Breakfast of Paddle Boarders

I recently got into paddle boarding, thanks to my dad. My dad gave me a wind surfing board to use and it has been awesome. But as we all know, the only way to start my day off is a BIG breakfast :) So I went with strawberry french toast and bacon. My one recommendation for cooking bacon is putting it in the oven in a shallow dish. I put the temperature on 375. This way you don't have to flip it or get flung in the eye with hot grease. Now on with the French Toast.

• thick slices of sourdough toast
• eggs ( I used five eggs for 4 large pieces of bread)
• tsp of vanilla extract
• cinnamon and sugar
• maple syrup
• sliced strawberries
• 1/4 cup milk

1. In a dish beat all the eggs and add milk. Then add vanilla and cinnamon/ sugar to the egg mixture.
2. Add 1-2 pieces of bread at a time to the egg mixture and let the bread soak on each side. 
3. Heat large pan or skillet on stovetop and add the bread. Cook until browned on each side.

 Syrup:

1. Heat a small pan over the stove top and add about a cup of syrup.
2. Then add a handful of sliced strawberries.
3. Heat on low for about 5-10 minutes and our over french toast
4. Serve with oven baked bacon and enjoy

Eat up and get on your paddle board :)

http://www.paddleboarding.com/

Funny Bunny Carrot Cake

So I'm posting this recipe in advance (aka no pictures today!) but I made this carrot cake for Easter brunch last year and it was SO delicious that I'm making it again this year and wanted to share it with everyone :)

It was my first attempt at making carrot cake even though I am an avid carrot cake fan. In fact, my mom and I might have been known to eat carrot cake with our breakfast once or twice (or much, much more) especially at Chesapeake Bagel Bakery...

Carrot cake as a rule is pretty unhealthy, as most recipes call for a ton of oil. Well, that's one of the reasons at least. I have swapped part of the oil for applesauce and it still turns out delicious! You can swap applesauce for oil in many baking recipes. I usually still use some oil and replace about half to three-quarters of what is called for with applesauce. The swap rule is a 1:1 ratio, so if you decide you want to replace half a cup of oil, just replace it with half a cup of applesauce.

Without further ado!

Funny Bunny Carrot Cake
Ingredients:
4 eggs
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots (I buy them pre-julienned; if you grate them yourself, use the large side of the grater)

Cream Cheese Frosting:
You can either make your own simple recipe or...buy Betty Crocker. I'll let you guess which one I tend to do...


Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 by 13 inch pan.
2.) In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, applesauce, white sugar, and vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Fold in carrots. Pour into pan.
3.) Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for ten minutes and remove from pan. Let it cool completely and then frost!
4.) If you wish, you can add some slivered nuts to the icing to make it look more carrot cake-like. Pecans, almonds, or walnuts would all work.
5.) ENJOY!

~Anna

Spring Has Sprung!

It definitely is Spring here in Charleston! It was a gorgeous weekend. We went to a beautiful wedding and have lots to celebrate around here :)
Our Sunday meal this week was Springtime Risotto-aka Risotto with Asparagus and Scallops. It's a beautiful dish to impress your guests.
I'll be the first to admit that the first time I made risotto I was daunted. Hopefully, this recipe will show you that risotto can be easy! Prepping all ingredients before getting into making the risotto can be really helpful and make you much less stressed.
And with that...

Springtime Risotto!

Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus (about a pound)
1 pound scallops (fresh or if frozen, thawed. If anyone cares, I used frozen because they were on sale. Boom.)
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp margarine
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 32-ounce box of chicken stock, about 4 cups
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheeese
Salt and pepper, to taste

Step 1: Prep your asparagus
Break off the woody ends of the asparagus. Depending on the crop, this might be a centimeter up to a couple of inches. The general rule is the larger in diameter the asparagus, the more you'll have to take off the bottom.
Chop the asparagus into one-inch bite size pieces.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Have an ice water bath ready. Blanche the asparagus for two minutes and immediately remove to the ice water bath. This keeps the asparagus from overcooking and gives it its vibrant green color. Beautiful! Drain the asparagus from the ice bath once it's cooled.

Step 2: Prep your scallops
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spread your scallops on a cookie sheet and coat with a little bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 6-10 minutes, depending on how thick your scallops are. They'll be done when they are opaque.
If you have the larger variety of scallops (usually sea scallops, as opposed to bay scallops), after they are cooked cut them into bite size pieces.

Step 3: Simmer your broth
Pour the broth into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. You'll want to keep it at this simmer for the duration of making this risotto

Step 4: Make sure everything else is prepped
Make sure your shallot is chopped, your arborio rice is measured, as well as your wine. And while you're at it, pour yourself a glass.

Step 5: The risotto, it's about freaking time

•  Melt 3 Tbsp of margarine in a large pan. Saute the shallots for two minutes or until tender. 
• Add the rice and stir for two more minutes, until evenly coated.
• Pour in the wine, stirring until almost absorbed.
• At this point, begin adding the simmering stock about 1/2 cup at a time. Stir each addition until almost completely absorbed. Basically, you should be stirring the whole time. If you have a helper, it helps a lot (doesn't that make sense??)

My Helper :)

• By the time you've added the four cups of stock, the risotto should be tender but firm to the bite.

Yum. In my mouth.

• Note: You may need a little bit more or less stock. I've always used four cups but hey, stuff happens. You can always add reserved asparagus cooking water or plain water. 
• Gently stir in the last tsp of margarine, Parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper. 
• Fold in the asparagus and the sea scallops. Enjoy! We serve it as a main course but it could always be used as a side. This recipe serves about 4 people.
• One last thing: this can just be made with asparagus or any other vegetable you like for a tasty vegetarian meal! That was actually the original recipe...

Happy Monday!
Anna

Not-So-Secret-Confession....#1

With all the baking and cooking I do, I've never owned an apron...until today.

 

Needless to say...I just had to. 

Thanks to Bold Banana on Etsy :) 

Pretending to Eat for Two?

Recently one of my best friends, Charlotte, got pregnant. So she has had the most glorious excuse to eats heaps of food! Since I am her close friend it seems that it is my duty to eat with her....

Whether or not you're pregnant and have the excuse to eat for two, everyone needs a good hearty meal. When I am starving after a long day at work I go straight for the bread and pasta. This is one of my favorite pastas! The sauce is simple and can be prepared in under 10 minutes. I got this recipe from a good friend of my moms. I can't say it is very healthy, but it is guaranteed to fill you up.

Gorgonzola and Bow Ties

•  1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (toast in the oven or pan for a few minutes)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan
• 1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola
• 1 (16 oz) box bow tie pasta

1. Cook the pasta until al dente and set aside
2. In saute pan pour cream and heat on low-medium heat for about 2 minutes. Add the gorgonzola. Whisk and let melt together slowly.
3. Mix sauce with pasta and add Parmesan and walnuts. Salt and pepper to taste.

Sides:

Garlic Bread

 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Slice bread open like a hot dog bun
3. Spread butter, minced garlic, and salt on the inside of each cut (all to taste)
4. Wrap in foil and bake in oven for 10 minutes

Asparagus ( My all time favorite veggie)

1. Cut off end of asparagus and rinse.
2. Lay across baking sheet and toss in olive oil and sea salt.
3. Roast in oven with garlic bread for 10 minutes

~ Charlotte

No April Fools Joke!

I made my first flourless chocolate cake tonight. I was feeling cranky and figured that this would be the best way to fix it...it was. All smiles after this.

The secret ingredient? Garbanzo beans...how weird! I was looking for a recipe to use up a couple of cans we had around. I love them on salads but I ALWAYS forget to use them. I made all our dessert guests try to guess what was in the cake and no one even came close (aka, the cake did not taste at all like the beans). The cake itself was chocolately, moist, and realllly delicious. Here is the amazing recipe...

Garbanzo Bean (and Gluten Free!) Chocolate Cake
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (15.5 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
4 eggs
3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
confectioners sugar, chocolate syrup, and/or whipped cream for topping

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan
2.) Melt chocolate chips in microwave for a total of two minutes, stirring frequently after first minute.
3.) Combine the beans and eggs in a food processor and blend until smooth. (Make sure you do this long enough, you definitely do not want whole garbanzo beans in your cake.) Add the sugar and baking powder and pulse to mix. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until completely combined.
4.) Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the cake pan for 10-15 minutes.
5.) Top with chocolate syrup and/or powdered sugar.
6.) Enjoy! Yum!

Update: I swear this was better cold this morning after chilling in the fridge all night. Soooo delicious, a keeper for sure.