Weekend Tradition - Homemade Brunch

Everyone has their own traditions, but brunch is one that I think carries across the board. Who doesn't love to sleep in and then sit for a leisurely mid morning meal comprised of your favorite breakfast foods and bottomless coffee? I for one, am a HUGE fan of brunch!

Andy and I have made brunch our unspoken tradition. It just morphed into being and is now a weekly tradition. When I say brunch, I mean homemade brunch. The kind where you sleep in, then the first person wakes up (Andy) and gets the coffee started while the other person slowly crawls out of bed (Me) to help with the grand production of cooking food. Yes, that would be our weekend tradition. Sometimes however, we opt to eat out out for brunch, but usually it is made at home.

In our household, Andy is the brunch cook. I cook dinner a lot of evenings, so he takes over where brunch is concerned. He likes to play loud (sometimes techno) music and the kitchen becomes his canvas. He makes everything from fluffy pancakes, to crispy bacon (my favorite), to grilled grapefruit. His foods may not always look beautiful, and the kitchen may be a complete mess, but the tastes, oh the tastes! That boy knows how to pack some flavor!

This last weekend Andy whipped up a new creation for our Saturday brunch. He made sourdough orange zest french toast. Wow! The orange zest really added a punch of flavor. Then he made a blueberry compote for drizzling on top of the french toast. Literally, melt in my mouth delicious! Andy is also learning how to master cooking bacon in the oven. Our bacon is slowly becoming the perfect amount of crispy. (Keep my bacon crispy, or even burn it and I am a happy gal. What I can't stand is the floppy limp stuff, yuck!)

If you want to try Andy's french toast here's what he did:

Orange Zest French Toast
-6-8 pieces sourdough bread (regular works too)
-4 eggs
-1 cup milk
-1/4 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-2-3 Tablespoons zest from orange

Beat eggs and milk together. Add salt, cinnamon, and orange zest. Beat everything together really well. Dip both sides of the bread into the egg mixture and place in a buttered pan. Fry on medium heat until both sides are light brown.

Blueberry Compote
-2-3 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen work)
-1/3 cup water
-1/4 cup sugar, honey, or agave nectar

Combine everything on the stove top and mix while heating, bring to a low boil. If you want a thicker compote add a few teaspoons of cornstarch.

Whoopie Pies

 

About a month or so ago Lillie and Lola had their first whoopie pie. I will eat one if it's offered to me but I am not an enormous fan of them so I was surprised at how much they LOVED them! The ones they first had were from Fresh Market so I thought it would be fun to make some homemade ones with them later that week. Over the last few weeks we have tried a few different recipes and here is what they've liked best (it's a mix of two different recipes with some minor alterations to each).

For the cookie part we used a recipe from Cookies and Cups and very slightly altered it. She has a recipe for cake batter filling and cookie dough filling both of which I cannot wait to try!

• 1 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 Tbsp butter – room temp
• 3 Tbsp vegetable shortening
• 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk

For directions on mixing them up and baking them up you can click here. 

And now for the filling:

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 7 oz jar of marshmallow creme (we used a tiny bit less than a full jar)

Beat together the butter and confectioners' sugar on medium speed and then add in the vanilla, salt and marshmallow creme. After that it helps to put it in the fridge for about half an hour or so and then you just dallop a nice sized scoop onto each cookie and then place another one on top!

 I scooped my filling into a large ziplock bag and cut a little hole in one of the corners and squirted it out into nice neat little dallops...or at least that was my plan - haha! Lillie and Lola helped me so I didn't end up with a single one that was as "pretty" looking as I had hoped for photographing, but oh well, they had fun!

the bottle and straw are from The TomKat Studio

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! I will hopefully be back later this weekend with our first of two Easter chalkboards and then after that will show you my Easter tablescape as part of a Spring Thing I'm joining along with some other wonderful bloggers!

healthy, easy to make, Baba Ghanoush Recipe

Back in my days living in South Korea I had a roomate who introduced me to baba ghanoush. She made it once a week and the three of us roomates enjoyed it together. It was a lovely time of hanging out and gorging ourselves on the Middle Eastern eggplant dip. She'd roast the eggplant in our little toaster oven and later while it was blending together with spices, she would heat up some french bread. We'd hover over our little kitchen table taking turns dipping the hot crusty french bread into the baba ghanoush. Those were good times!

Now, as a quick healthy meal at home Andy and I often resort to making baba ghanoush. Aside from the time it takes the eggplant to roast, everything else is really quick and simple. We like to chop a bunch of vegetables for dipping along with bread or whole grain crackers. The leftovers make for a wonderful snack too.

Ellie's Baba Ghanoush Recipe
-1 eggplant (poked all over with a fork)
-1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
-juice of 1 lemon
-1 Tablespoon garlic
-1 Tablespoon olive oil
-1 teaspoon cumin
-salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a pierced eggplant on a sprayed pan in the oven. Cook for about 30-40 minutes, making sure to rotate the eggplant mid way through. Once the eggplant is roasted, take it out of the oven and let it cool for about 20 minutes. Once cooled, peel the outside peel off the eggplant and put all of the insides straight into a blender. Add ALL of the other ingredients and blend on high until everything is creamy. That's it! If you serve it as a dip, add some olive oil and sesame seeds for decoration.

You can eat the baba ghanoush on sandwiches, pitas, tortillas...etc. Or, just use it as a dip. Baba ghanoush is a great way to get more vegetables into your diet, since it is about 90% vegetable and then you dip more vegetables into it. I usually can't get enough it! It is like a lighter, healthier version of hummus.

How to make French Macarons

Last week I posted about these macarons that I made. Here is the follow up with a picture how-to. Enjoy!

Early week musings......

Hi there and happy Tuesday night to you. Well, we are still digging out of the incredible amounts of snow we got over the weekend but a day of rain has washed some away and left the pristine white snow a muddy dirty color, not so attractive The storm gave me a lot of time (unexpected since we were supposed to be in Boston) on the computer, at home and just catching up. I watched the Grammys Sunday, because I love music for all its  many different genres and have to say it was a great one. I felt like everyone went the extra mile to look sophisticated and polished, and everyone seemed to be on their best behavior, for anyone that might have watched, did you feel the same? A lot of random thoughts to share today,  mostly girly girl things.....let's begin shall we!

I can't help but think about spring and spring dressing. Being able to throw open the windows, spring flowers budding all over the place, dead grass giving way to newly sprouting greenery, that intoxicating spring air.....can you wait? Now that we have had  our huge snowfall that I was praying for, I am totally ready for spring! And when I laid eyes on these stunning blue and white dresses, my heart skipped a beat! How gorgeous are they? In love....and calling my name loud and clear!

I think this one dress here is practically enough to get me started on that diet I have been talking about for too long! Love this dress...it would fit in so well with my ginger jars, they must be related! I have never been drawn to anything by Roberto Cavalli but for these two stunners, I make an exception.....

And this top also by my bud, Roberto....gorgeous, love it with the white slacks!

I would wear this to a spring/summertime party, elegantly understated and so chic (Erdem)

 And loving this darling little number, for casual outings during the day, meeting  a friend for lunch or a casual dinner al fresco......(Etoile Isabel Marant)

And love this beauty...its like wearing a watercolor masterpiece, Erdem...

Isn't this pretty? Love the banquette, the shape, the fabrics how light and airy it feels....

  And this beautiful serene elegant foyer....

Moving onto another favorite subject..food. Have I told you I love mushrooms? Especially stuffed mushrooms! Tried these over the weekend from Pioneer woman and they are sooo good!

 

Stuffed Mushrooms

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

24 ounces, White Button Mushrooms
⅓ pounds Hot Pork Sausage

½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced

4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced

8 ounces, Cream Cheese

1 whole Egg Yolk

¾ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated

⅓ cups Dry White Wine

Salt And Pepper (to Taste)

Instructions:
Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool.

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese. Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot. Garnish with minced parsley if you’re feeling fancy.

    Kim Kardashian. Like most of the world I am still trying to figure out just what this girl does for a living but I have to admit she is very pretty and her makeup/skin always look so flawless. I wouldn't want to be so made up all the time but for a night out....I thought these tips were worth sharing. I highlighted the Aquaphor comment because years ago when I was at a swanky party in NYC, there was a very famous makeup artist who does a lot of work for Vogue and he told me the same thing....that we should keep vats of Aquaphor in our cabinets. So...guess what I went out and bought at my local pharmacy last night? Yep.....a big container of Aquaphor:)

Kim’s makeup artist spills on what products she uses to get Kim red carpet-ready!

Joyce Bonelli is Kim Kardashian‘s makeup artist (well, she actually works with the entire family!)

• La Mer The Radiant Serum: “Serum is great to add to your skin routine. After Kim uses Perfect Skin, I then add a tiny bit of La Mer as a primer. Makeup glides on perfectly, and it actually helps perfect skin from makeup and weather.”

• Smashbox bronzer: “I often add bronzer on the forehead and where I contour. Not too much, but just from the ear and about an inch into the hollow of the cheek, just to blend and finish it off. I love Smashbox bronzer.”

• Aquaphor Ointment: Being on airplanes dries your skin out; Joyce uses Aquaphor under the eyes and to spot-treat dry areas or blemishes that are in the process of healing: “I think Aquaphor is the best-kept makeup artists’ secret.” Joyce actually puts Aquaphor all over her own face each night: “Kourtney makes fun of me for going crazy for Aquaphor, but I swear by it!” (Just remember that a little bit goes a long way!)

• Smashbox Brow Tech To Go: “Eyebrows are so important. On Kim I use Smashbox’s eyebrow styling pencil, and we fill it in. We keep her eyebrows groomed in the shape she likes, more round at the peak rather than pointed. So we fill it in a little bit to keep it round, then to finish off the end of the brow. This is the secret about doing eyebrows: I use pretty much a blonde color on everybody.  You’re filling in the skin, and you want dimension.”

• Lancôme Hypnôseand L’Oréal Voluminous Mascaras: “It’s all about the eyes. We love Lancôme and L’Oréal mascaras. We always use the combination for big lashes.”

• Professional Makeup [like Ben Nye]: Ever wonder how Kim gets that gorgeous contour on her cheekbones? “To contour, the secret to doing it so it’s not in-your-face is to use a darker foundation. I use professional makeup concealer, which has a heavier consistency, and I apply it with a brush and blend it with a sponge. Then I set it with translucent powder.”

• Ardell Lashes: “A trick to do– and it’s really important to do this– is at the inside corners of the eye, cut the lash off in the direction of your own lashes, at an angle, to taper off the lash. That’s where people go wrong with false lashes.”

La Mer The Radiant Serum, $250	Smashbox Halo Hydrating Perfecting Bronzer, $39	Aquaphor Original Ointment, $16.99	Smashbox Brow Tech to Go in Taupe, $26
Lancome Hypnose Drama Instant Full Body Volume Mascara, $25	L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Waterproof Mascara in Carbon Black, $7.29	Ben Nye Mellow Yellow Concealer, $8	Ardell Fashion Lashes Strip Lashes,$3.49

   Speaking of beauty products, I discovered two new perfumes lately that I am absolutely loving. I normally don't deviate much from my regulars of Chanel 5, and Harijuku baby but these two made me happy I did. Both are soft, somewhat powdery, floral and feminine and come to think of it remind me that spring is not so far away!

 

 Marchesa

 

Something Blue by Oscar de la Renta

Shop news....To anyone considering these best selling ginger jars...I am down to the last two pair:( I will get them in again but probably not until May, so if you are considering them now is a great time!

Also getting in some beautiful new porcelains which I am very excited about! Heres a sneak peek..... I want one of everything!

This beautiful 13.5" scalloped jar

This gorgeous Canton ginger jar

This fabulous bowl

Both of these stunning soup tureens (blue and whites are hard to find)!

  

 And this very very large ginger jar...a whopping 30" tall!

Very excited about these new pieces...I have found it increasingly hard to find top quality, affordable blue and whites. So I am especially thrilled to have carefully built up my collection, with every single piece being one I would put in my own home (and many are already in fact there)! 

Also very excited about introducing a new category ....something near and dear to my heart, tabletop! I love setting a beautiful table and when I find gorgeous, well priced high styled goodies, I immediately want to share them so this is a natural addition to my online shop. Here's a sneak peek......I hope to have this new section up and running in the next 3-5 days.

 Gorgeous serving pieces with beautiful choices in handles.....

 Love the shapes of the salt and peppers, they are really heavy too

So that's whats cooking over here! Hope you are have a wonderful evening and a great start to your week. Speak to you soon....nighty night:)