Spinach, Tomato, Onion and Parmesan Cheese Omelet. Grapefruit. Miche with Apple Jelly. Fair Trade Coffee.

I am a breakfast girl. I always have been and always will be. I will even venture to say that breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. For a person that loves all types of food, that is a pretty bold statement considering how limited breakfast options are. I usually wake up around 6am just so that I can sit down to enjoy a morning meal. I experienced far too many chaotic mornings in a in high-school and college with a granola bar, toast, or somethings nothing in hand to serve as breakfast (or lack there of) as I ran out the door. In my older years, I’ve come to appreciate peaceful mornings.

During the week, my earliest class begins at 11:30am. I suppose I could sleep in, however; I hate wasting time. A day of reading/studying/making food never seems to be long enough to satisfy my curiosity. Plus, I think I would really miss breakfast. My roommate and I venture to Farquarson Hall nearly every day to enjoy the morning offerings. Sometimes it takes a few cups of coffee before we can function properly. We always seem to have the most interesting conversations with people before 8am.

Sweet or savory? That is the question. A typical breakfast for me is sweet with a cup of coffee. No cream and sugar in my coffee; I like it black. Sweet/bitter flavors together make me a happy girl anytime of the day. I am a creature of habit and tend to choose the same breakfast every weekday morning. In the Winter I gravitate towards: steel cut oats + banana + peanut butter + jam + honey. In the Summer it changes to something more like: yogurt + granola +peanut butter + banana + berries/melon.

Yesterday, my roommate and I decided to venture out and try something other than cereal. Our Gastronomy class is during the lunch hour, and we wanted to fill up before hand. I had a “Made-to-Order” omelet with onion, tomato, spinach and Parmesan,  a toasted piece of Miche with apple jelly and half of a grapefruit. I watched the student’s every move as he prepared the omelet. I’ve always wondered how to get a nice toasty appearance on the surface of an omelet, and noticed that he slid a little butter under it after he rolled it in the pan. I think I know what I need to make this weekend .

Three cheers to breakfast for making me feel productive & ready to conquer the day!

The Most Important Meal,

Nora

(Check out my favorite breakfast for dinner meal.)

This week I’m cooking for 3, and wanted to make an egg dish that we could all sit down and enjoy at once. The perfect 1-pan dish for this: fritatta.

My parent’s are not really “breakfast for dinner” people. I wanted to make sure this frittata had enough hearty elements and flavors to pass for a satisfying evening meal. “Spanish Tortilla” or “Tortilla Espanola” is a spanish-style frittata with potato and onions. I added red bell pepper, cumin and paprika to mine.

Another key element: Spanish Olive Oil. If you can find this stuff, I highly recommend it! It has a slight almond flavor that is wonderful on simple citrusy salads and gives homemade pesto a new personality.

I would like to give a shout out to my mom’s Kitchen Aid slicer attachment for helping me thinly slice 2 potatoes. All I had to do was peel them. I felt spoiled .

Thinly slice 1/2 of a large Spanish onion and 1 red bell pepper. Roughly chop 1 clove of garlic. Add 2-3 TBS of Spanish olive oil to a sautee pan over a medium-low heat. Add garlic until tender. Add potatoes, onions, peppers, salt, pepper, a pinch of cumin and a pinch of paprika to the pan. Cook until they are soft, and the potatoes have cooked through. At this point I turned up the heat to get some crispness and smoky flavor to the potatoes. I think this took about 20-25 minutes. Remove the mix from the pan and allow to cool completely.

In a separate bowl, beat together 6 whole eggs, a splash of milk, and fresh chopped parsley.

Once the potato mixture has cooled, add the egg mixture to it. Heat more olive oil in a 9-inch skillet over a medium high flame. Add the egg-potato mix and cook for 5 minutes until set (egg will start to detach from the sides). Use a spatula to loosen the mix. Place a plate over the skillet and flip on to a plate. Slide back into the pan and continue cooking for 5 minutes. OR–Cheat like I did and finish the frittata under the broiler until it have a nice golden surface.

Serve with a side salad and wine. This is dinner after all! I made a side salad with arugula, blood orange, feta cheese and roasted almonds, dressed in Spanish olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I also had some dying bananas:

So for dessert, I carried on the breakfast theme. My banana bread with walnuts and chocolate chips, became a “banana cake” treat for watching Glee.

My mom and I sang through the night. My dad went into the other room and watched the Yankee game.

Tortilla Espanola

(Serves 3-4)

• 6 large eggs
• Milk
• 2 medium white potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
• salt
• pepper
• paprika
• cumin
• 1-2 tsp fresh chopped parsley
• Spanish Olive Oil

1. Heat 2-3 TBS olive oil in a pan over a medium low flame.
2. Add garlic until tender.
3. Add potatoes, onion, red bell pepper, salt, pepper, cumin and paprika and cook until extremely soft and the potatoes are cooked through. (About 20-25 minutes).
4. Increase the heat to a medium-high temperature and continue cooking until the potatoes/peppers/onions have a little crispness.
5. Remove mixture from heat and cool completely.
6. Whisk eggs, milk and parsley in a separate bowl.
7. Add the egg mixture to the potato mixture.
8. Pre-heat the broiler.
9. Heat enough olive oil to coat a 9-inch skillet over a medium-high flame. Add egg mixture and cook for 5- minutes until set.
10. Transfer to the broiler, until the surface is crisp and brown.
11. Cool slightly before serving and enjoy!

Breakfast is for Champions,

Nora

I GRILLED 80 POUNDS OF CHICKEN!

Pan-Seared Halibut with Lemon Dill Butter. Coleslaw. Asparagus. (Not Pictured: Hermann J. Wiemer Chardonnay)

The chicken occupied 7 large trays that I lifted into the blast chiller, and later lifted them into the oven to finish. I grilled and lifted 80 pounds of chicken . There was one moment transporting a tray from the oven to the cart where I almost lost my product. It was a rather heavy tray and I did not have a proper grip. My stubborn, determined side kicked into overdrive and I made sure that did not happen. Several of the men in the kitchen offered to help. I can imaging them thinking, “What is this 5’4, little blonde girl doing.” Admittedly, I probably would have laughed if I witnessed such a scene. But I refused their help. I wanted to do this myself. My arms were sore and I smelled like God knows what at the end of the day. I came home, showered and put a dress on before driving to my parents home for Mother’s Day weekend. I forgot what it was like to look nice, and smell nice. I was also ecstatic that my parents bought fish for dinner. I was chickend-out.

Strawberries, Blackberries and Raspberries. Vanilla Yogurt and Chocolate Chips.

Shortly after dinner, I went on a dessert hunt. NOTHING WAS TO BE FOUND! I couldn’t believe it. I guess I’ve grown accustomed to having leftover blondies in my freezer and bars of Lindt Dark Chocolate Intense Mint and Hint of Sea Salt in my apartment at all times. I found some healthy berries and yogurt and gave them a nice handful of chocolate chips. It worked.

For the first time in months, I made slow-cooked steel cut oatmeal for breakfast. At the end I mixed in 1/2 of a chopped banana, a dash of cinnamon and a scoop of Greek yogurt for added creaminess. Topped off with more banana, strawberries, blackberries, almond butter and local honey. It was a lovely way to start my day of rest.

It’s good to be home, but I can’t wait for Culinary School to start!

Happy,
Nora

Belgian Waffles with Banana, Strawberry and Honey. Orange Juice.

YES. SO PERFECT! I might just move home forever. Just kidding. Culinary School awaits (SO EXCITED)!

Followed by cappuccinos! The secret to a perfect cap: WHOLE MILK! My dad has tried many different types of milk to perfect his signature drink. Skim milk yields too much foam, and does not give the espresso enough richness. 2% is better but still doesn’t do the espresso justice. Whole milk is just right. A little dusting of cinnamon and….

Chocolate Easter eggs!

A balanced breakfast, naturally.

Family Time,

Nora

]]> http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2011/04/24/easter-brunch-daddy-style/feed/ 0 http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2011/04/09/half-half/ http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2011/04/09/half-half/#comments Sat, 09 Apr 2011 19:33:00 +0000 Nora http://www.livelifeeatright.com/?p=7359 I did something very silly…I traveled without my camera! I know, the horror! Half of my pictures from the past few days are sitting on the floor of my apartment and half of them are on my mom’s camera. So, Good News: I’ve been baking. Bad News: Recipes will be delayed. For now I leave you with Jamie Oliver’s “Sexy Swedish Buns”, Carrot Cupcakes with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting, and Rose, my parent’s cat. Just because she is fun to look at.

Breakfast: Jamie Oliver’s Sexy Swedish Buns and Dad’s Extra Foamy Cappuccinos

This picture is deceiving. It looks good, and had good flavor but it was  more dense than I like a sweet bread to be. I think the active yeast I used had been sitting in my cupboard for too long and the dough did not rise properly. I will be giving this recipe a try again soon with fresh yeast and a tad less flour than the recipe calls for.

Carrot Cupcakes with Walnuts & Golden Raisins topped with Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting

To make up for my wrong doings I baked some more. Well, I made these cupcakes yesterday but I sampled one today to make sure they were better than breakfast. I topped them with fresh homemade cream cheese frosting this afternoon. I am having dinner with my parents so I’m hoping this proves to be a delicious end to our meal. Fingers crossed.

Carrot Cupcakes remind me of spring. Where’s that Easter Bunny?

Nope…that’s my parent’s cat with her new best cat-nip friend. She is 16-years old, and my mom was proud that she was out playing again. Meow.

Recipes To Come,

Nora

]]> http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2011/04/09/half-half/feed/ 1 http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2011/02/05/the-oatmeal-diaries/ http://www.livelifeeatright.com/2011/02/05/the-oatmeal-diaries/#comments Sat, 05 Feb 2011 13:59:23 +0000 Nora http://www.livelifeeatright.com/?p=6519 I eat a LOT of oatmeal. Some might say that I have an oatmeal obsession. Every day I wake up early, at least an hour and a half before I have to leave for work, just so I can make, sit down and thoroughly enjoy a quiet bowl of oatmeal. A typical bowl includes rolled oats cooked stove top with spices and milk. I whip banana slices and chia seeds in when it is almost finished and top the fluffy warm goodness with my favorite crunchy peanut butter, raspberry Bonne Maman and honey. It is soul satisfying. I’m not sure I could start my day without it! Last weekend I had an epiphany while sharing a unique menu item, creme brulee oatmeal, with my parents.

(*OH MY GOODNESS! STILL DREAMING OF THIS!*)

I could stare at this picture all day…..Anyways, this dish reminded me of how different oats can be. The base was a slow cooked, steel cut oats. Hearty with a tender texture. It reminded me of a finely cooked risotto. I thought to myself, “This is how oatmeal is supposed to taste.” Every morning I take 10 minutes to cook rolled oats on the stove top. If I am in a rush and crank the heat it can be gummy, soupy or raw tasting. If I’m in a real time crunch in the morning, sometimes I make quick cooking oats in the microwave. Quick cooking oats remind me of the paste I used in kindergarten for arts and crafts.

So here we have it from left to right: Quick Cooking Oats (Glue), Rolled Oats (My daily staple), Steel Cut Oats (Be Still My Heart).

Quick Cooking Oats: After oat grains are harvested, they are cracked, rolled out and cut several times. Cutting the oats decreases the cooking time, and this are usually ready in 3 minutes!

Rolled Oats: Also called “old fashioned” oats, this is what oatmeal looks like after the grain is cracked and rolled out. These usually take between 10-15 minutes to cook. The end result has more texture,  and creaminess than instant oats.

Steel Cut Oats: The whole oat kernel is cut by steel, rather than rolled, resulting in broken pieces of the whole grain. These are hard little pieces and typically need about 30-45 minutes to simmer.

Now, while I may take 10-15 minutes to make breakfast in the morning during the week, 30-45 minutes is out of the question. I’m always rushing around to feed Truffle, get myself together, and find a clean pair of pants.

This morning finally had time to cook steel cut oats. I mad a single serving of steel cut oats in 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup of vanilla soy milk, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. In the mean time, I cleaned my apartment, did the dishes and a load of laundry. It still looked like this after 20 minutes! I was tempted to crank the heat but I knew better. The texture and flavor of low and slow cooked oats is worth it. I continued to clean.

After about 40 minutes it started to look like real oatmeal. Hooray!

When it was nearly done I added banana, raisins and chia seeds.

And topped it all off with my favorites: crunchy peanut butter, raspberry jam and orange blossom honey. This is the definition of stick to your ribs. Each bite was creamy, chewy, sweet and satisfying. I think I might make a big pot on Sunday so I have leftovers for breakfast during the week. All I will have to do is add milk, rewarm and voila…a hearty bowl of steel cut oats ready in 2 minutes, not 45.

Oatmeal Lover,

Nora

We ordered a round of perfect cappuccinos.

The restaurant we decided to go to specializes in crepes. We each wanted a crepe for our meal, however; there was one breakfast item that just sounded too unique and delicious to miss out on: Oatmeal Creme Brulee. This dish has to be one of the best things I’ve ever experienced for breakfast.  The base is a perfectly creamy, slow cooked oatmeal (using the real steel cut oats. I’m pretty sure that they cook the oatmeal with milk and they do not add any sweetness.) Sitting on top of the oatmeal is a layer of banana slices, and vanilla custard on top of that. They brulee the top and delicately place a strawberry, a few blueberries and a wafer cookie to finish. I died and went to foodie heaven. We split it between the three of us, and all agreed that we could have just ordered that for or main meal and been completely satisfied.

For my main course, I had their “Simply Strawberry Crepe” with added banana. The crepe is huge, and artfully folded into a dainty package. Inside this crepe is a mix of brown sugar, maple syrup, fresh strawberries and banana slices. It is topped with thick house made strawberry sauce, powdered sugar and whipped cream on the side. I died again, and returned to my apartment a very happy girl.

I think this meal is a sign. I belong in France.

Sweets for Sweeties,

Nora

If you like Fig Newtons I think you would enjoy these.

I had the good fortune of eating this along side a bowl of Greek yogurt with banana, walnuts, honey and raspberry jam. After a few bites of the sugary, delicious top, I realized that the center NEEDED to be topped with my yogurt. The flavor was spot on, however; the texture was too dry . I reviewed the recipe after and think I should have added a bit more oil and next time I think I will use oat bran instead of wheat bran. I hate when my baking doesn’t come out quite the way I imagined it, but that is a learning experience. It was a fairly easy recipe so I think I will make a few tweaks and try again soon. As for now, if you have any suggestions for this recipe, I’d love to hear. I’m not an expert muffin-woman by any means.

Chop 1/4 cup of pecans and 1 cup of black mission figs (remember to remove the stems!).

Whisk together 1 cup white whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup wheat bran (using oat bran next time), 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt.

Whisk 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 veg oil until combined. Add 1 1/4 cup butter milk, 2 eggs, 1/4 cup honey, 1 TBS vanilla extract and the zest of 1 orange.

Mix in dry ingredients and chopped figs. Spoon batter into 14 prepared muffin tins (buttered or lined).

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Make the topping with 1/4 cup pecans, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 2 TBS brown sugar. Sprinkle each muffin with topping and bake at 400 for ~ 18 minutes (turn the pan after 9 for even baking).

Orange-Fin Bran Muffins with Pecan Topping (in the works)

Makes 14 muffins

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup wheat bran (oat next time!)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon + 1/2 tsp for topping
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar + 2 TBS for topping
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 TBS vanilla
• Zest of 1 Orange
• 1 cup dried black mission figs, chopped
• 1/4 cup pecans, chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 and line 14 muffin tins with paper muffin liners or butter.
2. Whisk all of the dry ingredients, set aside.
3. Whisk brown sugar and oil until light and combined.
4. Whisk in buttermilk, eggs, honey, vanilla and orange zest.
5. Mix dry ingredients + figs into the wet mix.
6. Fill muffin tins.
7. In a small bowl mix together pecans, 2 TBS brown sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon for topping. Spoon topping on each muffin.
8. Bake at 400 for 18-20 minutes. Turn the tray half way through baking process for even baking. A tooth pick should come out clean when inserted into the muffin.

More Recipe Configurations,

Nora

1 Van’s Toaster Waffle (classy, I know), topped with a thin layer of almond butter, Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt, Raspberry Bonne Maman (best raspberry out there!), Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanut Butter and Local Orange Blossom Honey. Hermann J. Wiemer Field Cuvee.

I didn’t plan on another post today until I bit into this. It was my little indulgent slice of healthy heaven. As my heart fluttered with delight, I wondered why I have never made this combination before.  I felt obligated to document my masterpiece for future reference. Waffles rule!  (Side Note: Does anyone actually use the expression ‘rule’ anymore? I just had flashback to the 3rd grade.)

After a boring dinner of ancient freezer leftovers, I was left unsatisfied. My thoughts turned to “what else can I eat” mere moments after finishing my meal. I wanted something sweet, with more substance than a cookie or bowl of ice cream. Once again, I dug into the depths of my freezer and to my delight, I found a Van’s Waffle, leftover from a few months ago when I was suffering through an oatmeal overload. My oatmeal breakfast cravings quickly returned  (thank goodness…I eat whipped banana, chia oats with peanut butter and jam EVERY day!) and left in my freezer was one lone waffle. While the waffle was still piping hot from the toaster, I spread a thin layer of almond butter to melt into the crevasses. I then took a huge spoonful of plain Greek yogurt, to make a fluffy cloud on top. To finish, I took a spoonful of dark chocolate peanut butter and raspberry jam and carefully spread it across the yogurt in an even layer so each bite had a taste. A final drizzle of local orange blossom sealed the deal.

Satisfaction gaurenteed.

Sweet Dreams,

Nora

Crunchy Granola for my Inner Hippie

• 3 cups Rolled Oats
• 3 TBS Unsweetened Coconut
• 3 TBS Whole Blanched Almonds
• 3 TBS Slivered Almonds
• 3 TBS Raw Cashews
• 1/4 cup Unsalted Sunflower Seeds
• 3 TBS Sesame Seeds
• 2 TBS Milled Chia Seeds (or flax)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• Pinch of Kosher Salt
• 6 TBS Honey
• 2 TBS Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl mix oats, nuts, seeds, coconut, salt and cinnamon together.
3. In a separate bowl whisk honey, oil and vanilla.
4. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and coat well.
5. Spread an even layer onto the baking sheet, and bake for 30-40 minuted until the mixture is lightly golden, stirring every 10 minutes.
6. When the mixture is finished, remove from oven and mix in cranberries to the pan. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheet.

Crunching & Munching,

Nora