for time and let’s face it, there are so many variations and are so yummy! With Thanksgiving just around the corner, and recipe websites blitzing every holiday recipe known to mankind, I thought I would go a different route and offer a healthy breakfast alternative for you my wonderful readers. This is a two for one, as I’m also giving a shout out to one of my favorite coffee places here.

Recently I had an egg sandwich I can’t stop thinking about! It was at Fox in the Snow and not the kind you want to eat on the run. Instead, you want to sit and savor every bite with a steaming hot cup of coffee. Fox in the Snow http://www.foxinthesnow.com/ is a bakery/coffee shop here in Columbus, Ohio. Cute name right? It’s located in an old garage and has a cool urban feel – which for me is a plus! It doesn’t hurt that the owners are Brooklyn transplants – something this New York girl was happy to find out! The menu is simple – great pastries and great coffee. I went in last week for a quick bite. A friend told me about their egg sandwich and said it was a must have so I ordered one with a hot mocha and as I waited listened to the album playing in the background.

The fluffy egg soufflé which is so light and rich sits on top of fresh crusty bread. It is topped with cheese (which I think is gruyere or Swiss), arugula, and a Dijon spread. (It ordinarily comes with bacon but not for this girl) Since they are a little far from where I live, I had to come up with something to tide me over until my next visit, so I decided to try my hand at making a lower fat version.

That was last Friday and I have made two of them since! Of course it’s not exactly like the one I had at Fox in the Snow. However, it has all of the components and is quite delicious in its own right and something I don’t feel guilty having a couple times a week. I think you’ll really enjoy it too!

The Sandwich
1 ciabatta roll or other fresh roll of your choice lightly toasted
3 to 4 egg whites*
1 slice of good melting cheese (gruyere, Swiss, or white cheddar)
handful of arugula
salt and pepper to taste

The Spread
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (use your favorite brand, I like Maille)
2 teaspoons Hellmann’s mayonnaise (you must use Hellmann’s)

First prepare the spread by mixing the mustard and mayo together in a small bowl, and set aside.

Place a small nonstick frying pan on the stove on medium heat. Spray it with canola oil or add 1 teaspoon of butter if you wish. Crack 3 to 4 eggs in a bowl and discard the yolks (or put them in a container for later use). Whisk the egg whites quickly with salt and pepper to taste and place in the prepared heated pan.

Lightly toast your roll while preparing your omelet. After you flip the egg, place the cheese on top to melt while the other side is cooking.

To build the egg sandwich, spread both pieces of the bread with the mustard, then place the egg with cheese on top, the arugula, and finally the top of the bread.

*You could use two whole eggs if you prefer. Crack them in a bowl, add a dash of milk, a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk till fluffy then continue with the recipe)

We Should be Holding a Pie or Something!

Posted on November 13, 2015 by Sherri

We should be holding a pie or something! Actually, they should be holding a birthday cake – or two!

A few weeks ago, my husband and his dad were headed out for a bike ride. Before they left I ran out with my camera to take a quick picture of them. I think you’ll agree, too cute not to! The matching shirts were kind of a coincidence – so that worked out in my favor! While I was taking the picture, my father in law said “we should be holding a pie or something.” And with these 8 little words I smiled and thought, I wish they were holding a pie so I could blog about them. Then I realized, they didn’t need a pie – that’s not what my blog is about. It’s not about how many ways can you make a cookie, or 6 photos of the same brownie shot on different plates, in 6 different angles. It’s about food and the connection we have with it, it’s about family, friends, life events and my journey in this world.

Without pie in hand, they left with two bikes on the car rack, in matching shirts, and a cooler in tow filled with goodies for the day. Among the homemade cookies were tuna fish sandwiches, potato chips, clementines, apples, 6 bottles of water and granola bars. That’s how a Jewish mother packs a cooler – filled to the brim until you can’t close the lid! Several hours later, they came home tired, sunburned and with an empty cooler!

So today’s post is all about my birthday boys, father and son, one birthday on the 12th the other on the 13th. It’s easy to remember who’s birthday comes first. My father-in-law will remind you he came first so naturally his birthday is on the 12th! Happy birthday to 2 of my favorite guys!

vegetable cream cheese, it’s my favorite schmear!

Posted on November 8, 2015 by Sherri

Vegetable cream cheese, it’s my favorite schmear!

It’s 11am on Sunday morning and if I was back in New York right now, I would be standing on line at a bagel place behind someone drinking coffee, maybe texting or talking on their cell phone, hair unkempt (lots of hats on Sunday mornings!) reading the Post patiently (or maybe not so patiently – it is NY after all). Standing there in the warmth of the store I would inhale the aroma of Sunday.

Chances are if you are one of my neighbors in Columbus, Ohio – you are not having this kind of experience today. It’s challenging to say the least to get a good bagel here but even more challenging to get vegetable cream cheese. Northeast friends, brace yourself and take a deep breathe… we don’t have bagel places like you do! The closest we have to a NY bagel is Bruegger’s Bagels https://www.brueggers.com/ (a 25 minute drive from my house) or we can get a bagel delivery from Sammy’s Bagels http://sammysbagels.net/ but we certainly don’t have vegetable cream cheese!

So today instead of standing “on line” – yesterday I went “online” and placed my order for a dozen bagels which were then delivered to my doorstep at 4am this morning! I ran downstairs like a little kid and opened the front door to my house, only to find a big brown bag filled with bagels! I opened the bag and breathe in… Sunday has arrived!

So after all of this, you are probably wondering if there a recipe somewhere in here? Yes! I like to eat my bagel with a vegetable cream cheese schmear but it’s not sold in Columbus – so, I make it myself. If you have never had vegetable cream cheese before it’s a must. It’s creamy and has crunchy little gems of carrots, green onion, radish, and celery. It’s so easy to whip up and to adapt the ratio to your liking. The real bonus is that I can make it lower in fat by using the reduced fat cream cheese. Next time you have a bagel try it with a vegetable cream cheese schmear. You’ll thank me! Enjoy!

This recipe is open for adaption. If you don’t like carrots, skip it or add red or green pepper instead. The same goes for all the other ingredients. Listed are what is traditionally found in vegetable cream cheese and how I like it. Recipe fills a little bit more than a 16 ounce container. In my house, that’s enough for one breakfast!

2 packages of 1/3 reduced fat Philadelphia cream cheese close to room temperature
6 tablespoons finely sliced green onions (scallions)
4 tablespoons finely diced carrots
4 tablespoons finely diced radish
3 tablespoons finely diced celery (place on a paper towel after dicing and pat it dry)

Dice all of the vegetables very finely. I have seen some recipes suggest grating the vegetables. I don’t recommend that. It makes for a very different texture and flavor.

With a hand mixer, cream the 2 packages of cream cheese until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the vegetables and blend just to incorporate. That’s it! If you don’t have a mixer, you can use a food processor to whip the cream cheese, then fold the vegetables in by hand. Enjoy!

Ode to my Mother-in-law Joan, and her Snickerdoodles

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Sherri

This post is an Ode to my Mother-in-law Joan, and her Snickerdoodles. First, the Snickerdoodle… Where did it originate? Who thought of the name? Why do so many people love it? One theory about it’s origin lies in New England. It is possible it is just a nonsense made up word. Need I remind you of the whoopie pie? Another theory could be, it is of German origin, from the word Schneckennudel (“snail noodles”). I’m sure there is some in-depth research done on this topic, but I’m satisfied with the ones I have found! Plus, who can argue with Schneckennudel? Why so many people love it – is easy! It’s a cookie that is crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside, with a delicious hit of cinnamon in every bite and a little tang from the cream of tartar.

For me, it originated in Pleasant Hills, Pennsylvania in the 90’s. It was the first time I had ever heard of one, seen one, or tasted one. I was well into my 20’s and I’m pretty sure it was Thanksgiving. My mother-in-law Joan was the person who introduced me to this soft, fluffy, cinnamon laced cookie. She baked them almost every time we visited. There they sat in a tin, along side the other tins filled with cookies I had never tasted before: gingersnaps, spritz cookies, rum balls and chocolate gobs. Opening each tin was like unwrapping a birthday present and finding a surprise inside. After all of this, you probably think the snickerdoodle is my favorite cookie – but you would be wrong. I like them just fine but they are far from my favorite cookie. On the other hand, my boys and husband absolutely love them.

Over the years I have attempted to make them but they never came out as good as my mother-in-laws. Once they seemed so different my boy’s coined the term “Sherri-doodle” cookies! After a while, I gave up trying to make them. This past summer, my mother-in-law Joan passed away. I think in many ways her passing is the reason I have had such difficulty writing my blog. For me, food is so personal and has a strong connection to people and events in my life. Just thinking about writing seemed trivial and just sad. Plus, I loved her phone calls after I posted and knew I would miss that. It was the one thing we had most in common. We both love to read cookbooks, try new recipes, share our love of baking with others, and had a mutual admiration for the other when it came to the culinary arts.

I have always anticipated sharing some of her recipes with my readers. I guess it’s true what they say, don’t put off till tomorrow, what you can do today. The past couple of weeks I faced my baker’s block and today I am facing my writer’s block. I attempted the Snickerdoodle once more. This time, using my mother-in-law Joan’s recipe, they were delicious. The recipe comes from a community cookbook entitled Tried & True Recipes, The Best from Beth Israel Center’s Sisterhood and submitted by Judy Weiss. So here’s to you Joan, the first in many tributes to your fantastic baking and cooking – of course with a Splash of Sherri! I just couldn’t bring myself to use Crisco as the original recipe calls for. Crisco is something we didn’t agree on!

1 cup butter softened (or Crisco)*
1 – 1/2 cups sugar
2 extra-large eggs (bring to room temperature)
2 – 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tarter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. In a bowl sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Cream butter and sugar, then add the eggs. Add the flour to the butter mixture, mix and then chill the dough. (I was a little impatient here and didn’t chill the dough). They came out great, but will chill the dough the next time to see if there is a difference.

Roll into balls the size of small walnuts. I used a cookie scoop that was 2 1/2 teaspoons. Roll the ball in mixture of 2 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Place on a cookie sheet 2 inches apart for 8 to 10 minutes. Joan’s notes say to bake 10 minutes for soft cookies, 12 -15 for crisp cookies. With the small scoop, I ended up with 80 2 1/2″ cookies! The cookies will puff when they bake and then flatten to a crinkled top.

*Some recipes call for 1/2 butter and 1/2 Crisco.

Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Sherri

Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! In honor of the day, I am reposting this from last year. I will also be making my almond chocolate chip cookies later on and will post that as well. However, for the time being, enjoy an oldie but goodie!

I have been in the mood for home-baked chocolate chip cookies for some time now. I think it might be ever since I read the book The Great American Chocolate Chip Cookie Book: Scrumptious Recipes & Fabled History From Toll House to Cookie Cake Pie by Carolyn Wyman. It’s a really interesting read which contains not only the history of the chocolate chip cookie but, in her opinion, where to get the best ones around the country. Carolyn listed state by state the best places she found. There are a lot of fun facts and stories, she really did her homework – I highly recommend reading it. One thing I may not have mentioned about me, I inherited the love of reading cookbooks from my mother. She would read them as if they were novels and I totally get that.

As far as I’m concerned, chocolate chip cookies have to be the most absolute perfect cookie. They can be a lot of things all at one time: chewy, crispy, cakey, ooey-gooey, sweet, salty, yummy and comforting! With or without nuts, crispy or chewy, dark chocolate chips or chunks, they are so versatile and my all time favorite cookie.

So today I celebrate you. I celebrate you big and small, hot out of the oven, with a tall ice cold glass of milk!

With one recipe I made them all different sizes yielding different textures and ultimately taste. I made miniature ones that are a one bite cookie and crunchy, then the next size which I baked for less time to yield a chewy cookie and finally larger ones which were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. A cookie for everyone in my house!

Now for my favorites… of course everyone has their personal favorite. I’ve always been a fan of the original Nestle Toll House. In fact, when my family goes on vacation to Disney World, they know we’re not leaving without having a Toll House cookie ice cream sandwich at The Main Street Bakery. When I lived in NYC and had a tiny kitchen, there was always a bag of Tate’s Cookies (formerly known as Kathleen’s Cookies) in our apartment. They are simply the crispest, lightest and most delectable cookie, you won’t believe they come from a package. I have tried to make them from her recipe, but they don’t come out the same and I’m kind of glad about that. Now when I do have one of her cookies it takes me back to a great time and memory when my girlfriends and I would meet in the park with our babies! Now for my current favorite… drum roll please… my version of Jacques Torre’s Secret Chocolate Chip Cookie. Not such a secret if he let Martha Stewart publish it on her website, or the New York Times! However, I’m betting you didn’t know about it! So let’s keep this just between us! Below is his recipe adapted with a few adjustments. For starters, I cut the recipe in half as the original recipe makes 8 1/2 dozen cookies! I also cut down on the sugar, added a little more salt and vanilla.

2 sticks unsalted butter softened at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra large eggs*
1 – 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon pastry flour
1 – 1/2 cups bread flour
1 – 3/4 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 pound best quality semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (or combination)
(for mini cookies, use only miniature chocolate chips)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl cream together butter and sugars with an electric mixer. Add eggs and and vanilla, mixing well. In a separate bowl add all the dry ingredients. Reduce speed on the mixer and add the dry ingredients a little at a time. Add the chips or chopped chocolate and mix until combined.

For the mini cookies, I used a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon yielding a 1″ cookie. For the next size I used a 1 – 1/2″ teaspoon cookie scoop yielding a 2″ cookie. Place on prepared cookie sheet about 1″ apart for the smaller cookies and 2″ apart for the larger ones. Make sure to keep the same size cookies together on the baking sheet as they will bake at different speeds.

Bake the mini cookies for 6 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. The larger cookies will take about 8 to 10 minutes. If you make what I call jumbo sized cookies using a 1/4 cup (4oz.) scoop for a 5″ cookie, bake for closer to 18 to 20 minutes. Keep in mind, cookies will continue to cook a little more on the baking sheet when you take them out of the oven. And you can adjust the baking time according to the type of cookie you like, more time for crispy, less time for chewy. Cool slightly on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

This recipe will makes thirteen 5″ cookies or 4 1/2 dozen 2″ cookies or if you want the cuties like I made, you’ll get somewhere around 300 mini’s! That’s why I did a combination. If I only wanted minis, I would have cut the recipe in half. Enjoy!

*eggs should always be room temperature when baking. You can put them in warm water for about 5 minutes if you forget to take them out ahead of time. Doing this will help the eggs blend well with the room temperature butter.