March 6, 2013

Bacon Cheddar Waffles

There’s one thing we’re guaranteed to have in our freezer besides Freezer Burritos and that item is WAFFLES. It’s one of the most requested breakfasts from our 4 year old. He absolutely adores them and I like making them because they’re super easy and I secretly (not so secretly) like to stockpile them. I feel good about having a surplus of waffles in our freezer. I get twitchy when I see we’re running low.

Remember how last week I tried to get him to eat Bacon Fried Rice and failed? Well, I was on a mission to use the leftover bacon and get him to like a new recipe I made. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about parenting, it’s that you should never get in the way of a determined mother. You should also never get in the way of a tired mother. Just ask my husband.

These waffles from the Weelicious Cookbook are fantastic. The melted cheddar gives them a slight chewy bite and when you get a few little chunks of bacon mixed with maple syrup it’s like a sweet & savory explosion. Finally! Two foods combined that my son likes. We have a winner with Bacon Cheddar Waffles. VICTORY. This pretty sums up how I feel about that.

recipes, Uncategorized

March 4, 2013

Maple Olive Oil Banana Bread

It’s Monday. Let’s make banana bread! I swear the only thing better than coming home from work to a nice strong cocktail is digging into a slice of warm banana bread with a slab of butter on top. Please tell me that I am not the only person who enjoys baking when I get home from work. I feel like it easily erases all the stress the first day being back from a weekend can bring.

This banana bread recipe is a real treat. Instead of vegetable oil or butter we substitute extra virgin olive oil. It’s amazing! It adds a nice depth to the bread. It gives it a good oomph/intriguing/what’s that in there? taste. Brown sugar & maple syrup provide the sweetness. And you know what’s really fantastic? You can use up that Greek yogurt you have in the fridge to make this. All of this is practically at my fingertips on a moment’s notice. That’s exciting yet terrifying because I could seriously eat a whole loaf if I didn’t have to share it with the boys in my household.

And what we have is a tender banana bread topped with cinnamon sugar. It’s straight up MAGICAL. A true cure for the Mondays if I do say so myself.

my everyday life, Photography

March 2, 2013

My Everyday Life: Week 9

Here’s what this past week looked like:

I love watching the fog roll in during breakfast time.

Uncategorized

March 1, 2013

I love lists, Friday!

Don’t Take Anything Personally. But it’s so easy to!
Who has shelf envy? ME! ME! ME!
I’m shocked to find out how many celebrities are twins! It’s fascinating.
19 Things That Will Always Make Me Feel Fat. It’s funny cuz it’s true (for me at least).
I’ve never wanted to be on a rooftop so bad in my life!
Oh..Leonardo DiCaprio…I can’t imagine how people got you to do all of this!
This recipe for mussels looks wonderful and the video paired with it is gorgeous.
Lies We Tell Our Children. This is hilarious/refreshing. Watch it.
20 Ways to Get Sugar Out of Your Life (umm stop looking at my website?)
A new to me blog that I’m loving. Thanks Danielle for getting me into it!
We need to quit telling lies on Facebook. (I just deleted facebook on my phone BTW!)
I find this website totally gratifying/amusing.
You can make cookies with coconut oil? Mind blowing!
Have you seen Joy the Baker eat a beignet? YOU SHOULD. Makes me miss her terribly.
TAKE BACK THE WEEKEND! Thank you Anne Sage, Thank you.
You’ve probably already seen this, but OMG I love Jennifer Lawrence.

MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK! Episode #85 of the Joy the Baker Podcast is up! We talk beauty products & awkward bangs…and more thoughts on not liking your friend’s boyfriend.

I’m slowly diving back into reality after my trip to Mexico. This week on High Straightenence, I talk about Making Better Habits & Choices in my life. It’s time for a much needed fresh start!

My Bites Around the Net:

Coffee & Sunshine made my Roasted Rosemary Almonds.

Kitchen Adventures with Lucy made my Fig & Olive Oil Cake.

Grub with Love made my Arugula Salad with Caramelized Onions.

Delightful Crab made my Candied Citrus Peel.

Happy Wifey made my Orange Poppy Scones.

Lemon Jelly Cake made my Arugula Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash.

Magic Bullet Blog made my Vanilla Walnut Shortbread.

{Double Batch} used my No Knead Pizza Dough recipe to make a bonkers pizza!

The Hungry Red Fox made my Bell Pepper Egg in a Hole.

Pale Yellow made a chocolate version of my Vanilla Walnut Shortbread.

Dawdling Darlings made my Baked Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts.

recipes, Uncategorized

February 28, 2013

Bacon Fried Rice

I think I have mentioned once or twice here that my son is a PICKY EATER. That deserves all caps because that’s how I say it in my head. It frustrates me. There’s a decent sized list of food that he eats but this list is very particular. Like…if I cut one of his beloved red peppers (favorite vegetable) in a different way, he will not eat it. He has a hard time trusting that things will taste the same if they look different. He’s SUPER visual (where do you think he gets that from?). More than half the time I do things to appease his picky palate but every now and then I get really annoyed and take a stand. I WILL BE MAKING MAC & CHEESE AND YOU WILL LIKE IT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I try…and then he still doesn’t like it! Whoever said it takes at least 15 tries for a kid to decide if they like something was full of crap.

And then sometimes I take two things that I know he likes…like bacon & fried rice and I combine them because HOW COULD ANYONE NOT LIKE BACON FRIED RICE?!! Seems logical, right? Part of me knew he would be apprehensive about the sliced onions. I know he still won’t go near eggs, but when we order Chinese Fried Rice at restaurants, he will totally eat the egg unbeknownst to him. So how did it go?

I should have trusted my gut…Kid Fail. What a crazy kid!

This Bacon Fried Rice is SERIOUSLY AMAZING. I’ve never really liked the pork in Pork Fried Rice but now that it’s replaced with bacon??! Praise the Lard! Bacon adds a delightful crispy bite that I can’t get over. Cooper, who LOOOOVES bacon didn’t appreciate that it was cut up in small pieces. He also was not down with the green onions. KIDS! Casey and I happily ate countless bowls of Bacon Fried Rice. Maybe it was a good thing we didn’t have to share.

This is going in the rotation and I will scoop out a bowl for my picky eater that doesn’t include bacon, green onions, regular onions and fun.

out & about, Uncategorized

February 27, 2013

Out to Eat: Delarosa

When you have a child, finding a kid friendly restaurant with great food can be a challenge. That’s why we love going to Delarosa when we’re in San Francisco with Cooper. The restaurant is not too far from where my parents live in the city and it’s a very quick trip for us from Marin because it’s right off the Golden Gate Bridge on Chestnut Street. It works out well for us when we want an impromptu lunch with my parents on a weekend. We love it and the food is nothing short of exceptional.

recipes, Uncategorized

February 25, 2013

Arugula Hazelnut Salad w/ Fig Balsamic

When I’m on vacation enjoying the local cuisine (in this case-tacos, guacamole & margaritas) sometimes I start to miss my regular eating routine. Although I’ve been known to say that I can eat Mexican food and never tire of it, I learned that in reality that’s not entirely true. My tastebuds were craving gigantic bowls of kale salads. I wanted big salads full of arugula and ones that encourage my hippie sensibilities. I needed salad like WHOA by day three of my vacation.

sidenote:

If you eat fries in Mexico, do they count as Mexican food?

Don’t answer that.

I had a salad like this at Chez Panisse last year. It’s simple, delicate and yet with the hazelnuts & shaved Parmesan it’s actually pretty hearty. It also includes a figgy balsamic that helps balance out the peppery bite of the arugula. Have you tried fig jam in a salad dressing? You should.