Vegan Baked Banana Bread Oatmeal

I've had a couple requests for this recipe, so I thought I'd dust off the blog for a minute and post it. I've been pretty in love with baked oatmeals for years, but for some reason I've never posted one of my recipes. Or if I have, it was so long ago, I don't remember it. Anyways, let's talk about the recipe.

This recipe is a descendant in some ways of Thug Kitchen's Quinoa Oatmeal. I like their recipes, but they always tend to leave out one step that breaks the recipe. For this one, it's cooking the oats and quinoa in water instead of the milk. That just gives you bland, flavorless oatmeal. Cook in the milk instead of adding it later. Gah.  The other issue with stovetop oatmeal is you have to stand there and stir it or it sticks to the pan. It's kind of a pain. That's honestly why I like baked oatmeals. It's so very low maintenance. The other key to this recipe is toasting the oats before cooking. Every time I try to skip this step, I dislike the results. I'll frequently do this step the night before and even assemble the whole thing before I go to bed, just so I can be lazier in the morning.


1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed (optional)
1 tablespoon oil
1 can low fat coconut milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2-3 very rip bananas, smashed
2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)
chopped walnuts


In a small pan, heat up the oil. Toast the oats in the oil until fragrant. Combine oats, coconut milk, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and bananas. If you are adding quinoa, you may need an extra half cup of water. I think mine is plenty sweet without the extra sugar, but if you want to add some brown sugar, go far it. Combine everything well in a casserole dish with a lid and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Top with walnuts, which can also be toasted.

I'm fuzzy on the exact time in the oven because I usually go back to bed while it's cooking. Hey, mornings are cold and husbands are warm.

Sugar Shack in the Back (from the owners of the Fickle Pickle)

Bagel bombs and mini-quiche 

I want to be good. I want to eat only healthy, organic vegetables. I want to be a vegan until 6PM every day. I want to run marathons, do yoga and eat only locally farmed, sustainably raised eggs. I want to be good.

Then Andy Badgett has to go and open another goddamned restaurant.

Badgett's been kicking around historic Roswell, owning and operating several great restaurants including Asher, Relish and Pico Autentico. However, he's best known for Fickle Pickle Cafe, a Canton street mainstay as long as I've lived in Roswell. I don't go as often as I used to. There's more choices in the neighborhood than there used to be. But you still can't beat a basket of fried pickles fresh from the kitchen served up alongside the Oooey Gooey sandwich (grilled pimento cheese and pepper jelly, on whole grain sourdough.) Yum.

The Sugar Shack in the Back takes the barn behind the Fickle Pickle, which was previously their events facility, and transforms it into a cozy little bakery. We know from the dessert selection at the Pickle, that Badgett and his staff can put together a mean carrot cake cookie and red velvet cupcake. This bakery concept takes that and cranks it up to 11, adding breakfast pastries, made to order biscuit sandwiches and coffee. Vanilla glazed beignet share a case with jalapeño cheese bagel bombs and an assortment of flakey turnovers, both sweet and savory. You can watch the guy behind the counter rolling cookie dough in a bowl of M&Ms and laying it on a cookie sheet.

Frosted cinnamon rolls 

Tuesday was the "Friends & Family" preview. It was advertised on Facebook, so we decided to try them out for breakfast. (Disclosure: Since this was a special event, our meals were complimentary.) Years ago, Fickle Pickle experimented with a breakfast menu and my husband spied the return of his favorite and most lamented chicken biscuit ever at The Sugar Shack. I, of course, had to try the Ooey Gooey biscuit. The chicken biscuit was as good as remembered. It's a flakey, buttery biscuit, stuffed with a fried chicken breast, cheese and an egg cooked to order. My biscuit was filled with pimento cheese, bacon and sweet red pepper jelly. Both were very good, though my sandwich could have benefited from warming up the pimento cheese before serving. The cold wad of cheese was a little off-putting. I told my server when she asked for feedback and she promised to follow up.

The reason elastic waistbands were invented

The glass case wrapping around the room was only partly filled, but the ice cream freezer was fully stocked. An enthusiastic member of the staff explained that made to order ice cream sandwiches are part of the offerings. Choose a cookie and then your ice cream and someone will assemble it right in front of you. They'll even do it with one of their cupcakes, which sounds like a good enough reason to wear stretchy pants for the rest of my life.

They only serve coffee and lattes as drinks right now. Orange juice is reportedly on it's way. These are nothing fancy, just something to wash your pastry down with. I enjoyed my chai latte.

Time will tell if this bakery will stick around. The location, tucked away behind Fickle Pickle doesn't do it any favors. Parking is notoriously tricky there, but during the week, there is overflow at Founders Hall across the street. Or you can do what I'm likely to do and park at City Hall. It's only a half mile walk. It's not hard. But the food is well worth the trip and the owner has a great track record. If you are looking for a casual breakfast option, this is a great place.

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Easy Breakfast Sandwiches

I flip flop back and forth on eating weekend breakfasts at home or going out. Making it at home requires planning and effort. Going out requires me to wake up early enough that I don't have to wait for a table and putting on pants. I'm not always sure the trade off is worth it. 

Right now we're leaning in the direction of "not wearing pants" when it comes to weekend breakfasts. I've managed to streamline the process down to just one dirty pan and can get it done in the time it takes to brew a cup of loose leaf tea (my caffeine delivery vehicle of choice right now). I've even managed to sneak in a couple vegetables so I can pretend I'm a healthy adult. 

It starts off the day before with a quick trip to the store. I like to his Roswell Provisions in the Historic District to grab a couple fresh croissant and either ham or Canadian bacon from Patak's. The croissant will be a little stale by the next morning, but still delicious. But you can grab whatever bread and sandwich things you like. The point is that when you roll out of bed Saturday morning, starving, you can feed yourself without trying to remember where you left your shoes.

When it's time to fix breakfast, I start by heating up a glug of olive oil in a pan and sautéing either spinach or kale. Spinach cooks faster, but kale is less watery and I like it better with eggs.  You could do mushrooms, or peppers and onions instead. I'm not going to tell you how to live your life. While it cooks, slice open your croissants and scramble a couple eggs. For two people, I do three eggs. One egg per person isn't enough and two is too many. When your veggies are done, set them aside and put your pan back on the stove. Take a minute to heat up your breakfast meat now. It should only take a minute. When it's hot, layer it onto your sliced croissants. Pour your scrambled eggs into the hot pan and let them cook. Top your sandwiches with your cooked veggies, your eggs and close up your sandwich. 

I've timed myself doing this and it takes me about ten to fifteen minutes, which as long as you'd spend waiting for an egg mcmuffin at McDonalds and certainly less time than waiting for a table at Thumbs Up on Sunday morning. But it tastes way, way better and you can be in your jammies the whole time. I hear McDonalds frowns on that. 

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Brunch at Artisan Foods Bakery & Cafe

My husband and I have wildly divergent ideas on breakfast. I like things to taste good. He likes them convenient. So one Saturday morning, his brilliant plan for breakfast was that we'd both enjoy a leisurely morning in our jammies eating cold cereal and watching TV. My husband thinks cereal is a special treat, because we hardly ever buy it. He never realized that I never buy it because I associate it with sad people sitting by themselves in the dark, eating cereal out of mixing bowls, with only the cold flicker of the television set for company. Yes, I am aware that this indicates all sorts of insane things about myself. I don't care. I'm never waking up and thinking "Yes! Cereal!" If you see me eating it, it's because it's my least objectionable option.

Anyways, I threw one of my fits and we ended up having brunch at Artisan Foods that day. I feel like everyone wins when you're not eating cereal for breakfast.

Artisan Foods is easily one of the best restaurants in Roswell. It's consistently rated high by the AJC, Creative Loafing, Yelp and Urbanspoon. Tucked away behind the Raiford Art Gallery in the Historic District, it consistently serves out high quality breads, pastries, scones, croissant and more six days a week. Tuesday through Saturday, they serve breakfast and lunch in their charming dining room and adjacent porch. When I was in grad school one summer I'd come at least once week to eat French toast and use their wi-fi while desperately trying to stay on top of my research project (If you're wondering how I did, please note the lack of M.Ed. after my name. I'll try again, hopefully this summer.)

The aforementioned French toast is a thick, eggy slice of brioche served with fresh fruit and a lemony creme anglaise drizzle. I like to get an order of chicken sausage with mine, which comes as free formed patty flecked with peppers. It's a little dry, but a quick dunk in the warm maple syrup that comes with my french toast fixes that nicely. Sweet and spicy is a magic combo.

My husband likes the omelets. They are perfectly made, with delicate, crisp brown edges and your choice of fillings. Today I'm getting Eggs Sardou, a creole riff on Eggs Benedict that includes fresh baby spinach leaves and artichoke bottoms. Artisan's hollandaise sauce has a touch too much lemon for my taste, but the artichokes need the extra acidity to come to life.

We also sample a "croignet", their version of the super trendy cronut and also sold at Roswell Provisions   (In fact, Artisan Foods supplies many of the baked goods sold by Provisions.) and a beignet. Between Artisan Foods and Adele's, I'm calling the beignet race in favor of Artisan. Soft, pillowy and dense, it comes mounded with the traditional powdered sugar and can be ordered either one or three at a time. One of my favorite things here is the "Yuzu Basil Orangade". Yuzu is a sour, asian citrus fruit and Artisan Foods blends it's juice with orange juice and a muddle of basil for a slightly more complex take on traditional orange juice.

So yes, brunch in Artisan Foods Bakery and Cafe's warm, sunny dining room is quite a bit better than eating cold cereal in the dark. My husband will never admit it though.




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Brunch at Little Alley Steaks

Sunday morning, my husband told me to get dressed for brunch. "Where are we going?" I asked. It was sort of late in the morning and most brunch places would be packed. Was it really worth it to go out and wait in line for a table somewhere, when I could just scramble some eggs and mix up some muffins in the same amount of time?  "It's a surprise." he told me. I love his surprises. So I got dressed and we went over to Little Alley Steaks to enjoy their Sunday brunch.

Brunch at Little Alley seems like a hidden gem. Everyone knows about Little Alley's fabulous dinner service, featuring melt in your mouth steaks by Linz, a beautiful bourbon bar and amazing sides created with fresh, local ingredients. At night, the restaurant bustles with noise. Expensive people wearing expensive clothes sip expensive wines.  Servers in impossibly white aprons serve sizzling hot steaks on cast iron pans, drizzled with herb infused oils. It's a big, dramatic, exciting place to see and be seen.

But brunch? Quieter. More casual. The dining room is almost empty, except for a few other couples. Our waiter is quietly attentive, rather than the ostentatious "How may I serve you?" attitude they have at dinner. The brunch menu follows Little Alley's aesthetic of picking a couple things to really excel at. They have a selection of omelets with various fillings, as well as the expected "steak and eggs" and several riffs on the eggs Benedict. The menu fills out with an array of salads, appetizers and the surprisingly amazing grilled tofu (Seriously. This is a must try.), all from the dinner menu.

I tried the filet mignon and eggs benedict, featuring velvety soft sous vide eggs, beurre blanc sauce and perfectly medium slices of filet mignon over a toasted english muffin. It came with a choice of cheese grits or roasted fingerling potatoes. The grits were soft and creamy with just the right amount of gooey cheese and topped with crisp bacon crumbles. It reminded me of risotto.

My husband had the steak and eggs. It featured another perfectly cooked steak, alongside two sunny side up eggs with delicate, crispy brown edges, a toasted english muffin and a green peppercorn sauce in a tiny gravy boat. I want my own gravy boat! Do you have any idea how much I love gravy? Don't answer that.

The prices are lower than for dinner, but still a bit higher than you'd pay at Thumbs Up or Flying Biscuit. This isn't a neighborhood flap jack joint. It's intended to be an occasion, just like dinner. But if you want to sample their cuisine, without dealing with the crowds, this is a good opportunity.

So why is brunch at Little Alley so under appreciated? It might be the lack of advertising. They don't list the brunch menu on the website. It gets an occasional mention on their Facebook page. We knew about it from the placard they hang on the sidewalk on Sunday mornings while brunch is being served. It seems very much like the owners want to keep brunch a little quieter and less fraught than the dinner hours. And that's just fine with me. I like knowing that when my husband wants to treat me special, there's a lovely secret brunch place waiting for me on Canton street.

UPDATE:

I get asked frequently about prices for Little Alley's brunch after publishing this piece. Since they don't post a menu anywhere, it's tough to decide if this is within your price range. So I snapped this picture on a recent visit. This is only half the menu. The other side is the stuff they also serve for dinner and you can find those prices elsewhere. Hope this helps you decide to visit Little Alley. It's one of the best restaurants in Atlanta and worth a trip any time of day.

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE: Little Alley now offers a brunch buffet. The price is $26.95 per person, according to their Facebook page. I haven't been yet, but I bet it's as amazing as the rest of their food. Someone go check it out for me!

 

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Easy Pumpkin Rye Muffins

I made these delicious muffins for the tailgating party I went to on Saturday. There's something about fall that makes us crave pumpkin. It's sweet, but not cloying and tastes wonderful in baked goods. I actually think pie is the least of the possible applications for pumpkin in your kitchen. Muffins, quick breads and soups are far superior to plain old pie as a pumpkin treat. Most recipes add so much sugar that it drowns the natural, nuanced sweetness of the pumpkin. It's unnecessary.

I adapted this recipe from my old reliable baking cookbook: The Joy of Cooking, sixth edition (1975). This cookbook was passed to me from my mother after I was married and I started getting interested in cooking again. She had the newer edition and didn't need this one cluttering up her kitchen anymore. It's a really solid cookbook, the best I've ever owned and I turn to it almost every time I bake.

There's a couple things I find superior about it. First, the recipes have less sugar than modern recipes. Seriously, it's amazing how much our palates have changed. But before you think these are "healthier" recipes, the second big difference is the amount of butter. There's considerably more.

But the final big change is the serving sizes. "Joy's" chocolate chip cookie recipe is supposed to make 2 dozen cookies. I feel lucky if I squeeze more than a dozen out of that bowl. Why? Because my idea of what the proper size for a cookie is is vastly different than Irma Rombauer's. I make them too big.

Anyways, this recipe came from that book, with a couple changes. The first was substituting a portion of the white flour for rye. Since my husband was diagnosed as a Type II diabetic, I've both cut down on the amount of baking I do and started experimenting with lower glycemic flours. I've been having good results with rye slipped into cookies and hearty quick breads recently, so hopefully there will be posts with more rye flour recipes. The rye is unnoticeable, except as an extra layer of heartiness to the muffin. The second big change was that I didn't think there was quite enough pumpkin in the recipe as is. So I simply replaced the liquids in this with more pumpkin, bringing it up to a full 15 ounces, or one can's worth. It makes the recipe really burst with pumpkin flavor and simplifies the directions by giving one less thing to measure. I further tweaked things by cutting the sugar back, because it was just too sweet and swapped half the white sugar for brown. The flavorless shortening is replaced by an equal amount of butter.

The result is a complex, hearty pumpkin muffin for grownups. Not too sweet and lightly spiced, it cries out for a pat of butter when it's warm from then oven, but stands on it's own as a dessert or breakfast treat. It's a pumpkin muffin that actually tastes like pumpkin. Next time I make this, I'll probably add some mix ins like dark chocolate chips or chopped pecans. Someone who is less picky about cooked fruit might like raisins.

Easy Pumpkin Rye Bread

1 1/4 cups white flour
1/2 cup rye flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 brown sugar (I prefer the dark kind, but light brown is okay, I guess)
1/2 (one stick) cup of butter, softened
2 eggs
15 oz. (1 can) of plain pumpkin puree

Sift together flours, spices and reactants. Beat until light and fluffy the butter and sugar (this is when my stand mixer gets a work out).  Add the eggs one at a time, pausing the scrape down and ensure they are mixed in well. Add the can of pumpkin, scrape down and ensure everything is beaten together. Remove bowl from mixer and add 1/3 of flour mixture. Fold in gently, then repeat until flour is just barely mixed in. Over mixing will result in tunneling, which still tastes good, but looks silly. Portion out with an ice cream scoop into lined muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, or about 12-15 minutes. Or, if you want pumpkin bread, pour into greased loaf pan and bake for about 50-60 minutes.

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Fall Recipes Round Up

I noticed my old recipes featuring fall ingredients have been getting lots of hits off Google recently. It's that time of year, I suppose. So to make it easier for you to find my best fall recipes, I've gone ahead and rounded them up into one post for you.

Greens are definitely a fall/winter vegetable in my head. Here's my recipe for easy sautéed turnip greens  with poached eggs. This is a really easy week night dinner. Poached eggs would also go well with this recipe for perfect collard greens.

I haven't made this baked applesauce oatmeal in a long time. I should really dust this one off and make it again soon. But it's a great make ahead breakfast for any day of the week. I used to pack in small glass containers to eat at my desk at work. I've also got a great recipe for gluten free applesauce oatmeal muffins that's worth trying even if you don't an issue with gluten.

If your tomato plants are still producing, you can try your hand at a traditional southern favorite: fried green tomatoes.

We're going apple picking in north Georgia tomorrow, so I'll definitely be using this recipe for apple crisp soon. Fruit crisps are always an easy dessert.

It's pumpkin season! You should totally make this delicious pumpkin curry soup. It also goes well with butternut squash... If you're really adventurous, you can make your own pumpkin puree! Or you can buy a can and just make the pumpkin bread recipe in that link. I won't mind.

I hope these fall recipes inspire you to cook more with fresh, seasonal produce right now. Fall is probably my favorite time of year and the delicious fall treats certainly help with the love. Enjoy!

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Gluten Free Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

For me, "gluten free" always conjures up visions on neurotic suburban housewives knocking cupcakes out their kids' hands in a panic. "Not gluten!" they gasp. Which is unfair of me, because I know that many people have a real sensitivity to gluten. I just think there are many people who don't actually understand food and just hop on the latest nutritional fad.

 The other things I think of when I think of "gluten free" is "taste free" and "weird, complicated ingredients". Fortunately, these muffins feature neither. The weirdest thing is oat flour, which is obtained by simply pulsing a few cups of oatmeal in the food processor until fine. Oatmeal is easy! And the flavor on these is amazing. they have a nutty texture, a rich mouthfeel from the yogurt and big apple flavor. You can substitute a cup of any fruit puree for the applesauce and still have a delicious muffin. The original recipe from Cheap Healthy Good that I've tweaked used mashed bananas and I've done it with pumpkin as well. Just make sure it's a full cup, otherwise your muffin will be bland.

The only downside of these muffins is that they are not very pretty. The lack of gluten means they don't rise very well, so you end up with something about the size and shape of a hockey puck, but made of oats and delicious. Never you mind that! Just enjoy your tasty muffin and share it happily with gluten sensitive friends.

1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups oat flour (This can be made by putting two cups of rolled oats in your food processor and pulsing it until fine)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup applesauce (or other pureed fruit)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grind oats to make flour. Combine with rolled oats, yogurt and milk. Allow to hydrate for a few minutes. (This step is important! If the oats don't hydrate, they won't cook and it'll be gross. This is usually when I find and measure my other ingredients. ) Combine spices, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, oil and applesauce with the oats. Measure into well greased muffin cups. Bake for about twenty minutes or until a knife point inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Serve and enjoy.

Make mine with yogurt

I eat lots of yogurt. That's no surprise to long time readers of this blog, who will recall that I occasionally make my own. I usually buy a big tub of plain, organic, cream top yogurt at the beginning of the week and work my way through it. I like the organic, because it has JUST yogurt in it. No fillers or stabilizers.

I usually use it in fruit smoothies, but I'll also use it as a topping for oatmeal, or fresh fruit. Occasionally it get used in a marinade or as the base for a dipping sauce. I also bake with it. Yogurt is surprisingly good in baked goods, especially as a substitute for buttermilk. It'll add that tang with the added benefit that yogurt is easier to keep around than buttermilk. Just remember, it's slightly acidic, so make sure your recipe includes baking soda and baking powder as leaveners. Otherwise, it won't rise and you'll be left with a dense, nasty tasting mess.

This morning I made blueberry waffles for breakfast. I have a lovely repurposed glass jar in my fridge, full of local blueberries I bought at the Green Street market. No, they didn't come in a glass jar. I keep all my berries in glass. For some reason I can't fathom, berries last longer in glass than they do those tiny plastic baskets. I keep old applesauce jars in my cupboard for things like this.

I adapted my recipe from Eat Happy, a blog I found while Googling around for recipes this morning. I liked it because of it's simplicity. I added a big shake of cinnamon to the dry ingredients as I was sifting them together, and of course, a generous double handful of blueberries. I also used plain yogurt, instead of vanilla.

1 c. water
1 c. yogurt
1/2 c. fresh blueberries
2 eggs
2 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

In a medium/large bowl, combine the water, yogurt, and eggs. In a smaller bowl, mix together the remaining (dry) ingredients. Add dry ingredients to wet, and stir to combine. Bake in a waffle iron (according to the directions that came with the appliance).

Baked Applesauce Oatmeal

This cold snap is killing me, you know? I know I used to live in Salt Lake City, and used to walk to school in snow up to my knees every day and loved it, but I'm not that person anymore. I've adapted to Georgia winters, which last two weeks and never drops below 20. So the current cold snap is just murder, you know?

I've been coping by wearing layers, cuddling with my couch blankies (Every one keeps a set of throws in the living room for things like this, right?), and eating lots of hot, filling soups, stews and casseroles. But for those cold, cold mornings when I really need something hot? I turn to oatmeal.

I can't stand microwaved, instant oats. It tastes like overly sweet mush to me. But making a pot of oats every morning? That takes valuable time. Time I can better spend hitting the snooze bar and stealing blankets from my husband. So I make a big casserole dish of baked oats Sunday night, and scoop out a portion to take to work with me. a minute in the microwave, and I have something to fortify me against the day.

I've played around with several recipes for baked oats since I started doing this. This is the one I like best. Some recipes call for the addition of nuts or dried fruit as it as it cooks. I leave those out, preferring to add them after it's heated to preserve their texture. Many recipes add baking powder, I guess because this is supposed to be like a bar cookie? But I find it never quite cooks in, leaving me with a nasty bite of bitter, baking soda goodness lurking somewhere in my bowl. Yuck. I leave it out.

Adapted from Cooking Cache.com

2 cups oatmeal
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chunky or regular applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, combine the oatmeal and salt. Mix in milk, eggs, applesauce, brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Stir and pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake at 325°F for 45 minutes. I top with pecans and raisins.

New Year's Day Brunch

So for those you planning to go out for brunch tomorow (I'm not one of you. I just finished assembling a lovely ham, spinach, cheese strata. It looks cold and dreary and I'm not planning to leave the house until spring.), here's a quick guide to area brunch offerings.

First up! Da' Cajun Kitchen!

I like this place, I honestly do. But it's not my favorite breakfast option, no matter how personable and friendly I find the owners. They do an awesome lunch though. But if you want fast and cheap, go for it. They serve authentic New Orleans style breakfast, complete with beignet and cafe au lait. The beignet are beautiful. Soft, pillowy hunks of fried dough mounded high with powdered sugar. Yum. Better than donuts for breakfast in my book.



Next... Artisan Foods!

I've only eaten here once, and that was a quick stop in for a breakfast sandwich on my way elsewhere. But it has rave reviews from others, so I'm comfortable including it. My breakfast sandwich was scrambled eggs, bacon and cheddar cheese on a house made croissant. The eggs were soft, but not mushy. The bacon was thick and crisp, and my cheese was so hot it burned my hand. They must've brought it to me right off the stove. Amazingly delicious.




The Red Hen!

This is a really solid place for breakfast. The service is excellent and the food is great. My favorite is the huevos rancheros, which are crispy tortillas topped with chorizo and eggs. It's a great mix of textures and flavors.



And finally, because I don't plan to be here all night, J. Christophers.

This is a local chain, with locations in both Roswell and Alpharetta. The Roswell is my favorite location, because it's in a historic building that predates the Civil War and is supposedly haunted. Breakfasts here are okay, but nothing special. I tend to end up here if i can't get to one of my other favorites. But the food is delicious. Nothing is standing out to me, but I haven't eaten there in almost a year. But they tend to be fast and they handle groups well.

"The internet gets kind of boring after awhile..."

As my summer vacation draws to a close, I find myself getting squirrelly. While I've still been cooking every day, I haven't been bothering to update here or any where else. Plus, my camera was on the fritz so I had a slight backlog of photos I haven't posted. So to make up for my silence lately, and hopefully get back into the swing of things, I offer you a few pictures.



Cinnamon Swirl bread, toasted and buttered. I ate this for breakfast every day for a week. Divine.



This was the first tomatoes from the garden a few weeks ago. Tomato cucumber salad, with fresh pesto over fettuccine noodles. The cucumbers come from the farmers market, the basil from the yard.



A blurry shot of some french toast I made last Saturday with my homemade bread. One of these days I need to write about french toast.

I am crushed

Last week, the AJC ran a big spread on homemade frozen yogurt. It made me want to try it myself. So I bought blueberries at the farmers market and greek style yogurt at the grocery store yesterday. I dug out my old ice cream maker, which hasn't been touched since before we got married. After our evening stroll through the neighborhood (cut short by the ungodly heat and humidity this week), I came in and started prepping for what I thought would be a tasty treat.

No dice.

My ice cream machine? Missing a paddle. There will be no frozen yogurt for me tonight.

My husband consoled himself with a bowl of chilled watermelon. I threw my blueberries on top of a few scoops of the yogurt.

This was my first experience with greek yogurt. It was much like eating a bowl of sour cream. Very tangy and creamy. There was a little sugar on the blueberries which cut the tang. I understand now why so many recommend eating this type of yogurt with honey drizzled over it.

I know what I'm eating for breakfast this week.