Fun Finds Friday – Breakfast
July 29th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Breakfast. I never skip it. Most days I make myself a protein shake and a cup of coffee, but on the weekends I like to take more time and really enjoy the great dishes breakfast has to offer. Today’s Fun Finds are dedicated to the fun, the funky and the downright tasty breakfast treats!
momofuku is after the kid at heart with their cereal milk mix. Remember when you were a kid and you ate a bowl of your favorite breakfast-in-a-box and then drank every last drop of the milk that was infused with the cereal’s flavors? These geniuses came up with a flaky mix that you strain your milk over to get that same cereal milk taste! How funky is that?
Mark your calendars! August 24 is National Waffle Day. One of the best waffles I’ve had is at Joe’s Farm Grill, but if I was going to try my hand at making them myself, this waffle iron would make it so much more fun.
Bacon makes everything better and this Bacon and Brats package on Gilt Taste sounds like a divine addition to any weekend brunch. A little on the pricey side, but I have a feeling that it’s well worth it. I can almost smell that sultry aroma filling my kitchen…
Ok, I’m officially hungry and eager to make time for a great breakfast this weekend. Happy eating!
Stuffed Anaheim Peppers Redux
July 25th, 2011 § 3 Comments
One of the most popular search term that brings readers to my blog is my Stuffed Anaheim Peppers recipe, so I thought I’d tweak the recipe a little to add another version for you! This time around, instead of rice, I opted for a quinoa stuffing. And instead of corn – since I didn’t have any – I used peas.
Note: Quinoa is not only a great base to work with for a lot of different dishes, it’s also a complete protein, so it’s a versatile alternative for vegetarians … and those who enjoy celebrating meatless Monday’s.
Ingredients
4-6 large Anaheim peppers
1 cup cooked quinoa
½ cup salsa
½ cup frozen peas, cooked
¾ cup Colby Jack cheese
½ cup black beans
Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring water to a full boil in a 4-quart sauce pan.
Meanwhile, cut each pepper lengthwise down one side from the stem to within ½-inch of the tip. Or, if you have larger peppers, you can cut a skinny triangle to give you a little more room to fit your stuffing in.
You can either remove the seeds and veins from the peppers now or after they are boiled. Place the peppers in the boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove and rinse with cold water and remove seeds and veins if you didn’t remove them before boiling.
Line a cooking sheet with foil. Combine the quinoa, salsa, peas, ½ cup cheese and beans in a bowl. Fill each pepper with the rice mixture.
Place peppers on the prepared sheet. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup cheese. Bake for 2-4 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Tip: The filling makes a great cold quinoa salad. If there is any leftover stuffing, save it for a healthy snack!
Fun Finds Friday
July 22nd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Ah, beer, how I love thee. You are a sophisticated and often misunderstood beverage. I am still fairly new to beer drinking because I was a goody-two-shoes in high school and most of college and wasn’t exposed to “real” beer until my late 20s. That’s when I discovered Guinness. (Most people cringe when I say one of my favorite beers is Guinness, but I think they’re missing out.) From Guinness, I moved on to other styles and found that I have a penchant for sour ales. Some are a bit much for my taste, but I have fallen in love with New Belgium’s La Folie, which is part of their Lips of Faith series. This beer conjures up tastes of granny smith apples and is an absolute delight to drink. I could ramble on and on about my favorite beers, but what I’m really hear to talk about is the latest edition to my library: “The Naked Pint” by Christina Perozzi and Hallie Beaune.
After seeing these fine ladies on the show “Food-o-graphy” on the Cooking Channel, I was intrigued. They are renowned beer sommeliers – how cool is that? I didn’t even know such a thing existed. Their book is all about craft brews (sorry domestic beer drinkers, no Bud Light or Michelob Ultra in here!): what they are, how to pick up on flavor notes and they even touch on food pairing.
My copy just arrived in the mail and I can’t wait to delve into it and finally understand the inner workings of the craft beers I have come to love. If you’d like to purchase a copy, you can go to their website here: www.thenakedpint.com
Cheers!
