T.W.O.R.G.B. - Birthday Breakfast

 Hm, this is a little delayed, but The Week of Really Good Breakfasts came to a close last Sunday on my birthday!  It was a toast buffet (I love toast), and featured avocado with poached eggs, and ricotta and jam. Pretty simple because I had to come up with a dinner that would feed about 20 people later that night, but simple things are often the best.  If you have trouble poaching eggs, what I always do is bring the water to a boil, crack an egg into a bowl, and then hold the bowl very close to the surface of the water and let the egg slip in.  I let them cook a little longer than I would expect every time, until they start to take a definite shape and the yoke section is maleable to the touch, but not completely relaxed, and then take them out with a slotted spoon and pat off the extra water.  The whites are firm and the yolk is still runny, but not undercooked.  That's the way I like 'em, anyway.  I've decided to continue with T.W.O.R.G.B. because it's so delicious, but it has to be a little less intense, so I will just do a weekly breakfast post.  There are lots more recipes to try :)

Photos from Egypt

 No special breakfast at home today because I had a class that started in the early morning and provided food, but I wanted to share these photos that Justin and Trish took, who moved to Egypt a few weeks ago and will be living there for nine months.  They're expecting a baby and working on various projects, and the whole thing is a giant whirlwhind!  They started a  blog to share stories, and here are some amazing pictures, a few of which are above.  I think about them all the time, over there in another part of the world, livin' life.  Incredible :)

Take care out there!
xomo

T.W.O.R.G.B. - Day 5

The Week of Really Good Breakfasts - Day 5:  Spalding's Donuts 

Spalding's is a bakery that is both joyously and tragically located a quick walk from my apartment. Their big specialty is donuts, and oh. my. God.  they are unbelievable.  Seriously they are so good.  No really, you don't understand, they are sooooo good.  It is also joyous and tragic that they are pretty inexpensive, which is why there are a plateful shown above.  I guess when I picked them up my thinking was somewhere along the lines of "Ok, one for right now, one for...elevensies, or something?"  I can at least solemnly swear that I did not eat more than half of them today.  Ahem.

Go there!  If you are able.

ps:  I know this is something an obnoxious person would say, but...it's like I can actually feel the amazing combination of fat and sugar on display before you move to my waist when I look at the pictures.  Or maybe the pictures just remind me of what I ate?  Good grief.

T.W.O.R.G.B. - Day 4

The Week of Really Good Breakfasts - Day 4:  Latte and Grape-nuts

Wow, it's actually a little hard keeping up with these posts.  Here is yesterday's breakfast, which had to be quick due to a combination of waking up late and early-ish class.  Have you ever had cooked Grape-nuts?  They're really good!  You just put them in a pan on the stove with some milk (I like using whole or almond) on low heat, and let them slowly absorb the liquid.  Pour honey on, generously.  Super easy and satisfying.  Coffee took center stage yesterday, and you're seeing the result of two really great Christmas presents:  a stovetop espresso maker and milk frother.  Definitely a worthwhile investment if you're an avid latte/capp drinker; they work really well.  Unfortunately it had to be gulped down and I made it to class fashionably five minutes late.  Which also unfortunately just means that I was late.  Whoops :)

Happy Eating!

xomo

T.W.O.R.G.B. - Day 3

The Week of Really Good Breakfasts - Day 3:  Tomato, Sausage, Onion, and Mozzarella Omelette

Friends, not all breakfasts are created equally - some live to serve a certain purpose.  They may not be classy, but they are damn well satisfying.  Today's breakfast was like that.  It was a brunch, actually.  A very late brunch, for two people, which is why it's okay that you're seeing a massive six egg omelette with the filling bursting out, and two half glasses of beer.  I can even try to disguise the omelette by listing all its ingredients in the title, but let's face it, it's a pizza omelette.  And it is so good.  Eggs and tomato sauce are an awesome combination, and mushrooms, sausage, and fresh mozzarella are nothing to complain about.  I cooked the sausage first and then fried the mushrooms in their grease.  Resist the urge to turn the mushrooms while they're cooking, because if you let them sit for awhile, they get crispier on one side and add nice texture.  Add the tomato sauce and let it bubble for a bit, and throw in some balsamic vinegar if you're into that (I am, and I did.).   If you're making a really large omelette like this one, don't skimp on the butter.  In a clean pan, throw a tablespoon down to melt on low heat, and when it starts to form bubbles, add your whisked eggs.  As the the bottom starts to set and only the top is runny, lay the cheese down to melt.  Wait a couple minutes, add your toppings, and then fold one side over.  You can run a spatula around the sides of the pan periodically while the eggs are cooking to make it easier for the finished product to arrive cleanly on the plate.  We finished off with a massive bowl of oranges and pineapple :)

T.W.O.R.G.B. - Day 2

The Week of Really Good Breakfasts - Day Two:  Potato and Onion Frittata

Thinly slice the onions and cook them in olive oil with with dill, basil, and parsley.  Slice the potato and cook in butter until golden brown.  Whisk the eggs with some milk and add 1/4 cup grated parmesan while stirring.  Spread the potatoes and onion out in the same pan and pour the eggs over them.  Cook on the stovetop until the bottom sets, then move it to the oven preheated at 350 degrees and let the top set.  (Don't cook frittatas too long, or they will dry out!)  Loosen the edges with a spatula and invert it on to a plate.  

Day two was very successful.  Yum :)

ps:  I also ate a grapefruit.

The Week of Really Good Breakfasts

Ho hum, where has all the time gone?  It's already February!  I've been keeping busy:  A month of classes has gone by, and rehearsals are starting to pile up with orchestra, opera pit, and quartet.  I signed up for a month of meditation classes that are culminating on Saturday.  One recent weekend was devoted to a project of thorough insulation installation around the apartment.  Then the apartment gained a new tenant - a mouse that lived a decadent lifestyle chewing up vast quantities of bread and butter and leaving remnants in shoes around the house.  (The new tenant's formal application was not accepted; he was caught and released back to his former home in the nearby meadow.)

And, a lot of good food is coming out the kitchen!  I've decided this week will have a theme to glorify the morning - The Week of Really Good Breakfasts - and I started with steel cut oats (which I've always wanted to buy, but never have because they're about 10x more expensive than rolled oats, until I discovered that a certain grocery store in Lexington sells them for an incredibly cheap price) with pears, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and topped with yogurt, grape nuts, and honey.  I cooked them in whole milk to make them creamier, and added the pear slices in with the milk right away while it heated to a boil so they cooked through.  Steel cut oats are so good - great texture and flavor - and are definitely worth the extra stovetop cooking time.  I'm brainstorming for the rest of the week; suggestions are welcome :)

Christmas Visit + Afternoon Snack

Winter break is over and I am back in Kentucky, enjoying 60 degree weather (wow!) much more than the frigid temperatures of Wisconsin.  I do miss my family though; We had a really nice time together, especially because my sister, Tara, was home.  I pretty much only get to see her once a year in these times where we live very far apart and are silly enough to let ourselves be pushed around by work, school, and limited funds.  Tara plays the flute for a living (she's awesome), but she's also super interested in nutrition and has lately been exploring in more detail the types of foods that work best for her body.  What you're seeing above is an afternoon snack she prepared for us that was so good - bacon, salad with avocado, and hot chocolate that turned out super thick and filling, more like a European style drinking chocolate.  If you'd like to try, all we did was mix coconut milk, a cinnamon stick, bit of honey and vanilla, squares of very dark chocolate (melt first), and cocoa powder.  It's not super sweet, but rich and satisfying.  Yum.  

Happy New Year everyone!  Take care out there :)

xomo

ps:  Don't get me wrong, WI > KY

Wisconsin Winter

I've been home in Wisconsin for about a week now!  Going home for the holiday season is so great.  I drove overnight after finishing my last final and attempting to leave my apartment spotless for my return (Coming home to a messy apartment after a holiday is the worst).  This year our main family time together is happening before Christmas - Trish and Justin flew in from Egypt for a visit the same day I arrived, and my older sister came into town shortly afterward.  It was so amazing having everyone together because it so rarely happens!  We took pictures with Justin's camera so I'm going to try and get my hands on some of them.  We had very mild weather, until, in typical Wisconsin weather fashion, things changed suddenly today, and a blizzard hit (It's named!).  It wasn't as bad in La Crosse as it was in the southern part of the state (some of the pictures my friends have posted are crazy), but it will be enough for us to have a white Christmas :)  Hope everyone is safe, and good luck for those who have major shoveling to do!

ps:  Whenever I use a lot of commas in a sentence, I think of this article.

Baby Beans

This lady has a surprise up her sleeve...and in her tummy!  I am ecstatic to say that Trish and Justin are now expecting Mo Jr to come into the world this summer, and I will soon be an Aunt.  A cousin-aunt.  A cousint?   Cousaunt?  I am so excited!  Here is his/her first picture!

We are all obsessed with looking at it.  Trish is the first person I'm close with to be pregnant, and it's so interesting to hear about how the baby affects her body, and everything she and Justin are beginning to go through.  They are on an exceptionally wild roller coaster because Justin is now involved in a project in Egypt, and they are moving there for 9 months in January.  So yes, the baby will be born abroad!  They are over there right now for a couple of weeks scoping out the scene and looking for a place to live, and started their own blog to tell unique stories.  

I've always been interested in reading about women's pregnancy experiences, but now I'm super into it.  Here is a cool article about the connection and movement of cells between mother and child.  Also, I was always under the impression you were supposed to cut out coffee while pregnant, but look at this.  (That makes me breath a sigh of relief at the idea of going through it myself one day...)  Trish and I have spent time talking about how the experience is different for everyone, and it's really important for a mother to do what feels right for her.  Looking forward to learning and sharing more about all of this!  Much love to Trish, J, and the little spud :)