Eggs Aren't Just For Breakfast....

...they can make for a pretty tasty lunch, too.  I come home for lunch most days and reheat leftovers.  No leftovers in the fridge....and neither pb+j nor canned soup looked appetizing.  This was quick and delicious paired up with some leftover grilled potatoes.  Add a small chocolate milk and the latest Webs catalog and it's a very fine lunch indeed!

Quinoa Cakes

That's right....quinoa cakes.  Not like a sweet birthday cake, but a savory one for breakfast.  

I had pinned a recipe on my "Operation Healthy" pinterest board some time ago for cheesy quinoa cakes.  Since I had this in mind for breakfast, I omitted the lemon-garlic aioli.  Though I would like to try that next time!  I was at a conference last week and it might've been just the jump-start I needed to eat and be healthier.  One of the other RSC's gave me some tips on getting  more protein, especially at breakfast.  So I gave these a whirl!

Couple of things:  first of all, quinoa is messy.  And unlike making a patty with ground beef, it's sticky and falls apart easily.  I had to rinse my hands several times and there was cooked quinoa all over the counter when I was done.  Secondly, when the recipe says "Cook five minutes on each side," DO IT!  Don't just say "oh, these are vegetarian so they should be ok.  I have a whole bowl of screwed-up quinoa cake in the fridge.

This was delicious this morning with a fried egg on top.  And I wasn't hungry til lunch!  (Though I had a "Be Kind" bar for snack, which was equally delightful.)  

Dulce de Leche

I can't believe that I forgot to write about this....In January, Brian was reading a blog about making your own dulce de leche and I didn't think it would be easy.  He proved me wrong, and it was a snap!

Then he made homemade crepes on Sunday morning for breakfast, with the dulce de leche, strawberries, marscapone cheese, nutella and bananas, make your own!  It was incredible.  Dulce is dangerous though, because it filled a mason jar and can keep in the fridge for some time.  Not something I'd want to make often, but hey, once in a while is ok, right?  :)

Hello, Coffeecake

Hubby said that we had an abundance of blueberries in the house....so it was either time for blueberry pancakes or coffeecake.  I appear to be the only one in the house that likes blueberry pancakes, and it seems silly just to make them for me.  Plus, that wouldn't use up a lot of blueberries.  So coffeecake it was!

I poked around on Pinterest and was not disappointed with how many recipes came up for blueberry coffeecake.  Most of them required sour cream or greek yogurt.  Although I like these kinds of coffeecakes better, I only had a smidge of sour cream in the house and the greek yogurt that I had on hand was black cherry.  I discovered a recipe using vegetable oil instead, which we also have a hearty amount of in our kitchen.

I was really glad that I read the recipe through, because it listed sugar as an ingredient, but didn't incorporate it in the instructions!  Luckily this isn't my first rodeo though....I knew that sugar is a WET ingredient and added it to the milk, oil and eggs.  I also tinkered with it a little....instead of 1.5 cups of blueberries, I added a cup of blueberries and a cup of sweetened, dried coconut.  Hubby ADORES coconut.

The end result was satisfying and used up some blueberries.  All in all, a win.

Why I'm a Lucky Girl

Hubby made me breakfast today for no reason other than "just because."

Ham and veggie omelet, sliced peaches with raspberries, juice and coffee.  Love you honey!  :)

Food from This Weekend

My friend Maureen was here this weekend, and we ate out a lot.  A lot, A LOT!  Usually Brian or I cook, but this weekend was a flurry of activity and we didn't get around to getting groceries.  And everything we had was full of AWESOME!

Three places worth mentioning:

Friday night we went to Ronnie's in Auburn, MA.  I'd been before and this place is worth raving about.  It is the BEST fried seafood around.  It doesn't taste greasy but honestly, like they change the oil in the fryer in between customers.  Clean, delicious and exactly how it should taste.  Brian and I had fried clams, she had clam fritters, and Kid 1 and Kid 2 had a burger and fish strips, respectively. Sean normally likes fish sticks at home, but he proclaimed these "too fishy."  Ah well.  After we finished our meals we went to the back of Ronnie's where they have the ice cream.  The ice cream is certainly worth raving about!  I had just enough room for a twisted soft serve cone, and I decided to share with Sean.   That boy....if you get him his own kiddie cone he'll refuse to eat it.  Offer to share your small cone and the child will devour it as if it's the last cone on Earth!  The funny part of the evening was when Will asked us if he had ice cream on his face.  Um.....not your whole face per se, buddy.  But pretty close!

Saturday evening we found this place in Oxford called "Oxford Casual Dining."  What a find!!  It had lots of Italian specialties, plus a decent kids menu.  An added bonus is that no one seemed to care around us when the kids weren't perfect angels.  I got my ultimate favorite, chicken marsala.  They did not disappoint!  And there's leftovers for lunch tomorrow so that's great.  :)  And dessert....authentic key lime pie.  Not the kind that makes your mouth pucker as soon as you taste it, just smooth and citrus-y.  We will definitely go back to this place.

On Sunday, we went to Uncle Jay's Twisted Fork for breakfast, in Cherry Valley.  This place was rated a "Hidden Gem" by the Phantom Gourmet.  And they totally deserve it!!!  Will's already asking if we can go again next weekend.  What a treat.  This place is certainly NOT a "greasy spoon."  Everything is made to order, and to die for.

My lobster Benedict.  I had it in Maine several years ago and have always wanted to have it again.   English muffin, lobster meat, poached eggs and fresh hollandaise.   Call it a "once in every six years" treat.

Will was super-impressed with his "Wicked Awesome Waffle."  It was a waffle, sliced banana, chocolate sauce and fresh whipped cream.  He ate as much as he could, stopping twice and coming back for more.

Back in Business

Hooray, we've moved!  Still getting settled and will be for a while but let me tell you, it is SO NICE to be cooking again.  Starting out slow, but after weeks of quickie dinners and lots of takeout, it is good to eat decent food.  Not that going out to eat isn't "decent," but it is nice to be cooking again.

The new house has a very nice kitchen, and cooking in the summer is a lot sweeter when you're "slaving at a hot stove" in central air conditioning!!!   Our first home-cooked meal?  Steak on the grill, with potato packets and canned green beans.  Gotta start somewhere.  :)

In the mornings Hubby is doing the kids' dropoff so I actually have time for REAL breakfast.  So here's today's meal: 

dropped egg on toast with leftover potatoes, and Cabot vanilla bean greek yogurt with some blueberries.  Delish!  I'd never had this brand of greek yogurt before and it's great  Lots of vanilla flavor.  Having "breakfast for dinner" tonight and I'm going to make smoothies for the kids with this yogurt and some frozen tropical fruit.

It feels SO GOOD to be back in business!

Sunday Surprise

Brian felt so sorry for my Florida trip getting trumped by Snowstorm Nemo, he cooked me Eggs Benedict.  :)

Snow Day Breakfast

Last week we had a surprise snow day off from school.  Though there wasn't a whole lot of snow, it was enough to make the commute messy and the schools to close, so we all stayed home together.  And Daddy made an awesome breakfast:  crepes.

 Of course, any time that Hubby gets to play with his induction burner, he's a happy camper.  Crepes made on the stove don't compare...all of these were perfectly prepared.  No messy, unuseable first one, either.

There were two kinds...first one was a crispy ham and cheese.  They just didn't compare to this one featuring strawberries, a swipe of marscapone cheese and a dollop of my mother's homemade caramel sauce!  

Winter Weekday Breakfast

I can't think of a nicer way to greet the day then dropped eggs on toast and half of a very fresh Florida orange. :)

Weekend Eggs

It's a shame that the kids don't like eggs.  Because their Dad makes an incredible omelet.

Breakfast Birthday Party

My parents have the luck to have their birthdays four days apart (but my Dad is a year older.)  We always celebrate them together.  This year, we had a Breakfast Birthday Party one Saturday morning to celebrate!

It was a big hit, with fruit, juice, waffles, 2 kinds of quiche, bacon AND sausage and the piece de resistance....a birthday cake made from caramel-iced cinnamon rolls!  Everyone loved the food, and I'll bet NO ONE was hungry for lunch!

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad!

On An Ordinary Sunday

This Sunday....Today= a perfect day, from a culinary standpoint, anyway!

Sunday started last night at 11:30pm, when Hubby and I spontaneously decided to throw together an Overnight French Toast to be baked in the morning.  Why not?  I got it in the oven this morning, sprinkled with blueberries and streusel topping, while he whipped up some of our favorite Strawberry-Lemon Syrup.  (An old Cooking Light recipe)  The result was a custard-y french toast, perfected with the syrup.  And there's leftovers for tomorrow!

Dinner for tonight is already in the crockpot.  I don't know why we don't utilize this method of cooking more often, the "set-it-forget-it" mentality can't be beat on a Sunday.  Plus again, the promise of leftovers on Monday is fantastic.  Tonight's menu is Sweet and Sour Chicken over brown rice.  The boys helped by draining pineapple chunks, washing veggies and even a little chopping.  (I did the chopping, they threw the seeds into the sink.)

And if this cooler weather prevails this afternoon, perhaps there's a little time for a batch of brownies from a mix, or perhaps cookies?  This Sunday Streak is going strong!

Day Nine: Down at the Cottage

This post isn't just about dinner, but eating at the cottage in general.  I love it, and so does the family!  dinner is almost always on the grill, and if it's a nice day we have breakfast on the deck, watching the water.  Sitting at the table, drinking your coffee and looking at the ripples on the lake really is a crummy way to start the day.  :)  Plus, next week is Father's Day and we usually have something special.

Last night's dinner was marinated steak tips, rice pilaf and salad.  Today we had leftovers, since we were coming back from strawberry picking.  the boys had a good time filling a box with juicy berries and being outside in general.  Strawberry shortcakes this afternoon!  Now I'm freezing what I brought home, for syrup, scones and who knows what else.  Mmmmmmm......

Breakfast Buddies

Will and Sean enjoying their orange-vanilla waffles and bacon on this beautiful, sunny Sunday!

Overnight French Toast

After some speculation, I think I know why I've never been a big fan of French toast.  It's because I've been making it wrong.  Sure, you can make it by dipping pieces of sandwich bread into egg mixture and then cooking it on a griddle.  It comes out a bit dry.

But if you let it soak in a milk and egg mixture over night in the fridge, it's nothing but soaked creamy goodness.  And if you put blueberries, brown sugar and pecans in it too, then that's just French Toast Perfection in my book!

Happiness is:  reaching for the box of Kashi in the cabinet on Monday morning and then remembering you have Blueberry Overnight French Toast leftovers in the fridge.  Totally made my Monday Morning!!!

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Waffles fresh off the iron, bacon and a warm pineapple compote.  

The pineapple compote was completely improvised...I had bought a can of pineapple chunks yesterday because Sean loves them for a snack.  Brian opened the can this morning and put them in a pan on the stove, adding brown sugar and apple cider vinegar.  The end result was so delicious, there were three pieces of bacon left at the end of the meal.  There's NEVER leftover bacon.  

With breakfasts like these, I never feel like going out to a restaurant for breakfast on the weekend.  No need...it's just as good if not better in our own kitchen!

The Breakfast Experiment

A friend's facebook post yesterday about oatmeal for dinner caught my eye yesterday.  (If you're reading, Hi Jes!)  She made a mean oatmeal for her kids for dinner the other night, with add-ins such as almond meal and cinnamon.  It got me thinking about oatmeal, which I like a lot.  I've never really considered it for dinner, because only Sean likes it.  Will won't touch it, which is too bad because it's delicious!

I'm not really good about breakfast during the week, I never eat enough and I'm always starved at my desk long before lunch.  Guess what...I'm not great with snacks either.  So this morning, I was standing in front of the fridge looking for a quick meal.  That's when I saw the leftover pork tenderloin and mashed potatoes, in a Tupperware container with no lid.  Obviously I cannot bring tupperware with saran wrap on top to work too easily, so how about eating it for breakfast?  I've always prided myself on being able to eat anything at any hour.  Hostess cupcakes at 6AM?  Sure. Cold spaghetti at midnight?  Yep.  Buffalo wings before bed in college? I'm your girl. 

Into the microwave it goes, and I go off to dry my hair.  Soon Will wanders into the bathroom, informing me that I need to check his brother's diaper.  I check, and it's fine.  (Which is good, since I had just changed him.)  I told him that it was fine, and he said, "Well, what's that disgusting smell then?"  The smell: leftover Brussels sprouts.

Humph.  Turns out that there IS something that I can't eat at any time of the day.  However, mashed potato and pork tenderloin weren't too bad for breakfast.  :)

Made with Love

First breakfast of 2012:  Homemade Eggs Benedict.  I suspect that Brian picked this so he could cross off one thing on his own "Day Zero" list on the first day of the new year!

A labor of love, indeed.  Hollandaise sauce is a bit of a pain to make, but it's creamy deliciousness is worth the work.  The cookbook said that you should be able to mix it up in about 15 minutes....it took Brian 35 minutes.  Probably because it was his first time.

Poached eggs, crispy strips of Canadian bacon, whole-wheat English muffins and a little hollandaise.  What better way to start the year?

Weekend of Take-Out

I went to Maine this weekend for a night just to get away.  (yes, I was my own personal Southwest Airlines commercial.)  Just to visit a college girlfriend, where we indulged in yarn and food.  Oh yeah!  All take-out, and none of it featured cartoon characters or had chicken fingers on the menu.  Because sometimes you really, really need that.

Lunch:  Sushi in Dover, NH.  We each got a lunch special with two kids of rolls and miso soup, and then shared the rolls between us so we each got a little bit of different stuff.  And man....their wasabi was a mind-altering experience! I think that my sinuses were cleared to my brain!

Dinner:  Mexican and Margaritas in Portland, ME.  Two of my very favorite things.  Hot corn chips and salsa, accompanied by a frozen margarita.  In a word, awesome.

Then there was breakfast this morning in Wells, Maine.  Wells is one of my favorite places, with family vacations growing up and all.  We went to a famous donut and breakfast place, where the line was kind of long so we each got a donut while we waited.  And then it was coffee, eggs, toast...the works.  And I was kind enough to bring home some donuts for my guys!

Now there's a roast chicken in the oven, and potatoes and fresh green beans on the stove.  What a weekend. I've had way more than my fair share of sodium, but damn, it was worth it!