Pancakes vs. Waffles

The battle rages on.

I woke up this morning craving something for breakfast that didn't consist of bran flakes or toast. Instantly, I began the debate between pancakes and waffles. The debate finally ended when my stomach let out one painfully loud growl, and I decided that pancakes were just too heavy and that waffles it would be. From what I can tell, there really aren't that many tricks to making homemade waffles. You can add a few slight variations, but ultimately, you'll follow a recipe like this:

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl until fluffy. Mix in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, until smooth.
2. Spray waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown.

I remember being so intimidated to try my hand at waffles, and then I realized how simple and easy it really was. To top it all off, we bought some strawberries at the local farmer's market on Friday and they added a fresh, sweet berry topping to the waffles. Mmm! This recipe makes 6-8 servings, so I just put the extras in a freezer bag, once they cooled down a bit, and will freeze them for later...or tomorrow. ;)

Crab Alfredo

I'm not the biggest seafood fan, and only in recent years have I developed a taste for tilapia, salmon and the occasional sushi (haven't graduated to raw just yet), but tonight I ventured into the deep blue and cooked up some quite delicious crab alfredo. I love cooking up some very complex, layered dishes, but during the week, my energy level sinks after 5 p.m. This crab alfredo recipe is definitely no frills, but is sure to satisfy your appetite while requiring very little work.

The shopping list:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp water
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 1 head of broccoli (chopped into florets)
• 1 12 oz package of crab meat
• 1 10 oz jar of your favorite alfredo sauce
• 1 package of fettuccine or linguine noodles

How to:

1. Get a pot of water boiling for the pasta. Add pasta and cook until ready, drain and set aside.
2. Heat up the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium-low heat.
3. Add the garlic and broccoli and add the 3 tbsp of water. Sauté until warm.
4. Add the lemon juice, crab meat and alfredo sauce.
5. Cook over medium heat until cooked through.
6. Add the pasta to the alfredo mixture and stir to coat evenly.

The finished dish!

I think the recipe could be improved significantly by adding the following things:

• Freshly chopped parsley
• A pinch or two of ground pepper
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese on top

I loved the overall consistency and freshness of the pasta, and that none of the flavors overwhelmed the others, but worked together to create a creamy, blissful dish. The whole dish can be made in 30 minutes or less, which makes a great weeknight meal idea!

Food trucks are taking over the world!

....in the best possible way. Food trucks have traditionally received a bad wrap as a less than desirable and somewhat seedy place to get some grub, but today they have become rather gourmet and unique. Living in So Cal, I get a great sampling of what the world of food trucks has to offer. Here are a few of the ones I've indulged in, once, or twice or maybe more. (I'm not telling.)

Calbi - A Korean/Mexican fusion truck with all sorts of yummy goodness oozing onto your plate. Their Black Jack quesadilla is to die for. The flavors are truly unique, and easily something worth trying if you're in the area.

El Flamin' Taco -  What can I say? It's not your average taco truck. As you can see, they've got the decor down, complete with two TV screens. They make their own tortillas, and if el pastor is your cup 'o tea, you can watch them BBQ it. Great quality ingredients, and this place stays open until 4 a.m. for all you late nighters.

Salinas Churros - I have to post about this lovely find. It was our first food truck experience in So Cal, and will always have a special place in our hearts. If you couldn't guess, churros are their specialty, along with some other yummy Mexican dessert dishes. Don't ask for a burrito, because they only serve dessert. The churros are worth the drive!

These three trucks are literally only the tip of the iceberg here in So Cal. You can find a truck for any kind of food you're in to, here are some exciting finds:

The Grilled Cheese Truck
Crepes Bonaparte
Frysmith
PattyWagon

And the list could go on, and on, and on....

For those of you in the So Cal area on Fridays in the summer, you can get your pick of food trucks during Art Walk, an increasingly popular public art spectacular in downtown Los Angeles. Usually over 30+ trucks turn out for the festivities. So whether you can partake in the So Cal food truck extravaganza, or hunt around your local area to find a hidden truck treasure, it's definitely worth trying!

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

A few weeks ago, I bought one sweet potato from the store with the intent of whipping up some yummy mashed sweet potato side dish for dinner. Well, a few weeks later, that potato remained untouched, so I decided to turn it into a lunch side dish of sweet potato fries! I love how simple and easy this side dish is, and how it automatically spruces up your simpleton meal into a bistro dish.

1. One sweet potato serves 2 people. Cut the potato into small fry-like wedges. You can make them thicker or skinner, depending on how hearty you like them. You can peel the potato or leave the skin on, it's up to you. (I like mine peeled) While you're prepping, go ahead and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Prepare the fry seasoning. 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 tsp. minced garlic,  pinch or two of salt, pinch of pepper, 1/2 tsp. paprika, 1/4 tsp. ground cumin. You can also skip all the dry ingredients and use an all purpose seasoning, like Pappy's. (If you've never had Pappy's, then you haven't truly lived.) Toss the sweet potato fries with the oil and dry seasoning mixture until coated evenly. Spread out in one layer on a baking sheet.

3. Cook the sweet potato fries 20-30 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on how thick you cut your fries, so check in at the 2o minute mark to see how they're coming along.

4. Take out of the oven once fully cooked (should be golden brown and crispy on the outside). Serve hot and enjoy!

I paired the fries with a turkey panini, and a phenomenal sweet potato fry dipping sauce, courtesy of Giada's recipe which is a very simple mixture: 1/2 cup mayo, 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice, 1/2 tsp. minced garlic. Of course, mix these and taste test...add more of anything you want to taste more of! I added my own twist to the sauce and added a little bit of mustard, BBQ sauce, and honey. Sounds strange, but the combo of flavors, plus having time to "marinade" in the fridge, really was the perfect combo.

Brown Rice Risotto Kicked My Butt

At 8:30 p.m. last night, I realized that the brown rice risotto I just spent the past 2 hours on was not going to turn into that wonderfully creamy and soft concoction I had dreamed up. *sigh* I know a risotto is a bit ambitious, I mean you literally have to stir a pot for an hour, but add on top of that the fact that I threw in long grain brown rice to make the dish "healthier" and you might think I'm crazy. Well, as the saying goes: if it 'aint broke, don't fix it. Google gave me some assurance that others have mastered the brown rice risotto, but for some reason mine just didn't cook right. The flavor of my risotto was amazing, exactly like I'd dreamed it up to be, the mixture had exactly the right creaminess to it, despite brown rice being low in starch, but the rice just wasn't cooked enough and far too crunchy for the amount of time it had been cooking. I have a sneaking suspicion it was because I used long grain brown rice.

So I'm writing this post a little disheartened, because all weekend I was so excited to "wow" my husband with this risotto and also to share with you all, but let this be a lesson: it's ok to fail every now and again. (even in the kitchen) As sad as it was, and as silly as I felt being that "wife" who burned the dinner, it gave me that much more motivation to get down and dirty and make it right the next time. I WILL master the brown rice risotto and it will be amazingly delicious. You all will be the first to know! Before I consult Google for any tips and tricks with brown rice risotto, any kitchen chefs out there have any suggestions?

A Summer of Sangria

Summer is beginning...well sort of, we're still experiencing rather chilly weather, but I'm hoping that making a fresh batch of my summer sangria will get things moving in the right direction. It's really a simple recipe, as it should be, and with some creativity, I'm sure you can add some interesting twists. Sangria is the perfect summer drink: fruity, cold, refreshing, and fizzy. Mmmm

Here's my recipe:
1 bottle of Chardonnay (white)
1 bottle of Merlot
1/3 cup peach schnapps
2 8 oz cans of Izze blackberry or pomegranate soda (add to taste, some like it more sweet than others)
2 white peaches, sliced
2 apples, sliced (I prefer to use Fuji or Golden Delicious)

Pour everything into a giant pitcher, stir, add the peaches and let it "ferment" in the fridge or freezer until cold. Usually an hour in the freezer is good for quick serving, but a few hours is always best to really get everything just right. Happy summer!

Side Dish: Red Potato Salad

Potato salad has been a tradition in our household, and when summer rolls around and the BBQs start firing up, it's an even more integral part of our meals. Now I love that smooth and creamy texture, with just the right amount crunch potato salad that grandma used to make, but I aways feel so guilty indulging in too much of it. I recently tried a new potato salad recipe that I was quite pleased with. Still has everything you love in a potato salad, just minus a few calories and grams of fat. ;)

Ingredients:

• 8-10 medium red potatoes (cubed)
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup minced red onion
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp. mayo
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• Paprika (to taste)

How to:

Before

Dressing

After!

1. Let's start by geting the potatoes ready. Once the potatoes are cubed, put them in a pot of cold water with salt, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and cook until tender (pierced with fork to test), approx. 10 minutes. Pour into colander and rinse with cold water to cool potatoes. Let sit and prepare the dressing.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk together. Dressing will taste very tangy, but don't fret, once they sit with the potatoes in the fridge, the flavors compliment each other very nicely.
3. In a separate bowl, add potatoes and pour the the liquid mixture over them (including peppers and onions), toss gently to coat. Cover and place in fridge for 1-2 hours. Enjoy!