Hello Breakfast

My favorite meal of the day. 

 Toasted sourdough+colby jack+

 grilled ham+poached egg=

heaven on earth

Crafty: Paris Museum Pass

One of the few souvenirs I brought back from France was my Paris Museum Pass. The 4 day pass gave me access to over 60 different attractions(as many times as I wanted!) without having to queue with the rest of the public, saving us hours of time(have you seen how long the line for the Louvre gets?). Completely worth the 50 euro. I didn't get the kitschy Eiffel Tower key chain, but I figured the pass would remind me of all the awesome places I saw. Plus it came all folded up with little descriptions of each attraction the size of a standard credit card. As I was going through some random bags, I came across it and decided I'd make something of it. 

I've been meaning to change up the wall above my desk since acquiring a few new picture frames at Goodwill and thought I could somehow incorporate the pass. The inspiration came from a blog post I read a few months ago where they used envelopes and pictures of friends as a monthly calendar. 

Mine being just for decoration, I used some old playing cards and watered down glue(since I didn't have a glue stick) to post some of my favorite places from the pass booklet. After cutting them out and gluing them on the cards, I attached them to some hung string with colored paper clips.

They now flutter above me while I work and provide a constant escape for me to day dream about my next excursion back to the City of Light. 

Lately

I'm sad to confess, I missed Taco Tuesday this week. To be honest, I'm a bit burnt out in general...especially on Mexican food(and tequila). I've had more pico de gallo(and tequila) in the past week than most people have in a year. Oh the joy of working at a Jaliscan restaurant! But I really can't complain about free food so on we go. The meals I've had time to prepare for myself are as simple as it gets. 

 I've also been reminiscing on my travels a lot lately...I think it's a sign I need a vacation(this is after just 3 weeks of work and school, yeah I'm pathetic ha!). But who wouldn't dream about this beautiful lunch/dinner/midnight snack? I have fond memories of warm afternoons in Italy eating plates stacked high with ethereal pink prosciutto and melon. A harmonious sweet and salty combination. 

If you haven't tried this before walk RUN to your nearest deli and make it happen. Make sure you have them slice the prosciutto paper thin and buy a very ripe cantaloupe or honeydew melon for maximum juicy sweetness. If I could, I'd live solely on cured pork. No joke. Hey Mom and Dad, how about a leg of prosciutto for my birthday? Pretty please?

 

Australian Gastronomy

Australian fare is not just kangaroo and meat pies. The food I miss most is simple potato wedges, sour cream, and sweet chili sauce. Literally every cafe in Sydney had these on their menu and we probably ate a huge basket at least once a day for the week we were there. It may sound strange to us Americans to eat fries with anything but ketchup, but this combination really works.

I got a craving last week so I roasted some potatoes in a bit of olive oil, sea salt, and pepper until golden brown. Sweet chili sauce is easy to find-- just look on the Asian or condiments isles at your local supermarket. I reckon these will become a new favorite of yours if you give them a try. :)

Nutella Wonton Hearts

 Is there anything better than smooth, gooey, and decadently rich Nutella? I concur there is not...unless it's fried and filled with the stuff. The things your chocolate dreams were made of, right here folks. I made these all cutesy-like in preparation for Valentine's day of course but feel free to just fold over the square wonton sheets to make less adorable but equally delicious triangles. 

Nutella Wonton Hearts

Ingredients: (amounts vary by how many you want to make)

wonton wrappers

jar of Nutella chocolate-hazelnut spread

small bowl of water

vegetable oil 

optional additions:

fresh banana, strawberry or raspberries

Directions:

Cut out your heart shapes from the wonton wrappers and separate them. Fill each heart with about 1/2 teaspoon of Nutella(depending on how big your heart shapes are). If using, place your fruit on top. 

Dip your finger into the bowl of water and run it along the outside edges of your Nutella topped heart.  

Place another wonton heart on top and firmly press to seal the edges. You will want to make sure they are fully sealed so your filling doesn't come out during frying. Place about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a small saucepan and heat to 350 degrees. You can test to see if the oil is hot enough with one of your wonton scraps. 

 The wontons should bubble vigorously once put into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 20 seconds per side. I served mine with a sprinkling of cocoa powder, powdered sugar and some red hot candies for some color and festiveness. 

If you're making a bunch at a time, heat your oven to 200 degrees and place your already fried wontons on a cookie sheet in the oven to keep warm until they're served. 

Mahi-Mahi with Orange & Avocado Salsa

Here's a healthy dinner idea with a punch of fresh flavors that can be made in under 30 minutes. What makes this salsa unique is an unexpected and refreshing addition of mint. Often under-utilized, mint is has an aromatic, sweet flavor with a cooling aftertaste. Creamy avocado, acidic/sweet oranges, spice, and a lovely herbal note top a seared piece of juicy fish. Can it get any better?

I often use mint to spruce up tap or sparkling water(when I'm feeling fancy) with the addition of cucumber or lime. Try it at your next dinner party, date night, or brunch. Now for a collective...ahhh!

Mahi-Mahi with Orange & Avocado Salsa
Ingredients:
2 6-ounce mahi-mahi filets
2 cloves of garlic, minced
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Salsa:
1 blood orange, cut into supremes(see how, here)
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
2 teaspoons jalapeño or serrano pepper, minced
2 tablespoons mint, chopped
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper

Directions:
Marinate the fish over night with the garlic, juice of one lime, salt and pepper.

To make the salsa, combine all ingredients in a bowl. Gently stir to combine and set aside.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan . Scrape off any loose garlic pieces from your fish(they'll burn and turn bitter once seared). Place your marinated fish in the pan and sear both sides for 4-5 minutes or until cooked through.

Plate your fish and top with the orange and avocado salsa.

Taco Tuesday: California Tacos

Here's a play on a burrito I grew up eating. California burritos are basically a religion in Southern California. I'm not sure where or when this combination came about but it's a greasy, delicious mass of hearty ingredients. French fries, carne asada, cheese and pico de gallo are the traditional components but I've seen variations with guacamole and/or sour cream. 

 For this recipe, I just roasted some potato wedges in the oven. Feel free to use frozen french fries if you've got those on hand, I suppose. 

California Tacos
Ingredients:
1 beef sirloin steak(about 6-8 oz), cubed into 1/2 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of one lime
salt & pepper to taste

1 medium potato
olive oil
salt & pepper

6 corn tortillas
shredded cheddar or mexican blend cheese
pico de gallo (see recipe from this post)

Optional:
Sour cream, guacamole, hot sauce

Directions:
Marinate your beef overnight in the garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut potato into wedges and place on a cooking sheet. Drizzle with a good amount of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 40 minutes, turning half-way through or until they're golden brown and soft throughout.

In a large non-stick skillet on high heat, add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Throw in your marinated sirloin and leave it to brown, turning once, until just cooked through and browned(only takes 1-2 minutes). Make sure you don't over-crowd the pan. You want to sear the juices in, not steam your meat. I actually cooked mine in two batches. See above picture to gauge how much space you need between your meat pieces. Now you've got carne asada!

Warm your tortillas then place a potato wedge, a 1/6 of your carne asada, a sprinkling of cheese and a spoonful of pico de gallo over the top. Serve with any additional toppings of your choice. ie. Guacamole, sour cream(my favorite!), or hot sauce)

Current Adorations

Two of my favorite Christmas gifts, a 60mm macro lens and an adjustable tripod.

A soon to be lush herb garden on my fire escape.

 This cheap buy from H&M. I never realized how much of an owl collector I was until someone pointed it out. Apparently my room is full of them and now I can take one with me. I always wear rings on my 'ring finger' and yesterday a drunken client told me what a strange wedding ring I had. Win.

Snowshoeing. Last weekend we headed up to Mt. Lassen for a $1 Ranger-led snowshoe walk. They'll let you borrow some snowshoes and give you a quick tutorial on how to use them during a 1-2 mile walk through the forest. The park is absolutely stunning and snowshoeing is a great way to get your heart rate up on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

This big orange baby I fondly call Toulouse.