Food

How do you like your crepes?

in , ,

I love making breakfast because it’s such a versatile meal: banana pancakes, omelets, steak and eggs - it really can be eaten at any time of day!

One of my favorite breakfast go-tos is crepes. These thin pancakes allow even more versatility because they can be served sweet or savory, which is especially helpful when you have a handful of random ingredients in the fridge…

For a quick, delicious, and simple crepe recipe, I just use the Basic Crepes Recipe from Allrecipes.com. You can find it here. Super easy to prepare and has a neutral flavor, so you can make both sweet and savory crepes in the same meal.

My favorite part of making crepes is figuring out what to put in them. Of course there’s the typical combinations…

  • Nutella/peanut butter/jam and [fruit] for a sweet crepe
  • Eggs/[Meat], Vegetables, and [cheese] for a savory crepe

But if you start thinking out of the box… there are so many other ingredients that can brighten those basic recipes! Here are some suggestions:

  • Fresh herbs - love using fresh mint, basil, and lavender
  • Puréed ingredients like sweet potato or garlic spread
  • Honey, goat cheese/greek yogurt (yum…)

Jonathan suggested Doritos… to each their own I guess, haha.

Do you have any suggested combinations to try? What are your favorite crepe fillings?

Street Food Manila Edition: Eating Balut

in , ,

I’m going to warn you, this video may not be for the faint-hearted. Especially those of you who love animals.

Have you ever seen that episode of Fear Factor where the contestants have to eat an almost developed duck egg? Well, in the Philippines, it’s called Balut, and it’s common street food, even sold in 7-Eleven for a mere 15 Philippine pesos ($0.34)!

The thought of eating an almost formed chick will put many people off, but it excited me because this was something I knew I HAD to try. One of my principles of being a foodie is having an open mind and the courage to try things. I was so determined to try balut that I went almost immediately after I checked in to my hostel.

We had some difficulty finding it at first, but after visiting multiple street vendors, we finally found a man pushing his bicycle cart filled with roasted peanuts and boiled baby ducklings.

So, what did I think? You can probably tell from my expression in the video… Honestly, I had some hesitation when I was peeling the shell open, but it’s one of those experiences where you just have to close your eyes… and slurp it. It wouldn’t even come out at first, so I had to loosen the embryo with my finger, heh.

I don’t know if I would willingly eat another one because I can’t get over the crunchiness of the beak? Maybe it’s cartilage or bone? Don’t think I really want to know, haha… But hey, now I can say I’ve tried it, survived, and even enjoyed the yolky part. Food is part of the cultural experience, and I definitely think I checked the “Explore Filipino Culture” box after that mouthful.

Tomato Watermelon Salad Recipe

in , ,

I had lunch at Sitka & Spruce (Capitol Hill, Seattle) one weekend where I ordered a wonderfully fresh tomato watermelon salad. I fell in love with it instantly and decided to recreate it on my own. It’s a lovely summer salad because it has a great combination of refreshing ingredients, and the watermelon has a meaty texture so it works great as a quick lunch or dinner option! I’m always a fan of quick and easy meals.

Ingredients Makes 2-3 servings

  • Small watermelon*
  • 2 tomatoes*
  • 1 1/2 cups feta cheese
  • 3 sprigs of fresh mint leaves
  • 2 sprigs of fresh basil leaves
  • Fresh ground pepper
  • Salt to taste

Directions 

  1. Chop watermelon into bite-size pieces
  2. Chop tomatoes into bite-size pieces
  3. Mix watermelon, tomatoes, basil, and mint together
  4. Serve with LOTS of fresh ground pepper and feta cheese (add salt to taste)

*To add more color to the dish, use some heirloom tomatoes or yellow watermelon.

I also love this dish for dinner parties because it can be prepped and chilled the night before. And all you have to do is garnish with feta and pepper before serving. Your guests will not expect watermelon in their first course… totally more exciting than a green salad!

Reblog: Homemade Moon Cakes

in , ,

So amazing! Homemade moon cakes!

cherrylet:

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! My mom is incredible and spent a~ll day Saturday making mooncakes for me. ㅜㅜ White bean, red bean, green pea, black sesame & egg yolk, ground pork, and purple sweet potato. What’s most inspiring to me is that my mom never had much interest in cooking when growing up but after we moved to the U.S. (first Texas, then Indiana), she realized that the only way to eat our familiar foods was if she learned to make them. Immigrant nation, the original dreamer generation. ♥