Food/Drink

Transforming leftover breakfast into more breakfast

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I took the last of yesterday’s breakfast bake and turned it into an egg, ham and turkey cheese breakfast sandwich to power me through the day, mainly getting things in line for another week in the hole, and making some blog posts ahead of time to auto post over the next couple of days, as I plan to be very busy with real life stuff and a couple other things. I also made a few yogurt parfaits. I have a nice cherry matcha parfait to look forward to tomorrow. I threw together some vanilla yogurt, matcha, chopped frozen cherries, some maraschino cherry juice, and some pulverized oats with crunchy honey almond and fruit granola.

Open Thread!

Hōjicha!

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Finally got around to brewing one of my Christmas teas! I would have gotten to it sooner, but for me every tea has its day. I always wanted to try toasted green tea, they say that it has a hinted taste of toasted brown rice. Little did I know I actually did have some before, and drinking this brought back that memory. It was actually when I was flying to Honolulu with the very same friend that gave me this tea. I remember it being the first drink I purchased once we landed and got settled in on the Island. I wasn’t happy with it then, mainly because the brew tasted really really strong. The scent of the tea found its way to my nose, and next thing I knew I was keeping a close watch on the brew to make sure it didn’t over-steep. This is definitely not a tea you would want to begin preparing and then forget about, as it can become bitter fairly quickly making even a long over-brewed black tea seem more tame by comparison.

This is the good shit.

When prepared properly this is really good though. I made some to go along side stir fry the other night instead of Oolong. If anything this kinda tastes like a stronger Oolong with a hint of toasted rice, and even seems to have chocolatey, almost caramel like undertones. Interestingly enough due to the roasting process it has a lower caffeine rating compared to regular green tea which is commonly steamed instead. That’s ok, the flavor alone pretty much powered me for the entire day. I made two full brews of it the entire afternoon to give you an idea of how much I liked it. I’ve even discovered the existence of Hojicha powder, though I haven’t ordered any yet. I want to experiment with this Christmas gift first, maybe even try and make my own lattes with it. I feel like it would taste good mixed with some milk and certain sweeteners.

Wake & Bake Some Eggs

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I woke up this morning and wanted to try a recipe from one of my many cookbooks. I haven’t made many baked egg dishes, but became intrigued after reading some recipes awhile back. Considering how bloody cold it has been all winter (easily the coldest winter I’ve ever had here in town) using the oven to warm up the morning sounded like a good idea.

First I preheated the oven to 425F (220C). Then I oiled a baking dish and covered the bottom in slices of medium cheddar.

I dropped 4 eggs over the cheese. The recipe originally called for a light cream, but I only had half n half and milk to choose from, so I opted for the former. I also added salt, pepper, and the recipe didn’t call for it but I added some paprika on for extra flavor. Then finally I added grated cheese on top and baked it for 15 minutes.

It tasted like a giant poached egg. I’m thinking next time I go to make this I’ll try adding and changing some things depending on what ingredients I have on hand. This kind of recipe is like a canvas asking for other items to be added to it. Like caramelized onions and brie, or sun dried tomato and feta. I’ll also make sure there is bacon on hand next time…. Woke up and didn’t realize it was all gone! The one day where I decide to make a bacon egg breakfast and poof! Gone!

Taste The Melon Rainbow

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I’ve been partaking in different watermelon related teas (when I’m not partaking in tea in general) and came upon a nice calming combo.

Juicy watermelon and fresh mint come together for the ultimate in zingy tea bliss. Watermelon Mint Agua will have you daydreaming of a Mexican beach resort getaway. Say adiós to the stresses of the day!

Once steeped, Watermelon Mint Agua Fresca has a pleasant minty sweet melon aroma; and at first sip, the rich, sweet, juicy watermelon taste is quickly followed by cooling mint and sweet fruit juice taste. You can almost hear the waves of a beach resort getaway in the distance- with each sip of minty freshness bursting with juicy fresh watermelon.

Watermelon Mint Agua Fresca is delicious prepared hot, but it also makes a fantastic iced tea (or iced tea base for a tea cocktail!). Sombrero and maracas are optional.

Sombreros… it’s like they already know.

Weekend Food Diary: Vegetarian-ish Edition

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I’ve been having a nice weekend. I started it off after work on Saturday by making myself a creamy primavera lunch. I made a white sauce and added some Italian herbs and mascarpone cheese with some salt and pepper. Then I used all kinds of vegetables that most people I know would find vile and ungodly. I used asparagus, broccoli, zucchini, green beans, green onion and snow peas with a spinach salad on the side with homemade raspberry vinaigrette. I’m going to have to make more of the vinegar sometime in the not too distant future as I’m nearing the last of it; though it has lasted me almost a couple years!

I took all the leftover vegetables I had, added some carrot and red bell pepper and made a brown jasmine fried rice with egg for breakfast, and again for lunch with added cashews on top. It’s really good, but next time I’ll just keep it in mind for use as a light lunch item best paired with salad or a light soup.

Then today rolls around and I STILL have an assload of vegetables to get rid of, so I make a green breakfast curry over white jasmine rice. I think I have enough to last me the week or so. Lotsa leftover pasta too, should be good for an after work lunch tomorrow. :v:

Valentine Yogurt

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I celebrated Valentines Day by making a chocolate strawberry yogurt parfait with a few chocolates and some cocoa granola:

The one on the left is a mint chocolate parfait. Figured I would make something holiday themed and practice for a St Pat’s parfait for next month! I want to make something that tastes like a shamrock shake minus the throat burning and concrete staining our amazing American McDonald’s Milkshakes are known for.

On another note: I’m almost out of Watermelon juice… :zorak:  Will have to stock up for the weekend I suppose. :melon:

The Holy Elixir!

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Went to purchase some juice today and made this little discovery… Naturally I had to grab it, and I’m not disappointed. It’s watermelon with a mixture of cherry and lemon juice for additional tartness, and it is goooooooooood. This one might have to become a regular purchase; I could use it in tea fusions, smoothies, maybe make a mulled version with proper spices…

This isn’t a paid endorsement… I’m just really high on watermmelon right now. :melon:

Breakfast or Dessert?

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It’s my brother’s birthday today, and I wanted to make something special. After yesterday’s fruit infused breakfast I wanted something more chocolaty. I made a basic oatmeal recipe with a couple tablespoons of cocoa powder, a little vanilla extract, mint extract, honey and a little brown sugar and got a nice mint chocolate oatmeal! Even the tea was mint chocolate! All the taste of dessert with enough protein to kick the day in the nuts (for more protein mix a couple egg whites in before you start cooking).

I think I’ll make this again sometime to mix with a yogurt parfait. I think this would taste good layered in between sections of yogurt.

Oatmeal is my friend now

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I had a lot of fruit and inspiration this morning. Here we have some more fruity flavorful oatmeal consisting of Japanese matcha, fresh mangoes, dried cranberries, frozen cherries, slivered almonds, some homemade raspberry syrup and some brown sugar with a pinch of salt. It was really flavorful, and it didn’t really last very long. I was low on regular milk this morning, almond milk made a nice substitute.

Yogurt on a sandvich?

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There was a sale on some cheesecake factory bread the other day. They had these nice baby baguettes, and I’ve been in a sandwich mood these last couple days for my after work lunch.

I made a tuna curry spread (though you can substitute cooked chicken and porn in place of the tuna) with a mix of plain greek yogurt, curry powder, cumin, green onion, garlic, shredded carrot and coconut, grated ginger, chopped serrano pepper, and some salt and pepper. Topped with some baby spinach and swiss cheese. This one probably won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I liked the flavors, and its a versatile spread! You can have it on crackers, in wraps, or on a salad itself with some fruits. I already have it prepped as a salad for tomorrow morning to break up my parfait trend a little. I’ve made sure to include some orange wedges and pineapple to add some flavor and juiciness.