Chef Mimi's French Toast

Charlottesville's Hotcakes- on Barrack's Road. I've only been in once, but their pastries looked mouth-watering, and they also have their own signature gourmet dishes that looked like they would rival Whole Foods.

Chef Mimi sent me this picture of her Sunday Brunch from Hotcakes...Raspberry French Toast

For the record, French toast DID originate in France, unlike French Fries. It is called "Pain Perdu", or lost bread, because during medieval times, wasting food was not an option. Stale bread was moistened and heated, and eggs were added for protein. 

Age is not important unless you're a cheese.

Before starting to cook, I tried to show Chefs Paco and Brigitte the new trick i taught miles today- Down: After he sits, then shakes (he needs to start with these to get it) , he lays down on the floor. It took way too many tries, but he eventually got the message that -he didn't spend half an hour practicing it earlier - for nothing. His only concern was that he was getting treats.

New Experiment for Pizza Tuesday: 

Trader Joe's Garlic & Herb Pizza Dough stuffed with Spinach and Gorgonzola, topped with Barbecue Chicken.

Courtesy of my trip back home, we were able to have a change of Dough-I got two of them because the three of us are big eaters.

 Chef Brigitte marinated the chicken in barbecue sauce and grilled it on her George Foreman, so it was ready to go.
The dough was rolled out and stuffed it with the spinach and Gorgonzola.
Then we spread on a layer of barbecue sauce instead of the usual red sauce.
We decided to layer on the usual vegetables- onion, mushrooms, broccoli, and tomato-  Those Definitely. count. for my vegetables of the day.
The chicken went on next with sprinkled Gorgonzola over-top, and it was popped in the oven for 15 minutes.

The blue cheese melted really well and combining it with the barbecue sauce created an aroma that would heighten almost anyone's appetite.

 You would think that the Gorgonzola would be overwhelming because it is a strong cheese, but we must have added the perfect amount because it blended with the light barbecue sauce to create its own flavor. 

Fun Facts about Gorgonzola/Blue Cheese

-Gorgonzola is an Italian Cow's Milk Cheese

It was originally aged in caves...

The mold in blue cheeses is a penicillium 

It is a high protein food- it has 1 g of carbs per 1/4 cup and 6 g of protein.

Sodium is an important electrolyte mineral, and 1/4 cup of Gorgonzola contains 380 mg of sodium.

A 1/4 cup of Gorgonzola also contains 15 percent of your daily allowance of Calcium, which is important for bones and teeth.

 

 Stuffed Crust: I like this dough because it's whole wheat. My dad gave me a book to read called Anti-Cancer, and it names foods that are correlated with cancer. Surprisingly, white bread and white flour are on the list- Clearly, we aren't going to stop eating it- but I guess whole wheat is a better choice... Good thing I prefer wheat to white bread anyway. BUT- bread and white flour also have a higher glycemic index- so for athletes especially, it is important to include them in their diet.

Important to note! Blue cheese is a real type of cheese that you can buy: When you have another kind of cheese that sits in your fridge for too long and develops blue pores, it is NOT the same as blue cheese. Don't use it as a replacement for blue cheese either. If you don't remember buying blue cheese at the store, don't eat it.

Fruit Salad

 While I was home my mom and I made a fruit salad with mango, strawberries, pineapple, orange, blueberries, and blackberries.

I ate some the way it's supposed to be eaten, then promptly made a bowl of cereal and put some more on top :)

Sunday Night Lasagna Dinner

While I was at home, I got to try some of my parents' new Trader Joe's favorites. They introduced me to a new bread they carry, called "Rustico Bread". It is supposed to be sandwich bread, but it goes really well with dinner because it has a wholesome nutty flavor.

 We paired it with one of their spreads as an appetizer, and sprinkled Parmesan cheese over top.

Chef Paco went to Mona Lisa Pasta in downtown Charlottesvilleand picked up fresh basil lasagna noodles- I don't think I've ever had lasagna with fresh pasta before. 

 It's hard to see, but the lady at Mona Lisa pasta had cut out strips for us. This was when it was still wrapped in the plastic, but you can see the fresh basil. 

My parents always told me that it's rude to smell your food, but I may have accidentally smelled the pasta, and it smelled really good before it even got cooked.

My mom and I love to make homemade lasagna together, so I used our recipe for the filling.

In a mixing bowl, I mixed 3 eggs, two cups of ricotta cheese, and Parmesan cheese.

Chef Mimi did the layers: 

a layer of roasted garlic tomato sauce mixed with three cheese tomato sauce

a layer of pasta

a layer of the ricotta mixture

a layer of ground beef

A layer of grilled vegetables: mushrooms, spinach, red peppers

Repeat

 To top it off, we sprinkled parmesan cheese- though you can also do mozzarella. 

We baked it on 375 degrees for half an hour. 

Chef Paco was excited...

 

The layers melted together well...

 Chef Mimi had the quote of the night: 

"I never met a lasagna I didn't like. But... I think I love this one."

Home

The pups were happy to see each other again and have been going crazyyy since I got here.

 Miles (left) and Charlie (right) chewing a tree

My brother invented a new game for them where he points a laser at the ground and they chase like it's something they could eat. 

One of my favorite parts about going home: There are 3 Trader Joes Stores within 5 miles of my house. I spent a fair amount of time food shopping, and then my Mom

made a salad for lunch:
Arugula with grilled chicken, gorgonzola, tomatoes, and carrots.

I made my own dressing with EVOO and Balsamic vinegar. 

We had brie with toasted bread as the second course-

And I was still hungry so I had a few cookies, greek yogurt with blueberries, and a bowl of Banana Nut Crunch Cereal. 

It is one of my favorite cereals because it is just dense enough- with nuts, flakes, and the best part- crunchies that taste like real banana. And I'll be honest- bananas are NOT much favorite fruit, so it must be good.

Traveling Advice

“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money”. – Unknown

 

The Cherry Blossom Festival in DC is from March 26th-April 10th

I am from Maryland, about 25 minutes outside DC, so I had planned to come home this weekend to see the Cherry Blossoms. Unfortunately, the weather this weekend will not be as nice as I thought it would be, so it may have to wait until next weekend.  

Regardless, the festival is my favorite time of year in DC- The city-wide event always lasts two weeks, and includes a number of performances and exhibits relating to arts, sports, as well as cuisine. 

Nutella- Breakfast of Champions

Must have in my pantry: Nutella

Creamy Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

It goes great with: Fruit, Bread, Yogurt, Crepes, pancakes, ice cream, oatmeal, popcorn, bagels, nuts, cookies, and my favorite: A Spoon.

In this kid's case- your face. 

He is REALLY gettin after it.

I found my favorite Nutella recipe on "What we're eating"
It's called

Gooey Pecan Pie with a Nutella Bottom

Nutella Bottom Pecan Pie

6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup light karo syrup, (light refering to the color not health)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
3 eggs, beaten (only use 2 if using extra large eggs)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup pecans
1 frozen 9" deep dish pie crust, unbaked
1/2 cup nutella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place rack in upper third of oven. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Add the butter, sugar, karo syrup and salt to a saucepan and place over medium heat. Heat over medium, stirring frequently, until the butter has melted and the brown sugar has dissolved, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut extracts. Let cool for 10 minutes.
While the sugar mixture is cooling, spread the Nutella evenly in the bottom of the unbaked pie crust. Place the crust onto the lined sheet pan.
Once the sugar mixture has cooled, whisk in the beaten eggs until completely incorporated. Stir in the sweetened coconut flakes and pecans.
Pour the pecan-sugar mixture into the pie crust over the nutella. Place the sheet pan with the pie on to the rack in the upper third of the oven. Bake at 350 for about 55 minutes to 1 hour or until golden and when shaken the center is still jiggly like jelly but solid through.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Cool completely before serving. Pie may be made 2 days in advance and stored, covered, at room temperature. Enjoy!

Shoes

During the time that I have spent blogging this morning in lieu of working on my paper, Miles has successfully kept me annoyed, yet entertained.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table, he puppy hops into my room and comes back with one of my running shoes, plops down at my chair, and starts chewing it.

I take it away from him, he disappears, 5 seconds later he returns with the shoe's pair dangling from his mouth with a proud grin.

It took him 3 hours and 6 shoes to get the message...

 I started collecting them on the window sill.

George Foreman

Ever since I got my George Foreman, Paninis have been one of my favorite things to make for lunch. It grills almost anything to perfection in a matter of minutes.

Today I made a panini with a bread sold at Trader Joe's called "Tuscan Pane"

I've never put potatoes in a sandwich before,so I decided to give it a try.

I put roasted garlic potatoes on one side, sprinkled with grated white cheddar cheese.
On the other side, I layered on both roasted turkey breast and roast beef.

It was like meat with  potatoes and a  turkey and cheddar cheese sandwich had a baby...

Don't judge, you have to try it.

Some of the best of France

I took a lot of pictures on my last trip to France, so I figured that I'd share my favorites...

PARIS

Like the boulangeries, there are also Patisseries on almost every corner in Paris, with beautiful pastries.

 And this is why food can be an art...

Ever heard of Maille mustard or Cornichons? French mustard is completely different than American yellow mustard. It's more like whole grain mustard, but it is thick and grainy. My family uses it on cold pot roast the next day along withCornichons- which are french pickles. They are smaller, about the size of a pinky finger, and are kept in a unique vinegar.

La Seine runs through Paris, and "Les Bateaux Mouches" is a great and inexpensive way to sight-see- You sit on top of the boat if the weather is nice, and a recording in multiple languages points out significant sites.

 

You go under lots of pretty bridges

 

"Thomas Jefferson was here"- Alongside the Seine, he stands- Donated in memory of an individual I am unfamiliar with. 

Apparently it's frowned upon to stand up next to him and take a picture. 

Come on, though- We go to UVA- he basically belongs to us!

 

We walked through the Jardin du Luxembourg. 

This man is living the life...

 There are a lot of artists who come to paint the garden and its statues and fountains.

The lady on the left of the picture is probably thinking,

"um, excuse me- you're standing in front of the fountain i'm trying to paint- RUde"
The man on the right-

"I shouldn't have sat so far away, I can't see anything, now I have to squint. 

Those girls must be tourists, they're taking pictures of French people- hron hron hron

One of my favorite places in France: Versailles

And I don't even mean the Castle. 

They have the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen, filled with statues and marble benches.

You can rent pedal boats by the hour

 The "Orangerie" shows the incredible landscaping

BRETAGNE

My great aunt has a house in Brittany, in Cancale. It is a tiny, quiet town by the coast, but her house has a beautiful garden- which would be the perfect place for a wedding reception.

 

These are some views from the garden...

 

 Cancale is famous for its oysters-which are popular on their restaurant menus- "Les huitres"

 

At low tide you can see their perfectly square oyster beds

 Sometimes, low tide is the prettiest time...

 You can walk down on the sand and get closer to the pretty fishing boats

I love the houses, with their little splashes of bright colors and carefully-manicured landscaping. You can tell when someone has put their heart and soul into their garden. I took a picture of this house and its unique flower pot holder- you may only find things like this in France...