That would be my trusty go-to (or to-go) bottle of dulce de leche. I have been somewhat obsessed. And, a little goes a long way.
Exhibit B.2:
Topped off with a spoon full of coconut butter.
I was pleasantly surprised with this creation. The texture and taste of the bake is a mix of a dense and moist chocolate cake. The bake is light on the sweet and packing heavy with the nutrients, including but not limited to buckwheat, chia seeds, flax, and banana.
I only made the following alterations/modifications: (1) added 1 whole banana instead of a half and (2) split her one cake into 2 baking dishes for 2 servings. I was not hungry until lunch.
The above-referenced facts and exhibits clearly establish that Ashley has got it going on with this bake and her recipes.
I rest my case.
Have you tried any of Ashley’s buckwheat bakes?Have you tried any recipes from bloggers lately that you want to share? I’m looking for additions to my Kitchen List!
On weekdays, what gets me up is the alarm clock (with continuous snooze button problems), and the need to get to work on time to send out e-mails, briefs, discovery and the like.
On weekends, mornings slow down just a little. Even when the world springs forward, I remain in bed and make up for that extra hour. On weekends, what gets me up is an idea. An idea that if I were to get up, I will have enough time to make this.
Yes, I do have an obsession for all thingsbreakfast. Yes, I have made pancakes before. But, I haven’t made these before – buckwheat pancakes.
In bed, the idea of these were magnificent. In execution, these took the (pan)cake.
*Because I used the drinkable yogurt, which was sweet already, I omitted sugar altogether. Same goes for sweetened almond milk. However, if you use buttermilk, or would just prefer a sweeter pancake, use 1 tbsp sugar or up to 2 tbsp turbinado sugar.
**I topped mine with coconut butter and some dulce de leche.
Then, when breakfast was over, what got my butt off my dining chair was the idea of house cleaning, starting my veggie garden, and chores.
What did you do this weekend? Do you cook with buckwheat? Have you had any cooking ideas that you executed? How did it turn out? Do you know where my title comes from?
Oatmeal, if nothing else, should be adored for its versatility. While oatmeal typically hits our subconscious “healthy” nerve, there are ways that you can make this ‘everyday’ grain not so ‘everyday’.
For instance, imagine adding a scoop of ice cream (which I need to try!) or placing a slice of birthday cake on top. The idea of combining a wholesome bowl of oatmeal with a decadent addition is the feeling you get when you watch/are the good girl falling for the bad boy (i.e. Grease, Dirty Dancing, etc).
And, it feels good.
And, I have fallen………………….hard.
As the movie progresses, you realize that the bad boy, despite his rough (chocolate-y) exterior and sexy dancing skills, really is a genuine person who is quite heart-healthy.
So, when you crave something sinful for breakfast, don’t let anyone stop you from having and enjoying what your heart desires. After all, nobody puts Olie in a corner.
Double Chocolate Overnight Oats
Ingredients:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate milk
1 tbsp ground flax seeds
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 ripe banana
1 small pinch of salt
Directions:
Mash banana in a bowl.
Add oats, flax seeds, chia seeds and salt. Mix until combined.
Add almond milk and stir to combine.
Cover bowl and store overnight.
The next morning, the liquid will completely soak into the oats.
Pour another 1/2 cup of Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate milk into your bowl.
What’s your favorite good girl/bad boy movie? What’s your favorite movie? How do you jazz up your oatmeal?
My favorite sandwich breads are sourdough, rye, potato (being one of my absolute favorites), and wheat. When the Atkins fad came, I saw a proliferation of wraps to replace breads. I tried to jump on the wrap wagon, but I missed the bus. Something about it doesn’t cut it for me. I missed the soft and pillowy texture of bread. Moreover, wraps necessarily are not more healthy than bread. (Check your labels!)
Then, I noticed these little suckers popping up everywhere:
Seemingly harmless. Surprisingly DELICIOUS. Surprisingly because I was expecting to hate it. Delicious because it really is soft and filling (5 grams of fiber and 5 grams of protein).
It went perfectly with my PB&J breakfast.
It even withstood the hard-to-spread PB that Binks likes to use.
Lunch was a Boca burger, light on the sides (unlike here) – just spinach, cheese, mustard and some dollops of hot sauce – I’ve been in a mood.
This bread really proves that you do not need a thick piece of bread to make your sandwich satisfying. Nor do you need a thin wrap to make the sandwich any more healthy.
*Just like the milk, my reviews are my own. Nature’s Own has no idea who I am. I’m just happy with the product and wanted to share!
Are you a sandwich fan? What’s your favorite sandwich? Are you a bread fiend? Have you tried sandwich thins? Do you like it?
I haven’t drank in a while. So, when my friend turned 29 and requested that we go chill at a bar, I should have known that a margarita, half a shot (I share), and two beer would not treat me well. When I woke up the next morning, my eye lids were stuck together. Dehydrated anyone?!
All I had on the brain was breakfast, and I was thinking pancakes. Binks on the other hand was craving bacon like a mad man. He looked through and through the fridge to see if we had any – despite my hoarse-self telling him we didn’t. Refusing to let sleeping pigs lie, he headed for the grocery store. One thing I can say about this man – he is a go-getter.
While the car sped away from the garage and after I got in a good eye-roll in at his antics, I went to the kitchen to see what I could create.
What else could there possibly be when you have milk, eggs, stale homemade bread?
Prior to this experience (and it was a glorious one), I had not eaten French toast for more than a year. I never order it at restaurants because it always disappoints. But, not this day. This day, I grabbed a fork and savored each and every beautiful bite.
French Toast
Ingredients:
1 tbsp flour
1 egg
1/2 milk
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp sugar
1 small pinch of salt
4 slices of thick stale bread
Directions:
Add flour to a large but flat bowl. You want to use this same bowl to soak up the bread.
Whisk in one egg to the flour.
Whisk in milk and vanilla until smooth.
Add cinnamon, sugar, and salt and stir.**
Heat pan over medium heat.
While the pan his heating, place bread slices in the mixture until soaked on each side. (I typically soak each side for 30 seconds).
Place soaked bread slices onto the pan and cook until golden brown on either side.
**Keep stirring the mixture in between soaking the slices so that the cinnamon doesn’t just float to the top, but rather stays incorporated into the mixture.
So really – grab a fork and start your eating journey up and down this beautiful piece of bread. And, no, I will not stop talking.
Do you like French toast? Would you drive to the store just to pick up some bacon? Have you checked out Lindsay’s French Toast? Have you seen The 40 Year Old Virgin?What do you like to eat when you’re hung over?
It has been my goal as of late to make efforts (substantial efforts) to get rid of things in my pantry/fridge before I go grocery shopping. For instance, do you know what I can do with a gallon of raw milk that I cannot finish by the expiration date? Well, I figured it out – so tune in!
In this case, it was spinach. I usually use it up with green monsters, salads and the like, but I had some extra to use up.
This is where Diana and her Green Monster Muffins enters the scene. I have had this recipe printed and bookmarked since early early 2010 (I have to stress the early). With that said, this was definitely not the first time I have tried one of Diana’s recipes (here).
And, like her cookie dough balls, the muffins were another hit!
*The only change I made was to add orange zest instead of lemon and I only had cinnamon apple sauce. Loved every bite!
Moist, fully flavorful with a hint of the orange, and an excellent crumb.
And, I did eat every single one of those crumbs.
My review of these chic muffins: très bien!
Have you tried Diana’s Green Monster Muffins? How do you make efforts to use things up in your pantry/fridge? Do you enjoy grocery shopping?
His no-knead bread really rocked the socks off much of the culinary world for many reasons. First, because the art & science of bread-making is brought down to my level – the idea of making a beautiful artisan bread is now an easy reality! Second, the bread is just damn good. Binks and I have been eating this bread and butter for the past few days. No judgment!
The process is easy.
Most of the time was spent allowing my new bread baby to bundle up and rest!
Your time and patience yields one of the best breads you will ever make!
My heart skipped a beat when I pulled this beauty out of the oven. Yours would too!
The crust was perfectly crisp with a soft and chewy interior – just like you would find at any bakery.
Great with butter.
Great the next morning!
Great with the good stuff:
Enjoy your heart out!
Are you a bread fan? Do you bake bread? Have you tried the no-knead bread?
Add oats, flax, chia, salt and vanilla to milk and simmer over medium heat.
When it starts bubbling, add the banana.
Go ape shit and whip it real good!
During the last 1-2 minutes of cooking the oats, add the blueberries and stir.
Enjoy your whipped oats!
Note: *I like to chop the banana into larger pieces because I want to have pieces of banana in my oats to taste. The finer you chop your banana, the finer the consistency. It’s the difference between mashed and smashed potatoes.
It’s a random question I know – but I have been really focusing in on this research for the past few months. I know it applies to my life (I’m first-born; so is Binks). If you think this question is associated to this post, then you are right.
So it’s snowing/icing in Dallas. You obviously know what that means? Schools closed. Empty roads. Cancelled appointments. Waking up at 9:00 a.m. And…most importantly. Pancakes!
I used to make pancakes a lot. But, these days, without the time to prepare anything but oatmeal or smoothies or quinoa in the morning, pancakes have fallen by the wayside.
But, not this day!
This day calls for pancakes. And I’m kickin’ it oat-style!
Look at that fluff!
And I thought – why not indulge a bit with the mini chocolate chips, raspberry drizzle, sunflower seeds and chia seeds.
