Tag Archives: breakfast

September 9, 2012 · 6:25 pm

Chicken and Waffles

Authentic Southern cooking is one of my favorite types of food. Sometimes in another life, I totally believe that I was meant to live in the South just for the sake of cornbread, Carolina barbecue, Sweet Tea and peach cobbler.

Now although I can’t eat this food 24/7, I do enjoy indulging in traditional Southern food from time to time. Besides barbecue, one of other my favorite Southern meals that comes to mind is Chicken and Waffles. I actually already featured this recipe on this blog about a year ago; however, the pictures from that post definitely didn’t do it justice. Since I made it again this past weekend, I figured I’d put up some new pictures to share!

Although I didn’t make blackberry butter (or some other fruity combination with butter) this time, this recipe still tasted delicious. Usually I’m all about the sauces. In my opinion, these can “make it or break it” as it relates to recipes. But, in this case, it was all about the seasonings. We added a bit more than the recipe called for and I’m incredibly happy with the end result of tender and especially flavorful chicken by itself.

Besides the food, I appreciate the traditional Southern mantra and phrase of “Food is Love”. No matter what type of food is your favorite, I think all of you reading can agree with that one!

Cheers!


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March 4, 2012 · 7:27 pm

Blood Orange Tart


Lately, I feel as though I have been seeing so many blood orange-centric recipes and drinks spurting up everywhere. This is probably completely the result of some of my recent bouts of time spent on Pinterest; however, after seeing so many recipes, I knew I had found my calling to make something with this intriguing and beautiful fruit. Of course, I soon learned that blood oranges are actually quite a hot commodity and are only available at certain points during the year. After calling two grocery stores and finding out they did not have them, I became quite discouraged. But, as the age-old phrase says, “third time is always a charm” and I found success with the third grocery store I called.

After a quick search, I found a recipe that many have tried from Food and Wine Magazine: Flaky Blood Orange Tart. My eyes were instantly sold after gazing at its rustic look and the mention of a flaky crust. And, since it was coming from such a reliable source, I knew I had to try it!

Step 1: Make Dough


Step 2: Peel and Slice Blood Oranges


Step 3: Roll Out Dough and Arrange
Blood Orange Slices on Top


Step 4: Fold Up Edges Around
Oranges and Brush Edges with Egg Wash

Step 4: Bake at 375 Degrees and Eat!

Even though peeling and removing the pith from these oranges took what seemed like forever and my fingers were stained a purple-y/red color for a day, the end result was totally worth it. I can definitely see why these are such an esteemed fruit. The intense and unique flavor of these oranges paired with a flaky crust is perfect for a brunch treat. If you ever get the chance, I’d highly recommend trying this recipe or using blood oranges in a different type of concoction. Have a great Sunday everyone!

Cheers!

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January 28, 2012 · 10:09 pm

Banana Stuffed French Toast With Streusel Topping

Sometimes a decadent breakfast is required in order to start the  day out right. Although I would not recommend doing this everyday, I completely think that indulging for breakfast every now and then is totally acceptable.

This is exactly how I felt this past weekend – I just wanted French Toast  and did not want to care about the dreaded caloric content. My solution? Decadent breakfast + smaller-than-normal portion size = one satisfied lady with a stomach that was not too full!

Step 1: Cut Challah Bread into Slices and
Cut “Pouch”; Cut Banana Slices

Step 2: Carmelize Bananas and Stuff into Bread

Step 3: Whisk the Egg Mixture Together

Step 4: Place Stuffed Bread in Egg Mixture with Almonds

Step 5: Combine Streusel Topping; Place on Top and Bake

Although decadent, I am happy to have made this. One recommendation is to be careful with the soak time of the challah bread and how much liquid it absorbs. Other than that, a perfect start to a Saturday or Sunday!

Cheers!

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January 23, 2012 · 3:24 am

Mighty-O Donuts


 I absolutely love finding restaurants and shops in local neighborhoods. Mighty-O Donuts is no different. Although I do not normally indulge in donuts, what especially peaked my interest about this place was the fact that they stray away from the “norm” and offer plenty of unique donuts such as lemon poppyseed and french toast to name a few. After staring at all of the choices for a few minutes, I finally settled upon the orange blossom (as pictured above).

I definitely was not disappointed with this choice. Not only did my stomach feel more than satisfied, but I am happy that I helped support a local company that is dedicated towards offering food with organic ingredients and sustainability in mind. Seattleites – visit this place and then take a stroll around Greenlake!

Cheers!

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January 5, 2012 · 3:44 pm

Favorite Recipes of 2011

Bye bye 2011 – the year filled with various fruit-filled desserts, homemade pizzas and plenty of roasted chicken recipes. Throughout this past year, I definitely learned many new tricks including how to make pie pastry dough from scratch (and cut and assemble lattices for pies), how to properly clean and prepare a whole chicken for roasting and how to properly make quinoa, just to name a few!

In order to celebrate 2011, I just wanted to list a few of my favorites:

Strawberry Shortcakes

Cheddar Jalapeno Bread


Homemade Oreos


Roast Chicken With Chickpeas,
Tomatoes, Olives and Thyme


Sour Cherry Pie With Lattice Crust


Spaghetti & Sicilian Meatballs


Lemon Ricotta Pancakes With
Lemon Curd and Raspberries


Chicken Piccata


Blackberry Peach Crumble


Baked Macaroni & Cheese
With Garlic Bread Crumbs

Pumpkin Cake With
Cream Cheese Frosting

I am already excited for 2012: hoping to experiment more with pomegranates, mustard (yes, Epicurious predicted it to be a Top Food Trend for 2012), avocados and I would like to make homemade Pho. Join me in my adventure!

Cheers!

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November 13, 2011 · 5:26 pm

Poached Eggs in Marinara Sauce


Usually, breakfast is one of the most simple meals of the day. After all, shouldn’t it be? Unless it is a weekend, most individuals opt for cereal or something that requires little effort in the morning.

However, this past weekend, a friend and I decided to try a recipe from The New York Times health section: Eggs Poached in Marinara Sauce. At first glance from the picture in the article, this recipe just looked pretty, well, interesting. All the more reason to try it, right? Well, at least our ambitious cooking minds convinced us so.

Basically, in theory, this recipe is quite simple, but the perfect egg execution is essential to this dish’s success. It took a few rounds of botched poached egg plates before we got it just right. The key in all of this? After heating up sauce in a small saucepan, use a ladle to make a “pouch” in the center of the pan to pour the eggs into and make sure to pour the egg in very, very slowly while making sure the yolk plops into the saucepan last.

In addition to the eggs and sauce combo, we totally negated the healthy aspects of this meal by adding green onions, cheese and avocado slices and  toasted bread with a mixture of olive oil, garlic and oregano beneath melted mozzarella cheese. Oh, and what breakfast meal wouldn’t be complete without bacon?

Although this did take a lot more effort than the standard breakfast, the end result tasted delicious. And, even though to some it may not look the most appetizing, I promise that it is — I completely recommend it!

Cheers!

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October 24, 2011 · 11:05 pm

Macrina Bakery


A few days ago, I was looking through old pictures and happened to find ones taken from when I studied abroad in Florence, Italy. Naturally, I started to miss Italy and became quite nostalgic as memories started to surface about the good times I had there, the beautiful culture and especially, the food.

One of my favorite parts of Italy was the many bakeries that dotted the sides of the streets. As I started to become reminded of the bakeries, I decided that I needed to visit one and had the chance to do so this past weekend.

A friend and I chose to go to Macrina Bakery in Queen Anne where I splurged and ordered a Nutella Brioche (totally fitting because Italians are smitten with nutella!). I absolutely loved the buttery taste of the bread combined with the rich nutella. I will say, I became full very fast, but I am definitely looking forward to my next visit soon!

Props to Macrina Bakery for giving me a totally delectable goody this past Saturday, it was the perfect start to the day!

Cheers!

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October 14, 2011 · 6:24 pm

Top Pot

I am by no means a doughnut consumer. In fact, I never really think to ever buy a doughnut in the morning.

But, after talking to a few of my friends that lived in the East Coast, I learned that donuts are actually a “cool thing” and people really do consume a lot more doughnuts that I had previously thought. After performing a random Google search, I learned that the East Coast consumes 37% more doughnuts per year than the rest of the country with the national average equating to six doughnuts per person per year (NASC Online). Now, considering this is my first doughnut of 2011 (currently averaging at one-tenth of a doughnut per month), I’m pretty sure I’m not going to hit the national average mark.

Nonetheless, today, one of our employees brought Top Pot Doughnuts for the office and, consequently, one of my co-workers prompted me to try one. I caved and decided to try the one with pink frosting and sprinkles. It was completely fitting and brought out the “little kid” in me. I must say, I really liked it. I’m pretty sure the last time I had a doughnut was sometime a few years back from a grocery store chain’s bakery that was pretty tasteless, too greasy and left me feeling sick. On the contrary, this doughnut was fluffy, flavorful and just over-all delightful. Top Pot Doughnuts convinced me that, every now and then, I might just consider indulging in a doughnut.

Cheers!

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September 27, 2011 · 11:59 pm

Skillet

As a former resident of the Portland Metropolitan area, I completely jumped on the band-wagon of the food-truck frequenting population and tried many different cuisines among the pods of these mobile machines.

We all know that the Pacific Northwest downpours between the months of October through May, so those sit-down restaurants may seem more appealing than trudging in the rain to the local food cart. However, I’ve often times thought that the $6.75 I spent on these mobile machines and the overall dining experience was monumentally better than what I’d find spending $14-$20-some-odd dollars on an overpriced and frankly-not-as-flavorful dish from a sit-down restaurant.

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to experience both worlds: the innovative food palette of a food truck transformed into the neighborhood diner known as Skillet. Now, even though my boyfriend and I went on a day that was absolutely gorgeous, I will totally be revisiting this hotspot once the weather turns frigid and I no longer think that frolicking through puddles is fun. But, enough about my complaints about the rain – the food here was wonderful.

I decided to try the Fried Chicken Sammy – complete with Fennel Crusted Fried Chicken, Jalapeno Charred Aioli, and a Brioche Bun. Perfection.

I normally don’t indulge in fried chicken, but I figured I had to for this occasion. Plus, the fried crust was encrusted with fennel. When else would I get to try that? My suggestion? Visit Skillet any day and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the inviting atmosphere, clever mix of menu items, and great service.

Cheers!

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September 25, 2011 · 10:03 am

Tasty ‘n Sons

Now, normally, I am not the biggest fan of noisy restaurants, but I absolutely love the energetic atmosphere from Tasty ‘n Sons. A week ago, I ventured to this friendly, neighborhood establishment in Northeast Portland to meet a friend for brunch. As soon as we entered (sans coffee consumption), the energetic atmosphere immediately revved us up similar to the effect that a caffeine jolt has on the body and mind. Besides the lively ambiance, the aesthetics intrigued us with subtle brown walls complete with a large, black imprint of a bicycle on the wall that can be classified as “oh-so-Portland”. But, besides the feel and looks of this restaurant, the food lives up to its expectations and then some. Especially for those that cannot decide easily (I’m very much a culprit), Tasty ‘n Sons is perfect as a result of the element of small plates which creates a unique experience with menu  items that range from griddle-bacon wrapped dates to glazed yams with cumin-maple to North African sausages with couscous to Auntie Paula’s French toast. Hungry yet? I sure am. My taste buds are already starting to water from just reminiscing about it.

Special of the Day


Peaches & Cream With Teleme & Honey

Chocolate Potato Doughnut With Crème Anglaise

End point: I highly recommened this place and absolutely can not wait to go back again.

Cheers!

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